Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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96. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports her Department makes available to teaching principals at primary school level. [29423/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Prior to 2022, principal release days were allocated on the basis of the number of mainstream teachers in the school.

As part of Budget 2022 measures, I ensured that all schools with a teaching principal have a minimum of 37 Principal Release Days. i.e. one administrative day per week. This was a very significant increase for many schools, with some schools receiving 16 additional days as a consequence of this change. Schools with one special class have 4 additional release days, a total of 41 in the school year and schools with 2 special classes have administrative principal status.

Schools may employ a substitute teacher for the day to facilitate the principal’s release day. Alternatively, schools may cluster their release days with other schools in order to create a full-time fixed-term post. For the 2024/25 school year, schools may combine their Special Education Teaching (SET) hours with principal release days in order to create a full-time post. The inclusion of principal release days in cluster posts allows for consistency in the teaching cover provided to schools.

As well as general teaching posts improvements, a new leadership framework introduced in 2017 allows for flexibility in identifying and prioritising the evolving leadership and management needs of schools. This shared leadership model supports school leaders in the overall management and operation of schools. It provides for the assignment and re-assignment of post holders to specific roles and responsibilities to meet a school’s evolving needs. Today, 1 in 3 primary school teachers hold management positions. In budget 2024, I provided for an additional 500 posts of responsibility (Assistant Principal II) for the 2024/25 school year.

My Department and I are currently turning our thoughts to Education 2050 and how we take the best elements of our schools and build on this to create a system for future generations. The small schools project is an example of school communities coming together to explore and trail new ideas for the future including how admin supports can assist teaching principals with their administrative duties. It is acknowledged by my department that implementing policies while teaching can be challenging.

The project has brought small schools together in local clusters, enabling them to collaborate and identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions. New ideas are being trialled to determine whether these might help to make the role of a teaching principal and small schools more sustainable The project has shown that small schools collaborating and working together offers promise for the future .

The schools participating across the six clusters in this project have developed good working relationships and have already provided valuable insights and ideas into supports that can be developed and replicated across small schools and I am delighted that the project is continuing for a further two years to allow further time for current ideas to be developed and some new ideas to emerge.

Effective school leadership, and governance, means effective schools. The existing models of leadership and governance of our schools, whilst very effective, also carry challenges for teachers, school principals, as well as boards of management, and the sector as a whole. Recognising these challenges, my department is now putting an increased focus on leadership and governance at school level and across the sector nationally. My officials, in conjunction and consultation with education partners will examine current policy and practice to see what elements are serving school communities well and what elements we can improve on.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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97. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she continues to ensure the availability of sufficiency of teaching staff in all primary, second level and special needs schools throughout Kildare north and the country at large, with a view to meeting the needs as indicated by second and third level school authorities and parents’ associations, given the burgeoning demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30473/24]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her measures to address teacher shortages; the measures she will bring forward to increase the numbers of teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30302/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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240. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she expects to be in a position to address issues of teacher shortages at all primary and or second-levels schools throughout the country, in particular the need for locums; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30867/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 116 and 240 together.

Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.

Budget 2024 reflects this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in the education system through various measures including the:

• Introduction of a professional master of education refund scheme for newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Eligible teachers can receive a payment of up to €2,000, to be paid in 2025.
• Expansion of upskilling programs, free to teachers, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching. New programs in Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science will complement existing programs in maths, physics, and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver a new Irish upskilling program for post-primary teachers starting in late 2024, available at no cost to eligible teachers.
• Provision of an additional 1,000 posts of responsibility in the school system for the 2024/25 school year, recognising the vital role of school leaders in enhancing educational outcomes by fostering a positive school environment and empowering educators and learners within their communities.

• Approving 610 additional places on initial teacher education programs for primary level over the academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25.
• For primary schools, substitute teacher supply panels are also in place. For the 2023/24 school year, 590 substitute teacher supply posts have been allocated to 166 panels, covering nearly 2,900 schools. This scheme provides substitute cover for teachers employed in primary schools who are absent on short-term leave.
• Encouraging retired teachers to provide substitute cover. A new communications campaign began earlier this year to encourage retired teachers to return to teaching.
• The 50 day pension abatement waiver, for retirees returning to work, has been extended for a further two years to the end of 2025.
• Reduction of restrictions on job-sharing teachers and those on career breaks from working as substitutes.
• Post-primary teachers can provide up to 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term in the subject they are qualified to teach. This scheme provides post-primary schools with an alternative means of sourcing appropriately qualified substitute teaching cover to support teaching and learning in schools.
• The Teaching Transforms campaign continues to promote the teaching profession encouraging students to follow a career in teaching. The campaign uses digital, radio and video media, and is supported by a dedicated webpage,
  
  The measures in the primary sector have contributed to the lowest-ever teacher allocation ratio in primary schools, with a 10% reduction in the average student-per-teacher ratio between 2017 and 2023.
  
  Teaching continues to be an attractive career choice:
• CAO first preference choices for post-primary teaching increased in 2023 by 14%, in addition to a 9% increase in 2022. CAO preferences for primary teaching showed increases at the closing date in February 2024 with overall mentions up 10% and first preferences increasing by 2% from 2023.
• In 2024, there were 4,271 first preference applications for undergraduate teaching programmes, showing a trend largely consistent with recent years. Analysis of CAO applications spanning from 2017 to 2024 indicates a sustained and robust demand for undergraduate teaching programmes. On average, 6% of first preference applications during the period from 2017 to 2024 were for either primary or post-primary teaching programmes. Specifically, the percentage of first preference applications for undergraduate primary teaching programmes ranged between 2.9% and 3.8%, while those for post-primary undergraduate programmes ranged between 2.4% and 2.9%.
• The ratio of first preference applications through the CAO for level 8 courses in 2022 shows that there were 1.5 applicants per place for education, with a higher demand for primary courses (2) than for post-primary places (1.5). The demand for primary ITE is higher than for all fields except for medicine (3.5) and veterinary medicine (5.2).
• The new pay deal, with all three teacher unions having voted in favour of, will mean that teachers’ starting salary will increase to €46,000 rising to a maximum of €85,000 per year which compares well internationally. Starting pay of €46,000 will be almost €20,000 higher than the 2011 rates.
• Over 3,700 newly qualified teachers have registered with the Teaching Council in 2023, with over 122,000 now on the Teaching Council register.