Planned roles will help principals ‘lighten their workloads’

Extra middle-management posts being created from next autumn should allow school leaders give more time to improving education and other work, Education Minister Richard Bruton has told primary school principals.

He was responding to criticisms that more time is needed outside the classroom for 60% of the country’s 3,300 primary school principals who spend most of their week teaching pupils.

Mr Bruton told more than 1,100 primary principals and deputy principals that extra posts being created from September will help lighten the workload by allowing duties to be distributed across schools.