Pa Daly
Ceist:96. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education the supports her Department makes available to teaching principals at primary school level. [29423/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 11 July 2024
Ceisteanna (96)
Freagraí scríofa
Prior to 2022, principal release days were allocated on the basis of the number of mainstream teachers in the school.
As part of Budget 2022 measures, I ensured that all schools with a teaching principal have a minimum of 37 Principal Release Days. i.e. one administrative day per week. This was a very significant increase for many schools, with some schools receiving 16 additional days as a consequence of this change. Schools with one special class have 4 additional release days, a total of 41 in the school year and schools with 2 special classes have administrative principal status.
Schools may employ a substitute teacher for the day to facilitate the principal’s release day. Alternatively, schools may cluster their release days with other schools in order to create a full-time fixed-term post. For the 2024/25 school year, schools may combine their Special Education Teaching (SET) hours with principal release days in order to create a full-time post. The inclusion of principal release days in cluster posts allows for consistency in the teaching cover provided to schools.
As well as general teaching posts improvements, a new leadership framework introduced in 2017 allows for flexibility in identifying and prioritising the evolving leadership and management needs of schools. This shared leadership model supports school leaders in the overall management and operation of schools. It provides for the assignment and re-assignment of post holders to specific roles and responsibilities to meet a school’s evolving needs. Today, 1 in 3 primary school teachers hold management positions. In budget 2024, I provided for an additional 500 posts of responsibility (Assistant Principal II) for the 2024/25 school year.
My Department and I are currently turning our thoughts to Education 2050 and how we take the best elements of our schools and build on this to create a system for future generations. The small schools project is an example of school communities coming together to explore and trail new ideas for the future including how admin supports can assist teaching principals with their administrative duties. It is acknowledged by my department that implementing policies while teaching can be challenging.
The project has brought small schools together in local clusters, enabling them to collaborate and identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions. New ideas are being trialled to determine whether these might help to make the role of a teaching principal and small schools more sustainable The project has shown that small schools collaborating and working together offers promise for the future .
The schools participating across the six clusters in this project have developed good working relationships and have already provided valuable insights and ideas into supports that can be developed and replicated across small schools and I am delighted that the project is continuing for a further two years to allow further time for current ideas to be developed and some new ideas to emerge.
Effective school leadership, and governance, means effective schools. The existing models of leadership and governance of our schools, whilst very effective, also carry challenges for teachers, school principals, as well as boards of management, and the sector as a whole. Recognising these challenges, my department is now putting an increased focus on leadership and governance at school level and across the sector nationally. My officials, in conjunction and consultation with education partners will examine current policy and practice to see what elements are serving school communities well and what elements we can improve on.