Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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150. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of training CPD days both primary and secondary school teachers receive each year; the cost for those days; and his Department's total budget for teacher CPD training and the number of teachers. [26161/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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My Department spent approximately €46.5m on teacher continuing professional development (CPD) in 2016 across the primary and post primary sectors.

The spend of €46.5m includes all costs associated with the provision of CPD at primary and post primary level funded by my Department of which €23.9m funded Post primary programmes and €22.6m funded Primary programmes.

Teachers at primary and post primary level can access a range of continuing professional development programmes (CPD) through the teacher support services funded by my Department. A table detailing the number of CPD units provided through this mechanism for the period 2013-2016 follows. 

In addition to this provision there are other publicly funded CPD options for teachers including local courses provided by the national network of education centres, support offered by subject associations and teacher networks, and CPD offered through organisations supported by my Department such as COGG, NAPD and IPPN.

There are also a range of CPD options which teachers can access through private providers.

The information on CPD units provided sets out the number of interactions a teacher support service has with teachers. Interactions range from a 2 hour session in an education centre to a suite of sessions on a particular issue or, in the case of college based events, a full post graduate course.

Overall Statistics on CPD Units provided*