Now principals in a rush to quit

Nightmares pile up for parents with exodus of school heads

PARENTS in dread of schools not fully opening – and confused by distancing rules – could now face the nightmare of an exodus of primary school principals.

As the summer months drag on, many are talking openly about taking early retirement, which will only add to the chaos feared in late August.

Teaching staff are said to be at near breaking point following the announcement of the latest public health guidelines last Wednesday, which said schools should reopen with physical distancing of at least one metre between pupils in most cases. That left parents and teachers concerned that some home schooling or ‘blended learning’ will have to continue.

There are also concerns that it could further delay the return of students at the end of August.

The stress has become almost unbearable for many the State’s 3,500 primary school principals, particularly the 60% who also teach. The Irish Daily Mail can reveal that some are waiting until

October to jump ship, after a planned restoration of allowances to pre-cut rates for public servants.

Peter McCabe, former principal of St Columbanus NS in Loughlinstown, Co. Dublin, believes that a serious reduction in school staff will lead to a crisis in the education sector. ‘There’s no way of knowing exactly how many principals will take early retirement due to the pandemic, but I’m sure it’ll be quite a few,’ he said.

‘Even teachers are jumping ship. A friend of mine told me that even though she’ll be impacted financially, she just can’t stand being played around by the Department of Education any longer – she’s just at her wits’ end.

‘Another principal I know is also taking early retirement because of the lack of guidelines and support they’re getting. It feels like the department doesn’t have our backs and we don’t know if they’ll support us if something goes wrong.’

Patrick Martin, who is the teaching principal of St Mochtas NS in Co. Louth, said he knows many people who have decided to step down solely due to stress. ‘The way the department is dealing with this situation definitely wouldn’t instil you with confidence,’ he said.

‘There are a number of principals retiring in my area at the moment and it would be very interesting to see how difficult it will be to fill their jobs. If you’ve never been a principal before, you couldn’t possibility start in September because you wouldn’t last two weeks.

‘Even the most experienced principals are going to find it extremely difficult, especially with the lack of guidelines and support.’

Mr Martin has advised teachers or principals feeling overwhelmed due to the lack of support to put their mental health first.

‘Sometimes it’s just not worth it if it means choosing between your job and your health. Many staff who feel neglected are losing sleep about the prospect of coming back to school in September.

A principal, from Co. Cork, who also teaches and wished to remain anonymous, said he has informed his board of management that he’ll step down as soon as things are back to normal.

‘The past few months have been the last straw for me. I was considering retiring anyway, but the lack of leadership from the department has sealed the deal,’ he said.

‘But I’m not going to leave my staff to deal with this mess on their own. I’ll stick it out until we have put in place all the necessary arrangements to ensure the safety of our teachers and children. I’m 62 next month and couldn’t deal with another year of this.’

Another principal in the southeast of the country said she would retire in October if there was someone there to fill her role.

‘I have over 40 years of teaching experience and can’t afford the luxury of retiring because I’m up to my nostrils trying to cope under these circumstances. But there’s going to be a huge step down in principals because there’s a general feeling that they’re going to be left in the lurch if things go wrong next year.

‘Many feel very vulnerable and are worried about their own mental health.’ She added that the department has done little to address most of their concerns.

‘It’s us who will be on the front line, not them. I’m still a few years away from retirement, but I would step down this year if there was someone else to fill my position.’

Angela Dunne, who is the teaching principal at Loughmore NS, Tipperary, and founder of the Principals’ Forum, said one third of all primary school principals in the last ten years have stood down from their position early due to burnout or stress.

‘I’m not sure how this pandemic will affect the early retirement rate, but we have conducted four research documents that shows our colleagues are burning out at a rapid rate,’ said Ms Dunne.

‘There’s a complete exploitation in the working terms and conditions of teaching principals. We made a submission to the Oireachtas Committee in 2018, but nothing is changing.’

Attempts have been made to contact the Department of Education for comment.

‘Even teachers are jumping ship’ ‘They are burning out at a rapid rate’