Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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605. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on her Department’s strict adherence to the school-teacher ratio which has led to the suppressing of the developing school post of a school (details supplied) and in turn has led to the loss of a teacher and the forced amalgamation of senior and junior infants from two classrooms under two teachers, to one classroom with 31 students in the same room in view of the continuing risk of transmission of Covid-19 amongst young children and the Government's continued support for the policy of social distancing. [51304/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30th September.

The staffing arrangements also include a provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds, using projected enrolment.

The school referred to by the Deputy was allocated a temporary teaching post on this basis. The school's enrolment did not reach the enrolment required to maintain the post for the remainder of the year.  The school submitted an appeal to the October meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board which has been refused.  The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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606. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on whether there is a substitute crisis in primary and secondary schools; the number of days in the academic year 2021-2022 that have gone uncovered by a qualified substitute teacher in both primary and secondary; and the number of days that have been left without cover or covered by a special education teacher in both primary and secondary since the release of circular 50/21 in tabular form. [51309/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is aware of difficulties being experienced by some schools in recruiting substitute teachers, particularly at primary level. At post primary level the challenges appear to refer more to the recruitment of teachers of certain subjects, although the recruitment of substitute teachers is also an issue.

A range of measures have been put in place to provide enhanced substitute cover in the context of Covid-19. These include a major expansion of the Primary Schools Substitute Teacher Supply Panels, which now employ almost 380 teachers and provide substitute cover to over 2,500 primary schools across the country. Further work is underway to ascertain if there are ways the operation of the panels can be enhanced to help with substitute teacher supply.

The Supply Panels work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers, such as Sub Seeker the national substitution portal service for primary and post primary schools, operated by the Irish Primary Principals Network and developed in accordance with my Department's Teacher Supply Action Plan. Schools can also make local arrangements to have their own regular substitutes to call on if needed. 

Measures are also underway to raise awareness of the availability of substitute work in primary schools. The Teaching Council has emailed over 111,000 teachers on its register, asking any who may be available for substitute work to register with Sub Seeker.

My Department has also adjusted its payroll operational arrangements so that the restriction on the number of days that teachers on career break may be employed as substitutes has been suspended and teachers who are job sharing are allowed to work additional hours.

As in 2020/21, flexible school placement arrangements are being implemented to enhance the availability of post-primary Professional Master of Education (PME) student teachers to fill short term substitute vacancies. My Department and the Teaching Council are also planning to meet with the providers of primary initial teacher education (ITE) in the coming days to explore how flexibility in primary ITE programme delivery could facilitate additional substitute supply.

My Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with stakeholders to analyse the demand for substitution and to identify means to improve the availability of substitutes at this time.

The data sought by the Deputy is not readily available and will be forwarded to him directly.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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607. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the breakdown of all of the leave taken in the primary sector for each of the school years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021; and the days that were covered by a qualified substitute. [51310/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available and once available, it will be forwarded directly to him.