Joe Flaherty
Question:354. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Education if she will examine changing the requirements to provide substitute teaching cover in special schools. [19376/24]
View answerTuesday, 30 April 2024
Questions (354)
Written answers
The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).
The recruitment and appointment procedures to fill a substitute position is set out in Circular 0044/2019 and Information Note TC/IN 0005/2023.
As per 4.2 of Chapter 2 of Circular 0044/2019:
“4.2 SUBSTITUTE APPOINTMENT (SHORT TERM EMPLOYMENT)
Where a substitute is required the employer must first seek to employ an appropriately qualified teacher who is not retired. This may be done by:
1. contacting a person on the substitute list established by the employer, or
2. by using a national substitute service, or
3. advertising
Furthermore, section 2.2 of Information Note TC/IN 0005/2023 advises:
"2.2 The existing text at Chapter 2.4(3) is removed and replaced with the following text:
4.3 “A substitute list shall be maintained by each employer of appropriately qualified teachers who have notified the employer that they are available for substitute teaching work. A separate substitute list of registered retired teachers should be maintained to cover instances where an appropriately qualified non retired teacher is not available for substitute work.
Two or more employers may establish and maintain a common substitute list, a copy of which should be kept by each employer. The school/ETB also has the option to make use of national services such as Sub Seeker but, where those services fail to produce a registered teacher who is not retired, the school/ETB must revert to the list. The school/ETB has, of course, the option of using the list in the first instance.
Where a school/ETB receives notification from an appropriately qualified teacher who is, or will within one month of notification become available for substitution work, the school/ETB must, within 7 school days, update the list and issue an acknowledgement to the teacher concerned.”
There are no plans to review the current procedures for filling substitute positions.