Principals look to Hipkins to relieve pressure on schools

Much of the pressure on school principals could be relieved by three changes, says president of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, Whetu Cormick.

“The profession has been through a tough decade. We have not only seen a reduction in school funding but also a reduction in the status and value attributed to the profession which makes it an unattractive career option. At the same time there has been an increase in the demands and complexities of school leadership,” he said.

“I believe three things could make a difference straight away. These include reducing paper work and compliance that don’t help young people learn better, increasing the number of leadership advisers available to support principals in their role and giving the operations grants an immediate boost.

“We look forward to discussing these matters with our new minister, Chris Hipkins.”

Mr Cormick was responding to findings from the New Zealand Council for Education Research (NZCER) which reveal that 42 per cent of principals are reporting high levels of stress because their operations grants are insufficient to run their schools.