Procedures to tackle teacher under-performance

PROCEDURES to deal with teachers whose performance is below standard should be in place by the start of the next school year, the Irish Examiner has learned.

Discussions between teacher unions, the Department of Education and school management organisations began a year ago after the Towards 2016 social partnership deal committed them to revising systems for dealing with under-performing school staff.

While progress has been slow, education sources said progress has been made and procedures should be finalised by next September. The procedures were due to be in place a year earlier, but talks stalled over difficulties among teachers with the department’s demand that principals be given responsibility for dealing with under-performance.