The Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan says she has reached agreement with teachers unions on Junior Certificate reforms.

Ms O'Sullivan says she is determined that the necessary resources and teacher training will be in place, to allow for classroom-based assessment of students.

Training will see teachers released from school for up to 16 days and substitute teachers hired to replace them.

The agreement will be put to a ballot of secondary school teachers in September.

Both sides - the Department of Education and teachers unions - have signed off on a document on time and workload issues.

"This document, together with the joint statement on principles and implementation, which was agreed in May, will be balloted on by teachers in September," the ASTI and TUI said in a statement.

The executive bodies of the two unions will meet in late August to further discuss balloting members.