Written answers

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

Department of Education and Science

School Staffing

11:00 pm

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 346: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of mainstream, resource and language support teachers employed at primary level and post-primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33816/10]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on my Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level for the current school year is the pupil enrolment at 30 September 2009. The staffing schedule includes an appeals mechanism for schools who are dissatisfied with their staffing allocation. The appeals criteria are outlined in the published staffing schedule which is available on my Department's website.

The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until later in the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed for mainstream classroom teachers and any appeals to the Staffing Appeals Boards will have been considered. The appellate process is particularly relevant at post-primary level where any specific curricular needs of the school concerned are considered.

The information sought by the Deputy in respect of the last school year is as follows:

Post-primary level: 20,864 mainstream posts: 2,776 resource/special needs posts: 365 EAL (English as an additional language) posts:

Primary level: 20,365 mainstream posts: 6,370 resource/learning support posts:

1,180 EAL (English as an additional language) posts.

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 347: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of unqualified personnel employed at primary and post-primary levels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33817/10]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Teachers in primary and second level schools are employed by the managerial authorities of the schools.

The managerial authorities were advised by Circular Letter in May 2010 of the teacher registration and qualification requirements for appointment to primary and second level schools.

The terms of the Circular (Circular Letter 40/2010) provide that school authorities, as employers, ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to teaching posts for which salary grant is being sought must be—

1. Registered with the Teaching Council in accordance with Section 31 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 and

2. Have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which s/he is proposed.

The Circular allows for two exceptions to apply:

a) Where an employer can satisfactorily demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher, an unqualified and/or unregistered person may be recruited pending the recruitment of an appropriately qualified and registered teacher and this provision must be inserted in the employment contract. The employer shall repeat the process to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher within the period of any such contract and in any event within the school year. The person recruited will be remunerated at the unqualified rate.

b) In the case of an appointee who has applied to the Teaching Council, remuneration will be at the rate for unqualified persons pending the decision of the Council. This provision must be inserted in the employment contract. When registration for the sector and recognition of qualifications for the purpose of the post is achieved then incremental salary will be allowed from the date of registration. Otherwise the employer shall repeat the recruitment process within the school year. (A copy of the full Circular Letter is set out for the information of the Deputy).

Information for the current school year on the number of unqualified personnel employed is not yet available as Boards of Management are continuing to make appointments and they are being processed by my Department at present.

Circular 0040/2010

To: The Managerial Authorities of Recognised Primary, Secondary, Community, and Comprehensive Schools

and

The Chief Executive Officers of Vocational Education Committees

Teacher Recruitment

Registration and Qualifications

The Minister for Education and Skills, in accordance with the authority conferred by section 24 of the Education Act 1998, directs that school authorities, as employers, ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to teaching posts for which salary grant is being sought must be:

1. Registered with the Teaching Council in accordance with Section 31 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001

And

2. Have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which s/he is proposed

The following exceptions will apply:

a) Where an employer can satisfactorily demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher, an unqualified and/or unregistered person may be recruited pending the recruitment of an appropriately qualified and registered teacher and this provision must be inserted in the employment contract. The employer shall repeat the process to recruit an appropriately qualified and registered teacher within the period of any such contract and in any event within the school year. The person recruited will be remunerated at the unqualified rate.

b) In the case of an appointee who has applied to the Teaching Council, remuneration will be at the rate for unqualified persons pending the decision of the Council. This provision must be inserted in the employment contract. When registration for the sector and recognition of qualifications for the purpose of the post is achieved then incremental salary will be allowed from the date of registration. Otherwise the employer shall repeat the recruitment process within the school year.

Special Schools

The position remains that special schools must recruit teachers qualified to teach in primary schools except in the case of special schools that cater for pupils of post-primary age where it is sanctioned by this Department as being appropriate to appoint teachers with other qualifications.

Conditional Registration

A teacher conditionally registered with the Teaching Council will be remunerated on the teachers incremental salary scale. This is conditional on continued compliance with the terms of registration within the period prescribed by the Teaching Council and this condition must be inserted in the employment contract. In the event that conditional registration lapses then from that date, remuneration will be at the rate for unqualified persons and the employer shall repeat the recruitment process within the school year.

Application

The terms of this circular are applicable to all new appointments from 1st September, 2010.

This circular supersedes all previous circulars, memoranda, rules and regulations in relation to this area including Circular 24/00.

Matters relating to registration of teachers are appropriate to the Teaching Council, Block A, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Email: info@teachingcouncil.ie

Please ensure that copies of this circular are provided to all members of the Board of Management/Vocational Education Committee and its contents are brought to the attention of all teachers in your employment including those on leave of absence.

This circular can be accessed on the Department's website under

All enquiries regarding this circular should be e-mailed to:

D. TattanP. Maloney
Principal OfficerPrincipal Officer
Schools DivisionPayroll Division
May, 2010May, 2010.

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 348: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers engaged by schools on a temporary contractual basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33818/10]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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There are currently nineteen retired teachers employed on a contractual basis in the voluntary secondary and community and comprehensive sectors and paid on my Department payroll.

The numbers of retired primary teachers employed on a contractual basis is not currently available but I will arrange for the information to be forwarded to you as soon as it becomes available.

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