Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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296. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures in place to reduce the administrative burden on school principals and deputy principals to allow them to focus more on the educational needs of their school community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68954/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I recognise the key role school leadership in improving educational outcomes by creating a positive school climate and environment as well as motivating and empowering educators and learners within their school communities.

Recent improvements in relation to school management and leadership structures include:

• all primary schools with a teaching principal have a minimum of 37 Principal Release Days, that is, one administrative day per week. Schools with one special class have 4 additional release days, a total of 41 in the school year.
• schools with two special classes have administrative principal status regardless of enrolment.
• the Administrative Principal pupil threshold has been reduced from an enrolment of 178 to 169, with the Deputy Admin Principal threshold reduced from an enrolment of 655 to 573.
• Budget 2024 removed the threshold for the appointment of an Administrative Deputy Principal in special schools.
• the second teacher in two-teacher schools have Deputy Principal status as opposed to holding Assistant Principal II posts.
• Restoration of middle management positions were prioritised in recent Budgets with 500 additional AP II posts allocated to primary schools in the 2024/25 school year. For the 2025/26 school year, the equivalent of 500 AP II posts is being distributed as 110 AP I and 251 AP II for the purposes of fully restoring all PORs in primary schools.