ASTI - Ireland's main second level teachers union

Posts of Responsibility Promotional Procedures

New promotional procedures for promotion to Assistant Principal and Special Duties Teacher were accepted by the membership of the ASTI in October 2008.

The new procedures will be phased in over a six year period. There is no change for promotion procedures for the school year 2008/ 2009.

Posts are allocated on an annual basis by the Department of Education and Science, Athlone and according to the provisions of Circular Letter 6/98 which provides for a set number of assistant principalships and special duties teacher posts for x number of whole-time teacher equivalents employed in the community or comprehensive school on the 1st September of the current year.

The ratio of posts to teachers is as follows:

Selection & Appointment Process

In the event of vacancies arising within the allocation of posts of responsibility authorised by the Department of Education and Science, the following steps should be taken:

1. Vacancy should be notified to all eligible staff, including those on any of the leave schemes available from the Department of Education and Science.
2. Applications should be submitted by due deadline.
3. Eligible teachers are those who have, in the case of a vacant special duties teacher post of responsibility, one year’s whole-time service and, in the case of an Assistant Principalship, three year’s whole time service.
   It should be noted that whole-time service includes all Part-Time, Eligible Part-Time, Temporary Whole-Time and Permanent Whole-Time qualified service which is not less than 200 hours a year.
4. Appointments are made on the basis of an interview by a selection committee, using the following criteria:
   1. Capacity of the applicant to meet the needs of the school and case made at interview (50 marks).
   2. Service to the school (30 marks).
   3. Experience of a professional nature in the field of education and in the school (20 marks).
5. An appeals process is available.

Reduced Hours for Assistant Principals in Community & Comprehensive Schools

Teachers holding Assistant Principal Posts of Responsibility in Community and Comprehensive schools have a maximum of 18 class contact hours per week.

Posts of Responsibility in Community Colleges

Appointments to ‘B’ Posts of Responsibility in Community Colleges
In accordance with memorandum V7, Department Circular Letters PPT13/02, PPT 14/02 and PPT 15/02, appointments to ‘B’ posts are confined to a competition within the school, and to teachers who have at least one year’s wholetime teaching experience.

Appointments to ‘A’ Posts of Responsibility in Community Colleges

In accordance with Memorandum V7, Department Circular Letters PPT13/02, PPT14/02 and PPT 15/02, the candidate should have not less than three years wholetime teaching experience. Applications should be sought from eligible teachers within the school.

Reduced Hours for Assistant Principals in Community Colleges

Teachers holding Assistant Principal Posts of Responsibility in Community Colleges have a maximum of 18 class contact hours per week.

Posts of Responsibility in Amalgamated Community Colleges

Procedures for appointments to Posts of Responsibility are set out in Departmental Circular Letters PPT 13/02 and PPT 14/02.

Posts of Responsibility in Greenfield Community Colleges

Other than for the determination of service provisions, contained in Section 3.1(b), Department Circular Letter PPT13/02, the process for making appointments to posts of responsibility in Greenfield Community Colleges is as for Circular Letters 13/02 and 14/02, combined with the provisions of Circular letter PPT 15/02.