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Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 October 2021

Thursday, 14 October 2021

Questions (130)

Gary Gannon

Question:

130. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a school (details supplied) that has no engineering or metalwork teacher and has been unable to source a teacher through advertisements resulting in the second and third year metalwork and sixth year engineering academic year groups going untaught; if she will engage with the school to put a solution in place for these students in the academic year 2020-2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50355/21]

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Written answers

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired.

Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment.  The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on my Department's website.  Teachers are currently allocated to post primary schools at a ratio of 19:1 in the free education system and 23:1 to schools in the fee charging sector.

However, I am aware that in recent years education partners, including school management bodies, school leaders and teacher unions, have reported that some schools are experiencing difficulties in recruiting teachers, particularly substitute teachers at both primary and post-primary levels and teachers of certain subjects at post-primary level. My Department is aware of the case referred to by the Deputy.

In response to these difficulties in March 2018, the Teacher Supply Steering Group, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, was established.  The Steering Group is leading on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and overseeing its implementation. It is supported by an Implementation Group and a number of working groups which are considering specific areas of policy.

The Teacher Supply Action Plan, published in November 2018, includes a range of actions under four policy headings: data/research to support teacher supply planning; higher education; policies and arrangements impacting on teacher supply; and communications / promotion of the teaching profession.

A number of measures have been put in place to increase the supply of teachers at post-primary level, particularly in subjects where difficulties in recruitment have been reported.

For the 2019/20 school year, my department introduced the ‘Scheme to Share Teachers between Recognised Post-Primary Schools’ to facilitate an arrangement whereby two schools can share a teacher to teach subjects in both schools. The objectives of the Scheme are to assist schools in filling vacancies in high priority subjects and to enhance teaching hours for teachers in employment on less than full hours.  Circular 0015/2019 refers.

A number of measures have been taken by education partners which are aimed at matching teachers  with teaching vacancies.

Turasabhaile, a service developed by the post-primary school management bodies and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, matches registered teachers, resident abroad with post-primary vacancies in schools here at home.

The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) launched Sub Seeker, a central portal for short term substitute vacancies, jointly developed by IPPN/NAPD, in December 2019.  This service matches available teachers with short term substitute vacancies in primary and post primary schools. IPPN is also developing a new central portal for the recruitment of teachers to long-term positions in both primary and post-primary schools. It is anticipated that this portal will be available to schools and teachers in the coming months.

The Teaching Council has also put additional measures in place for the current school year. As in 2020/21, flexible school placement arrangements are being implemented to enhance the availability of post-primary Professional Master of Education (PME) student teachers to fill short term substitute vacancies.

The Council has also contacted all registered teachers requesting those not currently working, or those who otherwise have capacity to be available for substitute posts, to make themselves available through Sub Seeker. I am advised that the Council intends to repeat this awareness campaign with teachers on the register.

A number of measures are also in place to support the supply of substitute teachers. These include suspending the restriction on the number of days that teachers on career break may be employed and allowing teachers who are job sharing to work additional hours if available.

My Department will continue, with the cooperation of the education partners, to develop and implement measures to support the supply of teachers to our schools.

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