780. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the criteria for allocating primary school teachers based on number of pupils was last reviewed; if consideration is being given to a review of this process; the steps being taken to reduce the number of pupils per teacher [41786/26]

Priority was given in recent Budgets to reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to the most favourable ratio ever seen at primary level.

In 2015, teachers were allocated to primary schools at a general average of 28 pupils for every one teacher. This has improved to the current ratio of 23:1, with lower thresholds in place for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. In the same 10 year period, average class sizes in primary schools have improved from 24.9 to 22.2 and the pupil : teacher ratio shows the ratio of pupils to teachers improve from 16:1 to 12.8:1. In addition to the reductions in the teacher allocation ratio, a three-point reduction in the retention schedule, which was introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts.

Further progress on this matter will be considered as part of the annual budgetary process.