Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of administration release days given to teaching principals at primary school level; how such days are calculated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29424/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The role of schools within communities is crucial and I wish to acknowledge the huge contribution being made daily by all school leaders in the operation of our schools.

My Department provides time that teaching principals may take as release time in order to help them fulfil their principal duties. Under these arrangements the Department pays for a substitute teacher so that a teaching principal can focus on administrative duties.

In Budget 2022, I ensured that each teaching principal with a minimum of one release day per week became a permanent feature in all our schools. This was a very significant increase for many schools, with some schools receiving 18 additional days as a consequence of this change. (for example, a one and two teacher school received 19 release days per year prior to this measure and now have 37 release days per year).

Schools with one special class receive four additional release days, resulting in these principals having 41 release days in the year, while schools with two special classes have administrative principal status.

Schools may employ a substitute teacher for the day to facilitate the principal’s release day or, alternatively, schools may cluster their release days with other schools to create a full-time fixed term post. The inclusion of principal release days in cluster posts allows for consistency in the teaching cover provided to schools.

The school leadership framework introduced in 2017 provides for a shared leadership model. It provides for the assignment and re-assignment of post-holders to specific roles and responsibilities to meet a school’s evolving needs. Today, one in three primary school teachers hold management positions. In budget 2024, I provided for an additional 500 posts of responsibility (Assistant Principal Two (AP II)) for the 2024/25 school year.

While the principal is ultimately responsible to the Board of Management for the management and leadership of the school, the deputy principal occupies a position of vital importance within the senior leadership team in each school. The deputy principal co-operates with the principal in the fulfilment of the principal's role and acts or deputises as the principal in the principal's absence.

In relation to the duties assigned to Assistant Principal posts, the principal following consultation with staff, agree the schedule of duties as best meet the needs of the school. These duties are designed to reduce the workload of the principal.

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.