Principal's workload 'unsustainable', Cork primary teachers say

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has passed a motion by Cork teachers at its annual congress about the “unsustainable workload” facing school principals.

The resolution finds that the current demands and expectations placed upon principals are unreasonably high, raising serious concerns about burnout and long-term sustainability in leadership roles.

Proposing the motion, Ian Horgan from INTO’s Cork City South East branch said: “Principals are supposed to be tasked with leading teaching and learning, supporting staff, creating environments where students can grow, succeed, and feel safe.

“But increasingly, the work is being pushed aside. Not because of lack of commitment, but because of the ever-growing administrative burden that has nothing to do with education.” 

Delegates called on the department of education to urgently provide increased administrative support to principal teachers, with incoming INTO president Anne Horan saying that there are huge amounts of new initiatives being rolled out, all of which come with a sizeable administrative burden.

Principals in smaller schools such as herself, who also teach a class, are left to take much of this work home to complete it, she said. A workload survey undertaken by the INTO found that school leaders work an additional 600 hours a year outside school time.

The motion passed on Tuesday specifically calls for two weekly leadership and management days for teaching principals and for that the enrolment thresholds to appoint administrative principals and deputy principals to be reduced, as currently a school must have a sizeable amount of students to be allowed these support posts.

INTO General Secretary John Boyle said that principal’s roles have “expanded exponentially in recent years, yet the support structures have not kept pace.

“If we are serious about providing quality education and safe, inclusive learning environments, we must ensure that our school leaders are properly supported, not stretched to breaking point”, he said.

The department recently launched a three year action research plan to review school administrative support, which teachers say “offers some hope for improvement beyond 2028”, but they have stressed that they need action now.