Leadership+ Issue 23 November 2004

I S S U E 2 3 • D EC E M B E R 2 0 0 4

Inside Getting the right person ..............2 Cross Border Conference.............3 Education and the Social Divide .........................................4 Tipping the Balance ..........................6 School Development Planning ....................................................8

Principals’ Survey reveals huge workload

Standardised Testing ....................10 SNA Review...........................................11 School Enrichment..........................12 IPPN Meetings ...................................13 Legal Diary .............................................14 GPA - Survival of the Fittest ....16 NABSME Study: Challenging Behaviour .............17 Modern Languages in Primary Schools..............................18

Guímid Nollaig faoi mhaise ar mhúinteoirí uile na h-Éireann agus ar gach duine a shaothraíonn chun tairbhe an oideachais in Éirinn.

Beannachtaí ar leith dhaoibh a Phríomhoidí agus Phríomhoidí Thánaisteacha Bunscoile na tíre.

Rath Dé ar an obair tábhachtach atá idir láimhibh agaibh.

The opinions expressed in Leadership+ do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network

ISSN: 1649 -5888 Irish Primary Principals’ Network Glounthaune, Co Cork President: Virginia O’Mahony president@ippn.ie Director: Seán Cottrell director@ippn.ie Editor: Larry Fleming editor@ippn.ie Advertising: Nora Kavanagh office@ippn.ie e: info@ippn.ie l: 1890 21 22 23 t: 353 21 452 4925 f: 353 21 435 5648 w: www.ippn.ie Design and print: Brosna Press 090 6454327 • info@brosnapress.ie

A Phríomhoide agus a Phríomhoide Thánaistigh, More than 1,100 Principals completed the recent on-line survey on workload, In-School Management and Boards of Management.

I wish to sincerely thank all those who took the time to complete the extensive questionnaire. The exercise was most revealing in its findings as it has illustrated for the first time both the seriousness and scale of overload experienced by principals.

The information extracted from this survey will form the basis for IPPN’s input to the working group which the DES has established to address principals workload issues. This survey has enabled IPPN to quantify and qualify what all principals have known anecdotally for many years.

Several issues arise from the survey. Most notably, principals outline the failure of the current Board of Management and In-School Management structures to adequately address the severe overload of the principal’s role. It is also evident from the survey that a significant percentage of principals have suffered personally in terms of their own health and the extent to which their work has invaded family time. The survey, findings of which will be available next month, also shows how principals have experienced recent creeping bureaucracy, the net effect of which has turned the administrative principal’s role into that of fulltime administrator, who has a decreasing impact on teaching and learning in the school. This growing bureaucracy has virtually paralysed teaching principals, making it almost impossible to teach at the level required by the Revised Curriculum.

“Most teaching principals described a feeling of guilt experienced due to the incompatibility of teaching and being a principal, and the net impact on their own professional lives.”

Thankfully the survey was designed to draw from principals models of existing good practice and creative thinking. Several practical and worthy ideas have come through which will add significant value to the problem solving approach that IPPN intends to bring to the DES Working Group.

Over the years most principals have learned the art of positive leadership where the emphasis is on bringing people ‘with you’ rather than ‘driving’ them ahead. Skillful consultation with staff, parents and children when appropriate, increases a principal’s status as a leader and not just a manager. Nowhere is this skill more required than when handling the perennial ‘hot potato’ of staff meetings and parent-teacher meetings. Sadly, this term has seen many schools taking a step backwards both in terms of the goodwill and flexibility shared between teachers and parents and the quality of time afforded to staff meetings and parent-teacher meetings. Ironically, this backward step is as a result of ‘sustaining progress’.

We now have a situation where good practice, which has been fine-tuned over the years with the co-operation of teachers and parents, is being over-ruled by a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the regulation of staff meetings and parent-teacher meetings. This is nothing short of schools being ‘micro-managed’ with the attendant danger of strangulation by bureaucracy. Thankfully it appears that common sense is prevailing and that each school’s unique requirements are the key factors for consideration when allocating time for both internal and external communication. Schools face enough challenges today without being timetabled by the minute from afar. We would always hope that policies and resources are intended to empower education rather than stifle it.

Is mise le meas, Seán Cottrell, Director, IPPN

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Getting the right person…

Selection and recruitment.

The textbook title for what we do when we advertise, shortlist, interview and appoint.

We do it when we need a teacher, an SNA, a caretaker, a secretary. We do it for internal appointments to special duties posts. Some of us are involved in selection and recruitment for Principalships in other schools. It is a most important function even if not very frequent for some of us. It is a truism to say that the best assets of the school are the people who work there. It is vital that we end up with the right person for the job.

Yet I have a sense that many of us are overpreoccupied with the detail of the process.

Dates for advertisements, notice period, what questions can I ask… procedure, procedure, procedure…

The way we do things around here It is absolutely vital that the procedure is fair, transparent and compliant with the regulations. But the procedure is not the most important thing in selecting and recruiting the right person for the job - getting the right person is. Be sure to know the procedures thoroughly and apply them rigorously; then relax and concentrate on getting the right person for your school. It is one of the major factors in establishing the ethos, atmosphere and culture of the school: "The way we do things around here".

There has been a major shift in the world of commerce and business in the way selection and recruitment is done. In the traditional world, companies used to be very strong on recruiting for skill and then managing the induction of new employees into the attitudes and culture of the company. Companies in many sectors – Technology, Financial Services, Banking, Sales, Service and Manufacturing – were very strong on recruiting within their own skill-set. Then, with changes in society, education and the work-force, there was a realisation that attitudes and culture – "The way we do things around here" – were much more difficult to develop than skills. It was not only easier but ultimately more valuable to find the right people and train them than to find the right skills and hope that the person was a good fit in the organisation. Getting the wrong (but highly skilled) person was less effective than getting the right person and giving them the right skills. It is not unusual to hear of technology companies recruiting philosophy graduates and investing in technical development. Or of financial companies hiring teachers and providing training in financial services. The world is less compartmentalised now in terms of career path and career changes.

Knowing what we want As a school leader, selection and recruitment is one of the most important factors in the longterm development of the culture and ethos of your school. Yet, because of the focus and immediacy of the procedural elements of the process, we often lose sight of what we are PAGE 2

trying to do. I think the point here is to be clear on what type of person we want for our school. Skills and techniques are much easier to induct than personality and approach to the job and to children.

Valuable insights and experience As school leaders, we set the tone and pace and direction for the delivery of primary education in this country. When we look for a teacher, we know what we are looking for, what we want and what is needed at the "coalface". More than anyone else in the chain through national strategy, curriculum development, academic research and resource allocation; we know what is needed next Monday morning in the classroom. In the context of teacher education and training, are we asked what is needed? I suggest that as school leaders who are clear about what we look for when we recruit a teacher, we have valuable insights and experience into what is needed and we have much to offer in the design and delivery of teacher education in this country.

While we are responsible for selecting teachers for our schools, we do not have any formal input into the education and training of those teachers. I would dearly love to see a situation in the future where the knowledge, skills and experience of seasoned school leaders can be harnessed more effectively in the education, training and induction of teachers into our schools.

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"Action is only as good as the thinking behind it. Thinking is only as good as the way people treat each other. A leader’s job is to create an environment in which people can think for themselves and find the courage to put the best ideas into action.”

Malcolm Forbes

At the Principals’ Cross-Border Conference: Alan Browne, President NAHT (NI); Sean Cottrell, Director IPPN; Eva Creely, Leargas; Virginia O'Mahoney, President, IPPN; Tommy Fagan, North-South Exchange Consortium.

Cross-Border Principals’ Conference: Putting our Heads Together D

elegates from north and south of the border gathered in the Slieve Russell Hotel in Cavan from 22nd to 24th November to share experiences and build friendships.

"Governments make policy, civil servants interpret this but principals implement it." In his opening remarks, Alan Browne, President NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers, Northern Ireland), captured the mood of many delegates present.

"Putting our Heads Together" was an historic occasion. This is the first time on the island of Ireland that school leaders, principals and deputies, from both sides of the border have been brought together like this.

Organised jointly by IPPN and NAHT the conference dealt with two main issues: The future of small schools Special Educational needs Dr. Mark Morgan and Dolores Corcoran from St. Patricks College, Drumcondra sketched out the work-in-progress on their research into small schools. The final report on this research, conducted in association with IPPN, will be presented at our conference in February but they outlined some interesting findings so far. Children in smaller schools do equally as well as children in larger schools in academic terms and there may be other social factors which might be stronger in smaller schools. Principals in the research schools have looked at models of federation and clustering and there are benefits to both these models.

Andrew Walsh, DENI Inspectorate delivered Sheelagh McGrogan’s session outlining an example of how two schools in

Northern Ireland have come together under one principal in a federated model. The situation these two schools found themselves in has strong resonances for many schools in rural areas and their findings will be of interest to many IPPN members.

Sinead McLoughlin, Principal in Scoil Iosagain in Buncrana gave a very interesting and thought provoking presentation on special needs provision. Sinead’s school is a mainstream school but with special classes for children with severe and profound learning disabilities. Her observations on provision for special needs in general were enlightening and her experiences have implications for all schools in the light of the proposed weighted model.

There were inputs too on cross-border cooperation from Billy Tate, Maire Ni Threasaigh and Eva Creely which – hopefully – will lead to more networking between schools in both jurisdictions.

In her opening address, President of IPPN, Virginia O’Mahony outlined the aims for the conference as the sharing of experiences finding commonality and differences looking for ways of working together in the future and proposing solutions and recommendations These aims were more than richly fulfilled over the course of the three days and we look forward to these initial themes being expanded and more deeply explored in the coming years.

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Education and the Social Divide M

ost people consider education to be a human right, albeit a human right denied to a great many of the world's population.

We might assume that, at least in our own country, there is a right to education. We might also assume that, if this is a right, that people should have equal access to "Education". We would, of course, be entirely wrong in making both of these assumptions. A great many people, even in this country, have been or are being denied access to education at different levels: sometimes, primary, more often, post-primary and, very often, third-level education.

Recent publications by the OECD and the National Competitiveness Council are welcome for the data which they provide in relation to the implications of under-investment in our educational system. I will not attempt to repeat the long list of indicators which highlight the extent to which Ireland is underinvesting in its education system, at every level. Unfortunately, the implications of this are not as visible as is under-investment in other sectors, such as health. We do not have the photo opportunites provided by patients on trollies, by A&E wards or long queues in the health sector.

Educational wasteland Before children ever come to primary schools they are on different rungs of the educational ladder. In a small number of disadvantaged areas, there are Early Start facilities, but these are few and far between1. We need many more. For the want of serious state investment in early education, the educational future and opportunities of many are blighted at a very early point.

Each year, between 700 and 1,000 children do not transfer to post-primary schools. A further 2,400 quit by the time of the Junior Certificate. Little more than three-quarters of our young people make it to Leaving Certificate, with twice as many boys dropping out (30%) as girls. These are the educational waste, the by-product that drops quietly to the side of our education system. Every individual lost to the education system represents a personal loss. There is also a great social and economic loss.

These are the children who have parents who cannot afford grind schools. These are also the children who never learned the musical instruments, who never had the Art or the Speech and Drama lessons that improved their confidence levels or that made them more relaxed at an interview. The are the children who do not go to France or to the Gaeltacht so that they can do better in their Orals.

PAGE 4

Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál Ollscoil Luimnigh

Dr Peadar Cremin, President, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick Ever-increasing social & educational divide When the then-Minister for Education and Science came to Limerick, last September, to ensure that a number of pupils from our disadvantaged areas were not denied access to post-primary education, it was striking that he had nothing to say on getting these children into the truly exclusive schools: the grind schools. These schools may not provide much by way of education, they will spend little time on the art and drama, but the pupils are drawn by the lure of higher points. Here we see evidence of the wealthy purchasing privilege for their children.

In the past decade, our society has been transformed. Enormous wealth has been generated. Yet, the Economic and Social Research Institute recently stated that "There can be no doubt that its [poverty's] depth has been increasing and the disparity between the poor and the non-poor had been widening over time". It is now calculated that almost one out of every four children in this country lives in poverty (that is to say, more than 250,000 children live in poverty. [To explain what is meant by poverty here, it is a household of four, two adults and two children, with an income of less than €420 per week].

1 There are 40 Early Start Schools out of 314 schools in disadvantaged areas.

Privatisation: educational apartheid Increasingly, we are seeing this divided society reflected in a divided education system. This division is well advanced at the post-primary level. At third level, we have seen private providers move into the field of teacher education as well as being active in many other disciplines. As primary teachers we must begin to wonder "How long will it be before we see privatisation at work in our primary schools?"

Already, in many of our bigger cities, there are instances of parents sending their children to private primary schools, not because the teachers there are better, or better qualified, not because these schools offer better standards of education, but simply because it costs more (and if it costs more, then surely it must be better?).

These changes are part of an international process which is changing the nature of education, moving education from being a right to be enjoyed equally by all to being a commodity to be purchased by those with greatest wealth. The notion that the wealthiest can purchase the best education is long established in some other countries where it has led to a considerable social divide and it has a foothold here. However, there is a real danger that this divide is about to occur at primary level Then we will see educational apartheid on a national level, with one set of schools for the wealthy and a separate set for those who cannot afford private education.

Let social partnership begin It is time for a debate on whether we really want a two-tier education system, with increasing ghettoisation of the educationally disadvantaged. It is sometimes pointed out that, despite decades of effort, education is not eliminating educational disadvantage.

Schemes to address educational disadvantage never eliminate educational disadvantage. Let us be clear: that it cannot. By addressing educational disadvantage only, we are dealing only with the symptoms and not with the sources of disadvantage. Let us remind ourselves that the cause of educational disadvantage is poverty. Inequality in wealth, inequality in income, inequality in access to jobs, to power and to the media perpetuate disadvantage. It is time for one of the wealthiest societies in the world to move to a model of social partnership that will end educational disadvantage by taking children out of poverty. If this means higher taxation providing greater resources for education, then I welcome that trend.

I welcome the fact that the last three Ministers for Education and Science have expressed a commitment and support for addressing educational disadvantage. I recognise the complexity of the challenge ahead. I salute the principals and their staffs who are already doing so much to set high expectations, deliver quality education to all and help lift their pupils from the poverty of the past.

IPPN Bursary for Principals’ study visit to Ontario, Canada

programme provided by LDS and the individual mentors available to NAPs. If you have taken up your appointment as principal during the 2004 calendar year, please send an email to office@ippn.ie to avail of this service.

Following the success of last years experience IPPN is delighted to announce a bursary to the value of €5,000 for a principals study visit to Ontario.

Net Visionary Award

In collaboration with the Ontario Principals’ Council the successful principal will be enabled to visit a variety of primary schools over a three week period between March 1st and July 20th, 2005. The purpose of the visit is to enable a serving principal to examine and report on aspects of primary education in Ontario. The €5,000 bursary will cover the cost of flights, car hire, accommodation and insurance. The successful applicant will be responsible for all logistical planning and will furnish an agreed report within one month of returning.

This bursary will be awarded by an independent adjudicator based upon the quality of the study visits proposed. Full details pertaining to the study visit are contained in the proposal form. Principals wishing to apply should email the Support Office at info@ippn.ie to request a Proposal Form not later than December 22nd, 2004.

Completed proposals to be returned by email not later than January 10th, 2005. The bursary award will be announced at IPPN Annual Conference on Thursday February 3rd, 2005.

The name Seaghan Moriarty is no stranger to anyone active in education technology in Ireland. IPPN congratulates Seaghan on being recently awarded ‘Net Visionary’ from a prestigious field of candidates. Seaghan has a wonderful combination of educational knowledge, technical competence and above all a common sense on how technology can support education. Seaghan has been a tremendous supporter of IPPN since the outset and has been instrumental in the development of our web site and various mailing lists etc. Comhghárdeas and well deserved.

Newly appointed Principals – Seomra Caidrimh

Role of Deputy Principal

Seomra Caidrimh is a new service to provide practical advice and support for newly appointed principals (NAPs). This is an on-line e-mail based facility which allows NAPs ask any question – no matter how basic – looking for specific information, such as who to contact in the DES, how to react to certain situations etc.

Seomra Caidrimh is facilitated by Pádraig McKeon, Principal, Holy Family NS, Newport, Co Mayo, and Angela Lynch, Principal, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Glasheen, Cork. Both Angela and Pádraig are members of the National Executive with responsibility for NAPs. Our research shows that newly appointed principals have very significant information and support needs on a daily basis, not-withstanding the excellent Misneach

Following the success of the Deputy Principals Workshop at Conference 2004 and the subsequent seminar in Portlaoise, a significant body of knowledge has been assembled on the role of DP. IPPN is currently working with the academic staff of Coláiste Mhuire, Marino, to produce a report which will profile the role of Deputy Principal. This report will largely focus on current best practice as evidenced in the 2004 workshop and seminar. IPPN’s aim is to harness the professionalism and expertise of the Deputy Principals who have contributed to these events, thus rooting the role in the reality of current best practice. The report will be circulated to all Principals and Deputies in early 2005.

Go n-éirí libh PAGE 5

P R O F E S S I O N A L

G U I D A N C E

Tipping the balance in favour of the teaching Principal Over 70% of all Principals in Ireland are teaching Principals – one of the most overwhelming and stressful jobs in education in the present day, as the soon-to-be-published IPPN nationwide online survey will testify. The multiplicity of tasks facing the teaching Principal daily suggests that it is now time to lower the threshold whereby a teaching Principal is made administrative. In the meantime, to maintain sanity, the teaching Principal must learn the art of working smarter, not harder.

Time Management If constant indecision, insufficient time, rushing and missed deadlines are the order of the day, you, the Principal need to manage time better.

How? Have clearly defined priorities Differentiate between what is important and what is urgent Make time by learning to say ‘no’ nicely and drawing up checklists From the mountain of paperwork that reaches your desk daily ask yourself "Does this benefit the children in our school?” If the answer is no, seriously consider the dustbin.

Prioritising It is no longer feasible that the Teaching Principal should be expected to teach a class while simultaneously dealing with staff, parents, outside agencies, Board of Management and D.E.S. To bring order to this chaos the Principal must learn to prioritise and distinguish the urgent from the important. It is helpful to devise a weekly "to do" list. Keeping a desk diary is useful in this regard. Above all, it is imperative that the school, as a minimum, has the services of a part time Secretary.

Office Administration A competent secretary can set up a workable filing system that includes vital easily accessible data such as timetables, class lists, emergency contact numbers, standard letters, accident reporting book, staff PPS / teacher numbers and pupil details etc. Above all, be prepared to DELEGATE. Let Special Needs, Salary Returns, Rolls etc be the responsibility of the Deputy Principal. Have a workable middle management system in operation that caters for important areas such as IT, Science etc.

For Principals who don’t have the services of a secretary, avoid taking phone calls when teaching. When making calls, try to do so in blocks. Keep a phone message book in close proximity to the phone. When dealing with post, scan quickly and prioritise. Try to handle paper only once and have a ready supply of envelopes and stamps available. A competent treasurer on the Board is a decided asset, particularly if he/she can devise an accounts package, record grants and deal with petty cash and receipting.

Staff Relations Developing positive staff relations must be top of the Principals "urgent" list. Positive communication is essential. Policies and plans should be drawn up on a collaborative basis and subsequently shared with staff. A good method of inter staff communication is to have a white board in the staffroom. All staff should be included in devising systems for organising learning support / resource teaching, dividing classes in the event of absences and inducting substitute and new teachers. A one page "welcome sheet" given to new teachers always seems to work well.

Allow for at least one staff meeting per term

PAGE 6

where parent/teacher meetings, special needs, SNA’s, Summer Works, IT, psychological referrals, and sports days can be discussed and consensus reached.

Remember, stop doing things that do not work and delegate appropriately. A Principals duty is to ensure that essential things are done rather than doing them all yourself. The essence of good management is management of self - change your mindset from "I have to" to "I have decided to".

Tips for Teaching Principals Some handy tips that can make a Teaching Principals life more bearable could include – Be unavailable at times Taking admin days in blocks of 2 and 3 Keeping all circulars in one folder Have every teacher compile a work pack of at least 3 worksheets in the event of an unexpected teacher absence Insist on appointment times for visitors Activate an answering machine if you don’t have the services of a secretary When distributing documents give to the oldest in each family starting in senior classes. Consider using Text-a-parent Devise a standard letter which can cover the bulk of correspondence to agencies such as DES, Cigire, BOM etc.

Keep a visitors book and a teacher absence book Keep a simple daily attendance book for circulation to classrooms to record attendance Try to have new infant intake details completed by Easter.

Eilis Dillon Pat Moore

P R O F E S S I O N A L

Exemption from the study of Irish Circular 12/96 In the recent past the demand from parents for exemptions has grown considerably. The Circular is very clear as to the grounds on which an exemption may be granted.

In interpreting the Circular recognition should be given to the fact that it is possible for most pupils to learn Irish at a rate proportionate to their ability within the revised curriculum. Principals should balance the need for an exemption against excluding a child from a central part of the school day.

Much of the demand for exemptions springs from difficulties with reading, writing and homework. The emphasis on oral work in the curriculum and a differentiated approach to homework and learning should mean that these difficulties are not insurmountable within the classroom.

An exemption is of value where studying a second language will cause educational confusion or impair other learning. Specific

G U I D A N C E

cases include children with specific receptive or expressive language difficulties in their first language and children with learning difficulties of a kind where their first language skills are poor. Non-national children who are struggling to come to grips with English should also be considered. However in many cases non-national children have successfully acquired Irish as well as English and so should not automatically be exempted.

Principals should ensure that an application for exemption comes as a written request from parents stating the reasons why it has been sought. Principals, if persuaded of the need for the exemption, should then fill the certificate stating the relevant paragraph and subsection numbers from 12/96 and forward it to the DES. They should point out to parents that the exemption will not come into place until the DES acknowledges that the grounds are valid.

This can take several months at the moment.

Copies of all correspondence/certificates etc should be added to the child’s school records. A copy of the Certificate of Exemption should be given to the parents. A copy should be forwarded to any school, primary or secondary, the child subsequently attends.

Professor Michael Fullan Worskshops Due to popular demand and following the success of last years’ workshops, Prof. Michael Fullan has agreed to facilitate three workshops with IPPN in May 2005.

The evaluation of last years’ workshops suggests universally high satisfaction from those in attendance. Michael Fullan has a rare skill in combining practical and insightful support linked with latest international research on educational leadership and change management. The three workshops will take place in Cork, Galway and Dublin during the week beginning 9th May, 2005.

Exact details will be communicated in the next issue of Leadership+.

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PAGE 7

Eileen Flynn

School Development Planning Support

National Co-ordinator, SDP

School Development Planning In order for a school community to ensure that children get the best possible learning opportunities it needs to have an overall vision of what it wants to achieve for all the children in its care. School development planning involves the members of the school community in discussing their hopes and dreams for the pupils and working together towards making these aspirations a reality.

School development planning is an inclusive process and enables the principal and teaching staff to work as a team. It enables the board of management, parents and pupils to make a shared contribution to the success of the school.

Each year a school reviews some aspects of its curriculum and organisation to see how well these are meeting the needs of the children.

Since a school community cannot tackle everything at once, it must prioritise those areas in need of attention, taking into account the available time and resources. Where change is needed new objectives/goals/ targets and improved ways of doing things are identified and agreed. A plan for change and improvement is put into action and progress is checked regularly.

Schools communities can review aspects of school life e.g. how reading or mathematics is taught throughout the school and how well the children are achieving by comparison with national standards how new programmes in social personal and health education or visual arts are succeeding. how well the needs of all children are being met The school can also consider changes, which may need to be made to policy areas such as

school attendance strategies planning for pupils with special educational needs (in the light of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004) assessment - its uses to inform teaching and learning and how such assessments inform reporting to parents The Board of Management has overall responsibility for school development planning, being required by law to ensure that the school plan is prepared, reviewed and regularly updated. In practice the principal leads the planning process, with staff, parents, and pupils actively involved. Parents are active partners in planning for parental support of the curriculum. Parents, staff, board (and pupils, where appropriate) work together as partners in the planning process.

INVOLVING PARENTS Information leaflets for parents, in relation to school development planning, have been circulated to all school communities. The leaflets were designed in consultation with the partners in education.

Parents can become active partners in their school’s development planning process by: having access to information in relation to the work of the school having their questions answered through regular communication PAGE 8

contributing to school decisions by giving feedback through questionnaires etc. sending in comments or making suggestions offering themselves for election to the school’s Board of Management offering themselves for election to the school’s Parents’ Association joining working groups or sub committees making themselves familiar with the school plan, information booklets or newsletters supporting school polices on such issues as attendance, behaviour, anti- bullying, healthy lunches, homework, reading, enrolment, Social, Personal and Health Education, Stay Safe, Relationships and Sexuality Education offering to become a members of task groups set up by the school to help with policy formation.

Where working groups are set up as part of school planning, parents are usually represented through the committee of the parent association.

INVOLVING PUPILS Many schools consult their pupils in relation to behavioural issues. When a school is reviewing its Code of Behaviour pupils can discuss the issues that are of concern to them and make suggestions for class rules, etc. Younger children can give their views through Circle Time, artwork or drama. When pupils can give their views they feel a greater sense of participation and responsibility.

SDP SUPPORT The School Development Planning team for 2004/05 has 31 facilitators. They are teachers on secondment. Each facilitator works with 100 – 150 schools, depending on location and school size. Each school has been contacted by the assigned school development planning facilitator, to outline the supports available for the current year. Schools should continue to consult their facilitator if they have ongoing planning requirements.

Schools are encouraged to identify planning priorities with pupil learning as the focus; to address these from within their own resources in the first instance, and seek the appropriate external support as and where necessary. To assist with identification of priorities, schools are invited to Revisit work undertaken previously - is there work remaining to be completed/to be followed up?

Discuss, with the school community, the priorities that need to be addressed and record these on a planning diary Regard planning as an ongoing process during the school year e.g. work on school based days, at staff meetings, on the SDP day, etc. all contributing to addressing identified priorities to enhance pupil learning Consider who might attend planning meetings or planning days – will representatives of parents or members of the Board of Management be invited and enabled to participate?

Liaise with other schools in the cluster where applicable or appropriate ORGANISATIONAL PLANNING IN KEY AREAS In order to assist schools with common planning issues, a number of key areas of organisational policy, namely Anti-bullying Code of Behaviour Equal Opportunities Health and Safety Homework Management of Special Needs Parental & Community Involvement have been addressed by means of planning prompts, which have been devised by SDPS. These prompts include questions, which are intended to guide a school community through a planning process. Appropriate use of the prompts will contribute to the development of a whole school policy for the particular area/s mentioned. The prompts are available to schools in hard copy from the school development planning facilitator and from the SDPS Website at www.sdps.ie.

Work on prompts for additional organisational areas is ongoing in collaboration with the partners, while the existing prompts are under review in the light of changing legislation, national guidelines and feedback from partners, schools and others.

CURRICULUM PLANNING Planning assistance in six curriculum areas, namely Gaeilge English Mathematics SPHE Science Visual Arts was developed last year in conjunction with NCCA, PCSP and the Inspectorate. Assistance in a number of other curricular areas especially Music and PE - will be developed during 2004/05.

The planning prompts for each subject follow a similar structure and layout and are intended to provide support for schools that may be at different stages of planning for each of the subjects. Planning templates are also provided to assist schools in recording curriculum planning decisions. Use of these curriculum planning prompts and templates is entirely optional.

The prompts within each subject are designed to assist a school community in working through a development planning process.

Some of the suggestions/questions may not apply to an individual school and there may be others that should/could be included.

Amendments should be made as required by each school in the light of its context factors and its current stage of planning. Using the prompts should lead to a whole-school development plan for each subject, tailored to suit the needs of the individual school.

Each document may be used in a variety of ways: as an overview of a whole-school development plan for a subject as a guide for a school in reviewing its current practice as a means of drawing previous decisions into a coherent unit as a strategy for addressing identified priorities in relation to a subject while maintaining a coherent overall approach to the subject.

BOARDS OF MANAGEMENT A pilot programme, in collaboration with Drumcondra Education Centre, is under way to assist Boards of Management in relation to school development planning. Training has been provided for facilitators, who are available to work with Boards of Management nationally through Education Centres.

YOUR VIEWS SDPS is currently seeking your views in relation to the usefulness of the prompts, both organisational and curricular, mentioned above. An on-line survey of teachers’ views on the prompts is currently being conducted, and can be accessed at www.sdps.ie/survey.html.

Views are always welcome by e-mail at info@sdps.ie or by phone at (01) 857 6427 or by fax at (01) 857 6497.

PAGE 9

www.text-a-parent.ie Would you like to be able to send a brief message to the parent in your school at short notice?

Unpredictable events e.g. enforced school closure no heating etc Last minute timetable change e.g. cancellation of sports day Timetable change e.g. a reminder of early closing for staff meeting Happy announcement e.g. victory in sports final For large schools – reminding staff about a particular event.

How can I use text-a-parent to send messages to the parents in our school?

Arrange for the collection of the parents’ mobile telephone numbers Log on to www.text-a-parent.ie Register your contact details Send cheque to IPPN to purchase "credit" for the cost of the text messages When your cheque is received, a text message will be sent to you informing that your account has been set up and is ready for use Follow the on-screen instructions which enables you to type your short message and specify the mobile telephone numbers to which the message will be sent

✓✗

In July Minister Noel Dempsey announced that he was making standardised testing a requirement for all primary schools during 2006-07. During the early 1990s, while studying in Boston College, I worked as a researcher with a local school system compiling their annual test report. Such a major decision requires careful consideration and hopefully this article will help to get the debate moving.

Value of Testing

Testing can provide valuable information to teachers and administrators and the public at large. Test results can be useful for multiple purposes. The catch is that tests serve as only one part of a total assessment. Their uses include: 1. To serve as one of the many indicators of an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses in the area tested, and to provide feedback on this student’s approximate relative standing locally and/or nationally.

2. To serve as one criteria in placing or screening children into special programmes.

3. To determine general strengths and weaknesses of groups of children for research purposes.

In other countries, particularly in the United States, teachers and pupils are accustomed to a wide variety of tests that are mandated by outside agencies and over which they have little or no control. In light of Minister Dempsey’s recent announcement "that from 2007 teachers will be required to test pupils when they are in first class, in sixth class and at one other time" we should examine some issues associated with mandated testing programmes.

Standardised tests are designed to be administered in thousands of classrooms at

Standardised testing How will we measure up?

different times under standard conditions.

Such tests allow for the comparison of students throughout the country. Just as it would not be fair to compare students’ running speeds if some ran uphill and some ran downhill, it would not be fair to compare test scores if students were given 15 minutes to take the test while others were given an hour; or if some students were told to guess the answers to questions they were not sure of and others were told to leave them blank.

Standardised tests, for a number of reasons, assume that all test takers are "running the same race". This information is of itself extremely valuable to a classroom teacher when taken alongside other assessment data such as observation and written work.

“No test can contain all the questions that could be asked about a topic, and students may do better on a test on some days than on others” Limitations of Tests If a pupil’s height is measured with a tape measure and then with a metre stick you would expect the two measurements to agree very closely. If they did not, you would not make important decisions based on the results.

PAGE 10

The same is true of test scores. In testing, the degree of agreement between test scores that ought to be the same is known as reliability.

There are always chance factors that affect test scores, such as guessing an answer. No test can contain all the questions that could be asked about a topic, and students may do better on a test on some days than on others. No test is perfectly reliable. Even if a test is highly reliable, its scores must be interpreted with caution. Tests are like tools, some are well made and some are not. But even good tests are made to do a particular job and they won’t work as well if they are used for something else. If a test does do the job it is designed for, it is said to be valid.

Most tests are achievement tests. To be the right tool for the job, such a test should ask questions about things the students have had an opportunity to learn. That is why test publishers try to cover what is taught in most classrooms. But be aware that they may include questions that are identical to the content or sequence of the curriculum in each school. Norm referenced achievement tests1 allow you to analyse the general progress of large groups of students and give you a basis for examining an individual’s general performance. They are generally inappropriate for assessing specific skills or for diagnoses. Let us keep in mind that they test a relatively narrow range of desired educational outcomes.

SNA Review A full review of SNA allocation to mainstream and special schools is currently being undertaken by the DES. Schools are advised of the imminent visit, usually by retired inspectors, about 1 to 2 weeks beforehand.

High Stakes Testing The biggest issue with standardised testing is not so much the tests themselves but the way sanctions or rewards are attached to the test results. When important decisions such as extra resources and/or financial supports depend directly on test scores, it corrupts the process you’re trying to improve. When the stakes are high people find ways to have test scores go up. If it is important enough people will find ways to get pupils over the hurdle of the tests. The school will look better, but the literacy and numeracy levels may not necessarily be improving. This has become a major issue in the US where the curriculum has been narrowed so pupils will perform well on the test – time is spent preparing students for the test and in some instances students are coached on how to perform better on standardised tests.

League Tables?

When test scores are going to be used to play an important role in the evaluation of the work of schools we all should sit up and ask questions. During my tenure in Boston I witnessed the introduction of a new reading and Mathematic’s test, the CTBS/4 published

by McGraw Hill. The CTBS/4 replaced The Sequential Tests of Educational Progress, which had been used for sixteen years in the school system. During its inaugural year the reading and Math scores dropped city-wide, something that was to be expected with a new test, but it placed huge pressure on school principals. The testing report ranked each school according to their median percentile2 scores for Reading, Math Computation and Math Concepts.

Schools were ranked in terms of their performance and the less advantaged schools invariably did not perform as well as the more well off schools. Principals tried as best they could to assure parents that their school was providing their students with a good quality education yet parents wanted to know why

the average score was lower than a neighbouring school. This placed pressure on enrolment and on teacher retention in subsequent years. In subsequent years these schools were forced to amend their curriculum and ensure their students were prepared for the tests – test scores did improve but at what cost to the curriculum?

Critics of standardised tests in the US charge that they: Give false information about the status of learning in the nation’s schools; Are unfair to (or biased against) some students (e.g. minority students, those with limited proficiency in English, females, and students from low-income families); Tend to corrupt the processes of teaching and learning, often reducing teaching to mere preparation for testing; and Focus time, energy and attention on the simpler skills that are easily tested and away from higher-order thinking skills and creative endeavour.

There is a need for a much wider debate on the use of standardised tests as the sole indicator in making critical decisions regarding our education system. Tests can provide valid and reliable data for decision makers but they also come with a health risk, as is evident from the United States. Before reaching judgement on the Department’s plans we need to hear what exactly is proposed and how results will be used.

Note on the author: Michael Hallissy, along with his colleague John Hurley, provides a range of ICT consulting services to the education sector. They manage The Diageo Liberties Learning Initiative and The TeachNet Ireland Project. Michael worked in the Newton Public School System for five years and studied testing and measurement in Boston College.

1 Norm-referenced tests (NRTs) compare a person's score against the scores of a group of people who have already taken the same exam, called the "norming group."

2 A percentile is the percentage of students that scored at or below a given score.

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The inspectors complete a 5 page report on each child who has SNA support. It is advisable to have the psychological reports to hand on all the children who have a designated SNA. Typical information the inspectorate require includes - the disability the child is diagnosed as having, scale of improvement / disimprovement, how long the child has been availing of SNA help and the ways in which the SNA helps the child.

From the Principals perspective, it is useful to have a role profile drawn up for each SNA before the review as it will assist greatly in completing the reports.

The inspector also observes the special needs child in the classroom setting and also in a social context in the yard at play time. So far, Principals have reported no major problems with this type of review.

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School Enrichment Programme

The Special Olympics School Enrichment programme was a great success in bringing an awareness of the needs and potential of persons with a learning disability into the classroom.

Special Olympics Ireland wishes to support the continuation of the school programme.

They are currently reviewing and updating the material for students and teachers with particular emphasis on the year round activities of the organisation and offering

opportunities for every student and athlete to be involved and enriched by the local Special Olympics programme in their area.

The purpose of the review is to refocus the material and lesson plans for the classroom.

The programme can be used by schools as a resource in various subject areas and to assist teachers in addressing issues set out in the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 Special Olympics Ireland are currently seeking a sponsor for this programme and financial support for the production and distribution of materials to schools will be part of Special Olympics Ireland’s ‘GO’ fundraising campaign launching in January 2005.

It is hoped to enlist the help of volunteers with an educational/teaching background to work with Special Olympics Ireland in advising on the content and delivery of the materials in the classroom. Volunteers will be asked to review and give feedback and suggestions on draft materials. This will involve up to 90 minutes work per month in 2005. If you would like to volunteer to assist the school enrichment resource group please contact: School Enrichment Resource Group c/o Peter O’Brien, Special Olympics Ireland pobrien@specialolympics.ie (01) 8691660 PAGE 12

Pwoer of the Mnid I cdnoult blveiee taht I cluod uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid does not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas thouhgt slpeling was ipmtorant!

Don’t Miss Out! 9 out of 10 of Principals & DPs receive IPPN’s Text Messages and E-scéal – our regular electronic newsletter. If you are one of the 10% not receiving IPPN’s professional guidance by e-mail and news updates by text message, all you need to do is send your mobile tel. no. and preferred e-mail address to office@ippn.ie or Lo-Call 1890 21 22 23.

Reserve your Workshops in advance of Conference 2005 Sixteen workshops will be offered to the participants attending IPPN Conference 2005. In order to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity in selecting their choice of workshop, this year, the allocation of workshops will be processed in advance, through www.ippn.ie Principals who have applied to attend Conference 2005, will be notified by e-mail and text message of a date and time in midJanuary, when workshop selection can be processed on-line. At the designated time, principals will be able to check the list of 16 workshops on offer and select their choice for each round and print off a receipt.

On arrival at the conference venue, this receipt is presented at registration, where upon the reserved workshop tickets can be collected.

This process will ensure that principals travelling long distances are not disadvantaged in selecting their workshop choice.

Diary of meetings held by IPPN on behalf of Principals Members of the Executive of IPPN attended meetings with the following people and organisations on issues of concern to principals:

SEPTEMBER 2004 Johnny Bracken, Principal Officer, Primary Administration, DES, in Athlone.

Members of the Episcopal Commission for Education in Athlone ADHD Awareness Group in Dublin.

IPPN Executive Meeting in Portlaoise

OCTOBER 2004 Gearóid O Conluain, Deputy Chief Inspector, DES and Liam Hughes, Principal Officer, Special Education Section, DES in Portlaoise.

IPPN Executive Meeting in Portlaoise.

Peter Baldwin, Assistant Secretary General, DES in Dublin.

NAPD Conference in Killarney IPPN project meeting with Dr. Mark Morgan , St Patrick’s College on the "Future of Small Schools and Teaching Principals" in Dublin 26 IPPN County Network AGMs attended by members of the executive.

NOVEMBER 2004 IPPN National Committee AGM 2004 in Portlaoise Leadership Development for Schools & Cork Education Support Centre in Cork APVSCC Conference in Galway IPPN Executive in Portlaoise Rev. Fr. Dan O’Connor, CPSMA in Dublin Allianz Insurance in Dublin Special Olympics Ireland in Dublin Paul Ryan, Principal Officer, Teacher Education Unit, DES in Dublin North/ South Conference on Future of Small Schools and SEN, organised by NAHT (NI) and IPPN in Cavan.

Professor John Coolahan in Cork

DECEMBER 2004 INTO Executive and IPPN Executive in Portlaoise NAPD and IPPN in Portlaoise John Rigney, Principal Officer, School Planning, DES in Tullamore IPPN Executive Meeting, Portlaoise.

IPPN Conference 2005 “Inspiring Professionalism” February 3rd, 4th & 5th CityWest Hotel, Dublin Keynote Speakers at IPPN Conference 2005 Mr Eamon Stack, Chief Inspector, DES Ms Áine Lawlor, Director, Teaching Council Ms Mary Hanafin TD, Minister for Education & Science Dr Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin Ms Geraldine Kennedy, Editor, Irish Times

Please Note: • IPPN Conference 2005 is open to IPPN Members only.

• Please ensure you have renewed membership for 2004/5 • Booking your place at Conference will be available at www.ippn.ie in mid-November • Once the on-line booking facility is available, you will be notified by E-scéal & SMS text message.

Please make sure we have your current mobile telephone number • Correspondence will only be sent to the email address provided in our membership database.

Please ensure your email account is active and up-to-date.

PAGE 13

Running on School Playgrounds There has been much media comment recently on the question of running in school playgrounds. The public at large are bemused by the fact that significant and ever increasing numbers of schools have been prohibiting children from running on the school playground. Have teachers and school principals lost a sense of proportion and balance? Is this trend influenced by Health & Safety factors or fear of legislation or both?

THE LAW The duty of care owed by schools to pupils in their care is equated to that of a reasonably careful parent bearing in mind the teacher may have 30+ pupils in his/her care or an even greater number if on yard supervision. All schools must take reasonable care for the safety of pupils when pupils are under their charge. This applies not only to periods during break or playtime but also to periods between the pupil’s arrival at school and the start of the school day. We must also take reasonable care at the end of the school day from dismissal until the school bus departs where pupils remain on school property. The appropriate degree of supervision is likely to vary according to various factors such as; (a) The appropriateness of available space, yard layout, geography of the school etc. (b) The age of the pupils (c) The number of pupils in a particular space.

CASE LAW IN DUFFY V ST JOSEPH’S NATIONAL SCHOOL COOLOCK (Circuit Court 2003) The president of the Circuit Court Judge Smyth dismissed a claim for negligence taken by an eleven-year-old pupil who had broken an elbow in a playground fall during a game of chasing. The judge noted that the children’s exuberance in running around was part of growing up. He observed that not all accidents are caused through somebody’s fault. As there was no direction forbidding running in the school’s grounds, he could not find it unreasonable for teachers to allow children to run about.

IN O’ GORMAN V CROTTY (High Court 1946) Mr Justice O’ Byrne held negligence against the school on the grounds that a ten year old pupil who was chased around the yard and who fell and received a serious injury as a result of falling over wooden blocks which were used to support boards for use as seats but served no positive function as play objects. The boy was entitled to assume that the playground was reasonably safe.

PAGE 14

IN HEALY V DODD (High Court 1951) An eleven-year-old boy was injured in a chasing game known as "Still", where the "Guards" chased and arrested "Poteen Makers" and involved the use of handcuffs.

The school was situated in Belderrig in North Mayo where excellent Poteen was manufactured in the vicinity. The use of handcuffs had been forbidden two years earlier and a pair of handcuffs had been confiscated. However, the children kept up the deception of the game using imaginary handcuffs after the real handcuffs were taken. Two days before the accident, the handcuffs made their way back to school, being brought there by none other than the son of the principal teacher (unknown to him). The same judge that heard the previous case, Mr Justice O’ Byrne, dismissed the action for negligence against the teacher on the grounds that the playground was supervised at the time and there was nothing to arouse suspicion that the real handcuffs had returned.

L E G A L

D I A R Y

IN MAPP V GILHOOLEY (High Court 1989)

IN CLARKE V O’ GORMAN (Supreme Court 1996)

A five year old boy Jude Mapp was injured in a game of "Trains". Two teachers were on yard duty at the time of the accident. They supervised a section of the playground where the children were segregated on age grounds. One hundred and sixty boys between the ages of 4 and 6 years were on the junior yard. The alleged accident occurred when one "train" made up of "one engine" and about "ten carriages" with the boys holding each other by the waist collided with another "train", similarly composed.

One could be forgiven for thinking they were in Hueston Station based on the facts as recounted by the injured plaintiff.

The boy was eight years at the time of the trial and gave evidence that up to five "trains" operated at the same time on the yard i.e. over 50 pupils were involved. The supervising teachers gave evidence that they had no indication that this game was in progress. They said they would have prohibited such a game on the schoolyard if they had seen it.

Mr Justice Barr held against the school on the grounds that the game was in progress long enough to have given the teachers the opportunity to stop it before the accident happened. It followed that they had been negligent in not supervising the children adequately. This case was appealed by the school in the Supreme Court. A new trial was directed based on an error relating to the law of evidence. The court was incorrect in allowing the unsworn testimony of the plaintiff aged eight years of age at the time of the trial (which was uncorroborated) against the sworn evidence of the two teachers. The new case was heard in the Circuit Court and was decided in favour of the school and on appeal to the High Court the school won again. The initial judgement of Mr Justice Barr which found against the school does not sit easily with other Court Judgements on the question of a school’s duty of care to pupils.

A ten-year-old boy was injured when he was carried by some older boys across the playground, kicking and screaming during playtime and deposited with no great ceremony, fracturing his forearm. The court was of the view that this was on "the dangerous side of horseplay". The supervising teacher gave evidence that at the time of the accident she was correcting another pupil who was in breach of the school rules in running onto the grassy bank next to the yard. The teacher was reprimanding this "bold boy" and was in fact entering his name in her notebook at the time the plaintiff was being carried away. Mr Justice Keane in the High Court held that the teacher had a momentary lapse of attention. The ratio in this school was one teacher allocated to 35 pupils. The school was extremely well run and it operated a system of supervision which could not seriously be criticised. The High Court decision, which was affirmed on appeal to the Supreme Court was of the view that the incident which diverted the teacher’s attention was so trivial that she should simply have ignored it, having regard to more pressing demands of supervising a potentially more pressing situation of danger and dealt with the infringement sometime later when her attention was not diluted.

A judge once described the duty of care as elastic. It changes from place to place and varies depending on the circumstances of the situation, type and size of the school playground and ages of the children. If case law has given us food for thought, we are also influenced by Health & Safety legislation.

IN COFFEY V ST PIUS NATIONAL SCHOOL (Circuit Court 1999) The plaintiff was pushed by another pupil and sustained a broken wrist. Judge Smyth imposed liability on the school for lack of a sufficient number of supervisors in a yard.

There was only one supervisor to 144 pupils.

HEALTH & SAFETY LEGISLATION UNDER THE HEALTH & SAFETY AT WORK ACT 1989 All schools must have a safety statement which amongst other things identifies hazards in schools. Procedures to deal with possible broken glass, icy yard surfaces etc needs to be identified and addressed i.e. getting the caretaker to check the yard for glass before the gates are opened and gritting or salting the icy patches. Based on the size of the playground and the number of children playing on it your PAGE 15

safety statement may identify the remedy as prohibiting children from running on the playground. Most schools segregate the younger children from the older ones on the school playground. A safety statement would identify the need for a defined entrance and exit procedure for pupils, moving in and out of the premises.

Crucial elements required in connection with hazard identification and risk assessment are as follows: All hazards at the place of work must be identified Associated risks to safety and health must be assessed Risk assessments must be specific to the place of work Risk assessments must be written Risks must be periodically evaluated After the most recent evaluation, any necessary improvements to protect pupils must be put in place.

CONCLUSION There are many considerations for a school in the approach it takes in relation to running on the school playground. You will all have different environmental considerations in relation to the layout and size of the school playground. The numbers of pupils and the number of supervisors available to the school will also be a factor. Our insurance provider Allianz has not directed schools to ban running on playgrounds. Some schools on purely Heath & Safety grounds fear serious head or neck injuries might happen in a once off incident and feel that if the ban prevents such a possibility it is worth the imposition. Most schools are subscribers to the Allianz Pupil Personal Accident Scheme. Pupils who receive a certain defined injury i.e. broken teeth etc can have medical expenses reimbursed without the necessity of attempting to prove negligence against a school. However, this added protection, welcome as it is, does not provide all schools with the reassurance they seek. Our primary objective is the safety of pupils once they enter the school grounds until they leave at the end of the school day. This overriding concern influences the stance a school takes in regard to the practice of children running on the playground. Schools that prohibit running have an obligation to ensure that the ban is enforced bearing in mind what Judge Smyth stated in the Duffy case.

Equally schools are challenged to provide adequate yard games to occupy children.

If it’s easy then it doesn’t need leadership Returning to Ireland after several years based in Asia with IMG, the international sports marketing giant, I emerged with the concept of a players' union for GAA players in 1999. Against a backdrop of increasing demands on players, the timing was fortuitous and my background as an international athlete and Hogan Cup winner with St Colman's, Newry complemented my business skills and personal relations with many of the leading GAA players in Ulster at that time. I understood fully the commitment of players, many of whom I had played against at some level. The O'Neill name was also an asset at this juncture, thanks in no small part to the endeavours of one Sean O'Neill, my uncle, and my father Kevin who picked up a few medals of his own in 1960 and 1961!

That said, when the GPA was launched after ten months of clandestine meetings, there were only 12 signed up members from the Ulster counties. Today the GPA is a 32 county organisation with 1300 members from within the ranks of the inter county playing base. Our

objective remains the improvement of player welfare at all levels, and since the GPA's inception there have been marked improvement in expenses, insurance cover and general standards of player welfare. That said, some counties remain steadfastly averse to moving with the times.

Survival of the fittest Our strategy for the first few years was survival at all costs, and an inevitable backlash from the GAA initially fuelled membership numbers, media interest and indeed the profile of a fledgling association. As with the previous attempt by players to unionise themselves in the early 1980s, the GAA thought the GPA would simply fizzle out.

When we directly challenged the GAA's restrictions on commercial activity by players in 2000, it was the first time in 116 years that the GAA had been challenged so openly and the result was a media frenzy. Knowing their rules were legally unsustainable, the GAA could not and did not react. This landmark arrangement changed the player/GAA relationship forever; it was a very public demonstration of player power.

Despite our commercial achievements, most notably in attracting IR£150,000 from the Carphone Warehouse, our first and most loyal corporate partner, we were accused of being all style and no substance. Membership numbers were queried and our motives questioned, but the appointment of Glen Ryan, DJ Carey, Jamesie O'Connor and Dessie Farrell to a National Executive changed perceptions.

Within two years the GPA had built a membership of 450 through voluntary effort alone, and when the Carphone Warehouse extended their commitment to the GPA, the search for a full time officer began and ended with the appointment of Dessie Farrell as Chief Executive.

GPA – energising the energised The Taoiseach, a big fan of Dessie's, lent his support in 2002 by presenting the winners of the Players' Player of the Year at our Gala and Awards night. SEAT came on board to sponsor the awards and our annual winners in hurling and football now receive a car worth Euro20,000 in front of an audience of 1,000 players and guests.

The GPA has single handedly progressed the issue of player image rights in Ireland, and the launch of the Club Energise product demonstrated just how progressive we are in this respect.

PAGE 16

By Donal O'Neill Co Founder, Commercial Director, The Gaelic Players' Association

The Club Energise project is a world first in sport; a meticulously structured ten year collective licensing and endorsement agreement that will generate an estimated eight million euros across the contractual term.

These funds will be used to the direct benefit of players through our existing channels, including a comprehensive scholarship programme presently accommodating 60 of our most promising players.

Notably, the GAA has recently banned Club Energise, a 100% Irish product manufactured

by C&C Ireland, a supporter of GAA for decades, from advertising at all GAA games moving forward. One can only speculate as to why this product has been singled out for such treatment when international brands including Lucozade, Powerade, and Coca Cola enjoy open access and support from the corridors of power within Croke Park.

Actions speak louder…

As the fight for formal acknowledgement by the GAA continues apace, the GPA has simultaneously lobbied the government for tax concessions for our inter-county players. With handsome taxation benefits bestowed upon our professional sportspersons in the 2002 Finance Bill, we believe the political will and the moral support is there to acknowledge our amateur players in a similar capacity. Our efforts culminated in a narrow defeat for our proposal after a full Dail debate on the matter prior to the 2004 Finance Bill, but we continue to strive for satisfaction and have continued to pursue the matter with Brian Cowen TD, the recently appointed Minister for Finance.

The GPA employs two full time staff, with Dessie Farrell ably assisted by Siobhan Earley in our office in Drumcondra, whilst I confine myself now to managing the commercial affairs of the association. Five years on, players have come and gone but the GPA, now financially solvent and regarded as a permanent feature of the GAA landscape, has grown and prospered.

Whilst we will continue to advocate a cooperative approach with the GAA towards the business of player welfare and commercial activity, our proposals have thus far fallen on deaf ears. It is not surprising that in some quarters our members would swear by the adage that action speaks louder than words.

Two years ago the Cork senior hurling squad challenged the modus operandi of the most powerful county board in the country. In the aftermath a man called Corcoran returned and so did Liam. QED perhaps?

NABMSE Study on Challenging Behaviour in both severity and frequency of incidences of challenging behaviour across all age ranges and levels of intellectual ability.

policies and strategies for responding to crisis situations and procedures to support staff and also outline the consequences for the pupils involved.

Findings and Recommendations

Mr Paul Kennedy (on right), Principal Officer, Special Education Section, Department of Education and Science pictured at the Launch of the NABSME Study on Challenging Behaviour, with members of the NABSME Executive.

The National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NABMSE) recently launched a comprehensive in depth study on challenging behaviour in Special Schools in Ireland.

The report was launched by Paul Kennedy, Principal Officer, Special Education Section, Department of Education and Science at the annual NABMSE conference held in Tullamore.

NABMSE commissioned the St. John of God Research Unit in collaboration with St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra to conduct the research. The research team of Dr. Áine Kelly, Dr. Seán Carey and Siobhán McCarthy (M.Soc.Sc) drew up a comprehensive questionnaire which was circulated to the Principals of 111 Special Schools nationwide.

An analysis of the data confirmed an increase

The types of challenging behaviour most commonly identified were Physically aggressive behaviour Non compliance Disruptive, nuisance or threatening behaviour Temper tantrums Socially inappropriate behaviour Over 58% of Principals rated the challenging behaviour as "very disruptive" to the carrying out of teaching duties and the learning of children and 66% found the management of challenging behaviour extremely stressful.

There was widespread consensus that additional resources such as extra staff, clinical / specialist support and further training was necessary to manage this growing problem. It was found that only 20% of staffs had received specialised training in dealing with Challenging Behaviour and only 40% of schools offer training to their staff, mostly on an occasional basis.

Recommendations Standardised Policies The specific policy document on Challenging Behaviour should list

Ship’s Captain or School Principal?

Pictured above at the IPPN Kildare AGM: Bryan O’Reilly and Tom McGann, IPPN Executive.

Leading and managing a primary school is a little like being the Captain of a ship. We sail the ocean waves for ten months each year with our passengers and crew. Then for two months the ships goes into dry dock during which all the necessary repairs and refurbishments are carried out, passengers go home, the crew take a holiday to rest and recharge for another demanding trip.

Until recently, it was easy enough to plan for each successive trip. However this is no longer the case.

Our crew numbers for next year’s trip are based on last years passengers. Odd as that may seem, the Captain cannot recruit new crew until everybody has gone on holidays when they are especially difficult to contact. In recent years matters have become more complex because some of our passengers have special needs. The system for addressing these passengers’ needs have changed almost every year since they came on board. This year, just as we finished the trip and everybody had disembarked, a whole new system was put in place again. Captains tried desperately PAGE 17

Training including whole staff training encompassing in service training for SNAs. Parental involvement Principals identified parental involvement as crucial to the provision of an effective educational environment.

It was noted that home / school liaison services are not allocated to special schools in Ireland.

Support Services Increased input is needed from specialised support services.

Nationwide statistics Curriculum A flexible school curriculum is required to meet the needs of children with moderate severe and profound intellectual disability.

Forum on Challenging Behaviour The research findings point to the need for a national forum on Challenging Behaviour in Special Schools to be set up to facilitate the sharing of information, potential intervention strategies and new approaches to training.

during the two months the ship was in dry dock to find out what the changes would mean for the trip ahead. The ship’s owners were all on holidays too and had nobody to answer the telephone! We are now back at sea (in more ways than one) this time with many extra passengers whom we could not refuse but with a crew based on last year’s passenger list. What I cannot understand is that other ships have less passengers and surplus crew!

A successful voyage like any other project requires good planning. Other forms of transport such as airplanes and trains have much more difficult planning issues as they travel faster for shorter journeys. Because our journeys are long and slow it should be easier for us to plan in advance.

Sometimes I find our crew, having set out enthusiastically become de-motivated and fed up when they don’t know what is happening. As their Captain I try to lead and inspire them, but I too become frustrated when I don’t have answers to their questions. Sometimes I dream about the perfect voyage, children laughing, a happy crew and lovely sunsets. Being a ships Captain is a tough life but I love my job. I just wish the people on whom our ship depends would understand our needs better.

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Modern Languages

Nuathea ngac ha i mB un g u n a a g L e sco s n I r n e d Prim Mo il ary Sch ea oo

in Primary Schools Initiative www.educationpost s.ie The simplest way to advertise vacancies in your school Free Unlimited Advertising for Teachers, SNAs, etc.

Adverts uploaded online – no paperwork Adverts automatically removed after closing date Repeat Adverts as required – service totally free!

2,711 teachers currently

On December 2nd, IPPN hosted a meeting with INTO at the Montague Hotel, Portlaoise.

Picture includes (L-R) John Carr, General Secretary INTO, Virginia O'Mahony, President IPPN, Austin Corcoran, President INTO & Seán Cottrell, Director IPPN

The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative has been in operation in many Irish primary schools since September 1998. It aims to introduce Modern Languages at primary level.

The Initiative involves the introduction of Italian, Spanish, German and French into 5th and 6th classes.

Initially set up by the Department of Education and Science as a Pilot Project scheduled to run for two years, it was launched in October 1997 by the then Minister for Education, Mr. Micheál Martin. In June 2001 the Pilot Project was designated a Modern Languages Initiative and it is currently in its seventh year.

In November 1997 schools were invited to apply for inclusion in the Project. From the 1300 applications received 270 schools were selected. This number has since risen to 394 schools. The breakdown per language is currently as follows: Italian - 20, Spanish - 66, German - 95, French – 213 (August 2004).

The selection of schools mirrors the entire primary school profile from two teacher rural schools to large inner city schools. Also included are Gaelscoileanna, multidenominational schools, special schools and disadvantaged schools.

Mr. Eoghan O’Suilleabháin, Roinnchigire, chairs the Project Management Committee, which manages the Modern Languages Initiative. The Project Management Committee reports to a Consultative Group made up of the Partners in Education, also chaired by Eoghan O’Suilleabháin.

A National Coordinator was appointed to steer the Initiative in September 2001. Ms. Tanya Flanagan was appointed to this position in December 2002.

The Initiative is administered by Kildare Education Centre, under the directorship of Ms. Anne Kelleher and receives funding from the Department of Education and Science and the National Development Plan. During the initial two years, funding was also made available from the European Social Fund.

Project Development Project Leaders were appointed in 1998 to develop and support the programme. Their PAGE 18

role is to facilitate and support Initiative teachers on the ground. Project Leaders design and deliver incareer development days on a regional basis and follow up this training with individual school visits. They evaluate languageteaching resources for the primary language class and develop materials specifically tailored for use in the Irish primary classroom.

The Initiative aims to foster positive attitudes towards language learning, to encourage communication in the four target languages and to promote diversification in the range of languages taught. Further aims include the establishment of links between language teaching at first and second level. The Initiative also strives to enable a greater number of children in a wider range of school types to study Modern Languages in our primary schools (DES Circular 45/97).

It is very important that the language learning experience be a positive and enjoyable one for all involved: "This is a very exciting project, which will foster positive attitudes to language learning through the use of active learning approaches including drama, songs, and games and by promoting an awareness of being European among the pupils.

It is my intention that classrooms participating in this project will be lively stimulating environments where there is a strong emphasis on enjoyment."

Mr. Micheál Martin, Minister of Education, November 1997

All fifth and sixth class children in Initiative schools are involved in the modern language classes. At present the language is taught for one and a half hours per week over a number of sessions. The language is taught within normal school hours.

Application Procedure Schools interested in becoming involved in the Initiative may obtain an application form from: Ms. Vivienne O’Loughlin, Kildare Education Centre, Friary Rd. Kildare.

Tel: 045-530200, Email kec.ias@eircom.net Contact Details National Coordinator: Tanya Flanagan Tel: 045 530200 • flanagantanya@eircom.net Director of Kildare Education Centre: Anne Kelleher Tel: 045 530200 • kec.ias@eircom.net

Good value for your school mobile phone Most schools in recent years have acquired a mobile telephone to facilitate communication during activities such as out-of-school tours, matches etc. Typically this telephone is managed by the Principal who uses it to make calls on behalf of the school outside of school hours. Thankfully, most principals have insisted on such a facility to avoid the need to record and submit claims for telephone calls made from home.

The cost of mobile telephone usage is quite high and can bear a significant burden on the school budget.

Recently, 02 approached IPPN with a special offering for school mobile telephone accounts. This is a special tariff based on an arrangement that 02 has for the ‘public sector’. What this means is that any mobile telephone that is financed through the BoM, can benefit from a lower monthly rental and call charge rates. If you wish to enquire about availing of this special offering, please refer to the 02 advert above.

The way we do things around here…

Try this for a cultural experiment.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys…

In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result – all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when any monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

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Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace him with a new one.

The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys who have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced with new ones. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

Why not? Because that’s the way it’s always been around here. And that’s how our school policy began!