School Staffing.

Thursday, 25 November 2004

Ceisteanna (20)

Jack Wall

Ceist:

16 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of graduates from each of the teacher training colleges for each year from 1997 to 2004; if there is a system within her Department to allocate these teachers to schools with high pupil-teacher ratios and to schools in disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30497/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Science (Ms Hanafin)

The numbers of graduates from the colleges of education from both the Bachelor of Education degree programme and the post-graduate diploma course in the years referred to by the Deputy are set out in the following table:

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Church of Ireland	30	31	30	25	33	26	25	35
St. Patrick’s College	154	215	185	317	385	443	553	568
Mary Immaculate	164	207	176	334	373	494	510	497
Froebel College	63	78	84	94	87	124	122	123
Coláiste Mhuire, Marino	67	94	92	93	109	140	195	202
Total	478	625	567	863	987	1,227	1,405	1,425

Significant improvements have been made in the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level in recent years. The employment of an extra 4,500 teachers has contributed to a fall in the overall pupil-teacher ratio at primary level from 22.2:1 in the 1996-97 school year to 17.44:1 in the 2003-004 school year.

The overall maximum class size in primary schools by reference to the staffing schedule has been reduced from 35 in the 1995-96 school year to 29 in the 2003-04 school year. The staffing schedule for the 2003-04 school year was structured to ensure that all primary schools would operate to an average mainstream class size of 29 pupils. The staffing of a primary school in a particular year is determined by the enrolment at 30 September of the previous year. This approach is in accordance with guidelines agreed between my Department and the education partners.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill vacancies in an individual primary school is a matter for the board of management of the school concerned. It is a matter for school authorities to ensure that there is an equitable distribution of pupils in mainstream classes and that the differential between the largest and smallest classes is kept to a minimum.

I am committed to reducing overall class sizes still further. This can only be done, however, on a phased basis having regard to available resources and subject to spending priorities within the education sector.

With regard to staffing provision for disadvantage at primary level, a range of existing additional supports, such as Breaking the Cycle and Giving Children an Even Break, will continue to be provided in 2004-05. These supports involve the provision of over 600 teaching posts enabling the implementation of significantly reduced PTRs in both junior and senior classes in more than 240 disadvantaged primary schools.

In addition, the allocation of a further 350 teaching posts for special needs in primary schools has been recently approved.

I am currently finalising a detailed review of all educational disadvantage schemes, with a view to ensuring that a fully integrated and cohesive strategy is adopted in this area for the future. Any decision to expand or extend any of the initiatives aimed at addressing educational disadvantage is being considered in the context of this review, the outcome of which I hope to announce shortly.

All of these measures serve to underline the particular importance which I have attached, both to tackling educational disadvantage and providing for children with special needs, since my appointment as Minister for Education and Science.