Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Fáilte romhat a Aire. The matter I raise seeks to discuss with the Minister for Education and Skills teacher appointment and retention figures for primary schools and particularly to ask her to revise teacher appointment guidelines in order that a new primary teacher can be appointed immediately after the 30 September pupil numbers are confirmed by the Department, namely in that same year rather than a whole year later.

I will focus on the challenges facing teaching principals around teaching and learning while also managing a school and providing leadership. I am talking about schools with seven or fewer teachers. I will refer to a case study that outlines the challenges facing six teacher schools, in particular. I am thinking of Bawnmore national school in County Galway, an exemplary school which I have visited many times. As a class teacher the principal places emphasis on teaching and learning but also gives leadership in the school. She will have 174 pupils on her books on 1 September 2016. She needs 172 to appoint a seventh teacher and she will exceed the required number by 30 September. However, she cannot appoint that seventh teacher until September 2017, a whole year later. The rules are absolutely archaic. I know of a number of schools in this position and I feel it is time to revise this rule, which is sheer madness and does not in any way support education. Another principal asked why schools would get a teacher a year after they need one.He said he has the numbers for a whole year and that is the year he needs the teacher. Instead, the rule provides that if a school has the numbers on 30 September, it must wait until the following September to get that teacher.

I propose a way around this. The Department of Education and Skills should do as follows. It should use the model the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, uses when providing resource hours to a school, the online claim system, OLCS, model. This model works really well for resource teachers and the Department should use it for the appointment of teachers in primary schools. It would have the data immediately through the online system and this would enable it to appoint a teacher immediately. I recommend that this system be used for the mainstream setting. The 30 September model has been in place for donkey's years and is out of touch with advances in technology. I believe it is being used as an excuse to not appoint a teacher for a whole year and to save a year's pay. If the Department is serious about advances such as the recent autonomy document which is totally frustrating principals, it needs to get with the programme and respond to the immediate needs of schools. Nothing is more immediate and real than when the numbers are confirmed and the pupils are attending school. They are real bums on seats.

To recap, administrative principals are faced with real challenges and we have approximately 1,300 principals in Ireland in this situation. For all of the schools with seven teachers or fewer that face these challenges, the Minister should very quickly move to provide more administrative days. That is the least that is required if it wants these teachers to be able to manage teaching and learning, to lead and manage their staff, including ancillary staff, and to deal with parents and take important calls. The current situation means that the class pupils of teaching principals will lose out. The leadership role is overwhelming in this type of setting and there is no room for reflective practice and leadership. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply and hope he has good news for me.