Latest news with #classsizes
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Ontario elementary teachers' union to make smaller class sizes its top issue when bargaining talks begin
A classroom at an elementary school in Toronto pictured on Jan. 9, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young The union representing Ontario's English elementary teachers is vowing to make class sizes its top issue during collective bargaining talks. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) said the issue emerged as the top priority following a survey of its 84,000 members. Speaking to CTV News Toronto on Tuesday morning, ETFO President Karen Brown said while the issue of class sizes has been ongoing for years, it's reached a 'critical mass.' 'We're saying that the government needs to invest in public education, and they need to look at reducing class size. Reduction in class size is one way to address some of the violence that we're seeing in schools. Reduction in class size means more one-to-one attention for our students,' she said. 'And we also know with the reduction in class size, it means an opportunity for the educators to focus on our most vulnerable students.' The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Aug. 31, 2026. According to ETFO, there are no caps on class size for Grades 4 to 8, which are funded to support 24 students. The union said it has resulted in large class sizes, often with 30+ students of varying needs, prompting them to call on the Ministry of Education to impose a cap of 24 for those grades and 26 in kindergarten. Brown does not expect that the issue will be resolved in one round of bargaining but hopes that it'll prompt the government to begin forming a long-term strategy to address it. 'We know that, as I said before, more one-to-one attention with the students provides better outcomes,' she said. 'I think we're all in agreement. We want to see students succeed, and this is one thing that we can do. It's not going to solve all the issues, but it's a start.' ETFO announced it launched a public bargaining campaign—'smaller classes, BIG DIFFERENCE'—to bring awareness to the issue. 'We've been pushing this, and our members are saying it's time. It's time that smaller class sizes make a real difference,' Brown said. 'We know that when students are able to focus and have that additional adult to secure, to support and guide their learning, we see those outcomes. When students don't have that attention, they're struggling on their own to meet those needs.' During her opening remarks at the union's annual meeting at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in downtown Toronto on Monday, Brown informed members that the campaign will be on billboards, in movie theatres and social media. Brown shared that she has spoken with Education Minister Paul Calandra twice in July and that he committed to going on school visits with her in the fall. 'I think we can hopefully try to build ongoing communications with this minister. And I'm hoping it's not just talk, that he really wants to be a partner, working together with ETFO as a stakeholder in public education to make a difference for our educators and the students in this province,' she said. ETFO represents 80,000 teachers and occasional teachers as well as 3,500 early childhood educators, education support personnel and professional support personnel.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on education spending: tackling the complex question of teacher shortages
Ireland remains at the 'top of the league of shame' when it comes to average class sizes, according to the general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) John Boyle. He made the comment in reference to the most recent figures on class sizes released by the Department of Education which found that the average number of pupils per class is 22.5 compared to the European average of 19. Boyle castigated the Government for not reducing class sizes in the last two years, saying that they could not repeat this mistake in the coming budget. October will reveal whether the teacher's leader gets a response from the Coalition, but research from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) published this week may offer a possible explanation as to why the Government is not treating the matter with the urgency Boyle demands. As part of a wider study of tax and State spending in Ireland, the fiscal watchdog noted that despite spending less than its peers on education, Ireland generally achieves better outcomes. The Government currently spends close to the average of other high income European countries on education, according to IFAC, but when the figure is adjusted for demographic factors – such as the higher percentage of Irish people under 19 – Irish spending is well below European levels. Despite this, education outcomes in Ireland are well above average. Ireland now has the highest share of its population with a third-level qualification in Europe and scores well on Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests for reading, science and mathematics. The figures suggest that Irish spending on education was amongst the most efficient in the OECD. READ MORE IFAC says that the fall in the number of children in Ireland over the coming decade may improve the teacher student ratio. As the Government sets about framing the budget against an uncertain backdrop, the prospect that the issue of class size could be resolved without real spending increases is a tantalising one. That said, the difficulty schools are facing in filling vacant posts remains acute.
Irish Times
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Ireland tops class-size ‘league of shame', says INTO general secretary
More than 40,000 or 8.2 per cent of primary school students were in classes of 30 or more pupils last year, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education . The annual list of class sizes was published last month on the department's website and the statistics for 2024 to 2025 show that 43,464 pupils are in classes with more than 30 pupils. According to the figures, 109,246 Irish-based primary school students are in classes of, or below, 19. The remaining 419,817 students, or 79.35 per cent of all primary schoolchildren, are in larger classes. The EU average is 19 pupils per class but the figure is 22.5 in Ireland. READ MORE Both the last programme for government and the current one included commitments to reducing the primary school pupil-teacher ratio to the EU average, but Ireland remains at the 'top of the league of shame' according to general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) John Boyle. 'Many EU countries with less financial resources than us have class sizes well below the EU average,' said Mr Boyle. He said the Government had failed to reduce class sizes in the last two budgets, adding: 'They cannot in conscience make that mistake again in October.' Just before the publication of the latest numbers, Minister for Education Helen McEntee told Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne in a parliamentary reply that in 2023-2024 there were 23,818 mainstream classes, of which 22,181 were of 29 or fewer pupils. There were 1,637 classes of 30 pupils or more, or 6.9 per cent of the total number of mainstream classes. She said 'in previous budgets, reducing the pupil-teacher ratios in primary schools was prioritised, which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of one classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level'. Ms McEntee said teacher allocations for Deis schools, which get additional supports, improved to an average of 17:1 for junior schools and 21:1 for senior. Mr Byrne said the pupil-teacher ratio had been improving 'but my concern has been that there are a certain number of classes still with 30-plus pupils and a lot of those are in areas of rapid growth', including in his Wicklow-Wexford constituency. The Gorey electoral area population grew by 14 per cent between 2016 and 2022. 'Obviously a lot of that are younger families' who need school places, said Mr Byrne. He said Gorey Central School is 'the largest Church of Ireland school in the country and it has a number of 30-plus classes' and has been waiting a considerable time for a school extension. The INTO general secretary said Ireland is 'completely out of kilter with the rest of Europe'. Estonia has fewer resources than Ireland but is investing more per child and is 'forging ahead in all the international comparisons because they have very low class sizes for quite a considerable length of years'. Estonia and Finland have the highest-performing school systems, Mr Boyle said. A department spokesperson said 'the number of mainstream classroom teachers has risen by 32.3 per cent (from 18,011 to 23,818) over the last 20 years'. The total number of teaching posts, the department says, has increased from 26,039 to 42,680 over the same period. 'This measure (along with pupil-teacher ratio) includes both classroom teachers and other teachers that support the overall education of pupils, that is, special education teachers, English as an additional language support teachers, and home school community liaison teachers, as well as any other full-time teaching staff. 'However, it is important to note that class size does not include such supports.'
Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Parents' plan to raise €60,000 to employ extra teacher refused by primary school patron
A plan by parents at a Dublin primary school to privately employ a teacher for €60,000 to avoid pupils being educated in 'supersized' classes has been turned down by its patron body, the Archdiocese of Dublin . Belgrove Infant Girls' School in Clontarf, Dublin 3 , will lose a teacher in September following a drop in enrolments last year. It means pupils going into first class will be amalgamated from three classes into two for part of the school day, resulting in enlarged class sizes of 34 pupils. Average primary class sizes nationally are 22.5 pupils, and the Government has pledged to reduce the average to 19 pupils. READ MORE Eamonn Broderick, the parent of a six-year-old child who is due to progress to first class in September, said most parents were willing to fund the appointment of a teacher which they estimated would cost about €60,000 or €600 per family. 'We were confident we would have the money together quickly,' he said. 'This is a relatively affluent area. Earlier this the school was able to raise €40,000 to do up the yard in a week. The school indicated they would need about €60,000 for a 10-month contract, as well as PRSI, insurance, etc.' However, the school's patron body, the Archdiocese of Dublin, told the principal in recent weeks that the move was not possible on the basis that a 'school cannot appoint a mainstream teacher and pay via private funds', records show. The school, meanwhile, has told parents that several appeals against the reduction in teacher numbers were unsuccessful and that every effort had been made to make the transition to amalgamated classes as 'smooth as possible'. It said the arrangement was for one year only, as the school's enrolment figures have since rebounded, and it will regain a teacher in September 2026. A letter to Minister for Education Helen McEntee , signed by 237 parents, says the planned class sizes for first class pupils are 'too large' and increase the potential for 'negative impacts on learning quality and the teaching environment for students'. The letter states that enlarged classes will also 'further reduce the available special education teaching resources to an unacceptably low level'. A spokesman for the Department of Education said pupil enrolments on the previous September 30th are the key factor for determining staff resources at schools. While an appeal by the school had been considered by an independent primary staffing appeals board, it was unsuccessful. The board's decision is final. 'The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level,' the spokesperson added. 'The department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible, taking all relevant contextual factors into account [eg, classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment, etc].' Parents' representatives met the school principal and chair of the board on June 19th last to express their concerns over the move. Minutes of the meeting show parents asked the school to provide further communication so all information could be 'properly conveyed' to the wider school community. However, the school declined and said that they had been advised by Catholic school managers 'not to have a public meeting', according to minutes of a meeting on June 19th last. Mr Broderick, meanwhile, said many parents were worried that the new arrangement would disrupt and dilute children's education, but felt their concerns were not being listened to by those in authority.
CTV News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Still no deal for Alberta teachers as school year comes to a close
Sign outside of the Calgary Board of Education main offices in downtown Calgary. (file) As the school year comes to an end for many Calgary students, negotiations between the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) and the province remains in limbo. Earlier this month, the ATA released the results of a strike vote, showing 94.5 per cent of teachers were in favour of striking. Nearly 39,000 teachers voted virtually between June 5 and 8. Only 1,522 voted against strike action. According to ATA president Jason Schilling, the latest deal teachers were offered was turned down for a variety of reasons 'They didn't think that it went far enough in terms of addressing working conditions, class size, the complexity of the students needs that we have in our classrooms, but also for wages as well,' he said. In terms of class sizes, for the 2012-13 academic year, there was an average of 19.4 students per Kindergarten through Grade 3, 23.5 students for Grades 4 to 6, 24.7 for Grades 7 to 9 and 26.1 for Grades 10 to 12, according to the ATA. The province stopped collecting class sizes in the fall of 2019. The ATA says it has continued to try to track the numbers. 'Since then, we have seen our classrooms explode in terms of the number of students in our schools,' Schilling said. 'Our latest pulse survey showed 69 per cent of teachers indicating their class sizes are larger than last year, with 40 per cent of respondents indicating they had more than 30 students in their classes.' 'Of those who responded to the pulse survey (in 2025) 90 percent have seen an increase to the complexity of their students needs while also reporting a 58 per cent decrease to the resources to support students with special needs.' In the deal that was struck down by ATA, the province committed more than $400 million in classroom improvements, which would have started this fall. That deal also included 12 per cent increase in wages over four years. Taking a look at numbers, wages have fallen well below inflation. A teacher with six years of university experience entering their first year with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) would have made $64,905 entering the 2012-13 academic year. The latest school grid on the CBE's website for a teacher with the same education and experience was $68,995 for the 2023-24 academic year. The deal rejected by the ATA members would have included a three per cent increase retroactive for the 2024-24 academic year, and a three per cent increase for the 2025-26 academic year. The $64,905 salary a first-year teacher with six years of university education was paid in 2012-13 would now be valued at $87,337 when adjusted for inflation, according to the bank of Canada. After inflation, the now-rejected deal would have provided that same teacher $73,196. The deal also included a grid harmonization which could result in a further five per cent wage increase, depending on the teachers' current wage grid. 'Teachers have received essentially a six per cent raise over the last 12 years,' Schilling said. 'There has been a loss of purchasing power to inflation and they're looking to make gains in terms of that as well.' In response to the ongoing negotiations between the province and ATA, Alberta's Minister for Finance and president of Treasury Board Nate Horner issued the following statement: 'Since the ATA teacher strike vote, nothing has changed. The ATA (Alberta Teachers Association) was offered a fair deal, made in good-faith and I am disappointed that the ATA members did not accept the mediator's recommendation for a four-year agreement. Education remains a top priority of this government. Budget 2025 contained one of the largest budget increases ever for K-12 education, bringing the total spending over $10 billion.'
