Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 October 2021
121. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education her plans regarding teacher supply panels at both primary and secondary school level; if she plans to expand the existing coverage of supply panels to make them accessible to schools nationwide; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50189/21]
View answer122. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education her views on the adequacy of the number of teachers currently allocated to supply panels for substitute teachers at a primary school level; if her attention has been drawn to cases in which three substitute teachers are covering up to 14 schools in a district as is the case in north County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50191/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 121 and 122 together.
As part of the COVID-19 supports provided to schools in 2020, additional funding of €41.2 million was allocated to provide primary schools with substitute staff.
This funding allowed for the expansion of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel from a pilot scheme consisting of 6 base schools to 132 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 380 newly appointed Supply Panel teachers employed, providing substitute cover to over 2,500 schools across the country. This includes 5 supply panel clusters in Co. Wicklow.
The base schools were firstly identified in conjunction with the INTO and primary management bodies. The INTO and management bodies made contact with these schools with a view to being a base for that location.
In forming the Supply Panel clusters, my Department's GIS system identified the receiving schools based on distance from the base school. Teaching posts were allocated to each Supply Panel cluster based on the number of permanent teaching positions in the schools in the cluster and the distance to the base school.
Primary schools have been informed that the Supply Panel Scheme will continue for the 2021/22 school year. The scheme provides more certainty on the availability of substitutes for primary schools and allows for substitutions that are not covered by existing schemes.
