Over 8000 meath children in supersized classrooms

Primary schools in Meath are among the most overcrowded in the country. That is the stark message from the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO).

Over 8,000 Meath children are in ‘supersized’ classes of 30 or more children and more than 96 per cent of primary pupils in Meath - 24,700 pupils - are in classes greater than the EU average of 20.
According to the Department of Education’s own census of schools, Meath also has the second-highest average class size in the country behind Co Carlow.
According to Dónal Ó hÓbáin, principal at St Mary’s NS in Ashbourne, the demand for primary level education in the area means that there are children in Ashbourne who cannot get a place in a local school.
“Any child coming into Ashbourne looking for a place in third, fourth, fifth or sixth class is going to have a huge problem getting into school. We have waiting lists for every single class,” he said.
The only way to facilitate more children in the short term, he added, is to add more tables and chairs and increase the teacher-pupil ratio. This has its own challenges, both physical and academic.
“We have imposed a cap of 32 children in any one class because when you start going beyond that, it gets hard to physically fit tables and chairs into the room,” he added.
Colin Quigley, a learning support teacher at Cortown National School near Kells, said: “I’d invite any politician or public representative to engage a class of up to 35 pupils for a full day - it’s a difficult task.”