Pearse Doherty
Question:17. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education when additional principal release days will be allocated to a school (details supplied). [30115/20]
View answerWednesday, 14 October 2020
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Written answers
The Roadmap for the Full Return to School sets out how schools can reopen and operate in a safe and sustainable way. The roadmap was developed in line with public health advice provided by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre and the HSE and follows comprehensive consultation and engagements with education stakeholders.
The Government approved a financial package of over €375 million to support the implementation of the roadmap. These comprehensive supports across a range of areas, included funding for getting schools ready, for providing for additional supervision and substitution, and providing additional teachers to help with physical distancing, substitution and class sizes. Funding was also provided for management supports and enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures.
I am keenly aware of the huge contribution made by all Principals, including teaching Principals, most particularly this academic year when Covid-19 has placed an additional strain on Principals and our schools.
As part of the additional funding €10.2m has been allocated specifically to support Principals and Deputy Principals who undertake teaching duties in primary schools. This funding will provide each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week, and release days for Deputy Principals in those schools that have an existing administrative principal for this school year. More than 1,700 primary schools with teaching principals have benefitted from the increase in release days.
The school referred to by the Deputy has a mainstream staffing of a Principal and 5 mainstream class teachers. The school had an allocation of 30 Principal Release Days in the 2019/20 school year. This was increased to 31 as a result of Budget 2020 and further increased to 37 under measures announced in the Roadmap for the Full Return to Schools. These additional days have been made available to the school referred to by the Deputy this year.
There are arrangements in place for schools to cluster their principal release days into a full-time post which will assist teaching principals to more effectively plan their release days for the benefit of the school. The school referred to by the Deputy is a base school for such a cluster.
In addition to the increase of release days, schools have benefited from the lifting of the moratorium on middle management posts. Since 2017, 1,700 additional leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions.
My Department has committed to revising the allocation of posts of responsibility to take into account retirements during the school year. This ensures that the current level of posts of responsibility are maintained in the school system.