IPPN

Published: 30 August 2023

Recruitment

Despite the fact that schools have been engaged in recruitment campaigns since May and throughout the summer months, in an effort to fill teaching and other posts, large numbers of schools continue to have unfilled teaching posts, particularly in specific areas of the country. While it has become common in recent years for schools to still be recruiting at this time of year, particularly for shorter-term contracts and supply panel posts, the number of unfilled permanent and fixed-term posts for mainstream class teachers is significantly higher than at this time last year.

It is important to ensure that the Board is kept informed of circumstances where unfilled teaching posts remain. It is also advisable that the Board keeps the Patron informed of ongoing difficulties with regard to the recruitment of a full complement of staff.

All recruitment must be undertaken in keeping with the provisions of 0044/2019, which results in a significant amount of administration. In Appendix 1 to the Sustainable leadership report published last year, IPPN identified 20 discrete tasks associated with the recruitment process, many of which fall to school leaders to complete.

In order to assist schools and school leaders to manage the process of recruitment and to reduce workloads, IPPN developed its Online Recruitment Portal through EducationPosts.ie. The portal was launched in June and has been used by a significant number of Primary and Post Primary schools to advertise various teacher vacancies.

The portal facilitates the acceptance of applications online using integrated Standard Application Forms or uploaded custom application forms. Advertisers opt in to use the additional features for each eligible advert. The ‘Selection Board’ tab allows the management of the schools’ selection board. The ‘Calendar’ tab enables scheduling of shortlisting meetings and interviews. The ‘History’ tab displays the interactions on the advert. Template response emails allow for streamlined communication with applicants.

The portal functions in accordance with the Department of Education Information Note TC 0005/2023. These developments aim to reduce the administration and paperwork associated with recruitment. For further information, see the Portal FAQ here.

Designation of staff

Where schools have not yet been able to recruit their full quota of teaching posts, priorities will need to be established with regard to how and where staff members are deployed. If the established priority is to ensure that a teacher is allocated to each mainstream class, then it may be the case that other teaching staff will have to be redesignated as mainstream class teachers rather than the role they were expecting to be in, at the beginning of the new school year. The unfilled posts would therefore be for other teaching roles and not mainstream class teacher posts.

• Open and clear communication with all staff with regard to the extent of the recruitment/teacher shortage challenges that the school is experiencing will highlight the need for the establishment of priorities and the potential redesignation of staff.
  
• Achieving consensus with regard to such designation, through a process of consultation with relevant staff members, is preferable and will protect positive working relationships.
  
• If such consensus cannot be achieved, it is important for all staff to bear in mind that Section 22 of the Education Act clearly articulates that teachers shall carry out those duties that are assigned to them by or at the direction of the Principal.

Communication with parents

In the same way that there is a clear benefit to open communication with the staff, similarly, transparent communication with parents on this issue also merits consideration.

A shortfall in the number of teachers will compromise the ability of the school to meet the individual needs of all pupils. The consequence of schools prioritising mainstream classes may be a reduced cohort of Special Education Teachers to work with children with additional needs.

All the education stakeholders acknowledge that the issue of teacher supply cannot be resolved locally by school leaders and Boards of Management. All schools can do in the short term is to manage the circumstances that present to the extent that teaching resources allow.

A communication to parents explaining the situation and detailing how the school is managing its teaching resources in the best interests of all children will better ensure clarity and understanding.