Written answers

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

Department of Education and Skills

Teaching Qualifications

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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165. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to reverse the Teaching Council's plan to abolish regulation 3, whereby Montessori teachers and primary teachers who trained outside of Ireland can teach in special schools and work as resource teachers and substitute teachers in mainstream schools; to reinstate the special supplementary panel for probation to continue to be available pre-Droichead for all newly qualified teachers, including those in special education settings, until the issues around Droichead are sorted; and to oppose the proposed changes that will prohibit the registration of newly qualified Association Montessori International, St. Nicholas-trained Montessori teachers and those trained outside of Ireland after 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14260/16]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Since 2006, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility and authority for regulation of the teaching profession, including the registration of teachers under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015.

Under the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2009, Regulation 3 (Montessori and other categories), graduates with certain Montessori qualifications (Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications) are allowed to be registered as teachers to teach in certain restricted settings in recognised schools.

Lengthening and reconfiguring the programmes of initial teacher education is a key component of the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020. These changes were incorporated into the Teaching Council's Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education, which set the criteria for providers of initial teacher education.

A revision to the registration regulations was required to provide for the recognition of graduates of the 59 reconceptualised programmes of initial teacher education which are accredited by the Council as qualifying persons to teach in Ireland. Following significant stakeholder engagement, revised regulations were drawn up by the Teaching Council.

The revised regulations also give effect to changes made in the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015, such as the placing of the garda vetting of new teachers on a statutory footing. They provide for persons currently registered with the Council under Regulation 3 on the basis of holding a level 8 Montessori qualification and allow for the registration of persons who obtain a level 8 Montessori qualification, where the course is commenced on or before 1 October 2016 and the qualification is obtained before the end of 2021.

The regulations were recently provided to my Department for my consent and approval.

The Deputy should note that my Department has no plans to change the current position whereby teachers who are registered with a level 8 Montessori qualification under Regulation 3 (or its equivalent in the new regulations) who are eligible for employment as teachers of pupils with special education needs in recognised mainstream primary schools and special schools.

The Deputy refers also to the Supplementary Special National Panel. The position is that, since the end of the 2012/13 school year, this Panel is being phased out and no new applications are being accepted. This decision by my Department reflects the wider availability of primary teachers who are qualified to work in all settings, which was not the case when this panel was originally set up.

I note also the reference to probation and Droichead. Since 2012, the Teaching Council has responsibility for determining policy, procedures and criteria for the induction and probation of newly qualified teachers. Droichead which is the enhanced model of induction for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) developed by the Council is being phased in at present and will be the only recognised route of induction for all new teachers from September 2018. In the meantime, NQTs in mainstream settings may complete probation through external evaluation conducted by my Department's inspectors. However, completion of the induction/probation process in special education settings can only be achieved through the Droichead process.

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