Principals call for inspector support to tackle below-par teachers

SCHOOLS cannot deal with under-performing teachers without greater support from inspectors, principals warned yesterday.

Irish Primary Principals Network director Sean Cottrell expressed concern they are not being directly consulted on plans for procedures to deal with the small numbers of teachers whose work is below par.

The systems due to have been in place are being negotiated by the Department of Education, primary and second-level teacher unions and school management organisations.

But at the IPPN annual conference in Killarney, Mr Cottrell said the department has been steadily shifting responsibility from themselves, their inspectors and school boards onto principals.

“Problems with under-performing teachers impact directly on children, other teachers and on principals. For decades, the system has continuously failed principals when they try to address under-performance and they simply get hung out to dry,” he said.

Although they have no direct proposals on how the system should work, Mr Cottrell suggested that where a principal identifies problems with a teacher’s work, unscheduled visits by inspectors and assessment of children’s learning could help highlight difficulties. He said existing rules require inspectors to give notice of visits to assess a teacher in class, which means a teacher can simply raise their game on the day.

“We need the independent recommendations of inspectors to be able to ask school boards to take action, whether it’s obliging a teacher to go on training, or suspension or even dismissal. People think teachers can’t be fired — they can — but it’s very difficult to take any action under the present system,” he said.

The IPPN and Education Minister Mary Hanafin both agree the numbers of teachers concerned are small, but she said the procedures were a matter for negotiation with unions.

“If a child only gets one chance in junior infants, and they have an under-performing teacher, the child is lost,” Ms Hanafin said.

“We’re being expected to provide full services for pupils, on a half-budget and with not enough resources in special needs and other areas,” Mr Cottrell said.