Funded by the European Union via the

Structural Reform Support Programme and implemented by European Schoolnet in

cooperation with the European Commission

This report is an output of the project “Implementing an effective induction system for novice teachers in Flanders” funded by the EU through the Structural Reform Support Programme (REFORM/GA2020/013).

Remote study visit:

Induction of beginning

teachers in Ireland

26/01/2021 – 02/02/2021:

Background information

January 2021

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Table of Contents

Context ..............................................................................................................................................3

Objectives of the project ....................................................................................................................3

About the study visit ..........................................................................................................................4

1. Questions from the Flemish Department of Education and Training .............................................5

Induction of beginning teachers in Flanders ....................................................................................7

Context .................................................................................................................................................................. 7

Induction schemes ................................................................................................................................................ 7

Governance of induction ...................................................................................................................................... 9

Mentoring ............................................................................................................................................................. 9

More information ................................................................................................................................................. 9

2. Induction of beginning teachers in Ireland ................................................................................. 10

Context ................................................................................................................................................................ 10

Induction ............................................................................................................................................................. 11

This document is part of a project funded by the European Union through the Structural Reform Support

Programme and implemented by European Schoolnet in co-operation with the European Commission

(contract REFORM/GA2020/013).

The content of this report does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Responsibility for

the information and views expressed therein lies entirely with the author(s).

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Context The Flemish authorities receive technical support through the EU's Structural Reform Support Programme (SRSP) to develop coherent support for beginning teachers and to give guidance to Flemish schools on how to set up such induction schemes. The project, which was launched in June 2020 and runs until the end of 2022, draws on expertise from across Flanders and Europe. The Flemish Department of Education and Training will work with Flemish stakeholder organisations to jointly draw up system-wide guidelines and training plans for schools. These new tools will be piloted in a number of Flemish schools in the school year 2021/22. The project is implemented by European Schoolnet, a network of 31 education ministries with support from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Structural Reform Support.

Objectives of the project

In Flanders, only 87% of beginning teachers are still teaching after 5 years. Among those with the highest qualification levels, more than one in five drop out during that phase. This puts a strain on the education system and reinforces already existing teacher shortages.

The Flemish Community of Belgium has recently made it compulsory for schools to offer induction to their newly qualified teachers. The purpose is to tackle teacher drop-out through improved early career support, better job security and more stable career prospects. The project therefore aims to develop and pilot an evidence-informed framework and guidelines for teacher induction in Flemish schools. The framework is expected to build the competences and professionalism of early career teachers, contribute to reducing teacher shortages and attrition, and strengthen career-long teacher education. In a first phase of the project, the project seeks to provide the authorities with an understanding of policy options for the governance and implementation of induction for novice teachers. In a second step, a new framework for early career teacher induction supported by implementation guidelines will be rolled out after testing in schools as an integral part of the career-long teacher education. The support to be provided for beginning teacher induction guidance aims to: (1) reinforce induction in schools and schools clusters1, (2) embed it in their human resources policy and professional development plan, (3) engage their pedagogical guidance services (PBD/pedagogische begeleidingsdienst) and initial teacher education (ITE) providers in order to increase their coherence and structural cooperation in the area, and (4) gather evidence on how to systemically improve government policy and monitoring in the area.

1 School clusters are the grouping of schools within the same geographical location, for economic, pedagogic, administrative and political purposes (Bray, 1987)

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All the above will be fully aligned with the constitutional autonomy and freedom for educational providers

at the core of the Flemish education system, which requires specific attention to be dedicated to the

governance aspects and their implementation processes.

Based on the lessons learnt from previous unsuccessful attempts to introduce induction across the

education system, the present project focuses on the design of a policy framework for induction which is

tailored to the Flemish system and its multi-level governance. Special consideration will be given to

induction as part of the professional continuum from initial teacher education to continuous professional

development. The importance of designing the induction guidance is key to align with the Flemish

government objectives of retaining teachers in all schools and address teacher shortage.

About the study visit The remote study visit to Ireland takes place between the 26th of January and the 2nd of February 2021. It

will be part of the initial, analytical phase of the project phase and its results will help develop policy

options for the governance and implementation of induction for novice teachers in Flanders. This

document aims to provide all participants, both the ‘visiting’ delegation of Flemish stakeholders and the

experts from Ireland, with a basic understanding of induction systems, policies and practice in Flanders

and Ireland.

This study visit will enable the Flemish authorities and selected stakeholders to understand the challenges

and needs on the ground to ensure the effective implementation of the programmes and measures for a

successful provision of support to novice teachers. In addition, it will offer the Flemish participants the

opportunity to learn about policy and practice in Ireland, and to contrast and compare with challenges

faced by Flanders, with a view to informing policy options in the Flemish context. The results of the visit

will feed into the next project phase when the Flemish Department and educational stakeholders will co-

construct a draft Framework for induction and related guidelines.

The visit will encourage a constructive and open atmosphere of dialogue, knowledge sharing and peer

learning. The programme of the study visit offers a variety of formats including presentations, workshops,

Q&As and ample time and space for exchanges and discussions. All participants are expected to actively

participate throughout the programme and fully engage to the planned activities.

The Flemish Department of Education and Training, European Schoolnet and the European Commission

would like to thank all the experts from Ireland for their availability, openness, and willingness to share

their expertise and experience.

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1. Questions from the Flemish Department of Education and Training Teacher supply

1. How serious is the teacher supply situation in Ireland? 2. What measures have been taken to persuade more people to train to be a teacher? 3. Is there any evidence they have been successful? 4. Are there any pressures to change ITE, e.g., programmes, tutor competence development,

balance between theory and practice, partnerships with schools? 5. Are there concerns about the mix of teachers coming into the profession, e.g., men/women,

ethnicity, quality in terms of academic achievement? If so, what remedial actions are taken? Early career drop out

6. Do you have data on teacher drop out in the first five years? 7. Are there differences between types, characteristics, and location of school in dropout rates? 8. Do you have any information who leaves and why, e.g., praxis shock, stress, relationships, school

culture, job insecurity? Teacher retention

9. What factors influence teacher retention? 10. To what extent does the National Induction Programme for Teachers aim to reduce early career

teacher attrition? 11. If so, is there any evidence that it is working?

Early career teacher induction

1. How does school autonomy affect the induction of novice teachers? a. What are the similarities and differences between the two countries as regards school

autonomy? 2. Is there a competence framework for teachers?

a. Is there a specific one on entry to the profession/beginning teachers? b. How are beginning and serving teachers assessed?

3. What are the different routes into teaching? 4. How did previous induction schemes (before Droichead) work?

a. Why did they (not) succeed? Lessons learnt? 5. Is there cooperation between schools or other organisations regarding the organisation of teacher

induction

6. Is the Droichead embedded in the organization of subsequent professional learning for the next

phase of the career of the teacher? Or will this be the case in the future?

The Droichead (‘bridge’) scheme

7. The Droichead (‘bridge’) scheme is based on a whole-school approach. Why is this? What alternatives were considered and why were they rejected?

8. Who are the stakeholders in the scheme and what is their role? a. What is the role of the National Induction Programme for Teachers? b. What is the role of the inspectorate? c. How do Education Support Centres align with the NIPT, e.g. how is induction related to

continuing professional development?

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d. How are mentors selected, rewarded, and trained? e. What is the role of ITE providers in induction? f. What is the role of School Professional Support Teams?

9. Who is involved in the governance of the scheme? a. At which moment in the planning and implementation of the scheme have the different

stakeholders been involved in the process? b. How have the respective roles and responsibilities been defined? c. Have there been incentives for being part of the governance, and which ones? d. What have been the mechanisms implemented for the governance to be put in practice? e. What have been the obstacles encountered in the implementation of the governance

process? How have they been overcome?

f. What have been the key success factors for the governance to work efficiently and

sustainably? Are there issues still to be addressed, and which ones?

10. What has been the communication strategy and campaign designed to promote the Droichead? a. How was it designed (who contributed to the design)? b. Have there been strategic concerns influencing the design and/or core wording of the

scheme? c. Which professional groups (beginning teachers, school leaders, teachers, inspectors, etc.

possibly parents) were targeted, and how? d. What have been the key success factors of the promotion campaign? What would have

designed/done differently (if any)? 11. Can you give us an idea of the costs of implementing induction scheme? Who contributes towards

these costs? 12. What is the reaction to the Droichead (‘bridge’) scheme of…?

a. school leaders b. teachers c. support organisations d. novice teachers e. teacher unions and associations f. the public g. political parties

13. In evaluations of the scheme… h. What successes were noted? i. what problems were identified (e.g. lack of time, workload, incentives)? j. What changes have been made as a result?

14. How do you see the scheme developing in the next five years? a. Post-Covid b. Extensions, e.g., promoting more innovative pedagogies, more team teaching, more peer

networking, developing career-long self-regulated learning.

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Induction of beginning teachers in Flanders

Context

Despite the potential attraction of working in a high-performing education system, prospective teachers

are not interested in training to become a teacher in sufficient numbers. By 2024, Flanders estimates that

as many as 7,800 new teachers will be needed annually (European Commission, 2019). The recruitment

requirement will be as much as 28% higher in 2023-2024 compared to the 2017-2018 school year, and

greater in secondary education (Departement Onderwijs en Vorming, 2019). This requirement is in part a

consequence of the retirement of teachers from the ‘baby boom’ generation: 30% of teachers at all levels

are over 50 (20% in lower secondary schools), which is less critical compared to other countries (OECD

mean 34%). The Flemish Community of Belgium will therefore have to renew about one out of five

members of its teaching workforce over the next decade or so (OECD, 2019). The Flemish Public

Employment Service (VDAB) has formally added teachers to its list of bottleneck professions.

Recruiting ‘new blood’ for the teaching profession begins with attracting potential recruits. Teaching as a

career in Flanders is not however attracting sufficient numbers, particularly to teach in lower and upper

secondary schools (European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2018) and this is partly due to public

perceptions of teaching. Only 26% of Flemish lower secondary school teachers feel their profession is

valued, down from 46% five years previously (OECD, 2019).

Those who choose the teaching profession are the more academically able students (Tierens and Smet,

2015). At present the examination requirement threshold in language and mathematics for entry into

teacher education is not compulsory. It is not known whether raising the bar for entry qualifications of

entrants into ITE could impact on the likelihood or not of dropping out in the early years of teaching.

Induction schemes

In Flanders, early career teachers are given a temporary position for one school year, after which

individual school boards have the power to decide whether to continue or terminate the appointment.

After two school years and a positive assessment, the teacher reaches the second stage in their career: a

temporary appointment of continuous duration (Tijdelijke aanstelling van doorlopende duur, or TADD),

i.e., a tenure-track position.

48% of lower secondary teachers in Flanders report (OECD, 2019) having participated in formal or informal

induction when they joined their current school (i.e., at all stages of their career, not just on entry),

compared to 42% of teachers across OECD countries and economies participating in TALIS.

A decree published in 2019 (Onderwijs Vlaanderen, 2019) is a response to the drop out of highly

motivated, well-qualified teachers. It notes that even though organising induction was not mandatory

prior to 2019, many schools already had some form of initial guidance. TALIS 2018 results show that,

according to school leaders, half of primary school teachers have access to formal initial guidance,

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organised for all new teachers in the school. Most Flemish primary school teachers (87.2%) have access

to informal initial guidance activities in the school. Initial guidance is even more established in the first

stage of secondary education. Compared to other countries, Flanders has a relatively high proportion of

schools that provide access to (particularly informal) initial guidance. The answers of the teachers present

a somewhat different picture, but this might be due to older teachers who have experienced a period in

which induction was less common. Of the Flemish teachers 15.7% participated in formal initial guidance

programmes at their current school and 14.2% during their first employment. Compared to other

countries, Flemish primary school teachers participate less, and Flemish first stage secondary school

teachers more, in the initial requirements than teachers in other countries (Van Droogenbroeck, 2019).

The Decree states that the most common initial guidance activities are planned formal meetings and

supervisions with the school leader and/or (experienced) teachers. Participation in courses or seminars is

the third most common initial guidance activity followed by collaboration with other new teachers and an

administrative introduction.

The collective negotiation agreement of 2018 provides school boards2 with, from school year 2019-20,

additional annual funding and resources to help them organise mandatory induction in primary and

secondary education. Additionally, from the 2020-21 school year onwards, a school must include a section

on teacher induction in its professional development plan. A temporary member of staff appointed for a

fixed term must now receive and follow the necessary initial guidance. The duration and intensity of the

initial guidance is determined by mutual agreement between the staff member and the initial evaluator

and should be stipulated in a written agreement or job description. If the initial assessor considers that

the staff member is not yet eligible for a continuous temporary assignment, the initial assessor may give

the staff member an assessment, identifying their strengths and weaknesses they need to develop further.

If the teacher is reinstated to the same office, an appropriate initial guidance pathway shall be established

in accordance with the assessment’s findings, to be taken up by the staff member during that additional

period.

The 2019 decree includes a collective labour agreement (CAO XI) to strengthen the job security of starting

teachers and to bring more stability to their educational career. Among its new provisions (which include

improved job security for temporary members of staff and appraisal of all teachers every four years), it

makes initial guidance or mentoring for beginning teachers a right and mandatory (within the

constitutional autonomy of the school) beginning in the 2019-20 school year. 26 million euros have been

allocated for schools to integrate beginning teacher induction into their professional development plan,

with funding directed annually to the institution (Onderwijs Vlaanderen, 2019).

The content of the induction (or initial guidance, ‘aanvangsbegeleiding’) and how it is organised and

developed is the responsibility of the school board. The school is expected to appoint a lead evaluator

2 Flanders school governing boards hold the responsibility over one or more schools. They have a wide autonomy and can decide freely on their teaching methods; philosophy of life; curricula; timetables and staff appointments. The government sets conditions only for the recognition of a school and granting financing.

Eurydice https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/belgium-flemish-community_en

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[‘eerste evaluator’] from its staff. This person, often the school principal, has a formal role in the

assessment of the starting teacher and is not the same as the mentor. The lead evaluator is responsible

for documenting and carrying the guidance process and determines, in consultation with the early career

teacher (temporary staff member, ‘tijdelijk personeelslid’), the duration and intensity of the individual

initial supervision process. The mentor’s role is more informal, to coach and support the starting teacher,

and it can be provided by one or more staff members nominated by the school or school cluster. The final

part of the initial guidance, after least two years’ full-time teaching, results in an assessment of the

temporary staff member prepared by the lead evaluator. If the assessment is positive, the teacher can

apply for the right to permanent employment status, ‘TADD’.

Governance of induction

Although induction is now mandatory, the principle of school autonomy in Flanders means that the school

itself should plan and implement induction. Schools in Flanders belong to one of three umbrella

organisations: the Flemish community education network (Onderwijs van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, GO!)

with, in 2013, 15% of Flemish primary and 18% of secondary schools under the authority of the Flemish

Community government; the publicly funded and publicly managed education network (Officieel

gesubsidieerd onderwijs, OGO), with 23% of Flanders’ primary and 8% of secondary schools, organised by

the provincial and city/municipal authorities; and the publicly funded and privately managed education

network (Frij gesubsidieerd onderwijs, VGO), comprising 62% of Flanders’ primary and 75% of secondary

schools, under the authority of mainly Catholic private foundations such as dioceses, parishes or

congregations.

Mentoring

In Flanders, 40% of novice lower secondary teachers have an assigned mentor (the OECD average is 22%)

and only 21% of beginning teachers in pre-school and primary schools. Devos et al. (2014) found that,

mentoring is therefore patchy, and not all schools succeed in providing it, at the expense of crucial support

for new teachers.

More information

More information about the Flemish education system can be found in Eurydice’s description of national

education systems, in particular on Organisation and governance and on Teachers’ conditions of service.

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2. Induction of beginning teachers in Ireland

Context

Many aspects of the administration of the Irish education system are centralised in the Department of

Education and Science. The Department sets the general regulations for the recognition of schools (of

which there are some 3500 primary and 729 post-primary), prescribes curricula, establishes regulations

for the management, resourcing and staffing of schools, and centrally negotiates teachers’ salary scales.

However, in recent years the Department has undertaken a programme of restructuring which aims to

delegate functions to external agencies (e.g., State Examinations Commission) and establish a network of

regional offices. This will allow the Department to focus on policy issues and to meet the challenges and

expectations for education into the future3.

In September 2020, some 1,000 primary and 1,080 additional second-level teachers were estimated to be

needed in Ireland, languages and science subjects having the most acute shortages. In addition, substitute

teachers are needed to cover for teacher absences, for example, maternity and paternity leave, sick leave,

and principals’ leadership days. In recent years, despite the overall number of students entering teacher

training remaining high, there has been a notable decline in the availability of substitute teachers.

There are many possible explanations for the reduced number of substitute teachers, including population

growth, tighter regulation of substitute teachers, economic factors (e.g. increases in rents and house

prices, young teachers emigrating), pupil/teacher ratio improvements, retirement trends, and certain

school types having difficulty accessing suitably qualified substitute teachers, including Gaelscoileanna

and schools in Gaeltacht areas, special schools, island schools and schools situated in remote locations.

Principals of one-teacher schools have also reported that substitute teachers are not attracted to their

schools, given the onerous responsibilities attached to the role.4

In Ireland, the key factors that affect teacher supply and demand are pupil demographics (at post primary

level enrolments will increase by 40,000 to 2024); career opportunities (more positions created,

opportunities in other jurisdictions, opportunities to work in other sectors); and policy development. The

latter includes new models for the allocation of teachers designed to meet the needs of pupils with special

educational needs and allocations to support the most disadvantaged learners; curriculum reform at all

levels, including the introduction of new subject specialisms; new approaches to pedagogy through

embedding of digital technologies and increased focus to support leadership in schools. Other policy

developments include changes in the duration of initial teacher education programmes and an increased

demand for job sharing and career breaks and the introduction of new or enhanced statutory leave.5

3 https://www.education.ie/en/publications/education-reports/a-brief-description-of-the-irish-education-system.pdf 4 https://www.ippn.ie/images/Final_IPPN-Submission_SubstituteTeacherShortage21Feb2018.pdf 5 Developing a Teacher Demand and Supply Model for Ireland 2020 – 2036 A Technical Report

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Induction

Formal induction began in Ireland in 2011 with induction workshops in which the majority of Newly

Qualified Teachers (NQTs) engaged. Droichead, an integrated professional induction framework began in

2013. The National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT, with 14 full-time team members) provide

support to schools offering Droichead who employ a NQT. The NIPT supports both the school’s

Professional Support Team (PST) and the NQT by providing professional learning opportunities (PST

training), cluster meetings and school support. Each school is assigned an NIPT Associate to guide them

through the Droichead process.

Provision and support by the NIPT has adapted over this time to meet system needs in line with Teaching

Council requirements. The main priority of NIPT’s work is the facilitation of Droichead. In 2020/21

Droichead became the sole route of Induction for all NQTs following a pilot, policy review and a 5-year

growth phase. The current Droichead policy will be reviewed in 2021. The policy was shaped by schools

who participated in the pilot phase, feedback on an ongoing basis from the NIPT and research findings of

the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in 2016.

The work of the programme is directed by the Droichead Induction Planning Group (DIPG) chaired by the

Teaching Council. The following stakeholders are represented on the group: Inspectorate, Teacher

Education Section (TES) of the Department of Education, Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI – there

are 21 of them providing professional development and other services), NIPT and the Teaching Council.

The Droichead process is based on a whole school approach in supporting newly qualified teachers’

professional learning. It is a pathway from ITE to registered teacher, supporting the professional learning

of NQTs during the induction phase, laying the foundations of subsequent professional growth and

learning for the next phase of their career. Completing the Droichead process opens the door for the

novice newly qualified teacher to receive full registration with the Teaching Council. A minimum block of

60 days at primary and a minimum block of 200 hours at post-primary in an eligible setting is required to

complete the Droichead process. Droichead is non-evaluative and NQTs have 3 years to meet their

registration requirements. It is a requirement for the NQT to meet the conditions attached to their

registration – an NQT is required to obtain registration to obtain a teaching post. It is optional for schools

to engage in Droichead/mentoring, but the NQT can only obtain their registration by completing the

Droichead process. Thus, it is to a school’s advantage to join Droichead.

The Droichead process consists of two strands: school-based induction (underpinned by reflective

practice, mentoring and professional conversations) and additional professional learning activities (cluster

meetings and one other activity for example the Teaching Council’s annual celebration of teachers’

learning). The Droichead process may be undertaken only in participating schools which have been trained

in the Droichead process.

Schools are encouraged to engage in whole-school reflection on improving learning and induction of NQTs

is part of that process, especially if integrated into school development plans and overall staff competence

development. As a leader of learning in the school, the principal, while not necessarily involved in the

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Droichead process, fosters a learning culture in which Droichead can flourish and supports the

Professional Support Team (PST) in facilitating a quality induction process. The PST consists of experienced

teachers (with a minimum of 5-years teaching experience, be good communicators; open to collaboration

and sharing of good practice) who have completed a programme of professional learning with the NIPT,

including mentor skill development. Members are nominated by the principal, following an information

session by NIPT. Four days’ release time, with substitute cover, is provided for professional learning for

each member of the PST. A minimum of four days’/ 22 hours’ release time, with substitute cover, is

provided for the school-based induction with additional release time available depending on the number

of NQTs.

Supporting a newly qualified teacher during Droichead is always a collaborative process and is based on

the needs of the NQT. Typically, these include pedagogical support, classroom management, support with

planning, assessment, working with parents, time management, work-life balance, and reflective practice.

There is an employee assistance scheme to provide additional social and emotional support if needed.

‘Professional conversations’ take place with experienced colleagues who are supporting the process.

Observations of more experienced teachers’ practice, as well as observation of the NQT’s practice by the

school’s PST (only once the NQT has observed PST practice) is an important part of induction. The NQT is

encouraged to teach in an area where they feel their learning need is greatest; they identify and bring to

Droichead an area or topic not covered in ITE. The exact number, and the classes observed, is based on

discussions between the teacher and the professional support team.6

NQTs are, through their PSTs, encouraged to reflect on their learning, collect key learning moments and

share as appropriate with their PST. The Taisce-portfolio is a requirement; its format is not prescriptive

and NQTs utilise a variety of means in portfolio-based learning such as blogs, folders, scrapbooks and

shoeboxes. The strapline is ‘reflect, collect and share’.

NIPT supports school Professional Support Team (PST) members, NQTs, mentors and school management.

Materials and resources to support induction and probation include a website 7in English and Irish, regular

updates and termly newsletters via email to schools, shared learning events (e.g. NQT Voice, principals’

shared learning events), focus groups and research.

For NQTs specifically, NIPT support includes phone/email support, training and professional development,

cluster meetings, annual shared learning events in which the NQTs’ voice is captured, an online learning

platform with 6,000 members, and advisory school visits to NQTs experiencing challenge. Cluster

Meetings (for a maximum of 25 NQTs) take place in rooms rented in ESCIs facilitated by Associates, part-

time members of the NIPT team (a practising teacher released from school for up to 20 days, bringing

credibility to the meetings). Crucially, it is the NQTs who determine the meeting agenda. Attendance at

one meeting per term is compulsory. Between September 2019 and March 2020 (the Covid-19 lockdown),

6 Teaching Council Ireland (2017) 7 https://www.teacherinduction.ie/en/ and https://www.teacherinduction.ie/ie/faoi/about-nipt-2

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there were 4,700 attendees at 395 events. NIPT reaches NQTs through schools, while the Teaching Council

communicates directly to NQTs.

NIPT supports PST through school training and professional development sessions, phone and email

contact and advisory school visits to PST members and school management about the Droichead process.

One unintended consequence of membership of a school PST and thereby receiving training is promotion,

often to head teacher, and so those in PST are now required to commit to three years’ membership.

Several mechanisms are in place to assure the quality and consistency of the Droichead process8. Quality

is based on standards designed to support, not to be met (‘progress not perfection’ is the watchword).

The Droichead Quality Assurance (DQA) panel quality assures the Droichead process, undertaking annual

reviews at national level to promote and develop a shared understanding across schools about what works

well and considering requests from NQTs for their Droichead process to be reviewed. Consistency across

schools is achieved through NIPT’s consistent provision, policy standards, consistent training, and

consistent messaging in cluster meetings.

Substantial resources have been invested in Droichead. Release time, with substitute cover, is

automatically provided for school-based induction in schools providing the Droichead process and is

calculated according to set formulae. Substitution as per DES guidelines is also available to train and up-

skill PST members.

Droichead has been evaluated both formally and informally. At the beginning of the scheme, in 2013,

INTO, the largest Irish teachers’ union had reservations, arguing that newly qualified teachers should be

externally evaluated by a panel of external teachers or principals rather than the experienced teachers in

the school and that the system should be “properly resourced, funded and remunerated”.9 The pilot

Droichead scheme was reviewed in March 201610 and found that an arrangement in which one colleague

evaluates another did not work (giving rise to tension between support and assessment), that teachers

were critical of the lack of clarity around the purpose and nature of the portfolio, and there were concerns

about how to handle serious underperformance by an NQT and about the potential for uneven standards

across schools. Principals felt that involvement had contributed to a more collaborative culture and

greater openness within the school as a whole. Newly qualified teachers in Droichead schools reported

lower levels of stress than those in non-participating schools. The most reported challenge centred on the

issue of time, mainly time for meetings and observations and the additional workload, especially for the

mentor, without commensurate rewards 11. A teacher mentor praised the scheme in a blog12 but was

concerned about the lack of accountability of the PST and the risk that the newly qualified teacher’s

relationships with teachers in the professional support team and other teachers in the school could be

8 https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Teacher-Education/Droichead/Droichead-Quality-Assurance/ 9 Irish Times 31 May 2016. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/droichead-teacher-mentoring-scheme-reveals-a-gap-to-be-bridged-1.2662181 10 Smyth, E. et al (2016) 11 https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/Teacher-Education/Droichead/Droichead-Quality-Assurance/Droichead-Quality-Assurance-Report-2020.pdf 12 https://irishprimaryteacher.ie/droichead-my-thoughts-so-far/

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different. As a result, the Droichead was modified in 2017 to become non-evaluative, in response to the

review and concerns, particularly in primary schools, about doing the work of the inspectorate. The role

of the inspectorate also shifted, to a more supportive and non-evaluative role.

More information

More information about the Irish education system can be found in Eurydice’s description of national education systems, in particular on Organisation and governance and on Teachers’ conditions of service. More information about Droichead and a related video are also recommended.