Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 492: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason for her Department's probationary system for qualified primary school teachers which obliges teachers who have passed their probation requirements in a special needs setting to go through the probation system again for a mainstream setting but does not require the reverse. [24343/06]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 493: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there is an appeal mechanism in her Department's probationary system for newly qualified primary school teachers; the way in which such a process works; and if no such process exists, her views on the introduction of one. [24344/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 492 and 493 together.

Under current regulations, a teacher may be probated in a special school or in a special class in a mainstream school where Irish is not a curricular requirement. Where such a teacher subsequently takes up a position in a mainstream setting, the only requirement is that they undergo probation in Irish as this subject will not have been covered in the initial probationary process.

In accordance with Section 13 (9) of the Education Act 1998, procedures for review of inspections on schools and teachers were published by the Chief Inspector in 2002. An appeal against a report on a newly qualified teacher on probation can be processed through these procedures.