Substitute teachers covered more than one million school days last year amid staffing crisis

Figures released by the Department of Education show 796,665 days were covered by substitute teachers at primary level last year, and a further 234,337 days were covered by substitutes at post-primary level.

Substitute teachers covered more than one million school days last year, as schools struggled to find classroom cover amid a "substitution crisis". 

Figures released by the Department of Education show 796,665 days were covered by substitute teachers at primary level last year.

A further 234,337 days were covered by substitutes at post-primary level.

The true number of days covered by substitute teachers in schools last year is likely to be even higher as short-term leave is recorded locally by schools and not by the department.

These figures reflect the number of claims submitted via the online claims system with the department, and do not include the number of days covered by primary school substitute teacher supply panels. 

It also does not include the post-primary teaching hours extension scheme, or reflect the number of days covered by substitutes in vocational post-primary schools. 

Under parliamentary question, Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne had asked the minister for education Helen McEntee for the number of days substitute teachers were engaged in primary schools, and in secondary schools during the 2024/25 school year.

Many schools are facing challenges when it comes to securing substitute cover, he said.

“The important thing is to ensure that there are sufficient numbers of substitute teachers available so that inevitably when a teacher is off, a school can have access to a sub.” 

Last week, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) warned issues around substitution continued to disproportionately impact children with special educational needs.

A survey of primary and special schools conducted by the INTO during October found 234 reported vacant posts in primary and special schools across the country.

The number of vacant posts was highest in Dublin, where 55% of the schools taking part in the survey had vacancies, including 131 long-term vacancies. This was followed by Wicklow and Kildare.

The practice of splitting classes to cover for absent colleagues remains widespread — 215 schools reported splitting classes, which resulted in 735 days of disruption to children’s learning in the first six weeks of the school year.

A further 65% of schools reported having to redeploy a special education teacher to cover for the absence of a class teacher.

In response to Mr Byrne's parliamentary question, Ms McEntee said recruitment challenges existed in some schools “as with other sectors”.

A number of measures have been implemented in response that have led to an increase of 20% in student teachers between 2018 and 2023. The Teaching Council has reported there are more than 126,000 on the register, and recent data shows there were more than 79,000 qualified teachers employed in Ireland, she said. 

In primary schools, 587 substitute teacher supply posts have been allocated to 168 panels for the current school year, covering 2,905 schools.

"My department has also continued the suspension of the usual limits on career break and job-sharing schemes to the current school year 2025/26 to increase the pool of teachers available to undertake substitute work in primary and post-primary schools."