Written answer
School Staff
1229. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 414 of 16 June 2026, if her Department has considered requiring schools and Education and Training Boards to record and report whether temporary, substitute and part-time teaching hours relate to genuine temporary absences, recurring curricular requirements, allocation-based hours, special educational needs or English as an additional language provision, or other continuing teaching requirements; if not, the reason her Department has decided not to collect such information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61561/26]
Comment on this
The Department of Education and Youth allocates staffing resources to primary, secondary, community and comprehensive schools and ETB schools (through education and training Boards – ETBs).
This includes the:
- allocation of mainstream primary classroom teaching resources to schools
- allocation of teaching resources to second level schools and ETBs.
- redeployment of teachers in accordance with the relevant redeployment schemes.
Teachers can also be appointed by schools/ETBs where those schools/ETBs have received an allocation under schemes such as the EAL or Co-operation Hours schemes.
Teacher allocations to recognised schools are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment.
Schools are required to remain within their staffing allocation. The staffing arrangements include a mechanism for schools to submit an appeal, under certain criteria, to an independent appeals board.
In addition, schools are allowed to appoint a substitute teacher where their existing teacher is absent on a substitutable leave type, in accordance with the rules governing the particular absence, for example absences relating to maternity leave and parental leave.
Schools are required to notify the Department when employing teachers to the school to allow for the teacher to be set up on the Department’s Payroll system to facilitate payment of salary to the teacher.