Entire Annual Report (2) - Flipbook - Page 22
The Visiting Spanish Teacher Scheme
Action 1.D.1
Engaged with 20 schools
The Visiting Spanish Teacher Scheme is a new pilot venture between the Department of Education (DoE) in
Ireland and the Ministry of Education and Culture in Spain (MECS). The programme has been created to
address the shortage of qualified Spanish teachers in Ireland. It supports the curriculum in Irish schools by
filling vacant Spanish teaching positions with highly qualified Spanish educators. The programme has been
running successfully in other jurisdictions for many years. It also gives students in Irish post-primary schools
the opportunity to interact, communicate, understand, and respect people from other cultures. As well as
that, it helps schools develop relationships and exchanges with the visiting teachers’ schools in Spain.
Initially, 20 schools expressed an interest in this scheme. This was reduced to a shortlist of eight schools, as
requirements for the following academic year became clearer and the criteria for participation were
understood. One of the barriers to schools participating in this initial cohort was the requirement to provide a
full timetable of Spanish. This has been reviewed for the next cohort. Further challenges to placing teachers in
schools were a result of delays caused by the recruitment procedures, so only two teachers were placed in
schools for the current academic year.
Impact
•
Two teachers placed in schools that had vacant Spanish teaching positions
•
Barriers and challenges identified so that they can be addressed and dealt with to develop the
programme in 2022
Next steps
•
Recruitment challenges are being addressed so that processes don’t become a barrier in the second year
of the programme
•
Problems encountered when the teachers arrive have been identified and are being managed
•
Discussions taking place with the Department of Education and school management bodies to ensure
that the programme achieves what it sets out to do and to increase school participation
•
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Recruitment is currently underway in Spain for the next cohort of teachers
- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2021 -