Malcolm Byrne calls for urgent teacher recruitment as figures show 984 pupils in classes of 30 or more across the county

Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne has renewed his call for increased teacher recruitment in Wicklow after new figures revealed that almost a thousand primary school children in the county are being taught in oversized classes.

According to analysis carried out by the Fianna Fáil TD, 984 children in Co. Wicklow were in primary school classes of 30 pupils or more during the 2025/26 school year — a total of 31 classrooms across the county.

The largest class size recorded in the county this year was at Gaelscoil Uí Cheadaigh in Bray, where one class had a presumably unsustainable 35 pupils.

"Completely Unfair" on Pupils and Teachers

Deputy Byrne said that while teachers continue to do "an incredibly dedicated job," class sizes of this scale make it increasingly difficult for pupils to get the attention they need.

"Large classes are completely unfair on the teachers, but particularly on those pupils, so we have to do more to reduce those large classes through teacher recruitment, particularly in areas of rapid growth," he said.

"For nearly a thousand children in Co. Wicklow to be in those large classes, it is completely unfair. We really need to address the issue of large class sizes as a matter of urgency."

Small Improvement, But "Much More" Needed

Deputy Byrne acknowledged that the figures represent a slight improvement on recent years, but insisted the pace of progress needs to accelerate.

"While my analysis shows that the figures are a small improvement on recent years, we need to do much more and quickly," he said.

He has been pressing for a further reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio nationally, arguing this is essential to bringing class sizes down — particularly in parts of the county experiencing rapid population growth, where school capacity has struggled to keep pace with demand from young families.

Wicklow Wexford T.D. Malcolm Byrne of Fianna Fáil 

The National Picture

The issue is not confined to Wicklow. Department of Education figures show that nationally, 39,042 pupils were taught in 1,251 mainstream primary classes of 30 or more pupils during the same school year.

Deputy Byrne has raised similar concerns for neighbouring Co. Wexford, where his analysis found 1,671 pupils across 52 classes of 30 or more — with the largest classes, at 36 pupils, recorded at Rathnure National School and Clochar Mhuire in Rosslare.

Call to Action

Deputy Byrne is urging the Department of Education to prioritise additional teaching posts for schools in growth areas of Wicklow, as part of a broader push to lower the pupil-teacher ratio and reduce class sizes across the country.