Figures released by the Department of Education showing a small reduction in class sizes do not reflect the reality faced by many schools and should be taken with a pinch of salt, according to the Social Democrats.<\/p>\n
Deputy Jen Cummins, who is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe headline figure published by the department suggests that primary school class sizes dropped to 22.2 pupils in 2024\/25 \u2013 down from 22.5 the previous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, these statistics do not tell the full story. The decrease is due to falling enrolments across the country, rather than any meaningful improvement in staffing or resourcing, and mask the reality faced by schools on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresenting this modest statistical decrease as a win for the government is misleading. The fact is that many classes are still overcrowded, with more than 30 pupils, and almost 1,850 teaching posts remain unfilled.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents will not be reassured by these average figures when the reality in classrooms is so different, with some schools having to fundraise just to keep teachers in place. This is not progress \u2013 it is a crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recently pressed the Minister for Education on the real costs of meeting the government\u2019s 19:1 pupil-teacher ratio target. She confirmed that reducing the ratio by a single point would require over 400 additional teaching posts and up to \u20ac35 million in capital investment that has not yet been provided.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commenting on the situation in Kildare, where pressure on schools is particularly acute, local Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly said:<\/p>\n
\u201cKildare has the highest average class sizes in Ireland. Children are being crammed into classrooms of 30 or more, while the government points to national averages that hide these pressures. Parents and teachers are doing the heavy lifting as the government sits on the sidelines. This is unacceptable, and it shows that the system is failing children.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless we see urgent investment in recruiting teachers and improving school infrastructure, the recent statistical improvements in average class size will remain meaningless, and overcrowded schools will continue to struggle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAverage class sizes going down should not be spun as a success story by the government. What matters is the reality in every classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 8, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Figures released by the Department of Education showing a small reduction in class sizes do not reflect the reality faced by many schools and should be taken with a pinch of salt, according to the Social Democrats. Deputy Jen Cummins, who is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said: \u201cThe headline figure published by the department suggests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[396,540,218,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aidan-farrelly","category-children","category-education","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n