Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Donegal that can access substitute teachers specifically through one of the 115 substitute teacher supply panels; the percentage of schools that cannot access the substitute teacher supply panels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24829/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Among the COVID-19 supports provided for the 2020/21 school year was the extension of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel.Currently, there are 115 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 330 newly appointed Supply Panel teachers employed, providing substitute cover to almost 2,300 schools across the country. The proficiencies of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panels is being monitored throughout the school year and will be reviewed by my Department at the end of the current academic year.

Of the 370 primary schools in Counties Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Donegal, 264 are involved in Supply Panels.

These substitute Supply Panels are not the sole means whereby schools source substitutes but are set up to work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers in accordance with Department Circular 45/2020, such as through a school’s own panel of regular substitutes or the national substitution portal service "Sub Seeker", operated by IPPN. Sub Seeker has over 6,000 teachers currently registered. It is anticipated that this number will increase in the coming weeks through additional PME student teachers registering with the Teaching Council under Route 3, following a recent awareness raising campaign by the Teaching Council with HEIS and students, and subsequently registering their availability onSub Seeker.