Primary schools turning to unqualified staff amid struggle to recruit teachers

Almost 400 teachers are expected to retire or resign by January 2025. File picture

Primary schools are increasingly having to turn to unqualified staff to cover absences as they struggle to recruit teachers.

As the pressure around teacher supply deepens, a survey of primary schools finds that almost 750 unqualified teachers have been employed in the first five weeks of the school term to cover short-term absences. 

It is expected the situation will only worsen.

As a last resort, schools can employ individuals who are not registered with the Teaching Council as a temporary arrangement to cover a class.

With the struggle to recruit having a “profound” impact on the quality of education, primary schools estimate that almost 1,000 teaching posts are currently unfilled.

The findings are included in a wide-ranging survey of primary schools carried out by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), in partnership with the Irish Primary Principals’ Network, and the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association.

School principals have increasingly had to rely on those not registered with the Teaching Council when a qualified substitute teacher cannot be sourced.

The crisis is particularly acute in Dublin, Wicklow, and Kildare, where more than 50% of schools reported unfilled teaching posts. File picture: Sam Boal

So far this year, 745 such individuals were employed in primary schools, with 284 of these in Dublin alone.

In addition, 1,103 registered teachers who are not qualified for the sector were found to be working in primary and special schools.

Approximately 40% of all primary and special schools contributed to the survey, carried out between September 30 and October 7.

It found 195 permanent posts and 756 long-term temporary or substitute posts are currently unfilled.

The crisis is particularly acute in Dublin, Wicklow, and Kildare, where more than 50% of schools reported unfilled teaching posts.

Schools also expect to have more vacancies arise between now and January; they forecast another 1,816 vacancies by early 2025, indicating an overall shortage of 2,767 teachers for the majority of this school year.

Almost 400 teachers are expected to retire or resign by January 2025. 

According to the INTO every county, bar Clare, has seen an increase in these expected vacancies in comparison to this time last year.

A further 400 more fixed-term vacancies are also expected between now and January.

Almost 60% of schools said they had reallocated Special Education Teachers to mainstream classes to cover staff absences. File picture

Nearly one third of these gaps expected to arise in Dublin, but a sizeable number are also expected in Cork.

Almost 60% of schools said they had reallocated Special Education Teachers (SETs) to mainstream classes to cover staff absences.

Despite more schools reallocating SETs, the number of days SET teachers were deployed to mainstream classes has decreased.

DEIS (Band 1) schools and gaelscoileanna also reported increases in the use of SET teachers to cover for vacant mainstream class teaching posts.

Almost 40% of the schools surveyed said they had been forced to sub-divide classes into other classrooms when a substitute teacher could not be found.

"The findings of this survey paint a deeply concerning picture of an enormous crisis in our primary and special schools," according to INTO general secretary John Boyle.

“The shortage of teachers, especially in urban areas, continues to grow, and the heavy reliance on unqualified staff is an alarming development.

“Unless immediate action is taken, particularly to address the housing and living cost pressures in Dublin and other urban centres, this crisis will only worsen.” 

School leaders are under extreme pressure, and the chronic shortage of teachers is severely impacting their ability to manage their schools effectively on a daily basis, he added.

“They often have no option when mainstream classes are without teachers but to redeploy Special Education Teachers, thereby compromising the specific supports for children with additional needs. 

 “This appalling situation looks set to continue until government ensures that Ireland has an adequate supply of teachers.” 

This week the INTO will meet with Unesco, which is co-ordinating a new research project focused on strategic planning for teachers in Ireland.

It is calling for the launch of an international PR campaign targeting eligible teachers to return to work in Ireland and a review of the incremental credit scheme to incentivise the return of overseas teachers.