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2nd September 2024
10:57am BST
Back-to-school season is officially in full swing and most of us have completed the first school run of the year already.
As thrilled as we are to see the kids return to school, some are returning to overcrowded classrooms.
Recent figures by The Independent have confirmed that many children are being taught in overcrowded classrooms.
However, there has been a noticeable drop in primary-school-aged pupils which has led to a decrease in class sizes.
Counties dealing with overcrowded classrooms include Leitrim and Donegal, as well as Sligo, and Monaghan.
It is understood that one in 10 pupils are enrolled in oversized classes of 30 pupils or more.
Many parents have expressed concern about overcrowding as it can impact their children's education.
According to researchers at Walden University, overcrowded classrooms 'can lead to chaos'.
They believe an ideal classroom should have between 15 and 20 pupils, but anything more can cause multiple issues including more distractions and less personalised interaction.
They shared: "Many classrooms today have over 30 or even 40 students. Naturally, the more students there are, the noisier it gets—even in classrooms that are effectively managed.
"The increased noise level can make it harder for kids to concentrate, affecting learning outcomes, and more difficult for teachers to focus, leading to more stress and possible burnout."
Not only do bigger class sizes cause more distractions, but they also increase disciplinary issues.
The team said: "The increased number of students leads to a greater likelihood of disruptive behaviour and conflicts among students, especially with fewer resources to accommodate the extra students."
The Department of Education confirmed that the declining number of primary-aged pupils has helped the overcrowding issues.
There were 10,000 fewer pupils in overcrowded classrooms in 2023 than there were in 2022.
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