Circular letter PPT 01/03 sets out the arrangements for paid supervision and substitution and the conditions applying to the pensionability of these payments.
Under this scheme schools are allocated hours for supervision/substitution on the basis of 37 hours per whole-time teacher equivalent (WTE) per school year.
TUI has devised the following implementation guidelines regarding the operation of supervision and substitution in schools.
Supervision and Substitution Guidelines
Note: The term “teacher” in these Guidelines refers to members who have volunteered to undertake supervision/substitution duties in the school at the commencement of the school year.
Hours
Each school is allocated 37 hours of supervision/substitution for every whole-time equivalent teacher.
Whole-time teachers will commit to a minimum of 37 hours of supervision/substitution per school year.
Part-time and pro rata contract holders and jobsharers will be entitled to supervision/substitution hours on a pro-rata basis e.g. a teacher on 11 hours will be required to do 18.5 hours (half of 37).
The scheme is based on an allocation of 37 hours for each whole-time equivalent in the school. Where all teachers do not volunteer, other teachers may take additional hours up to a maximum of 49 hours per year with their agreement.
Part-time teachers may exceed 49 hours, subject to the total of their teaching and supervision/substitution hours not exceeding 735 hours in the school year.
As a general principle the distribution of residual hours, schools should ensure that all part-time and pro rata contract holder teachers are allocated additional hours up to the 37 hour threshold in the first instance.
A teacher will provide up to1½ hours of supervision/substitution in any given week. This maximum may only be exceeded by agreement with the teacher.
Supervision/substitution hours will not form part of a teacher’s class contact timetable or part of post of responsibility duties.
Consultation and Agreement
The new arrangements for supervision/substitution will be introduced in schools following a consultative process between teachers and management. The agreed arrangements should be transparent, fair and equitable. Due to the diversity of schools, local agreements will have to be reached covering several aspects of the new arrangements.
Areas for consultation and agreement include:
- The supervision requirements for the school
- The supervision timetable
- Substitution arrangements for the school
- The range of absences comprehended by the new agreement
- The substitution timetable
- The distribution of residual supervision/substitution hours i.e. where all teachers do not volunteer
- Procedures for opting into the new agreement
- The arrangements, if necessary, under which outside personnel are introduced
A review mechanism for the school’s supervision/substitution arrangements.
The grievance procedure should be used to resolve disagreements.
Substitution
As a result of the 2009 Budget provisions for Education, new arrangements are in place for substitution cover for uncertified sick leave and for official school business for teachers in post-primary schools.
Each post-primary school will be provided with a defined number of hours of substitution cover outside of the supervision and substitution scheme to provide cover for teacher absences arising from uncertified sick leave and official school business. This will be calculated on the basis of the number of pupils in a school with a minimum number of available hours for all schools with less than 100 pupils.
The Department of Education and Science will continue to provide
paid substitution for approved teacher absences for:
- certified sick leave,
- maternity and paternity leave
- adoptive leave
- parental leave
- force majeure leave
- carer’s leave
- compassionate leave
- jury service
- NCCA committees
- conduct of oral/practical examinations and conferences
- whole School evaluations and subject inspections
- certain inservice, subject to DES approval.
Timetabling of Supervision/Substitution
Arrangements should be agreed with the principal for supervision duties in the first instance. These duties should be timetabled for the year. The timetable should ensure that teachers’ breaks e.g. lunchtime etc., are respected. The difference between timetabled supervision and 1½ hours in any given week (up to 37 hours per annum or 49 hours per annum if agreed) will be available for substitution. Normally this will be one additional class of substitution.
The specific arrangements for a substitution timetable will be agreed locally between teachers and management. A commitment from teachers to be available for three timetabled class periods per week (designated by them and agreed with management) should form part of these arrangements. Prior to the Public Service Agreement, this commitment was for two class periods. Substitution classes should have a maximum of thirty students.
Supervision before and after school
Only teachers who agree to do so may be timetabled for supervision before or after school. Such teachers may be timetabled to supervise for 15 minutes before classes begin and/or for 15 minutes after the cessation of classes.
Teachers should ensure that adequate supervision cover is allocated by management at these times before committing to supervision duties.
Teachers may, of their own volition, agree to supervise at an earlier time in the morning (or a later time after school) subject to a sufficient number of colleagues being timetabled to meet the identified supervision needs, at these times, of the school.
Payment
As payment is on the basis of actual delivery teachers on maternity leave or sick leave will be paid for whatever hours are delivered over the course of the school year. On return to work a teacher will be paid for any unfulfilled hours that he/she subsequently delivers.
Where in any week a teacher is not called upon for substitution, the unmet commitment remains but is subject to a maximum delivery in any future week of 1½ hours within the three designated class periods.
An approved school absence does not constitute an unmet commitment.
In the event that management does not demand delivery of the committed hours, payment for the full commitment will be made.
Pensionability
Payment is pensionable subject to payment of contributions and the rules of the superannuation scheme. A commitment to the duties had to be made by serving teachers on or before 1st September 2004, or within one year from the date of first appointment in the case of a newly appointed teacher.
Extract from Public Service Agreement - Reassignment within timetabled hours
In circumstances where a teacher is timetabled for a class period(s) with a group of students that are participating in an out of school activity which requires the absence from school of another teacher or teachers, the teacher may be reassigned, in accordance with his/her timetable, to facilitate that absence [provided the teacher is in the Supervision and Substitution scheme].