10. Principalship and the I.N.T.O. Written Submission to the Benchmarking Body 10.1 The preceding sections of this document outline a complex and demanding managerial role which is carried out in a context of increasing demands, changing expectations, expanding management and administration functions and a requirement for leadership by the Principal, all of which have been examined, if somewhat briefly here, and accepted by the Working Group on the Role of the Primary Principal (1999). The INTO were party to the aforementioned working group and its subsequent report. 10.2 It would have been anticipated, consequently, that the managerial role of Principal and the responsibilities and duties attaching to that role would form an explicit and substantial part of any submission by the INTO – the union with responsibility to negotiate on behalf of principals as well as teachers. Alternatively, as will be proposed in this document, the separate and distinct role of the Principal must be recognised and a separate submission made by the union on behalf of those members holding the post of Principal. 10.3 The opportunity to make a detailed submission on behalf of Principals, which would adequately delineate the post and lead to the identification of proper comparators for Principalship at managerial level in the public or private sector, is not an opportunity that will arise frequently or at regular intervals in the future. Failure to address the issue of Principalship in all its complexity now, will lead to invalid comparisons, remuneration for Principals that will not reflect the responsibilities of the post, retention and recruitment difficulties being exacerbated, and long-term damage to both the profession and the education system. The oral submission soon to be made by the INTO is an opportunity to address this issue. 10.4 In making its case for principals and teachers to the Benchmarking Body, the INTO submission attempts to subsume Principalship into the teaching function. The managerial and leadership role of the Principal is either ignored or lost in an effort to portray a situation where the possibility of delegation of some duties is equated with the delegation of responsibility and any differences between the role of the principal and teacher are merely quantitative not qualitative. The above is best appreciated in the description on page 4 of the INTO’s Submission of eight teaching roles as applied by Pearn Kondola in their Competency Analysis: 1. The Classroom Teacher 2. The Promoted Teacher 3. The Principal Teacher with Teaching Responsibility 4. The Principal Teacher without Teaching Responsibility 5. The Principal Teacher within a Special School 6. The Special Needs Teacher 7. The Support Teacher 8. The Seconded Teacher
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