1.6.3 Instruction time

1.6.3 Instruction time

Classroom teaching time in Irish primary schools is greater than the OECD average

Over the course of a school year, primary teachers spend an average of 905 hours teaching while the corresponding figure for post-primary teachers is 704 hours. Overall teaching time in Ireland at primary level is above the OECD average (Table 1.17). Teaching time in Ireland is organised over marginally fewer days per year than the average in OECD countries, but for more hours per day. It should be noted that the teachers’ contract in many OECD countries includes additional non-contact time and the overall statutory working time of teachers in many OECD countries extends well beyond their compulsory teaching time. In Ireland, the calculation of teachers’ time in school refers almost exclusively to time spent in classrooms teaching, and does not take account of the range of other teaching-related tasks (such as planning and assessment of students’ work) which form part of teachers’ professional practice.

It is a welcome development that, since September 2017 in all subject areas, full-time teachers involved in the delivery of Junior Cycle are entitled to an annual allocation of twenty-two hours of professional time (forty minutes per week), with a pro-rata entitlement for part-time teachers.40 This arrangement brings the work practice of Irish teachers closer to international norms, where teachers’ contracts include both teaching time and non-student contact time. While the arrangements for professional time at Junior Cycle were operated satisfactorily by many schools and teachers, it is regrettable that some industrial action impeded the full implementation of this measure which consequently had an adverse impact on teacher-student contact time in some post-primary schools.

Table 1.17: Details of teachers’ working time in Ireland-comparison with OECD and EU22 countries

2020	Ireland	OECD average	EU22 average	Ireland	OECD average	EU22 average
	Primary			Post-primary*
Number of weeks of instruction	37	38	37	33	38	37
Number of days of instruction	183	184	180	165	184	179
Net teaching time, in hours	909	791	738	704	723	660
Total statutory working tmi e, in hours	n/a	1,553	1,525	n/a	1,575	1,566

Source: OECD (2021) Education at a Glance 2021. Available at https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/ *Calculated for compulsory second-level only due to unavailability of comparable data for OECD and EU23 countries at upper-secondary level

40 Department of Education and Skills (2017) Circular 0015/2017: Arrangements for the Implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle with particular reference to school years 2017/18 and 2018/19. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/ circular/4c9124150d5141f6ae918da2816b9592/

Teachers’ involvement in the delivery of examinations impacts on instruction time

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) hires approximately 3,000 teachers each year to assist in the delivery of state oral and practical examinations. These teachers’ classes are taught by substitute teachers while the teachers are working for the certificate examinations. In 2018/2019, teachers were involved in the delivery of examinations for 6,104 days, an average of almost 8.5 days per school. The impact on each school is dependent on the number of teachers involved.

Many schools face challenges in releasing teachers to become involved in the delivery of examinations due to the difficulties in sourcing qualified substitute teachers. This can, in turn, create challenges for the continuity of learning for students.

The cancellation of oral examinations and other practical components in 2020, due to COVID-19 concerns, brought into sharp focus the importance of such components in assessing a wider range of skills. In 2021, oral and other practical examinations were held outside of normal school time and were facilitated by teachers appointed locally by schools and remunerated by the SEC. The flexibility shown by teachers in facilitating these exams led to very successful outcomes for students who were facilitated in demonstrating a broad range of skills without an unnecessary impact on tuition time. The possibility of continuing with such a model in future years is worth considering, both for the cost effectiveness of the arrangement and, importantly, in terms of benefit for students.