Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 January 2015
194. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will facilitate a job sharing request at a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3175/15]
View answerTeacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities. The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year will be published on the Department website shortly.
The decision to approve a job-sharing application is a matter for the authorities of the employing school. In schools that have over-quota teachers, applications for job-sharing may be considered by the authorities of the schools concerned in the normal way. However if the school is over its staffing allocation the established rules do not allow for the automatic replacement of teachers approved for job-share arrangements. It is, of course, open to the school authority to apply to my Department for additional teaching hours by way of curricular concessions to cover part or all of the hours in respect of an approved job-sharing post. Each such application is considered on its merits. This position is no different from that pertaining in previous years.
