Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2010
695 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers or schools that have requested professional development or other support under the new arrangements for underperforming teachers; the support that has been provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31206/10]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 provides for the suspension and dismissal of teachers by boards of management. Under the terms of Towards 2016 the parties undertook to review and revise existing procedures and to agree new procedures.
The agreed procedures provide for two separate and independent strands which should be utilised in appropriate circumstances:
Procedures relating to professional competence issues
Procedures relating to work, conduct and matters other than professional competence.
Reasonable and appropriate support, training and assistance is provided in procedures relating to professional competence. In this context, a major focus of the work of the revised model of teacher support from September 2010 will be the provision of appropriate advice and assistance to school management and teachers in the formulation of improvement plans and, where relevant, in their implementation. Arrangements have also been put in place to provide for the timely accessing of those services as required.
To date there has been only a small number of cases in which the support services have been enlisted to provide professional support to teachers identified under the professional competence strand of the section 24 Education Act.
