Written answers

Thursday, 14 May 2009

Department of Education and Science

School Staffing

5:00 am

Photo of Arthur MorganArthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 22: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his views on the projected loss of 2.6 temporary and part-time teachers in secondary schools from September 2009. [19224/09]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I have consistently said that the 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally spared, and I acknowledge the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, including at school level. However, these are the inevitable result of the challenging economic environment and the need to manage Exchequer resources prudently. These decisions included the increasing of the pupil teacher ratio across all second-level schools from 18:1 to 19:1. In the case of fee-charging post-primary schools, there will be an additional one-point adjustment to 20:1.

Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities.

In terms of the position at individual school level the key factor for determining the level of resources provided by my Department is the pupil enrolment at 30 September 2008. The annual process of seeking this enrolment data from schools took place in the autumn and the data has since been received and processed in my Department enabling the commencement of the processes by which teaching resources are allocated to schools for the school year that begins next September.

Initial allocation letters have issued to Post Primary Schools and Vocational Educational Committees. The final position for any one school will depend on a number of other factors such as the allocation of support teachers and additional posts for schools that are developing rapidly.

In accordance with existing arrangements, where a school management authority is unable to meet its curricular commitments within its approved allocation, my Department considers applications for additional short term support i.e. curricular concessions. This concession is available as a short term support to enable essential curricular provision to continue.

The allocation processes also include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. The Board of Management of a school can submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board which was established specifically to adjudicate on appeals on staffing allocations in post-primary schools. This Board operates independently of my Department.

I am committed to providing information in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools as a new feature on my Department's website. The process has begun with the provision earlier this year of initial information on the allocation of mainstream classroom teachers to primary schools under the revised schedule for 2009/10.

Information on the teacher allocations to second level schools, whether enrolment related or otherwise, is currently being compiled into a format for publication on my Department's website in the coming weeks. My intention is that, just as is the case with the information provided in relation to primary schools, this information will identify the changed position for second level schools and VECs arising from the October budget decisions.

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