Written answers

Thursday, 17 October 2019

Department of Education and Skills

Teaching Contracts

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

133. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the campaign for one management day per week for teaching principals; his plans to implement same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42831/19]

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Since my appointment as Minister for Education and Skills I have met with a number of Teaching Principals and I appreciate the pressures they face. Earlier in the year, I hosted a symposium on Small Schools which gave me an opportunity to restate the Government’s commitment to small schools and to open a dialogue with all the key stakeholders. The purpose of this work by the Department is to develop a policy proposal to help support and strengthen small primary schools throughout the country.

Budget 2020 is the third successive budget to provide for an increase in the number of principal release days.  One additional release day will be allocated to each school with a teaching principal with effect from 1 September 2020.  This will bring the number of release days to 19, 25 and 31, depending on the size of school.  This is an increase from 14, 18 and 22 days since 2015.  In addition, a further four additional release days are allocated to schools with special classes.

There are arrangements in place for schools to cluster their principal release days into a full-time post which will assist teaching principals to more effectively plan their release days for the benefit of the school.

In addition to the increase of release days, the Government lifted the moratorium on middle management posts in 2017.  In total almost 1300 leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools since 2017 which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions.  My Department has committed to revising the number of available Posts of Responsibility to take account of retirements during the school year.  This ensures that the current level of Posts of Responsibilities are maintained in the school system.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.