John Lyons (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 222: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of additional substitution hours given to schools for use at their discretion; the amount of hours returned unused by schools in the last academic year; the monetary value of this and the equivalent in full-time teacher hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3928/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Substitution is paid where teachers are absent from teaching duties in their school on absences approved by the managerial authority of the school and as detailed in Circulars issued by my Department. Under one of the substitution arrangements currently in operation a second Level school is allocated 0.31 hours substitution cover for each pupil in the school on the 30th September of the previous school year. These arrangements provide for an allocation of hours to enable substitution cover for uncertified sick leave and for official school business. The terms of the arrangement are outlined in Circular 49/2010, copy attached. Details of this type of substitution arrangement are not specifically identified on my Departments' databases.

Circular Letter 0049/2010

To: BOARDS OF MANAGEMENT OF POST-PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION COMMITTEES

Substitute cover for registered teachers employed in post-primary schools – Arrangements for the 2010/2011 School Year.

The review of supervision and substitution and related matters commenced following the October 2008 Budget announcement in relation to supervision and substitution and the subsequent circulars issuing in this regard.

The interim outcome of the review provides that the substitution cover arrangements introduced in January 2009 will continue for the 2010/2011 school year. These arrangements provide for an allocation of hours to individual schools to enable substitution cover for uncertified sick leave for teachers in post-primary schools and for official school business in post-primary schools.

1. Allocation of Hours:

Each post-primary school will be provided with a defined number of hours of substitution cover outside of the supervision and substitution scheme to provide cover for teacher absences arising from uncertified sick leave and official school business. This will be calculated on the basis of the number of pupils in a school with a minimum number of available hours for all schools with less than 100 pupils. Thus for the 2010/2011 school year 0.31 hours substitution cover will be allocated for each pupil in a school as per the school's recognised pupil enrolment on the 30th September 2009. Examples are an allocation of 62 hours for a 200 pupil school and 124 hours for a 400 pupil school.

The allocation of substitution hours for secondary and community/comprehensive schools will be issued by the Teacher Allocation Section before the commencement of the new school year. It will be issued in an amended staffing allocation schedule and shall be titled "substitution". The "substitution" allocation will not be taken into account in calculating Posts of Responsibility. The claims for substitution for uncertified sick leave and official school business should be made from the part time hours allocation on the On Line Claim System.

Allocations to VECs will be provided in the normal way and will be calculated on the same basis.

2. Substitution Cover for Other Absences.

The existing arrangements for substitute cover for other absences of teachers from teaching duty will continue to apply.

P. Maloney,

Payroll Division,

July, 2010.