Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is raised with many of us in this House by principals up and down the country whose jobs are constantly evolving and constantly getting more challenging. I really appreciate the Deputy raising this here today.

The role of schools within communities is crucial and the Minister for Education and Youth, on whose behalf I am taking this Topical Issue, acknowledges the contribution made daily by all school leaders in the operation of our schools. International evidence is clear on the vital impact school leaders have on student outcomes and on leading teaching and learning in our schools. To ensure our school leaders are supported in an increasingly complex environment both now and into the future, Department officials are examining how best to support school leaders. A review of leadership supports is currently in development, as committed to in the programme for Government. I hope that is welcome news for the Deputy given that it was the thrust of what she asked for this evening. This review will examine current resourcing, distributed leadership, administrative and advisory supports, and professional learning supports for school leaders. Extensive consultation with stakeholders will inform this work.

The numbers employed in our schools will reach their highest ever level in this current school year. There are over 42,900 teaching posts allocated across the primary school system. This represents an increase of just over 5,000 teachers when compared with 2019-20. In three of the recent budgets, priority was given to reducing the pupil-teacher ratios in primary school by one point each year. This has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of one classroom teacher to every 23 pupils in all primary schools. That is the lowest level ever seen at primary level. In addition, the threshold at which a teaching principal becomes an administrative principal has been reduced from an enrolment of 176 pupils to 169 pupils. That is something the Deputy will be particularly interested in given that she queried the role and workload of teaching principals in particular. Budget 2022 ensured that each teaching principal having a minimum of one release day per week became a permanent feature in all schools. Schools with one special class received four additional release days while schools with two special classes have administrative principal status.

As well as general teaching post improvements, a new leadership framework, introduced back in 2017, allows for flexibility in identifying and prioritising the evolving leadership and management needs of a school. This shared leadership model supports school leaders in the overall management and operation of schools. It provides for the assignment and reassignment of post holders to specific roles and responsibilities to meet a school's evolving needs.

Today, one in three primary school teachers holds a management position. Budget 2024 provided for an additional 500 additional assistant principal II posts for the current school year while budget 2025 provided for the equivalent of 500 assistant principal II posts, being distributed as 110 assistant principal I posts and 251 assistant principal II posts for the purposes of fully restoring all posts of responsibility in primary schools. A revised post of responsibility schedule issued to schools in April to reflect the increase in posts of responsibility available to schools for the coming school year.

In examining leadership, the Department of Education and Youth is acutely aware that we need to protect what works well in our school systems and what serves so many of our young people so well. We want to build on the strengths of the system, to address challenges that will support our school communities and to be responsive to the needs of students in an increasingly complex world.

The programme for Government commits to a trial of new administrative support for principals and boards of management to assist with demands faced and to support school leaders in rebalancing some of their time towards leading teaching and learning. Planning for this trial is now at an advanced stage.

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