Class sizes

We hear this month that Westport Gaelscoil are still in the dark in relation to a start date for their new school building and are still educating children here in Westport in prefabs.  But we are not alone in that prefab education is wide spread throughout the country.

 

Nationally,

• 800 schools rely to some extent on temporary building
•  40,000 children at least are being taught in prefabs
• One in four children are in classes of 30 or more.

In addition schools, who last year were told that their building programme could proceed, have this year been told that all projects have been put on hold indefinitely! In the meantime, children are attending schools with no proper heating, no sports halls, no general purpose rooms, and no staff rooms.

 

This includes the Gaelscoil which has been told that there is no date set for the tendering and construction.

 

Labour are now calling for the following steps

• A timetable for meeting the commitment on class sizes given in the Programme for Government and for the required recruitment of staff
• The phased reduction of class sizes to the European norm
• A reduction in maximum class sizes to 25:1 in mainstream classes, and 15:1 in schools where there is chronic disadvantage
• Sanction for the appointment of additional special needs teachers to meet current needs and to implement the terms of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004;