Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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453. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated number of posts of responsibility needed in primary schools to restore posts at the level which was pertained prior to the moratorium; the estimated number of posts which were lost through the moratorium; the number that have been restored to date; and the estimated cost of full restoration to the pre-moratorium level for the school year 2020/2021. [25074/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2017 allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model and meant lifting the longstanding moratorium on these posts with effect from the 2017/18 school year. This recognises the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable.

In total 1700 additional leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools since 2017 which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions. The Department has committed to revising the allocation of Posts of Responsibility to take into account retirements during the school year. This ensures that the current level of Posts of Responsibility are maintained in the school system.

The estimated cost of lifting the moratorium on posts of responsibility and restoring them to pre-moratorium levels at primary level would be in the order of €19m per annum. A comparison of the number of AP posts is attached.

Number of APIs and APIIs in primary schools

*2019/20 figures include the following posts of responsibility which were restored.

APIs - 268

APIIs – 1432