Education Centres are statutory bodies recognised under Section 37 of the Education Act (1998) and are managed by local voluntary Management Committees which are elected annually. My Department arranges for the secondment of teachers from their teaching posts for the purpose of developing and providing CPD for teachers and for the appointment as Directors of Education Support Centres (ESC's). Members of my Departments inspectorate may also be seconded from my Department to take up positions as Directors of ESC’s. Secondments are a temporary arrangement renewable on a year to year basis. While on secondment, teachers retain their school post, the terms and conditions that apply to teachers and receive their salary and a secondment allowance which are met in full by my Department.
In 2010, a new policy of secondment was agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform (DPER). The policy sanctioned a new limit on secondment numbers and established an upper limit of 5 years on the duration of a secondment, following which the Directors return to their posts either as a teacher or an inspector.
There are many benefits from the revised policy for teachers, their boards of management and the system as a whole. Because an upper limit of 5 years now applies to secondments, there is:
- confidence that the people involved in the delivery of CPD have recent experience of the curriculum and of the school environment
- certainty about secondment parameters which assist individual secondees and their employers (i.e. ETB/school/Department) in planning
There are more opportunities for people to take on career enhancing roles in the support services and the Centres. Teachers returning to their school after a period of secondment have the potential to enrich their school environment and they become eligible to take on subsequent secondment opportunities after a period back in their school.
Regular turnover of seconded teachers is now an established practice with teachers returning to enrich their schools so the investment in their skills is not lost. Since 2010, 11 Education Centres have successfully recruited new Directors and the work of the Centres has not been negatively affected.
Section 37 of the Education Act 1998 provides the legislative basis for the recognition and regulation of Education Centres. Section 37(6) of the Act makes provision to make regulations relating to a number of matters in Education Centre's such as the appointment of management committees, funding, staffing, provision of information to the Department & other operational matters.
In September 2017, Regulation 394 for the appointment and secondment of directors of Education Centres were introduced. Appointments as Directors under these Regulations are made on a school year basis. Under the regulations, a person shall not be appointed as Director for more than 5 consecutive years whether or not the appointment was made before the coming into operation of the Regulations. A part of a school year shall count as a full school year for the purposes of any calculation under the Regulations.
