Written answer
School Staff
The Minister reaffirmed that special education teachers must first qualify as mainstream primary or post-primary teachers, followed by SEN professional development; no dedicated alternative pathway was announced. All trainee teachers will undertake a mandatory two-week special education placement from September 2026, while future strategy work will examine international models and special education pathways.
257. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the requirement for primary school teachers to complete Croke Park hours; if this is set out as a requirement in their contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66373/26]
Comment on this
The Croke Park Agreement hours are part of wider productivity measures introduced under the Public Service Agreements. In schools, the Croke Park Agreement hours are 33 additional hours a year at post primary and 36 hours a year at primary) worked by teachers.
A central purpose of the Croke Park Agreement hours is to provide for certain essential activities such as staff meetings, parent-teacher meetings, school planning, subject planning and continuous Professional Development to take place without reducing tuition time. Utilisation of the additional hours for these purposes has practically eliminated school closures which were previously necessary for activities such as the ones mentioned above.
A review of the usage of Croke Park Hours is currently in progress under the auspices of the Teachers' Conciliation Council (TCC). As proceedings at the TCC are confidential, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment at this time.