Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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256. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the procedures for allocating the number of posts of responsibility and the remuneration for principalship and deputy principalship within special schools, as at present only the number of teachers employed directly by the board is recognised by the Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67654/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My Department actively engages with the representative bodies for special schools, in order to help to address some of these additional challenges these schools face over their mainstream counterparts.

Following close engagement with special schools and awareness of the challenges they face, a number of new measures have been introduced to support them. Firstly, the appointment of new posts for administrative deputy principals in all special schools has been instrumental in assisting principals with leadership and management functions and to support learning and parental and community engagement.

Secondly, the allocation of 100 post-primary teaching posts to ensure a greater range of the national curriculum subjects can be taught to improve student progression and transition.

There has also been an increase in funding to ensure that the Summer Programme continues to expand for students with special educational needs.

In addition to these budgetary measures, my Department is also working closely with the NCSE to further support special schools in relation to a range of issues relating to administration, curriculum and training.

My department and the NCSE will continue to support all schools including special schools to ensure we deliver an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

I recognise the key role school leadership plays in improving educational outcomes by creating a positive school climate and environment as well as motivating and empowering educators and learners within their school communities.

The Department has committed to annually revising the allocation of Posts of Responsibility to take into account retirements during the school year which has ensured that the current level of Posts of Responsibility (POR’s) is maintained in the school system. New POR threshold tables are produced each year to distribute these PORs equitably across all schools. Currently one in three teachers hold a promotional post within our schools.

Recent Budgets have provided for an additional 1000 posts of responsibility at both primary level and post-primary level. 500 AP II posts were allocated to primary schools in the 2024/25 school year. For the 2025/26 school year, the equivalent of 500 AP II posts is being distributed as 110 AP I and 251 AP II for the purposes of fully restoring all PORs in primary schools. Any further improvement would have to be considered in the context of the overall budgetary process.

The Public Service Agreement PSA 2024-2024 provides for a local bargaining process to deal with outstanding adjudications, commitments, recommendations, awards and claims. Any additional amendments to teacher Terms and Conditions, including pay and allowances, can only be achieved through engagement and collective bargaining agreements between the Government and the Public Service unions. This is one of the matters that may come under consideration under the local bargaining provision of the PSA 2024-2026 and as matters under industrial relations processes are confidential to the parties it would not be appropriate for me to comment any further at this time.