Ms Deirdre O'Connor:

I will come back to Deputy Catherine Martin's question on the supports which principal teachers would be able to identify. We acknowledge that, for major building projects, the Department makes provision for project management. The principal teacher is the day-to-day manager of a school, however, and things such as identifying a need for a new school building, participation in the summer works project or an emergency situation, such as when a school boiler blows up, fall back on him or her. The principal teacher tries to manage the whole thing. He or she has to ring the Department, fill out forms, bring issues to the board of management and communicate with parents about what is going on in the school community. As I mentioned in my submission, 56% of principals are also trying to teach a class. Building projects do not just take place in big schools but happen in small schools too. One might need an additional room for the provision of an ASD unit, for example.

It would make it much easier for principals if they had a secretary in the school during the day.