Vice Principal

PROFESSIONAL DUTIES OF A VICE-PRINCIPAL

Teachers' Terms and Conditions of Employment Regulations (NI) 1987

Regulation 4

A person appointed Vice Principal in a school, in addition to carrying out the professional duties of a teacher, shall play a major role under the overall direction of the principal in:

• Formulating the aims and objectives of the school;
• Establishing the policies through which they will be achieved;
• Managing staff and resources to that end;
• Monitoring progress towards their achievement;
• Undertaking any professional duties of the principal delegated to him/her by the principal;
• Undertaking to the extent required by the principal or the relevant body or employing authority the professional duties of the principal in the event of his/her absence from the school; and
• Entitlement to a break of at least 30 minutes between the hours of 12 noon and 2 pm.

Regulation 5

Exercise of general professional duties:

• If he/she is employed as a teacher in a school, under the reasonable direction of the Principal of that school;
• If he/she is employed by the Board on terms under which he/she is not assigned to any one school, under the reasonable direction of that board and of the Principal of any school in which he/she may for the time being be required to work as a teacher.

Exercise of particular duties

2 (a) A teacher employed as a teacher (other than a Principal) in a school shall perform in accordance with any directions which may be reasonably given to him/her by the Principal from time to time, such particular duties as may reasonably be assigned to him/her.

• Planning and preparing courses and lessons;
• Teaching, according to their educational needs, the pupils assigned to him/her, including the setting and marking of work to be carried out by the pupils in school and elsewhere;
• Assessing, recording and reporting on the development, progress and attainment of pupils.

• Promoting the general progress and well‑being of individual pupils and of any class or group of pupils assigned to him/her;
• Providing advice and guidance to pupils on educational and social matters and on their further education and future careers including information about sources of more expert advice on specific questions, making relevant records and reports;
• Making records of and reports on the personal and social needs of pupils except in instances where to do so might be regarded as compromising a teacher’s own position;
• Communicating and consulting with the parents of pupils;
• Communicating and co‑operating with such persons or bodies outside the school as may be approved by the employing authority and the Board of Governors;
• Participating in meetings arranged for any of the purposes described above.

Providing or contributing to oral and written assessments, reports and references relating to individual pupils and groups of pupils except in instances where to do so might be regarded as compromising a teacher’s own position.

• Participating, if required, in any scheme of staff development and performance review;
• Reviewing from time to time his/her methods of teaching and programmes of work;
• Participating in arrangements for his/her further training and professional development as a teacher;
• Advising and co‑operating with the Principal and other teachers (or any one or more of them) on the preparation and development of courses of study, teaching materials, teaching programmes, methods of teaching and assessment and pastoral arrangements.

• Maintaining good order and discipline among pupils in accordance with the policies of the employing authority and safeguarding their health and safety both when they are authorised to be on the school premises and when they are engaged in authorised school activities…