School Staff

Tuesday, 9 July 2024

Questions (362)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

362. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education the number of teaching principals, per county, in tabular form. [29891/24]

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Written answers

Minister for Education

Attached are the details of the number of teaching principals, per county as requested.

My department provides time away from teaching duties in the classroom, known as principal release days, to assist principals to fulfil other aspects of their principal duties. Under these arrangements my department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching principal.

In Budget 2022, I ensured that each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week became a permanent feature in all our schools. Schools with one special class received 4 additional release days, while schools with 2 special classes have administrative principal status.

Schools may employ a substitute teacher for the day to facilitate the principal’s release day or alternatively, schools may cluster their release days with other schools to create a full-time fixed term post. The inclusion of principal release days in cluster posts allows for consistency in the teaching cover provided to schools.

Schools with Teaching Principals.

In the 2023/24 school year, there are 1558 schools with teaching principals out of a total of 3088 schools.

COUNTY	Total Number of schools in 2023/24	Number of schools with a Teaching Principal 2023/24
CARLOW	41	16
CAVAN	74	50
CLARE	109	78
CORK	340	156
DONEGAL	173	133
DUBLIN	459	43
GALWAY	222	142
KERRY	131	92
KILDARE	101	28
KILKENNY	71	42
LAOIS	63	30
LEITRIM	37	26
LIMERICK	133	71
LONGFORD	37	22
LOUTH	70	16
MAYO	153	123
MEATH	115	43
MONAGHAN	62	39
OFFALY	66	32
ROSCOMMON	87	74
SLIGO	62	44
TIPPERARY	152	99
WATERFORD	73	34
WESTMEATH	73	43
WEXFORD	101	50
WICKLOW	83	32
	3,088	1,558