Teacher supply 'reaching crisis level’ ahead of new school year

Schools have been engaged in teacher recruitment campaigns since May, with large numbers of schools reporting that they still have unfilled posts, said the Irish Primary Principals' Network.

Up to 4,000 pupils in Dublin alone will potentially have no class teacher in place by next week when schools return, as the supply of teachers seems to be reaching “crisis levels”, principals have warned.

The Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN), which represents primary school principals, said on Monday it is “acutely aware of and concerned about the challenges schools are facing” when it comes to recruiting for the new school year.

The IPPN has been highlighting the issues around substitute cover for a number of years, securing a number of measures to help to alleviate issues, it told members in a statement.

"This year, however, the issue of teacher supply seems to be reaching crisis level, especially in urban areas,” it said.

It comes as almost 155 advertised mainstream class teacher jobs in Dublin remained unfilled last week, compared to 38 such posts advertised on the same date last year. 

The IPPN said this means thousands of students will have no teacher standing in front of them next week or whose class will have to be taught by a redeployed special education teacher (SET). 

It added that schools have been engaged in recruitment campaigns since May in an effort to fill teaching posts, with large numbers of schools reporting that they still have unfilled posts.

“The shortfall in the number of teachers will compromise the ability of schools to meet the needs of all pupils, as school leaders will be forced to ensure that they have teachers for all mainstream classes, meaning they will have a reduced cohort of SETs, if any, to work with children with additional needs.” 

While it is common for schools to still be recruiting at this time of year, the numbers of unfilled posts, particularly in specific areas of the country, are significantly higher than they were this time last year. 

“This is despite the much-earlier release of teacher allocation information to schools this year.”

Call for solutions

The group has called for a range of immediate, shorter-term, and longer-term solutions to address the issues. 

This includes attracting Irish-qualified teachers to return from overseas by offering increments and pension contributions, as well as establishing teaching job fairs in Britain, the Netherlands, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Australia, and New Zealand. 

It has also called for schools to be allowed to create full-time fixed-term posts from maternity, paternity, parental, and parents’ leave posts.