ACCS/Info Bulletin 68/20
1. Leaving Certificate Results Day 2020.
2. Increased Staffing Allocation and the Sequence for Filling Available Teacher Posts/Hours for the 2020/2021 School Year.
1. Leaving Certificate Results Day 2020.
“The Calculated Grades results will issue directly to students through the student portal on 7 September at 9.00am. Results will also issue simultaneously to students’ schools. (through the portal in matrix format)
Schools will be asked to provide support to students in an appropriate way on the day, through enabling students to come to the school if they wish at a scheduled time, or to making guidance or other teaching staff members available by phone for students to discuss their options following their results.
Students will also be required to respect social distancing and to behave in a responsible way, in line with public health advice. Schools will have the flexibility to ask some classes of current students not to attend school on that day to ensure adequate social distancing in schools.”
(Extract from 21 July, 2020 Press Release)
The complete press release and the other relevant press releases can be accessed at the links below.
21 July, 2020 – Minister Foley announces Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades to issue to students directly through the Student Calculated Grades portal on 7 September.
https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/PR20-07-21.html
26 August, 2020 - Minister Foley announces postponed 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations to commence on 16 November 2020
https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/PR2020-08-20.html
01 September, 2020 – Minister Foley announces details of Calculated Grades model for Leaving Certificate 2020 and Minister Harris confirms the provision of 1,250 additional places in certain high-demand programmes in higher education institutions.
https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2020-press-releases/PR20-09-01.html
2. Increased Staffing Allocation and the Sequence for Filling Available Teacher Posts/Hours for the 2020/2021 School Year.
In light of the need for increased staffing within post-primary schools in the 2020/21 school year to support a full re-opening in line with public health advice, schools are reminded of the existing sequence for filling available teacher posts/hours as set out below.
Circular letter 46/2020 (attached) detailed the additional teaching posts available for the 2020/21 school year and schools received a revised staffing schedules in August.
In addition, the following new elements have been introduced to increase flexibility and the supply of teachers at post-primary level:
Job-sharing teachers may work additional hours in their own school in a substitute capacity. Job-sharing teachers are not permitted to exceed the maximum number of weekly contracted hours of a full-time teacher. (as recently notified in Information Note TTC 005/2020 attached).
Teachers on career break may be employed without the restrictions of Circular 54/2019 in a substitute capacity. (as recently notified in Information note TTC007/2020 attached).
Increased flexibility in the employment of student teachers on placement in the school for hours outside of their placement requirements.
The sequence for filling available posts/hours for the 2020/21 School Year:
The sequence for filling posts/hours will operate as follows, having regard to the curricular needs of the school and the qualifications required for the post:
1 The mandatory procedure and sequence for filling available teacher posts/hours set out in Circular 59/2016 (attached) must be completed (apart from the step involving advertisement of posts). This requires that available hours be offered in the first instance to teachers employed in the school who hold (a) a part-time CID or (b) a part-time fixed-term contract, in accordance with the provisions of the circular.
2 Remaining hours after Step 1 could be offered to job-sharing teachers in the school, willing to teach additional hours.
3 Any remaining hours will be advertised and filled through a formal recruitment process using the standard procedures and criteria for the filling of such hours and filled in the following sequence:
a) The employment of an appropriately qualified registered teacher who is not retired. This means a teacher who has qualifications suitable to the post and is registered with the Teaching Council for the sector for which they are to be employed. This may include a teacher who is on career break from their teaching post.
b) Hours remaining after step 3 a) could be filled through the employment of a retired appropriately qualified, registered teacher. This means a teacher who has qualifications suitable to the post and is registered with the Teaching Council for the sector for which they are to be employed.
c) Hours remaining after Step 3 b) could be filled through the employment of a teacher who is not appropriately qualified, giving preference wherever possible to one who is not retired. Remuneration will be at the unqualified rate of pay.
Such hours could be filled by offering them to a PME protocol teacher, registered with the Teaching Council and where the teacher is in the school undertaking school placement as part of their PME programme. In keeping with the Teaching Council protocol, this must not impact adversely on the teacher’s professional development and achievement of their PME qualification. It is essential that engagement of these teachers adheres to the Teaching Council protocol, the school’s policy on school placement and the Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the school and the higher education institution. Remuneration for a PME teacher will be at the unqualified rate of pay.
d) After the above steps have been exhausted, remaining hours may be filled through the employment of an unregistered person, at the unqualified rate of pay, in accordance with the existing rules (i.e. the unregistered person may not be paid in respect of more than one week’s continuous employment at any one time).
Point to note: The registration of teachers is governed by section 31 of the Teaching Council Acts 2001 – 2015. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council (registration) Regulations 2016. Teachers may apply for registration in the following sectors:
Route 1 – Primary
Route 2 – Post Primary
Route 3 – Further Education
ATTACHMENTS