Teacher shortages 'hurt pupils with additional needs the most'

'The biggest losers there are the children in learning support,' according to Siobhán Buckley, principal of Presentation National School, Millstreet, Cork.

Children with additional learning needs miss out the most due to staffing gaps in primary schools as special education teachers (SETs) are redeployed to cover absences.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) has warned issues around the recruitment and retention of primary school teachers is having a “profound” impact on the quality of education. It comes as a new survey from the union found that almost 1,000 posts in primary schools are currently unfilled.