“That ICPA Qld lobbies the Department of Education to ensure that teaching principals in small schools are given the required level of administrative support to ensure that administration tasks do not take away valuable time from teaching and planning in the classroom”.
Regardless of the number of school enrolments, the demands placed upon principals of small schools is ever increasing. In addition to teaching, planning, and supporting learning (as they are trained to do), their time is being consumed by administration tasks - like budgeting, camp planning, grant applications, learning support, parental liaison, staff co-ordination, staff recruitment and contributing to essential school / community interaction. A state-wide teacher shortage compounds the situation, with Principal “admin days” needing to be reallocated and if necessary, decreased due to a lack of available relief or second teaching staff. Teacher burnout is likely the result of these increasing pressures and expectations.
