This article is from page 15 of the 2013-09-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 15 JPG
PRIMARY schools in Clare are among the most overcrowded in the country, with more than a quarter of children being educated in what the INTO has dubbed “super size” classes.
According to Department of Education figures, more than 27 per cent of children – 3,600 children – are being educated in classes of 30 or more pupils.
Almost ninety per cent of primary school pupils in the county are in classes greater than the EU average.
The figures also reveal that 59 per cent of Clare four to 12 year olds are in classes of 20 or more and 14 per cent of pupils are in classes under 20.
Six schools in Clare have class sizes larger than 35 pupils per class.
According to the figures there are 36 children in a class in Kilmaley National School and a further 36 in a class in a Kildysart National School.
There is also a class in Ballyea National School; St Conaire’s National School, Shannon; Gael Scoil Mhichil Chiosog, Ennis; and St Mochulla’s National School, Shannon, with 35 pupils.
There are a further 40 schools in the county with classes larger than 30 pupils.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation said the figures showed the impact of increasing school numbers and government cutbacks on the ground in schools.
The General Secretary of the teacher’s union, Sheila Nunan described the findings as a wake-up call for the minister for education.
Ms Nunan said Irish class sizes in some Irish counties were now the highest in the EU. She called on the Minister to stop the rise in overcrowded classes and not to increase class sizes in the budget.
“Irish class sizes are back to where they were a decade ago and getting worse. In 2002, average class size in Ireland was 24.5 the same as it is today. More than 100,000 children (121,353) are in classes of 30 pupils or more, up ten thousand on the previous year,” she said.
She added the primary school classroom is the frontline of the education service.
“At the same time as class sizes are rising the pupil teacher ratio is worsening as non-class teachers are cut from the system. More and more responsibility is being put on the class teacher to meet the needs of children with little English, special needs or disadvantaged backgrounds.”