Teachers don’t stay in less well off schools

THOUSANDS of primary school children will be failed by the education system unless the Government acts to stem problems relating to class sizes and teacher turn-over, it was claimed yesterday.

The call came from the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) after it revealed the results of a survey conducted in 289 of the country's most disadvantaged schools.

It found that teacher turnover in disadvantaged schools is a major problem, with just 25% of teachers surveyed being in their schools for more than 20 years. Almost half 1,602 teachers had less than five years' teaching experience.