What initiatives is the Government planning in terms of accountability in teaching?

The Department of Education and Science is looking at a scheme called Whole School Evaluation (WSE) and a new body called the Teaching Council.

What kind of accountability is there in schools now for parents?

There is an informal complaints procedure for primary schools, agreed between the Irish National Teachers Organisation and most school management associations.

According to the National Parents Council (Primary) it "has not proved satisfactory". A new complaints procedure is envisaged under the Education Act, but negotiations are continuing.

At second level, parents have a right to lodge a complaint with the a school's board of management; if the issue involved is not resolved, they can make representations to the Department. This is time-consuming and normally takes several months to be acted upon.

Complaints about under-performing teachers are rarely advanced and most complaints concern only major issues of misconduct.

Will Whole School Evaluation (WSE) focus on the performance of individual teachers?

No. As the name implies, it concentrates on the whole school operation and not on individuals. It involves visits to schools by an inspector, but these will involve assessing the overall quality of teaching at the school, rather than any one teacher's performance.

So will there be any checks on the teaching taking place in the classroom?

Under WSE an inspector will be entitled to enter the classroom and talk to the class and review their copybooks. Feedback and advice may be given to a teacher following the visit.

But the inspector will not be allowed to report an individual teacher to a principal or take the matter further. Instead, the inspector prepares a report which aims to affirm the positive elements of the work of the school and suggest where improvements might be made.

Have any schools introduced the programme?

Yes. WSE was piloted in 35 schools, where most participating teachers responded positively. The Department is understood to be close to extending the scheme to every school.

How will the Teaching Council operate?

It will consist of 37 members, the majority of whom will be teachers. The council will have an investigating committee to look into complaints and if these are upheld action may be taken by a disciplinary committee.

Only for "issues of serious misconduct" or where a teacher is subject to a criminal conviction will the council get involved. All teachers will have to register with the council and the disciplinary committee will be entitled to de-register a teacher if a serious complaint is upheld. The council will be an independent of the Department and will finance itself from a levy on teachers.

Have the teachers unions accepted WSE?

No. They are considering their positions. The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) is holding a special convention of WSE later this month, while many members of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) have opposed WSE. The Irish National Teachers Organisation has said it will only accept WSE if it "improves, supports and develops teachers".