Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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217. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of providing one release day per week for teaching principals for schools of more than 100 pupils, 200 pupils, 300 pupils, 400 pupils, 500 pupils, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17823/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Circular 12/2016, which is available on the Department website, outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching Principal.  Schools with enrolments greater than 177 pupils hold "Administrative Principal" status.

Under the current arrangements the number of days that principal teachers may take as release time in each school year ranges between 15 and 25 days depending on the size of the school.

Improving these arrangements so as to enable teaching principals to have one additional release day per week would cost in the order of €12.5 million per annum.