Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 377: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the measures her Department has taken to monitor teacher performance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14025/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The issue of quality of teaching within a school falls within the remit of the board of management and principal of that school. It is the duty of the board to provide, or cause to be provided, an appropriate education for all students attending the school. The Education Act requires that "schools use their available resources to establish and maintain systems whereby the efficiency and effectiveness of its operation can be assessed, including the quality and effectiveness of teaching in the school." The guidance and direction of teachers, the assignment of their teaching duties and the monitoring of the quality of learning and teaching on a day-to-day basis is the responsibility of the principal teacher of the school, who is accountable to the board. The inspectorate, through whole-school evaluation, monitors the performance of principals and boards of management in this regard.

The inspectorate of my Department is responsible for evaluating schools, including the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of individual teachers. The framework for whole-school evaluations in both primary and post-primary schools includes the evaluation of teaching. In post-primary schools, inspectors also conduct an evaluation of teaching during the course of subject inspections. At primary level, inspectors evaluate the work of teachers on probation.

In 2005, 253 whole-school reports, both whole-school evaluations and tuairiscí scoile, were conducted in primary schools and 53 whole-school evaluations were completed in post-primary schools. The inspectorate evaluated and reported on 1,611 probationary teachers at primary level in 2005, and at post-primary level 676 subject inspections were conducted. In addition to WSE, subject inspection, and evaluation of teachers on probation at primary level, inspectors periodically conduct thematic evaluations of specific aspects of educational provision, paying particular attention to the quality of teaching observed.

Where, in the course of evaluations, under-performance of teachers is noted, the inspectorate draws the attention of the principal to this fact. At primary level, rule 161 of the rules for national schools outlines the evaluation procedures to be followed where the work of a teacher has deteriorated to such an extent that the estimate "satisfactory" is no longer merited. In the case of teachers employed by Vocational Education Committees, Department of Education and Science Circular 43/85 outlines the evaluation procedures to be followed in the context of adverse reports on teaching performance.