Special Educational Needs Staffing

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 July 2013

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Ceisteanna (206)

Jonathan O'Brien

Ceist:

206. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills in a case where a post-primary school is over quota, if the principal and Board of Management of that school have the discretion to decide the way learning support and resource teaching hours are allocated; his Department's circular/policy document that school boards of management must adhere to when allocating resource hours to mainstream teachers at post-primary level; the policy at post-primary level that informs principals and boards of management how to give hours allocated to pupils with special needs to mainstream teachers instead of resource teachers; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a qualified resource teacher can lose his or her job as a result of the hours he or she should be teaching being given to a mainstream teacher because the school is in an over-quota position. [33071/13]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing arrangements at post primary level for the 2013/14 school year have been published and are available on the Department website. 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 recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

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.