Written answers

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Department of Education and Science

School Staffing

10:00 am

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 615: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her policy on health and safety in one or two-teacher schools where a teacher may have to leave a classroom unattended during the school day and the students are left unsupervised; her plans to allow small schools to recruit classroom assistants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29195/10]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The responsibility for day to day management of schools is at local school level. Schools are required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of pupils and to participate in supervising pupils when the pupils are on the school premises, during school time and/or on school activities. In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, it is the responsibility of individual school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. The Statement should identify potential hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and put appropriate provision in place to safeguard the safety and health of employees and pupils. The Safety Statement should be reviewed on a regular basis.

In 2002, my Department agreed arrangements for the provision of funding for supervision in respect of mid-morning and lunch-time breaks which are set out in Circular 21/02. Specific arrangements apply in the case of small schools, i.e. 1, 2 and 3 teacher schools. In such schools, each teacher may claim payment for up to 37 hours per school year for the provision of supervision services. Payment for further hours of supervision, up to a maximum of 122 hours per school year, is made by grant to the Board of Management of the school. Some or all of the 122 hours may be undertaken by an external supervisor appointed by the school. For example, if the teacher(s) in the school opt out of the supervision scheme, all 122 hours can be undertaken by an external supervisor. My Department has no plans to introduce classroom assistants to small schools.

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