Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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197. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the moratorium on filling certain promoted posts in schools will be lifted, in view of the fact it was introduced as an emergency measure in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3001/17]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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208. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to end the current ban on promotions at the primary school level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3012/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 197 and 208 together.

Budget 2017 provided for an additional €7.75m to strengthen school leadership. This will provide 170 additional posts to second level schools to employ additional Deputy Principals to assist the school principal with the leadership of the school. With effect from September 2017, schools with pupil enrolment in excess of 700 will be allocated additional Deputy Principal posts.

Budget 2017 also provides for the commencement of the restoration of middle management posts to lift the rigidity of the longstanding moratorium on these posts in both the primary and post-primary sector. Measures to commence the restoration of middle management posts will be introduced in the primary and post-primary sectors in September 2017. The aim is to contribute to the further development of a distributed leadership model in schools, involving the establishment and facilitation of leadership teams with appropriately defined and shared responsibilities for areas such as curriculum and learning, student support and wellbeing, school improvement and leadership and development of staff teams.

A Department circular will issue in the coming weeks in relation to these new arrangements which will come into effect from the 2017/18 school year. Strengthening leadership is schools is a serious issue and these new arrangements will provide additional resources to focus on leadership and management in our schools.