169. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the average primary school class size in County Wicklow; the way it compares to the national average; the efforts that are being made to bring class sizes in line with the highest EU standards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37475/24]

In the 2023/24 academic year, the average primary class size in County Wicklow was 22.7 students, with 22.5 students being the national average class size.

This figure is based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and are collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DES website and can be found at the link below;

www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/primary/

In previous budgets, I have prioritised reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. A three point reduction in the retention schedule, which I introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. I also improved teacher allocations for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools which now stand at an average of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. Any further improvement in pupil teacher ratios will have to be considered as part of the overall budgetary process.