Pupil teacher ratio to increase by 3 in budget

whatacharm

Currently there is talk that the pupil teacher ratio in the forthcoming budget will increase by three. This will result in much larger class sizes, but even more importantly it means that more and more classes will be split classes and multigrade classes. In fact split and multigrade classes will become the norm. Most average sized schools will lose 2 or 3 teachers.
We are petitioning the Minister opposing this increase -

http://www.change.org/petitions/ruairi-quinn-td-current-minister-for-education-and-skills-rule-out-any-increase-in-pupil-teacher-ratio-in-the-forthcoming-budget

Please sign your name to the petition.

Thank you.

Orion

Is there a source for this? The petition is even vaguer than your post. The only talk I've heard of a ratio increase is in fee-paying schools where the ratio is currently 1:20 as opposed to the 1:28 in public school.

byhookorbycrook

INTO have said it may go up by three.We had a meeting with Sheila Noonan about 3 weeks ago and this is what was said.

ShamoBuc

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

INTO have said it may go up by three.We had a meeting with Sheila Noonan about 3 weeks ago and this is what was said.

I was at a meeting last night and the CEC rep said that there was a possibility they would just take all the flak in one go and put it up by 3!
Madness, complete and utter madness!

Orion

Well this hasn't happened thankfully.

However the 2% cut in capitation just means that parents are going to have to make up yet another shortfall in school funding. So we get screwed in tax and then have to dig deep for our kids in school again. Thanks Labour.

E.T.

There is going to be a big increase in the pupil-teacher ratio for schools with 4 teachers or less.

"A number of changes to staffing in small schools were announced in today’s budget. This will see increases phased in over the next three years. For example, a school which this year got a third teacher for 49 pupils will see that number rise to 56 pupils over three years. This would mean a school of 50 pupils next year will only have two teachers next year with an average class size of 25 pupils. Ms Nunan said there would be an obvious impact on schools like this. “It must be remembered that in these schools teachers teach two, three or four class groups in the same room,” she said."

http://www.into.ie/ROI/NewsEvents/PressReleases/Title,21287,en.php

ShamoBuc

Thankfully the PTR reamains the same, but small schools are going to be hit badly. The capitation is another drain on already tight resourses but it could have been worse!

nice_guy80

ShamoBuc wrote: »

Thankfully the PTR reamains the same, but small schools are going to be hit badly. The capitation is another drain on already tight resourses but it could have been worse!

how could it be worse?
a few hundred schools will lose one third or one quarter of their teachers.

One rule for bigger schools and one for small schools - how is that fair??
schools thought they would have until next september to increase their numbers - nope. the DES are going on the September 2011 enrollment.
Such underhand and unfair tactics from the DES

What have the INTO done about it???
They welcomed the budget!!!

ShamoBuc

nice_guy80 wrote: »

how could it be worse?
a few hundred schools will lose one third or one quarter of their teachers.

One rule for bigger schools and one for small schools - how is that fair??
schools thought they would have until next september to increase their numbers - nope. the DES are going on the September 2011 enrollment.
Such underhand and unfair tactics from the DES

What have the INTO done about it???
They welcomed the budget!!!

Eh...if the PTR increased ( by upto 3) those same schools would have lost out - aswell as every other school in Ireland - would you have preferred that?