Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In general, we are speaking across all our schools of distributed leadership. I acknowledge that the principal alone cannot and should not have to carry everything. We are now in a position where one in three in our schools is a post holder of some type or other. From having been in schools myself, I am aware there is a view that it is to the advantage of the school to have this distributed leadership and that a team approach is being taken and the principal is supported in their work,whether via the deputy principal or the post of responsibilities.

We have seen considerable movement in the last number of years in that respect. For example, as a consequence of budgetary measures we have introduced, we have moved to a situation where teaching principals automatically become administrative principals if they have two or more special education classes. That is changing the experience of school for so many school leaders and we intend to build on that going forward. One in three staff is now post of responsibility holders or holders of some type of position within the school environment and we will grow that going forward and consider it again when we go to the budget at the end of next year.