6th February 2024
The INTO welcomes Circular 0011/2024 which has been published today. The Circular outlines the staffing arrangements for primary schools in the 2024/25 school year and includes the primary staffing schedules for ordinary schools, gaelscoileanna, Gaeltacht and DEIS Urban Band One schools.
Supports for Teaching Principals
Circular 0011/2024 also confirms the retention of one leadership and management day a week, secured by this union for every teaching principal. This scheme has proven to be successful in supporting teaching principals with an increased workload, while ensuring consistent access to a teacher for their class. All existing clusters will cease at the end of the 2023/24 school year. Schools may cluster their Release Days into full-time Principal Release Time posts for the 2024/25 school year. All schools with a teaching principal will have access to 37 release days in the 2024/25 school year, with an additional 4 days available if the school has one special class. Schools with surplus SET hours may combine these with principals’ release days.
Supports for school leaders
The INTO also welcomes the news that all deputy principals in special schools will be considered as administrative as per Circular 0011/2024. The new enrolment thresholds for principals and deputy principals are set out in Appendix B of this circular. This will provide much needed support for principals of special schools and have a positive impact on the education of pupils within these schools.
Substitute teacher supply panels
The INTO welcomes the continuation of the substitute teacher supply panel scheme to support schools during the next school year. The INTO firmly believes that this scheme is vital in ensuring availability of substitute cover for short-term absences and that the scheme must be extended to all primary and special schools. The current level of posts in supply panel areas will be reviewed at the end of the current school year. Base schools will be notified of supply panel allocations for next year at that time.
Special education
Circular 0011/2024 also includes information on the allocation of special education hours at Appendix C. Further information on this can be found in the separate Circular 0002/2024.
Redeployment and key dates
It is important that all schools participate in the redeployment process to ensure that teachers are redeployed as early as possible.
Members should note Thursday, 29 February 2024 as a key date for staffing arrangements in primary schools for the 2024/25 school year.
By Thursday, 29 February 2024 teachers and schools should:
- Notify the relevant Panel Operator of any permanent or fixed-term vacancy;
- Return Main Redeployment Panel Application Form (Appendix E) for surplus permanent/CID holding teachers to the Department’s Primary Teacher Allocations Section;
- Return Form SET cluster 2024/24 (Appendix D) to the Department’s Primary Teacher Allocations Section to notify the DE of new Special Education Teacher cluster arrangements;
- Return CID Declaration Form 24 (Appendix G) in respect of all teachers awarded a CID in or before the 2023/24 school year and a Main Panel Application Form, if applicable, to the Department’s Primary Teacher Allocations Section;
- Submit completed Staffing Appeals Form Appendix F for the next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board to the Department’s Primary Teacher Allocations Section; and
- Submit applications for Principal Release Day clusters.
The Main Redeployment Panels are expected to be published after Easter 2024 for schools to appoint teachers from the panels to vacancies.