Compromise between Templeogue College, teacher over claim

Templeogue College has reached a “compromise” with the fourth teacher to pursue an employment rights claim against the Spiritan-run boys’ secondary school in the last two years.

It follows a compensation bill of nearly €40,000 to another teacher who was penalised for putting her name to a staff grievance.

The resolution was announced at the Workplace Relations Commission as the tribunal was set to begin two days of hearings into a series of statutory complaints by the teacher, Darren O’Sullivan.

“I understand the parties have reached a compromise,” adjudicator Penelope McGrath said as she opened the matter.

Owen Keany, appearing for the complainant, said: “The matter has been resolved. Both parties are very happy with the resolution.”

The school’s barrister, Rosemary Mallon, said there was “no difficulty” with a proposal that the complaints “remain alive” for five weeks pending implementation of the compromise arrangement.

“I will note that on or before the 10th of August, the complainant’s solicitor will, all things being equal, communicate a withdrawal. If you look for an extension that’s no problem,” Ms McGrath said.

She added: “I had my suspicions when I hadn’t got a respondent submission, so I knew something was going on in the background.

“Well done to the parties for compromising this matter, I’m delighted.”

No particulars of Mr O’Sullivan’s complaints against Templeogue College, nor the legislation under which they were brought, were made public at the brief hearing.

Conor McDonald, industrial relations officer with the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), attended with Mr O’Sullivan, while Tom Sheridan, the unitary manager of Templeogue College, attended on behalf of the school.

None of them addressed the hearing.

Fourth teacher to bring claim in two years

Mr O’Sullivan is the fourth teacher at the south Dublin secondary school to bring a claim in the last two years.

In November 2022, the school resolved claims of victimisation with two of its longest-serving teachers, Patricia O’Connell and Bríd Stack.

The complaints were withdrawn before its former principal Niamh Quinn was called upon to give evidence.

They had alleged they were subjected to exclusionary treatment by the senior management team at the school because they made complaints of ageist discrimination.

Ms O’Connell gave evidence that Ms Quinn had been “dismissive” to her and that she was “frozen out” for bringing her complaint.

This was denied by the school.

Last month, the WRC awarded nearly €40,000 to a part-time Spanish teacher, Jennifer Clancy, after concluding that she had suffered “multiple and sustained acts of penalisation” for putting her name to a protected disclosure in the form of a collective staff grievance in early 2022.

The staff group had voiced concern about health and safety, the loss of staff facilities and student discipline at the south Dublin boys’ secondary school, the WRC heard.

These included an alleged assault on one teacher and claims that a student had filmed another teacher’s “backside”.

In her evidence to the tribunal in February, Ms Clancy had likened the school under Ms Quinn’s leadership to a “ticking time-bomb”, where students had begun to feel they had “the run of the place” due to the way the principal had handled certain incidents.

Ms Clancy had argued she was penalised for putting her name to the grievance when her timetable for the term starting in September 2022 was changed, requiring her to teach in the afternoons and upending childcare arrangements she said had been agreed with Ms Quinn’s predecessor before she agreed to teach at the school.

Ms Clancy also claimed she had been “shouted at” by Ms Quinn, at a meeting on 26 August 2022.

The tribunal concluded that Ms Clancy had been “intimidated by the principal when she did so”.

This, along with the institution of disciplinary proceedings and changes to Ms Clancy’s timetable and class groups, was found to be an act of penalisation.

In a letter to staff last Thursday, the Templeogue College unitary manager, Mr Sheridan, wrote that Ms Quinn had “recently advised me of her decision to step down and move on from the school”.

Ms Quinn declined to comment when contacted.