Number of children at school goes up, but pupil/teacher ratio down

The number of children attending school has grown — but average pupil/teacher ratio has fallen, according to new statistics released by the Department of Education.

The figures, published today, show the number of children attending primary school increased by 9,895 over the past academic year, while the number of students attending post-primary (excluding PLCs) increased by 4,331.

However, pupil/teacher ratios at primary schools fell from 16.4 to 16.3, while the ratio at second level remained at 13.9.