By Maura Fay
maura.fay@meathpost.com

Over 5,000 pupils in Meath primary schools are in class sizes greater than 30 pupils, according to a new survey released by the Department of Education.
With growing numbers, many schools are now turning away pupils because of class sizes in the South Meath area.
“We’re crying out for smaller classes. We’re trying as far as we can to adhere to the direction on classes sizes,” says Jack Barrett, Principal of St Mary’s NS, Ashbourne.
In Ratoath Senior National School there is a similar situation with classes sizes in their 30s. Principal Maurice Keaney says the school had intended on splitting their classes in a bid to reduce numbers but the government failed to enact this: “We are deeply disappointed for the children’s sake. Things would have been far better for them if this had happened.”

With 480 students enrolled, St Mary’s has seven 31-pupil classes, seven 30-pupil classes and two 29-pupil classes many of whom are being taught from four pre-fabs.
Like many principals in the area, Jack is hoping that either a new school will be built for them in the future or suitable permanent accommodation on site.
John Carr, secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) believes commuter belt areas are the worst hit “because of a lack of coherent planning which allowed houses to be built without vital infrastructure such as schools and school extensions as well as the failure to extend existing schools”.
Figures released by the Department of Education show that just 1,357 of Meath’s 20,754 primary school pupils are in class sizes of less than 20 pupils.
The 2002 Programme for Government promised to reduce classes to “the international best-practice guideline of 20:1″.