Principals say they’re bogged down in paperwork

Principals of primary and intermediate schools says they want to spend less time on administration and paperwork, and 75 per cent of them want to spend more time on educational leadership, up from 59 per cent in 2013.

These findings are from the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) national survey of primary and intermediate schools, 2016. The results show that around two-thirds of principals worked 56 hours or more each week, and 42 per cent reported high or very high stress levels.

Experienced principals, often in larger schools, were less likely to report high stress levels than newer principals who are often in smaller schools. They also seem to have more ability to focus on educational leadership, which may be related to the higher levels of internal support in larger schools.

The findings show most principals actively seek support for their role, either from paid advisers, their own organisations, or government-funded advice.

“The government support that principals have for their role is more around the management aspects than educational leadership, with little ongoing formal support for educational leadership after the programme for new principals,” says chief researcher, Cathy Wylie.

“The findings raise the question of how we develop and support capable leadership in all schools, and how that capability and experience is used within the whole education system.