Principal Selection

Information for applicants

One of the objectives of the principal selection process is to proactively encourage applicants with the required profile to apply for principal vacancies. This objective has implications for the manner in which schools select, construct and disseminate information packages when a principal vacancy is advertised. Documentation that is made available to potential applicants provides a strong sense of what is important in the school, its values and its desired future. While the school profile statement, the role and accountability statement and the selection criteria are included in the advertisement on Recruitment Online, they do not provide the necessary insights, for example, into the current and future directions of the school or the school’s capacity to implement new initiatives.

Applicants should be provided with appropriate information that allows them to gain a detailed understanding of the school’s strategic priorities, annual implementation plan and human and financial resources. It is important that potential applicants understand the opportunities offered by the position, as well as the challenges, in order to make a realistic assessment of their own capacity to meet the requirements.

A lack of sufficient information can act as a disincentive for potential applicants to pursue the advertised position. However, a comprehensive outline of the school’s profile and resource base in key documents can signal an invitation to aspirants that the school is encouraging them to apply. It also ensures that the successful applicant can be confident that information on the nature of the school, its profile and resource base is consistent with the information obtained during the selection process.

To enable potential applicants to form a comprehensive view of the school the following documents should be hosted electronically on the school’s website at the time of the advertisement:

• School’s Strategic Plan
• School’s Annual Implementation Plan
• Annual Report to the school community

Where a school does not have a website, arrangements should be made with the regional office to host these documents on the region’s website.

In addition, shortlisted applicants may request other documents to ensure they have a more detailed understanding of the school’s profile. These include:

• Student Resource Package
• bank reconciliation
• multi-year trend analysis
• auditor’s management letter
• enrolment data and trends
• school self-evaluation report