Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

635. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of full-time positions available in 2015 for primary teachers and for secondary teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36087/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website. The final staffing position for all schools for the current school year will ultimately not be known until later in the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and any appeals to the Staffing Appeals Board will have been considered.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 (3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data relating to schools at primary and post-primary level, including teacher numbers. The most recent published information relates to the 2014/15 school year.

We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown in order to protect pupil teacher ratios. There were 2,300 more teachers employed in schools around the country in the last two school years.

The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. These posts will provide for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhance the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, an improvement to the scheme of release time for principal teachers at primary level and additional resource posts to meet special education needs.

Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

636. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the loss of a teacher from a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36101/15]

Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

637. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will retain the current teaching complement at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36102/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 and 637 together.

The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools are published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

The staffing arrangements and appeals process for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Circular 0005/2015 which is on the Department's website.

The Primary Staffing Appeals Board meets three times per year, in March, in May and in October. The Department has not received a staffing appeal from the school referred to by the Deputy. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

The Deputy will be aware that I have announced a one point improvement to the primary staffing schedule in the context of Budget 2016. The improved staffing schedule which is available on the Department website will be implemented for the 2016/17 school year. The staffing arrangements, including the appeals process, for all schools for the 2016/17 school year will be published early in 2016.