Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 640: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the procedures by which school principals and school teachers are appointed to primary schools; the respective roles of her Department and of the patron in the procedures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33101/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The board of management of a school is primarily responsible for the recruitment and appointment of teachers. A principal is appointed by open competition. With effect from 31 May 2005, a primary school advertising a principal teacher vacancy is required either to place a full advertisement in a national newspaper in accordance with appendix D of the handbook, Boards of Management of National Schools — Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure, or place the advertisement on www.publicjobs.ie and a short notice in a national newspaper indicating that the post is advertised on this website. The board of management must also notify the teaching staff of the school of the vacancy. The selection board for the appointment of a principal teacher comprises the chairperson of the board of management and at least two independent assessors to be appointed by the patron after consultation with the chairperson.

Class teachers are appointed in the first instance from the redeployment panel for the area in which the school is located. If this panel is not in operation, a permanent or long-term teaching vacancy is filled by open competition. The selection board for the post of permanent or long-term temporary teacher comprises the chairperson of the board of management, the principal teacher and an independent assessor appointed by the patron after consultation with the chairperson. The chairperson may disqualify himself or herself from the selection board if a relationship exists between him or her and any applicant for the post. The patron will then nominate a replacement in his or her place and is required to inform the primary administration section of my Department prior to the interviews.

A selection board should establish criteria for the assessment of the applications. Having completed the interviews, the selection board submits a written report to the board of management nominating the applicant whom it considers most suitable for the appointment. A list in order of merit of other candidates who are deemed suitable is retained by the selection board for use in the event of the post not being filled by that nominee. The board of management appoints the nominated teacher unless it has good and sufficient reason not to do so, in which instance the matter shall be referred to the patron, whose decision in this matter shall be accepted by the board. The chairperson should seek the approval of the patron for the appointment.

Both the successful candidate and the chairperson complete a teacher appointment form which is forwarded to the primary payments section of my Department to allow salary to be issued to the successful applicant. When this form is received in primary payments, in the case of permanent appointments, a letter of sanction of the appointment will issue to the board of management. On receipt of this sanction, the board shall then enter into the appropriate agreement with the teacher.

The Deputy should note that my Department's function is to ensure that the appointment is warranted by reference to the staffing schedule, to ensure that the person being appointed is qualified for the post and to ensure that the agreed appointment procedures have been followed. The details regarding the appointment of teachers and principals are outlined in my Department's publications, Appointment of Principals, Permanent & Temporary Teachers, and, Boards of Management of National Schools — Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure. These are available on my Department's website, www.education.ie.