How a school is structured

Org chart

The academic branch is shown in depth, from the Vice Principal to wing coordinators and subject teachers. Administration, examinations, sports, transport and the library are drawn one level down. A trust or society sits above the Principal and is not part of the daily chart.

Levels and designations

Approval chains

How the structure works

The Principal runs the school and answers to a trust or society that owns it. Under the Principal, teaching and administration split. A Vice Principal for academics leads the teaching side through wing coordinators, one for each stage of classes, who supervise the subject teachers graded as PGT, TGT and PRT. An administrator or a second Vice Principal handles admissions, fees, transport, security and support staff. Examinations, sports and the library run as small teams that cut across wings. Class teachers add a second, informal line for pastoral care within each grade.

How it changes with size

A small school of a few hundred students may have only a Principal and teachers, with one clerk for accounts and admissions. A mid-sized school adds Vice Principals, wing coordinators and a proper office. A group of schools puts a central office above each campus, with a director of academics, a common admissions team and shared HR and accounts. The trust stays above the Principal at every size, setting fees, salaries and policy, while the Principal keeps charge of daily academics and discipline.

Common problems

The most common tension is between the trust and the Principal over who decides hiring, fees and spending. Teacher attendance and last minute substitution are daily headaches, since an absent teacher means a free period unless someone covers it. Class teachers and subject teachers both direct a teacher's work, which blurs reporting. Leave clusters around exams, admissions and results, when the school can least spare people. Clear wings, one reporting manager per teacher, and a holiday calendar shared with staff keep the year predictable.

• A clear line between trust decisions and the Principal's authority
• A substitution plan for absent teachers on any day
• One reporting manager per teacher despite class-teacher duties
• Leave planned around exams, admissions and results

Set up this structure in ZeniaHR

1. Create departments for the academic wings, plus Administration, Examinations, Sports, Transport, Library, HR and Accounts, so teachers and staff group by wing and function.
2. Add designations such as PGT, TGT, PRT, Wing Coordinator, Vice Principal and Administrator, and use grades to hold salary bands across these teaching titles.
3. Set each teacher's reporting manager to their wing coordinator, and the coordinators under the Vice Principal, so the org chart matches the academic line.
4. Build a General shift with the school timing, mark weekly offs and holidays, and add the exam and event days as company holidays where classes do not run.
5. Use biometric or kiosk punches at the staff room entry, and set grace and missed punch-out rules that suit teaching hours.
6. Keep leave, corrections and overtime on the reporting manager then HR route, and add the Principal as the hiring approver above coordinators.

Frequently asked questions