Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012
283 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a submission (details supplied) regarding the Education (Amendment) Bill 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17898/12]
View answerThe correspondence referred to by the Deputy relates to three amendments sought to the Education (Amendment) Bill which is currently before this House.
The first seeks to ensure that a person could not be employed in place of a registered teacher without this being governed by Ministerial regulation. In fact, if the Minister does not make regulations specifying the circumstances in which an unregistered person may be employed then such a person cannot be employed. The Oireachtas is only permitting this to be done by regulation and not by any other instrument. Therefore this is not considered necessary.
The second amendment seeks to clarify that an unregistered person is not a teacher. In response to concerns raised by a number of its branches, I indicated at the recent INTO Annual Congress that I intend to change this section in the legislation to make it clear that an unregistered person will not be employed "in a teaching position" but rather that his or her employment will be "in place of a registered teacher".
Finally on the issue of section 8 of the Bill, it is the view of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government that it is legally necessary that the wording of section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 contain a reference to the qualification of that section by the proposed section 24(8) of the Education Act 1998. The inclusion of a cross-reference to the amendments contained within Section 23 and 24 of the Education Act is simply a technical provision to fulfill this.
284 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if all DEIS band 1 schools will retain their legacy posts in September this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17904/12]
View answer285 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is subsuming legacy posts in DEIS band 1 schools into the mainstream teacher allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17905/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 284 and 285 together.
The number of mainstream classroom teachers allocated to primary schools is based on the enrolment of the previous 30th September. The number of such posts allocated from year to year changes due to a number of factors including increasing or decreasing enrolments.
Legacy posts were retained by 140 Band 1 and Band 2 schools over and above their entitlement under DEIS. All DEIS Band 1 schools will be allocated mainstream classroom teachers in accordance with the new dedicated staffing schedules for Band 1 schools, in order to implement the more favourable pupil teacher ratios of 20:1 in junior schools, 22:1 in verticial schools and 24:1 in senior schools. In addition, 67 DEIS Band 1 schools will retain, where appropriate, the number of legacy posts required to implement more favourable pupil teacher ratios under previous disadvantage schemes for 2012/13 school year.
286 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in Dublin 1 is continuing to lose three teacher posts in September despite the promise that DEIS band 1 schools would not lose any legacy posts; if he will provide further detail on the posts being lost and if these include legacy posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17906/12]
View answerThe position in relation to the school to which the Deputy refers has not changed since I replied to the parliamentary questions on 27 March 2012.
The number of mainstream classroom teachers allocated to primary schools is based on the enrolment of the previous 30th September. The number of such posts allocated from year to year changes due to a number of factors including increasing or decreasing enrolments.
235 legacy posts were retained by 140 Band 1 and Band 2 schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, over and above their entitlement under DEIS for the 2011/12 school year. These schools will retain, where appropriate, the number of legacy posts required to implement more favourable pupil teacher ratios under previous disadvantage schemes for the 2012/13 school year.
Applying the new dedicated staffing schedule for Junior Band 1 schools and the government's decision of 21st February regarding 'legacy posts', this school is due to lose one mainstream classroom teacher due to falling enrolment and one administrative principal post as the school does not satisfy the criteria to retain an administrative principal under primary circular 0007/12. I wish to clarify that this school would lose these posts regardless of any reforms to the teacher allocation process or budgetary measures. The allocation processes also include an appeals mechanism under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. The appeal procedures are set out in primary circular 0007/12 .
For the coming school year the existing staffing appeals criteria have been extended to enable some limited phasing arrangements for schools where the combination of budget and reform measures impact in a particularly adverse manner on a school's overall allocation. The closing date for submission of appeal was 23 March, 2012. The school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an appeal.
The final staffing position for all schools at primary level will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and any appeals to the Staffing Appeal Boards will have been considered.
The Staffing Appeal Board operates independently of my Department.
288 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in Dublin is only going to have one legacy post in September rather than the two they currently have as stated in a recent letter from his Department to the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17908/12]
View answerThe position in relation to the school to which the Deputy refers has not changed since I replied to the parliamentary questions on 27 March 2012.
The number of mainstream classroom teachers allocated to primary schools is based on the enrolment of the previous 30th September. The number of such posts allocated from year to year changes due to a number of factors including increasing or decreasing enrolments. As this school has had no significant change in its enrolment in September 2011 over September 2010, it will retain the same number of mainstream classroom teachers in 2012/13 school year as it currently has in 2011/12.
235 Legacy posts were retained by 140 Band 1 and Band 2 schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, over and above their entitlement under DEIS for the 2011/12 school year. They will retain, where appropriate, the number of legacy posts required to implement more favourable pupil teacher ratios under previous disadvantage schemes for the 2012/13 school year.
Applying the new dedicated staffing schedule for senior Band 1 schools of 24:1 and the government's decision of 21st February, this school, having no significant change in its enrolment in September 2011 over September 2010, will retain the same number of mainstream classroom teachers in 2012/13 school year as it currently has in 2011/12.
The allocation processes also include an appeals mechanism under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. The appeal procedures are set out in primary circular 0007/12.
For the coming school year the existing staffing appeals criteria have been extended to enable some limited phasing arrangements for schools where the combination of budget and reform measures impact in a particularly adverse manner on a school's overall allocation. The closing date for submission of appeal was 23 March, 2012. The school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an appeal.
The final staffing position for all schools at primary level will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and any appeals to the Staffing Appeal Boards will have been considered.
