With effect from 27 March 2009 schools were no longer permitted to make any appointment to a post of responsibility (other than those of Principal and Deputy Principal) including those that may have fallen vacant on or before 27 March 2009. The replacement of holders of posts of responsibility who are on leave of absence and whose posts of responsibility would normally have been replaced in an acting capacity cannot be filled as they are comprehended by this moratorium.
With the exception of Principal and Deputy Principal Posts the Government decision also means that with effect from 27 March 2009 existing temporary or acting appointments to posts of responsibility cannot be renewed beyond their existing stated end date. If the existing stated end date is specified (e.g. end of current school year or other specified date) then the existing temporary or acting appointment to the post of responsibility must cease from that date and payment of the allowance will be automatically stopped.
TUI is campaigning vigorously with the other teacher unions to have this moratorium reversed. Limited alleviation is available to allow for the filling of Assistant Principal posts in schools that meet certain criteria. This is set out in Circular Letter 53/2011.
Previously agreed criteria for appointments and appeals details are set out below.
The number of posts of responsibility which arise is based on the teacher allocation to the school in wholetime teacher equivalents (WTEs). The agreed schedule for determining the number of Assistant Principal and Special Duties Teacher posts for each school is based on the allocation of WTEs to the school as follows:
SCHEDULE FOR DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND SPECIAL DUTIES TEACHER POSTS
| WTEs | Assistant Principal | Special Duties Teacher |
| 4 - 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 - 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 9-11 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | 1 | 4 |
| 14-15 | 2 | 3 |
| 16-17 | 3 | 3 |
| 18 | 3 | 4 |
| 19-20 | 4 | 5 |
| 21-22 | 5 | 5 |
| 23-24 | 6 | 6 |
| 25-26 | 6 | 8 |
| 27-29 | 6 | 10 |
| 30-33 | 8 | 11 |
| 34-37 | 8 | 12 |
| 38-43 | 8 | 13 |
| 44-46 | 9 | 13 |
| 47-49 | 9 | 14 |
| 50-53 | 9 | 15 |
| 54-55 | 10 | 15 |
| 56-59 | 11 | 15 |
| 60-64 | 11 | 16 |
| 65-71 | 11 | 17 |
| 72-74 | 11 | 18 |
| 75-76 | 12 | 18 |
| 77-78 | 12 | 19 |
| 79-80 | 12 | 20 |
This schedule continues up to 200 WTEs allocations.
1. The schedule is based on the allocation of wholetime teacher equivalents.
2. An adjustment is made for PLC students using a factor of 1.5 to produce a notional WTE for
PLC schools.
3. A school which would lose posts by reference to the schedule will retain entitlement to its current levelof posts until the year 2000.
4. In addition to the posts generated by the schedule, all schoolswith an enrolment of 70 or more Transition Year students will be entitled to an Additional Special Duties teacher post.
The number of wholetime teacher equivalents is determined by a 18:1 pupil teacher ratio for mainstream courses in 2nd level schools. In all schools a 16:1 PTR will apply to courses such as LCAP, LCVP, VTOS-dispersed mode, and PLC for the purposes of the calculation of wholetime teacher equivalents. This notional PTR allocation is added to the actual allocation of ex-quota posts and the concessionary posts to the school and this total determines the number of wholetime teacher equivalent posts allocated to the school. An improved PTR of 16:1 for up to 100 schools, targeted to pupils from areas of concentrated disadvantage, is being introduced for 2002/03.