Kathleen Funchion
Ceist:486. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average pupil to teacher ratio for the staffing schedule. [32713/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 24 July 2018
Ceisteanna (486)
Freagraí scríofa
The criteria used to allocate teachers to primary schools are published annually on the Department’s website. The published criteria are referred to as the Staffing Schedule.
The Staffing Schedule operates on the basis of enrolment bands and does so in a clear and transparent manner.
For the 2018/19 school year, the staffing schedule at Primary level will operate on a general average of 26 pupils to every 1 teacher (26:1). This is historically the lowest ever allocation ratio at primary level.
It is important to note that this ratio of 26:1 is an overall classroom teacher allocation ratio and is not a reference to individual class size or average class size.
The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers is decided by each school. Depending on the circumstances of the school (e.g. higher pupil numbers entering the school in certain years, available accommodation) there may be a variation in the size of the classes in the school. School authorities are requested to ensure that the number of pupils in any one class is kept as low as possible, taking into account all of the above factors. The Department also requests school authorities to use their autonomy under the staffing schedule to implement smaller class sizes for junior classes insofar as it is feasible to do so.