Leadership+ Issue 35 December 2006

ISSUE 35 • DECEMBER 2006

F E AT U R E S

Inducting Special Needs Assistants Unfair Pay Levels For School Principals Section 29 Appeals Conflict Resolution The Art of Mediation School Governance School Building Projects Teaching Principals Top of the Agenda?

President: Tomás Ó Slatara president@ippn.ie Editor: Larry Fleming editor@ippn.ie Assistant Editors:

Virginia O’Mahony and Damien White

Advertising: marketing@ippn.ie Director: Seán Cottrell director@ippn.ie Irish Primary Principals’ Network Glounthaune, Co Cork t: 353 21 452 4925 f: 353 21 435 5648 The opinions expressed in Leadership + do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network ISSN: 1649 -5888 Design and print: Brosna Press

Cut Price

EDUCATION A Phríomhoide agus a Phríomhoide Thánaistigh

Where would we be without cake sales? Race nights, sponsored walks, table quizzes have become an integral part of Irish culture over the last twenty years. Hundreds of Irish and overseas charities would cease to function in the absence of voluntary fund raising. Although this is no shock to principals and deputy principals, many people would be surprised to hear that primary schools are also dependent on fundraising – not for anything luxurious like video conferencing or overseas educational trips – but for the essential day to day running costs.

The tragedy is that not only have we grown used to a dependence on fund raising to enable our schools stay open for a full year, we actually ‘celebrate’ how wonderful parents are in supporting their local school. Recently IPPN called for an end to parental fund raising to cover basic costs in schools from September 2007. The reaction from school leaders, Boards of Management as well as parents has been remarkable.

090 6454327 • info@brosnapress.ie

It has brought to the surface the fundamental issue of who should pay for primary education. If fourth, third and second level education is funded by the Exchequer why is it that the basic running costs of schools are dependent on voluntary contributions.

Not only is it a huge waste of time and energy by school leaders and parents organising events and teachers counting money in classrooms brought in by children, it is an insult to the very concept of primary education that successive Governments place a lesser value on it.

Article 42 (4) of the Irish Constitution states that ‘The State shall provide for free primary education’. It is not acceptable to hide behind a legal interpretation of this phrase where the word ‘for’ offers an opt out clause to the State where it differentiates between providing for free education as opposed to providing free education.

The net result is a situation where for every €100 the State gives towards the running costs of primary schools, parents must put their hands in their pockets and give their school another €100 to supplement Continues on page 2.

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.

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Cut Price Education Continued from page 1.

the shortfall. In order to give this €100 parents must earn twice that amount in the first place.

When you consider PRSI, PAYE and VAT returns to the state on monies fundraised, you realize that parents are contributing almost as much to the state as the state itself gives towards the running costs of schools. Could this be described as the optimum level of under funding where it is effectively cost-neutral to the State?

Perhaps it is time to start a wider debate on the value of primary education.What does primary education mean in the 21st Century? Who has the right to primary education? Who should pay for it? Who will benefit?

Who knows, some day we may have fully funded primary education and cake sales for the new Senate.

We have triggered this debate for discussion along with many other issues for a ‘Changing Ireland’ at our recent very successful National Conference in Killarney. Full credit and appreciation is due to all those in Kerry, at the Support Office and on sub-committees who were involved in organizing it and who were led so capably by Conference Co-ordinator Angela Lynch.

Is muidne le meas Tomás O Slatara

Seán Cottrell

Brother Tom Walsh for his work in Africa, Michael Nolan from Allianz, Kate O’Hanlon, literacy specialist from Omagh and Jim Hayes, founding member of the Irish Primary Principals Network.

Jim Hayes Receives National Education Award Thirty Five Years of dedicated service to Primary Education (31 as Principal) were duly acknowledged when Jim Hayes, first President of IPPN and one of the organisation’s founding members was presented with this years Allianz Scoil Treasa Naofa Award for Services to Education. He was presented with his award at a recent ceremony hosted by Allianz and Scoil Treasa Naofa in The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham.

Jim was founding Principal of two Cork schools during his career; Scoil Mharcuis, The Glen and Scoil Oilibhear, Ballyvolane. Along with fellow Principals he helped to organise the First National Conference for Primary Principals in 1994. He was a ministerial appointee on the D.E.S. Working Group on the role of the Primary Principal in 1999.

Along with a group of Principals from across the Country, he helped to establish the Irish Primary Principals Network in 1999 and became its first President.

As President, Jim oversaw a huge growth in membership of IPPN from an original figure of less than 20 members to the 6000 Principals and Deputy Principals that make up IPPN today. As a leader, he eschews calmness in all situations, firmness in his beliefs and has always been unshakable in his desire to support leadership in education.

Jim was joined on the evening by his wife Maire Áine as well as a large gathering of friends and family.

Jim received his award from Dr Martin McAleese, patron of the awards.

His citation read as follows:‘For his vision, dedication, humility and leadership role in the establishment of the Irish Primary Principals' Network which has immeasurably enhanced the leadership position of Primary Principals in Ireland’ Other award winners for 2006 are Northern Ireland Award Kate OHanlan International Award Bro Tom Walsh Hall of Fame Award The late Donagh OMalley TD Minster for Education These awards were the brainchild of Mr Seamus O’Neill, Principal of Scoil Treasa Naofa, Donore Ave, Dublin 8 and have grown in recent years, to become a vital acknowledgement of outstanding work in Education. Seamus and his staff deserve enormous credit for the energy they have put in to make these awards such an important and glittering occasion on the Education and Social calendar.

David & Yvonne Ruddy, Pat & Norrie Goff, all from Irish Primary Principal Network.

“When confronted by a difficult problem, you can solve it more easily by reducing it to the question: How would the Lone Ranger handle this”

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Unfair Pay Levels For SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Conor Brady, Former editor of the Irish Times

Perspectives with Conor Brady Think of what you might do with €7.50 if you had it. You could go to the pub and get two drinks - singles and probably no mixers, depending on your local bar prices. You might get a couple of seats for the cinema.

You could buy a phone-card to top up the mobile and get a bar of chocolate with the change. Or you could commit your funds to groceries and take home three packets of fish-fingers.

So €7.50 is not to be sneezed at. And if you think you might like to be a School Principal it could be yours every day. That, it seems, is the daily difference in take-home pay between a Principal and what a teacher can earn at the top of his or her scale, with full allowances for a ‘post of responsibility’ within the school. The Irish Times recently reported the sum as €lOO a week. By my calculations, after tax and PRSI are deducted, that works out at approximately €7.50 a day. I have no particular interest in the welfare of School Principals. There aren’t any in my family. I know one or two indirectly and l’ve had professional contact with one or two others. So I am not making any special case for them. But it seems to me that there is something seriously wrong in a structure or system where so little recognition appears to be given to bottom-line responsibility and the stresses of leadership. This is not to argue that School Principals are badlypaid either. At the top of their scale, in schools of a certain size and with a wide range of functions under their direction, their salary can come in around €90,000 per annum. That compares well with the salaries paid to people in private industry or services with supervisory responsibility for, say, 40 personnel.

there are quite a few schools where nobody wants to be Principal and where a process of public advertising has not yielded any worthwhile results.

But the differences in responsibility between even the most senior teacher and a Principal are enormous. The Principal has to be a financial officer, a human-resources manager, a supply-chain management expert, a public relations officer, an expert in employment law and a logistics manager. He or she has to be a psychologist, an arbitrator, a conciliator and a visionary.

He or she needs human skills, political skills and leadership skills. He or she has to deal with staff, students, parents, politicians, civil servants, local authority representatives and any other form of authority that may have business at the school. Oh, and some knowledge of education - preferably honed over years in front of classes - is also useful.

Principals are the first into the school in the morning and almost always the last to leave in the evening. They deal not just with teachers but with janitors, grounds staff, wardens, security and maintenance staff. And while they do have leave arrangements that are generous by comparison with the private sector, they are working away in their schools at the end of term or at half-term, when the rank-and-file teachers (and most of the “posts of responsibility” staff) have turned the keys in their lockers and headed for home.

Would you take this on for €7.50 a day? I know that I certainly wouldn’t. I would put in my hours, draw my post of responsibility allowances (pensionable too by the way) and let somebody else take the strain. If i needed a few bob extra I'd do a few grinds. At present, as I understand it, there are quite a few schools where nobody wants to be Principal and where a process of public advertising has not yielded any worthwhile results.

This is corrosive of morale and must ultimately lead to a loss of effectiveness, a loss of self-esteem and a drop in performance among the institutions affected. It cannot be good for the rank-and-file (in this instance, teachers) to feel that there is no worthwhile or rewarding promotion ladder ahead of them. And it must make it terribly difficult for whoever is ultimately appointed to succeed in the job. The financial rewards of rank can be elusive.

Some who remain at entry level often earn more than their bosses through overtime and allowances. They can earn more money than their superiors while carrying none of Ihe arduous responsibility and with far more control over their leisure time. Those who do go for promotion have to make a longterm calculation that their basic pay rate, their pension entitlements and so on will outweigh the benefits of sitting tight in the lower ranks. Many take the view that this will not happen - and they simply do not go forward. Again, the damage to the organisation and the loss of effectiveness must be considerable. Talent is undeveloped. Sometimes those who are in command positions will be told by their junior colleagues that they are foolish to take on responsibility for little or nothing in financial reward.

those who are in command positions will be told by junior colleagues that they are foolish to take on responsibility for little or nothing in financial reward.

It would be good to think that this problem might be addressed in the hoped for new national agreement. But, I won’t hold my breath.

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ICT

a key issue in 1010101110101101000101101 Irish Education

The Department of Education and Science has publicly acknowledged the potential of ICTs at Primary level to substantially enhance the quality of education available to Irish pupils. The Introduction to the Primary School Curriculum (1999) identifies the role of ICTs as a key issue in Irish education, stating that Technological skills are increasingly important for advancement in education, work and leisure, (p. 29) Similarly, the 2006 DEIS document (p.45) states: The development of ICT literacy has been shown to have a significant impact on literacy and numeracy development generally... Where correctly integrated into an educational setting, ICTs can enable students to learn in new and exciting ways, encouraging their engagement and making communication easier... to allow students at risk of early school leaving to connect with learning in new ways, resulting in improved motivation, attendance and application across subject areas. In its Schools IT 2000 initiative, the Department's Policy Framework for the New Millennium (DBS) stated very clearly that pupils in every school should have the opportunity to achieve computer literacy and to equip themselves for participation in the information society.

Such statements are clearly in line with the results of international research studies. Minister Hanafin herself launched the Digital Schools Initiative in February 2006, and once again acknowledged the importance of the role ICTs can play in not only greatly enhancing the teaching and learning experience, in supporting the principles and methodologies of the Primary Curriculum, but also in preparing our young people to take their place in a society increasingly dominated by technology.

WSE reports contain frequent references to the practice of ICTs usage in schools, acknowledging good practice where evident and making recommendations to schools as to how ICTs usage would improve the quality of the educational experiences in Primary school.

ABSENCE OF POLICY The IPPN strongly contends that it is nonsensical that DBS has no ICT policy or strategy in place since the Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Irish Education - Three Year Strategic Action Plan 20012003 expired. The absence of a strategic plan contrasts sharply with the actions and statements described above. IPPN asks how an education system can deliver anything approaching a quality experience for pupils when DBS has failed to provide any form of strategy, leadership or grant assistance to schools towards the purchase, repair, maintenance or upgrading of computers or software for four years -in clear defiance of its own stated position. This situation is clearly unacceptable and requires immediate attention to determine an equitable model for schools to acquire the necessary tools and digital content required to teach and learn in a modern society

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where the manufacture and distribution of technology products is one of the primary components of the economy.

NO FUNDING FOR 4 YEARS NCTE has negotiated special deals for schools, but DBS has provided no ICT funding for schools to avail of these. Examples include the NCTE/Cara Symantec Virus Management Tools for Schools (October 2004 - October 2006) and the Microsoft Scheme for Ireland's Disadvantaged Schools, Windows XP Pro and Office 2003. A more recent initiative has just been announced by Microsoft for all Irish schools - Microsoft Learning Suite for Irish Schools (August 2006) - Office 2003, Student 2006. It is clear that NCTE is operating in isolation from DES. Similarly, DBS announced School networking grants in June 2004 to prepare schools for the roll out of Broadband into every classroom for the integration of ICTs in to the curriculum.

Schools were advised of the maximum grant that was available to them. It was pointed out that the networking might have to be done in a phased basis as the amount available in the first grant might not be sufficient. No networking funding to complete school networking projects begun in 2004 was available in 2005 or 2006. It is a source of deep frustration for Primary Principals to be asked to put an infrastructure in place, and to formulate strategies for the implementation of ICTs in the context of no funding, and no knowledge of whether or not funding will be made available at any time in the future.

BROADBAND Furthermore, while broadband internet access is now available to the majority of schools (albeit encompassing a minimum bandwidth) it is simply ludicrous to expect schools to avail of the rich online content being delivered using computers and networks that are too old to operate it. Broadband needs modern computers and networks to operate effectively. In the view of IPPN, it is extremely wasteful to spend a substantial amount of taxpayers' money on the introduction of broadband into schools that cannot afford to replace or upgrade their hardware. Faced with increasing difficulties and frustrations regarding the use of ICTs on an ageing hardware infrastructure, teachers who were once enthusiastic are turning their backs on technology. Once again, this anomaly is clear evidence of opportunities squandered due to the absence of a strategic policy, and of planning based on foresight and consultation.

DIGITAL DIVIDE In stark contrast to the Irish situation the British Government for example recently announced a total of £200 million for schools to spend (over the next two years) on educational software products alone. This is in addition to the £330 million already made available to schools to purchase digital content. This funding is on top of grants schools receive to buy computers and PAGE 4

peripherals, laptops for teachers and interactive whiteboards. The suggestion that there exists a “digital divide” between urban and rural schools in Ireland is largely inaccurate. The truth of the matter is that whatever "digital divide" there is lies between Irish schools and our neighbours in Europe, whose governments have made substantial strategic commitments to the development of ICTs usage in schools. IPPN contends that it is irrational for the agency of a government department like NCTE to be formulating arrangements that are in no way linked to the strategic planning of that department. IPPN further contends that the education system will be enabled to deliver a more effective and value for money service when government agencies are seen to work in close conjunction with the department it serves and partners such as IPPN so that objectives are clearly targeted, outcomes are measurable, transparency is evident and duplication is minimized. IPPN asks how DBS can defend a situation whereby it supports the Digital Schools Initiative (partnered by among others, IPPN), and at the same time, continues to ignore pleas from schools for financial supports to enable them to achieve that status.

IPPN considers it totally unacceptable that many schools are forced to organize collections of supermarket tokens in order to acquire resources.

It is not an exaggeration to state that many schools have received far more technology resources from their local supermarket than from the Department that espouses the use of such resources as a key element of a modern and efficient education system.

Planning DBS established a School Planning and Development Initiative to assist schools in planning for delivery of the optimal service to their pupils. In the Department publication Developing a School Plan: Guidelines for Primary Schools (1999), it is stated that it is accepted that the most effective organizations are those which place a great emphasis on clarifying their aims and objectives, as well as engaging in corporate, collaborative and comprehensive planning in order to achieve those aims and objectives, (p.7) The same publication (p.52) goes on to state: Preparing a plan is an essential step in the adoption, development and implement of lCTs in your school...Given the growing importance of the new technologies in teaching and learning, the school's ICTplan should be an important part of the School Plan for that school. IPPN suggests that it is disingenuous in the extreme for DBS to offer such advice and direction to schools when, clearly, and for four years now, the department's own planning in ICTs has been practically non-existent.

Schools are expected to devote considerable amounts of time and energy to this process, involving setting objectives and targets, consultation, assessment and ongoing review.

The IPPN asks how schools are expected to plan for the implementation of ICTs when DBS itself has no such plan. School Principals do not know

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if they will ever receive grant assistance for ICTs again, what they should expect to receive, or when. This situation is farcical, and has led to increasing frustration for Principals and teachers alike, and an evaporation of enthusiasm and goodwill throughout the profession. IPPN wishes to emphasise that this situation stands in marked contrast to that in almost all other OECD countries, where schools are facilitated in their planning in the full knowledge of a government strategy and supports that are available to them into the future. IPPN contends that Irish schools have at this point been left far behind almost all other OECD countries in the integration of ICTs into the educational experiences of pupils, and that this fact, if not addressed as a matter of urgency, puts in serious danger the availability of Irish jobs in the technology sector in the years ahead.

According to a report from Eurostat entitled 'The Digital Divide in Europe' Ireland is ranked 24th out of 25 EU member states for use of the Web by school and college students. Irish students use the internet less than their European counterparts and their access to technology remains limited. Just 57 per cent of Irish students use the internet, compared to an EU average of 85 per cent across all 25 member states. Only Greece ranks below the Republic in the league table, with a score of 55 per cent, while Finland scored 97 per cent. The report was based on data collected by the agency in the second quarter of 2004.

DIGITAL CONTENT The absence of policy and leadership from DBS has resulted, not only in stagnation in ICTs usage, but in a lack of clarity among teachers and, indeed, Principals in relation to the purpose of ICTs in education. IPPN would welcome a clear statement defining the purposes of ICTs usage, and outlining how the department would give practical support to schools in meeting those targets. A related factor in this regard is the lack of attention given by DBS / NCTE in addressing the lack of indigenous digital content for children to use. This had led in the past to schools purchasing hardware infrastructure and neglecting to budget for the purchase of educational applications to enhance the teaching and learning taking place. IPPN contends that if, in future, schools are given financial assistance to update their ICT infrastructure, that schools are clearly guided to taking into account the educational and curriculum benefits accruing from their use, and consequently apportioning an appropriate level of expenditure on digital content.

consultation with the Education partners, providing all schools with a one-day in-service seminar on the subject. This should follow closely on the release of funding to schools with which to plan their priorities. If such initiatives were taken by DBS, it would increase greatly the value and relevance of advice and guidance offered by the NCCA and NCTE, as well as the ICT advisors cohort. It would also provide a focused, streamlined and realistic context in which schools could make significant progress in integrating ICTs in the context of all the educational partners and agencies working together towards a commonly agreed set of objectives.

VALUE FOR MONEY? DBS is asking NCTE and NCCA, and school Principals and their schools, to forge an educational system in which ICTs play a dynamic and integrated part, enhancing the quality of teaching and learning for all ages and ability levels, and in all subject areas. Yet, it is tying their hands together, by asking them to do this in a vacuum, with no strategic targets or coherent policies in evidence, minimal consultation taking place and without funding.

In sum, NCTE, NCCA and School Principals are not being allowed to produce value for money: despite an enormous amount of commitment and expertise, results will never amount to more than a piecemeal, haphazard and uncoordinated patchwork of efforts unless urgent action is taken. In the area of ICTs integration the education system is massively under-achieving. The initial investment made

by DBS through Schools IT 2000 has not been built on or developed. The goodwill and enthusiasm which is the lifeblood of an educational system has been allowed to evaporate. This area is characterized by indifference, lack of leadership and direction and frustration. The current situation is identified in stark terms by the Department Inspectorate (An Evaluation of Curriculum Implementation in Primary Schools, 2005): The potential of ICT to broaden pupils' experience and understanding in the various curriculum areas is not exploited in most Primary Schools, (p. 52). School Principals, the key agents and catalysts in school development, have consistently articulated their frustrations towards this absence of strategic planning and funding.

School Principals are clearly disillusioned that they cannot plan, not to mention implement, the integration of ICTs into the lives of their schools. Unless funding is made available to schools as a matter of urgency, the Irish Primary Education System will have moved past the point of crisis.

IN-SERVICE TRAINING IPPN suggests that in order to clarify the rationale and methodologies associated with ICTs usage at Primary level, and to re-generate goodwill, the DBS give consideration to, in PAGE 5

The IPPN ICT survey shows ■ 60% of children do not have structured access to ICT as an integral part of the learning process ■ Over 86% of schools have a significant proportion of their equipment that needs repair or updating ■ There is insufficient indigenous software and resources appropriate to use with the revised curriculum. 68% ■ Of all the computers, printers, networks, cameras, projectors and other equipment and software in use in our schools, a significant proportion has been paid for by parents or through fundraising (83%) ■ The money raised in this way in equipping our schools has already been taxed and when used to buy equipment or software, delivers another 21% to the exchequer.

■ Every €100 raised in a cake sale has already given at least €20 to the state and gives another €21 in VAT. ■ Lack of policy (70%) and funding (93%) are identified in the survey as limiting factors.

■ Broadband usage in our school is not having a significant impact because of other infrastructural / professional development needs. 76% ■ Over 90% of schools want to develop and improve this part of a child's school learning experience and believe that ICTs have the potential to significantly improve educational outcomes at Primary level.

■ ICTs improve motivation and engagement levels of pupils.

Solutions...

Hardware ■ Rolling replacement and upgrade programme.

■ Put in place a leasing agreement with Dell or Apple and allow schools to draw down on this?

Software ■ Negotiate licenses and allow schools to draw down.

Maintenance and support ■ Unified approach: similar operating systems, hardware,network configurations, email set-up, internet connectivity so as to make support and maintenance efficient and cost-effective.

Funding

■ Notional figure per child per annum. Allow schools to use this according to own priorities but within context of nationally negotiated contracts.

When 16 Principals gathered in that stately building that houses Kildare Education Centre on March 19th 1999, none of them could possibly have envisaged the impact their subsequent deliberations would have on the Educational landscape over the following 7 years. For it was in Kildare Education Centre in the Spring of 1999 that IPPN was conceived. In February 2000 the fledgling organization was officially launched in Dublin Castle by the then Minister for Education and Science, Dr. Michael Woods T.D. Primary Principals now for the first time had a dedicated voice seeking much needed professional development and a range of practical support and services to address the daily pressures of the leadership role. Primary Principals for the first time had their own Professional Association, speaking a new language of professional leadership. What an inspiring, exciting and difficult journey it would be!

Adolescence As IPPN evolved, the focus was always directed towards the certainty that Quality Leadership would inevitably result in Quality Learning. IPPN recognised the urgent need to define the role of the Primary Principal specifically in an Irish context. This led to the first major Research Project commissioned by IPPN - The Hay Croup Report on the Role of the Primary Principal, which was presented to all the Education Partners in April 2002. The most significant finding to emerge from this report was that the role of the Principal is primarily a managerial role, and must be recognized as such. This research document is a very important resource as we grapple with the increasing complexity of the role and attempt to come to terms with the administrative overload. This importance of this issue cannot be over emphasised given that 7 out of every 10 Principals are teaching as well as performing the role of Principal. A similar Infancy International Research Project was undertaken in 2004/2005 in The early days were fraught with the pitfalls and obstacles of unfamiliar conjunction with St. Patrick's College, to point the way forward for territory. That Interim Committee had to develop many of the smaller schools and Teaching Principalship. 'Breacadh Re Nua do characteristics of the pioneering explorers as they encountered the hazards Scoileanna Beaga' has won much acclaim for the quality of its research of new and sometimes unwelcoming territory! But the and the creativity of the solutions it proposes. The area of In ultimate prize of a better professional life for the 3,300 Primary Principals School Management has been similarly researched with the Principals was sufficient to keep all eyes focused. The used by the DES Working Group on Principals' for the first time findings appointment of Sean Cottrell as National Director of IPPN Workload.Technology has been used effectively from the brought a new injection of innovative and visionary thinking, had their own very beginning of IPPN. Good communication with setting IPPN apart and lighting up the road ahead with much members has always been regarded as crucial. The IPPN Professional needed hope for Principals. Making maximum use of website www.ippn.ie was designed to bring maximum modern technology, IPPN set about forging strong support and information to members, with Association, communications links with its members. School leaders 'networking@ippn.ie becoming an important source of responded as they recognised the efforts of their speaking a new information and support. Teacher recruitment is the focus Professional Association in meeting their needs with an everfor www.educationposts.ie, while www.text-a-sub.ie assists language of expanding range of supports and services. Today, IPPN has a the Principal in finding substitute cover in a fast and efficient membership of over 6,000 Principals and Deputy Principals. way. Another website which has captured the imagination of professional The first Annual Conference organized by IPPN took place in many and has proved invaluable to Principals in www.text-athe Corrib Great Southern, Galway in February 2001. This parent.ie which enables schools to contact large groups of leadership.

Conference was instrumental in defining IPPN's position on parents quickly and easily. the educational landscape as a Professional Association for Primary school leaders. Professional Development for school leaders was always seen by Adulthood IPPN as an essential component of quality learning in our schools. To this IPPN has now come of age and is embedded in the dynamic of the Irish end the IPPN executive worked tirelessly to achieve the establishment of education landscape. The IPPN Conference 2007, which takes place in Leadership Development for Schools. The LDS Misneach Programme and Killarney next January, is an eagerly awaited education -fest. Many within Mentoring for Newly Appointed Principals, together with the Forbairt and education look on the IPPN Conference as the most important landmark Spreagadh Programmes for experienced Principals and Deputy-Principals, on their education calendar. Many outside education look to the now offers the high quality training school leaders need and deserve. IPPN Conference for a steer on where the future is for Primary Education. continues to provide professional development through its County Commercial interests now wait in line to be part of an impressive Networks, its On-line Learning Programme and through the ever-popular gathering of decision makers, who will lead and influence future policy. annual Conference, which attracts more than 700 attendees annually.

It's a long way from a stately building in Kildare in 1999!!

SÉ BHLIAIN AG Fà S

TEACHING PRINCIPALS - Top of the Agenda?

The DES decision to appoint some Deputy Principals in an administrative capacity in very large schools has triggered an understandable reaction from many Teaching Principals.

Recently the Minister has announced (see text below) that the criteria for appointing a teacher in schools with “Developing School Status” has been changed to alleviate difficulties experienced particularly in small schools.

The unacceptable workload, working conditions and under-reward of Teaching Principals are always the cornerstones in every submission, meeting and telephone conversation between IPPN and DES Officials. It would be great if it were possible for Teaching Principals to witness and observe at the many meetings with The Minister, DES Officials, The Management Bodies and The Union, the strong and robust arguments made by IPPN made for radical change to improve the plight of Teaching Principals and smaller schools.

From now on schools where the following three criteria exist will be enabled to appoint a temporary teacher under “Developing School Status” 1. Schools with a Teaching Principal 2. The enrolment has grown by 15 pupils or more (this used to be 25) 3. Where the current enrolment causes the average class size to be greater than 28

While everyone agrees that it is “a difficult job”, it is proving impossible to convince decision makers that it is in the interest of childrens education and the health and safety of Principals to take action in relation to smaller schools. IPPN is the lone voice consistently arguing for priority to be given to improving conditions for Teaching Principals. It seems that just about everything else gets its turn for “resource priority” and each initiative in turn while welcome, ironically increases the workload of Teaching Principals. Simply put, when a jug of water is already full, if you pour more water in, the same amount spills out.

A Principal’s Perspective Speaking as a former “Working Principal” (12 years) who became a “Galloping Idiot” eight years ago., I feel we must all stand together to improve the lot of all Principals, whatever their needs and believe me all Principals have their own needs. Why should it be “either” “or”? Worse still, what the Minister announced applies to very few schools, many of which have had this arrangement already..

Nobody can argue against trying to square circles that Teaching Principals have to attempt every day. But lets not forget that the larger schools have issues also.

If for example a Walking Principal is appointed at eight teachers, one Principal has to do the same job with multiples of this. There is a need there for a second Principal (Deputy) and even a second secretary. In my situation, we have thirty teachers and I get paid for this number. Yet there are 53 people working in our school. The other 23 people have to be employed, inducted, monitored, supported etc. I work 45 to 50 hours a week and struggle to keep my head above water. I get no extra salary for these and if I had a Walking Deputy it would be a great help. We don't have 24 mainstream teachers nor do we have five special classes, not being allowed to count the two MLD classes. The Minister has done nothing for our school. I have needs and work, for a walking Deputy, a second school secretary, a school nurse, a home school liaison teacher and indeed a personal secretary. None of which I have. I could then look forward to going home at four or five each day. I too am doing the jobs of four or five people. I have had two major refurbishments (€3 million) in the last few years and a €3.5 million extension starts next year. The quality and delivery of these projects take up much of my time, yet though every Tom, Dick and Harry involved gets a percentage, all I get are much shortened summer holidays.

I have been involved in the fundraising of almost €100,000 in the last few years and will have fundraised a quarter of a million by the time our extension is finished, in 2008. If a consultant was employed to do this for our school, they too would get a percentage or a sizeable fee. I love my job and would never want to do anything else, but I also have major needs that are not being met. Lets all “hang together” to improve all our conditions of employment.

In other words, small schools may seek to have a teacher appointed without having to wait the full 12 months, but only if the enrolment has increased by 15 from the previous year, and the increased enrolment has pushed the average class size above 28.0.

All Principals and Deputy Principals alike must be fully behind IPPN’s determination to push Teaching Principalship and smaller schools to the top of the education agenda.

Minister’s Press Release “I am conscious of the difficulties in terms of class size for smaller schools (i.e. schools with a Principal and only 6 mainstream class teachers or fewer) that have sizeable increases in enrolments in relative terms but do not meet the criterion of 25 additional pupils in a particular year that up to now was necessary for the appointment of an additional teacher.”

“For smaller schools I have decided with immediate effect to reduce from 25 to 15 the number of additional pupils that must be enrolled before an extra teacher, under developing school status, can be appointed where the average class size in the school is in excess of 28 and there is an excess of 5 pupils above the required number for the additional appointment” explained Minister Hanafin.

The staffing of a Primary school for a particular school year is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on the 30th September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. Within the terms of the current staffing arrangements for Primary schools, there is provision for additional posts to be assigned to developing schools on the basis of projected enrolments A developing school is defined as a school where the enrolment on 30 September of one year is projected to exceed the enrolment on 30 September of the previous year by a minimum numerical increase of 25 pupils and by having an excess of 5 pupils above the required appointment figure.

“I have noticed that happy people are constantly evaluating themselves and unhappy people are constantly evaluating others”

Cóilín Ó Coigligh Bunscoilmhuire Trim Co. na Mí PAGE 7

Dr. William Glasser

PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE

Conflict Resolution The Art of Mediation School Principals can spend much of their time resolving conflicts and disputes. Developing strategies to resolve conflict constructively leads to improvement in working relationships. The art of effective mediation is to resolve conflicts whilst at the same time preserving the dignity of both parties and establishing the framework for future cooperation.

Mediation must be impartial and be focused on developing a resolution procedure acceptable to all parties.

When is Mediation Appropriate?

Mediation is appropriate if ■ Both parties voluntarily agree to engage ■ Both parties perceive the mediator to be a neutral third party ■ The conflict which exists between the disputants is specific ■ Not dealing with the conflict is unacceptable to both parties ■ Adequate time and space is available to work through the conflict Basic to the process of mediation are assumptions of equality, fairness and personal responsibility. The goal is not to destroy, but to preserve the dignity of all concerned. The main ingredients of mediation are cooperation rather than competition, disclosure rather than deception, mutual problem solving rather than individual enhancement and creative alternatives rather than win-lose judgements. It is best to avoid engaging in disputes that involve criminal investigations, sexual harassment, custody disputes or issues that have been referred to the INTO.

Mediation Ground Rules The first important task of the mediator is to establish ground rules.

Basic ground rules should include the ■ Sharing of information ■ Observing confidentiality ■ No blaming, name calling or interruptions ■ Keeping of emotions in check ■ Abiding by final agreements The mediator must establish a comfortable climate from the onset, as disputants will be nervous, angry and anxious to tell their side of the story. It is important to follow the following guidelines 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Talk to each disputant separately prior to mediation Arrange a comfortable meeting area Ensure all parties are familiar with the basic ground rules above Ensure there are no interruptions Establish yourself as in control of the process Have a means of recording available to you Display an ability that indicates you can resolve the dispute equitably

Resolution Techniques As the process of resolution begins, you, as mediator need to be on guard so as not to allow personal feelings/emotions dictate your approach to the process. Move quickly from the general to the specific and neutralize personal attacks as soon as they arise. Respond early to contradictory stories and blaming statements. In the event of an angry outburst, the first thing you must do is assess the danger factor i.e. leave or stay. If you decide that it is best to stay, give the person your full attention and listen carefully. Remain calm and focus on your problem solving mind-set.

Acknowledge and respond to angry feelings. Stay in the present i.e. “what

can we do about what is happening now“. Always avoid trigger words such as “you always” or “you never”.

Balancing Power When mediating, one needs to be very aware of the influence of the power disputants bring to mediation. The Role of the Mediator is to facilitate the balancing of unequal power. To make a balancing of power, it is helpful to create an atmosphere of equal power. This can be done, by encouraging full disclosure of the facts, limiting yelling, blaming, interruptions etc., and being alert to the possibility that one party may settle out of fear.

When engaged in negotiation, be aware of “power plays” and refrain from being sucked into the same game. If the other party attacks your position, do not respond with a similar attack – instead, try to discover what is behind their stated position. Try, when appropriate, to reframe personal attacks into statements which refocus the attack on the problem. Be persistent and creative, ask open ended questions and negotiate with a “win-win” mind-set.

Recording Once the disputants have come to an agreement on how to resolve their differences, there is considerable value on getting the agreement recorded and signed. The mediator plays an important role in this phase of the process. It can be very useful to have a pre-designed agreement form. When designing this form, the following should be considered ■ Design a balanced agreement ■ Write the agreement in neutral terms ■ Be very specific: who will do what by when?

■ Indicate what should happen if the agreement breaks down ■ Record follow-up and evaluation procedures ■ The mediator invites the appropriate person to begin the ‘My side/your side’ part of the mediation process ■ Ground rules are clearly explained ■ If one disputant “attacks” the other, the mediator intervenes ■ If any issue of bias emerges the mediator will ask the other disputant if he/she wants to respond ■ The mediator encourages the disputants to talk directly to one another ■ Each disputant is enabled to understand the others position ■ The mediator listens attentively and reframes statements to eliminate bias, if necessary ■ The mediator may also have to reframe accusations into statements of the speakers need, and enable disputants separate positions from interests ■ If a disputant seems uncomfortable, the mediator gives an opportunity to raise suspicions of discrimination ■ The mediator identifies common interests held by both parties and uses brainstorming to identify possible solutions ■ The mediator also enables the disputants to evaluate options and lead them to agree on a resolution that is effective, specific, balanced, mutally satisfying and neutrally stated ■ Finally, the mediator will summarise the courses of action agreed by both parties, affirm their efforts and complete an agreement (mediator) form

PAGE 9

PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE

INDUCTING

Special Needs Assistants The recent announcement by the Minister for Education that 1800 extra Special Needs Assistants are to be recruited is a very welcome one indeed. Over the next two years, the number of Special Needs Assistants working in our schools is likely to exceed 9,000 and this will contribute significantly to an enhanced service provision to children with Special Needs.

Ongoing professional development for their staff must always be a priority for Principals.

This professional development should extend to Special Needs Assistants and many new courses and initiatives are now being pioneered and financed by the Special Education Support Service (SESS.ie) operating out of Cork.

The Education for Persons with Disabilities Act states that it is the duty of the school to organize special education resources in such a way as to provide the best service possible. Few Principals can deal with the organization and management of Special Education on their own, so schools are advised to adopt a whole school approach to meeting Special Education Needs and where possible, a Special Education Team should be set up. The management of this team could be allocated as a post of responsibility.

Special Needs Assistants must be considered an integral part of the Special Education team in a school. As a rule SNA’s are only allocated to schools who have pupils that have physical or toiletry needs, or to pupils that may be a danger to themselves or others.

Good Practice for Induction The real process of induction begins after the interview process and the ratification of appointment by the Board of Management has been completed. Recruitment procedures are outlined in Circular 03/05. The main points of

the circular are ■ The post must be advertised in the local newspaper(s) stating the nature of the post ■ A definite closing date for receipt of applications should be listed, that being 2 weeks after the publication date of the advertisement ■ A Selection Board comprising of the Chairperson of the Board, Principal, and an independent person nominated by the Board must be set up and this Selection Board must give at least one weeks written notice of interview to each candidate ■ Agreed criteria must be agreed prior to the interview process and such criteria must be communicated to all candidates for interview ■ The Selection Board must draw up a specific marking scheme ■ The provisions of the Employment Equality Act must be adhered to The successful candidate must furnish the Board of Management with a Garda Clearance Certificate and a Medical Certificate of fitness.

Each candidate must also sign a Confidentiality Clause and be made aware of Circular SNA 15/05 in relation to revised SNA contracts.

Monitoring Processes Initially, the SNA must be enabled to be involved in the whole school process of service delivery to all special needs children under the direction of the teacher. The role definition should be one of professionals working in collaboration with teachers in supporting and serving special needs within the school. A partnership of respect, collegiality, trust, appreciation and understanding must be fostered and developed. There should be a clear understanding between teacher and SNA PAGE 10

of each others roles and responsibilities to minimize conflict in the future.

The following guidelines may be useful when introducing SNA’s to Special Needs procedures in the school – ■ The SNA will be supplied with a copy of the school handbook, Special Needs Policy, SNA Policy, Anti-Bullying Policy, Child Protection Policy and school rules and procedures ■ It is important that each new SNA be briefed by the Principal as to the duties outlined in the Contract of Employment and the parameters under which these duties are to be performed. In particular, it must be outlined clearly that each SNA works under the direction of the class teacher and is directly responsible to the Principal/Deputy Principal.

■ The SNA should also be given copies of all relevant D.E.S circulars such as Maternity Leave, Sick Leave, Leave of Absence, Special Needs Circulars 7/02, 3/03, 24/03, 18/04, 2/05 as well as information on the most recent pay rates for SNA’s as per D.E.S rates.

■ The SNA should also provide the school secretary with details such as home/mobile number, PPS number, bank details and all other relevant details as might be required by the school. The SNA must also be briefed on supervision procedures within the school particularly on the yard. All incidents of misbehaviour must be referred to the mainstream teacher/s on duty with no authority regards decision making and sanctions being vested in the SNA. Each SNA should be familiar with the school timetable and break times.

In-Class Procedures It might be useful for the SNA’s to have their own space in the classroom if this is feasible.

This enables the SNA to be removed from the pupil for specific periods to foster independence. The vast majority of SNA’s like to be kept busy, so it is helpful if teachers can put together a list of suitable work/jobs they would like completed when the SNA is free.

Time should also be allowed for the teacher and SNA to meet on a timetabled basis to discuss joint procedures at a class level, such as record keeping, one-to-one tuition, timetabling, life skills etc. This discretionary time can also be used to explain basic ground rules relating to parental contact. For example, an SNA might talk to a parent re physical, or toiletry needs but it would not be appropriate for them to discuss academic progress. Movement of SNA’s between teachers should also be considered. This reduces a pupil's dependency on any one SNA and also diminishes the ownership factor that can often develop in parents. Some Principals have noted that this is an emerging problem in recent years. The SNA must also be allowed an opportunity to engage in the process of drawing up an I.E.P. This enables an SNA to become familiar with each students individual needs and strengths and enables the SNA collaborate with other professionals who may be engaged with the Special Needs pupil.

The SNA should be enabled to be familiar with the overall school special Education timetable.

Each SNA should also be aware of withdrawal for Resource and Learning Support and must also be

available to accompany children to these additional support sessions if requested to do so.

Within the class situation it is the responsibility of the class teacher to guide the SNA in his/her support duties. Central to this process is positive communication which should allow for agreed procedures in relation to ■ Time tabling ■ Reporting ■ Administration of medicines ■ Protocol for dealing with parents ■ Discipline / behaviour ■ Moving between children

Professional Development The Board of Management with support with from the Special Education Support Service should organize and finance regular Professional Development for Special Needs Assistants. Many schools facilitate SNA input at staff meetings and organize courses in PECS, Challenging Behaviour, Language Development etc. to coincide with mainstream in-service days or Parent/Teacher meetings. It should be kept in mind that responsibility for creating a meaningfully collaborative role with appropriate ongoing professional development for the SNA should be a whole school process under the direction of the Principal. An effective process should deliver an SNA who can contribute positively and make a real difference to each child with Special Education Needs in the school.

THE JOY OF TEACHING Then Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain and gathering them around him, he taught them saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom in heaven. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are they that mourn. Blessed are the merciful.

Blessed are they that thirst for justice. Blessed are you when persecuted. Blessed are you when you suffer. . Be glad and rejoice for your reward is great in heaven.

Then Simon Peter said, Are we supposed to know this? And Andrew said, Do we have to write this down?

And James said, Will we have a test on this?

Increase in Funding For Education The recent Budget Estimates saw a 10% increase in funding for education with €742 million being spread across all levels bringing day to day spending on Education to €8.4 billion. Ireland, however, still lags well behind most other E.U. countries in relation to percentage of G.D.P. spent on Education.

The main provisions of the recent announcements are:■ Capitation Grants to increase by €18 per pupil bringing the total amount per pupil up to €163.58.

The Ancillary Services grant which covers the cost of secretaries and caretakers has been increased by €6.50 up to €145.50 per pupil.

■ 800 extra teachers to be assigned towards reducing class size and supporting children whose first language is not English.

■ €240 million allocated towards the recruitment of an additional 1800 SNA’s and the implementation of the Epsen Act. ■ €730 on initiatives to tackle disadvantage such as DEIS family literacy and the expansion of the school book loan scheme.

■ 30% increase in funding for special schools and classes through increased capitation.

■ €8 million to be provided towards the National Behaviour Support Services the National Education Welfare Board (20% increase) and the National Education Psychological Services (17% increase) ■

And Phillip said, I don t have any paper!

And Barthelomew said, Do we have to hand this up? And John said, The other disciples didn t have to learn this!

And Matthew said, May I go to the toilet?

Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus lesson plan and inquired of Jesus, Where are your learning outcomes and your objectives in the cognitive domain? And Jesus wept.

Source Halm PAGE 11

Investment in Education has trebled since 1997. 11,000 more teachers are in the system, 1300 building projects are underway and over 15,000 adults are in Irish schools working with children with Special Needs. 80 Special Needs Organisers have been appointed, Home School Liaison has been expanded as has the School Completion Programme.

“Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergancy on my part.”

Redefining Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 "The entitlement of individual pupils V the rights of the compliant majority are to be addressed in the re defining of Section 29 of the Education Act 1998" Prior to the enactment of the Education Act 1998 we school Principals and Boards of Managements were literally "Kings and Queens of the castle".

We did not have to publish enrolment policies or justify refusal to enrol. In relation to suspension we were under no great scrutiny. Informality and tradition was alive and well. In fact to a large extent it served everyone well. However society has changed and all walks of life are subject to scrutiny and transparency. If a pupil was refused enrolment in a school, a parent had to go to the High Court to challenge a decision of a Board of Management. However this all changed in 1998.

Schools had to publish Enrolment policies and Codes of Discipline. Any decisions which were adverse to the interests of the pupil in relation to expulsion, suspension or refusal to enrol were subject to a Section 29 appeal.

The 2006 figures for appeals in relation to enrollment will be close to 100 as the total of 69 was for the first 11 months only. The figures for refusal to enroll strongly favours the parents of children taking the appeals.

The statistics in relation to suspension and expulsion show that only a small number of Section 29 appeal were at issue. However the outcomes were much more balanced.

Any school subject to a Section 29 appeal must present all relevant policies i.e. Enrolment or Code of Discipline and Health and Safety policy for scrutiny of the Appeal Board. Minutes of the Board of Management meetings have also been requested.

In coming to a determination the following considerations are debated by the Section 29 committee:

SECTION 29 STATISTICS (To end of November 2006) Refusal to enrol 2003 2004 2005 To Nov 2006 Expulsion 2003 2004 2005 To Nov 2006

Withdrawn

Local Resolution

Facilitator Resolution

Upheld at hearing

Not upheld at hearing

Totals

13 20 7 26

3 3 10 5

9 11 15 9

18 29 24 18

5 11 14 11

48 74 70 69

Withdrawn

Local Resolution

Facilitator Resolution

Upheld at hearing

Not upheld at hearing

Totals

0 0 4 2

0 0 0 0

1 0 2 0

0 0 3 2

0 2 3 3

1 2 12 7

Local Resolution

Facilitator Resolution

Upheld at hearing

Not upheld at hearing

Totals

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 1 1 1

0 1 1 2

1 2 2 4

Suspension for Withdrawn 20 days or more 2003 2004 2005 To Nov 2006

1 0 0 1

1. The educational interests of all other students in the school.

2. The effective operation and management of the school 3. Any resource implications arising from the issues under the appeal 4. Where relevant, the policy of the patrons and the Board of Management in respect of the characteristic spirit/ethos of the school, and such other matters as the committee considers relevant

PAGE 12

However Boards of Managements of schools who lost such determinations had genuine grievances.

Many Boards, Principals and teachers felt that pupils who were unsuitable for placement were accommodated at the expense of the majority of the other pupils. In response to those concerns the Minister for Education and Science established a Task Force on "Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools" under Dr Maeve Martin. IPPN, I.N.T.O. and Management Bodies in the Primary Sector were disappointed that the Primary Sector was not consulted. However the positive news is that the Minister has taken on the recommendations of

this committee and is in fact introducing an Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to bring forward legislation to implement the Task Force recommendations as a priority.

REPORT OF TASK FORCE ON STUDENT BEHAVIOUR Key recommendations: ■ Amend Section 29 of the Education Act ■ Stress the rights of the compliant majority to learn while at the same time protecting the rights of the persistently disruptive student to an education ■ Address issues surrounding timing of appeals.

FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED BY SECTION 29 APPEALS COMMITTEE

■ Behaviour (nature, scale + extent) ■ Reasonableness of school’s efforts to assist students ■ Educational interests of individual student ■ Safety Health and Welfare of teachers and other staff ■ Educational interests of other students in school ■ Maintenance of school environment supportive of learning ■ Ensuring continuity of instruction in classroom ■ Safety, Health and Welfare of students ■ School Admission policy, Code of Behaviour and other policies ■ Duties of schools / BOM and issued guidelines.

■ Safety Health and Welfare of teachers and other staff

IN SUMMARY THE RESULT OF THIS AMENDMENT SHOULD BE AS FOLLOWS: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Improve process of Section 29 Rebalance rights Promote positive student behaviour Maintain a positive learning environment

OBSERVATION The amendment of 29 of the Education Act 1998 is to be welcomed. It will make our schools safer places in which to work and in which pupils learn.

However in order to avail of these positive amendments each school will need the following 3 robust policies (a) Codes of Discipline and Anti Bullying Policies (b) Enrolment policies (c) Health and Safety policies. Cross referencing should be a vital component of the policies.

In a previous "Leadership Plus" article I referred to the Safety, Health and Welfare Act 2005. This Act replaced the 1989 Act. The 2005 Act is an invaluable source of security to schools in that it states that risk assessment is a core part of any Safety Statement.

(See Health and Safety/Building Project articles elsewhere in this issue). We are invited to (a) Identify Risks (b) Assess the risks i.e. (the likelihood of the harm occurring and the severity of the consequences if it does arising from these hazards) (c) Select the central measures i.e. (select appropriate measures to eliminate the hazards and where that cannot be done to reduce risks)

A section of a safety statement might take the following shape:

Safety Hazards

Risk Assessment

Control Measures

Review

Low Medium High Children outside office at lunchtime

X

Must have a written note to be kept off yard

How effective was the written note

Children being collected early from school

X

All children must be signed for in advance

Monthly

Fire windows in classrooms must be sign posted

X

Get labels from apex fire

Done

Parking cars on fire exits

X

All staff and parents informed in writing of parking on exits

Weekly

Caretaker to check yard in advance each day

Weekly

Caretaker to come to school early and salt / clear area

yearly

Broken bottles on the yard

Ice /Snow

X

X

Pupils seeking enrolment with a history of violence towards other pupils

X

Defer / refuse enrolment

Pending provision of adequate resources

Pupils seeking enrolment with a history of violence towards staff

X

Defer / refuse enrolment

Pending provision of adequate resources and training for staff

Pupils seeking enrolment with a history of damaging property belonging to previous schools

X

Defer / refuse enrolment

Pending safety audit

However there would need to be cross reference with an Enrolment policy. It must be emphasised that in relation to this chart only in very exceptional cases on genuine Health and Safety grounds would a pupil be refused permission to enrol, be suspended for 20 days or more, or be the subject of an expulsion. It is always essential for Boards of Management to get Independent Legal Advice.

A complicating factor in all of this is the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. Why? When Section 10 of the EPSEN Act is commenced the National Council for Special Education can designate schools which must take a particular pupil.

SECTION 10 OF THE EPSEN ACT 2004.

The National Council for Special Education may of its own volition or at the request of parents, designate a school to whom a pupil with special educational needs may be enrolled. In making such an order the Council would have taken account of the capacity of the school to accommodate the child particularly when additional resources are made available to it.

The Board of Management may appeal the designation but the burden of proving that the school does not have adequate resources to enable it to meet the needs of the child concerned shall be on the BOM. This type of appeal is under the EPSEN Act 2004 and not under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998. In an interesting comment Professor William Binchy in the book “Litigation Against Schools PAGE 13

Implication for School Management” by Glendenning and Binchy stated on page 54 “If a school has on its rolls pupils with disabilities this naturally involves the school in a duty of care to those pupils, which takes account of their particular disability and to other pupils who may be effected by their disability. The school is not entitled to place on a disabled pupil the responsibility for protecting himself or herself, or others for which it is the schools duty of discharge".

CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND THE LAW The recent IPPN / NAHT Conference on cultural diversity in Armagh which I attended and referred to in other articles in this publication was a real eye opener.

In particular figures suggesting that over 22,000 newcomer pupils were admitted to Primary schools in the last school year were revealing. It appears inevitable that in a very short time almost every school if not every class will have pupils from different countries. Apart from the obvious cultural and educational issues there are implications for the way in which schools make decisions in relation to Admissions and Codes of Discipline / Anti Bullying policies. Given the pro active nature of the Equality Authority in prosecuting allegations of discrimination it is not unreasonable to anticipate a situation where a school Board of Management will have to explain why the Admission policy or indeed Code of Discipline/Anti Bullying policy is not in a language which is understood by parents whose rights have been effected by the refusal to enrol a pupil, the suspension of a pupil, expulsion of a pupil, or failure to deal to their satisfaction with some other grievance.

WILL SCHOOLS HAVE TO TRANSLATE POLICIES? A strict interpretation of Section 15 of the Education Act 1998 which states that a Board of Management must publish an Enrolment policy and Code of Discipline would suggest that all parents are entitled to have access to and understand what these policies are about. One could argue that it would be unreasonable to translate them into 20 different languages.

However a parent whose son or daughter’s rights are being affected by a decision of a Board of Management could argue that they are entitled to a translator or translation of the document.

Schools could be accountable where there are critical masses of one particular ethnic group.

Other challenges ahead will be in relation to the preservation of the ethos of schools and the balancing of rights.

I have no doubt that schools are making reasonable efforts to cater for the cultural diversity that now exists. However we are playing catch up in a situation that could not have been foreseen.

Now that we are aware of these issues and that a critical mass is being achieved we will have to be proactive in discharging our legal obligations rather than waiting for the Equality Authority or indeed the courts to clarify what these obligations actually are.

Aoife Carolan, Plantiff V St Ciaran’s National School Hartstown, Clonsilla Dublin (The High Court) July 2006 Before Mr Justice Feeney

the proceedings was the Plaintiff was caused to fall to the floor in attempting to avoid a ball being thrown in her direction. It was also argued that the game in question was dangerous and unsuitable and that the class was not held in an appropriate and safe venue.

GARDA VETTING

Evidence was given on behalf of the school that the supervising teacher was fully qualified and a very experienced National School Teacher. The game of dodge-ball was perfectly suited for inclusion in a P.E. class for pupils in sixth class. The rules had been explained fully and the Plaintiff had played the game on previous occasions prior to the incident. The venue was considered to be suitable for the game. Supervision was considered to be excellent and there was no question of overcrowding. There is a risk of falling in any game and in this case, the risk was incidental rather than inherent. The case proceeded to a hearing in the High Court and the judge dismissed the Plaintiff’s claim.

1. All new teachers coming into schools for the current academic year were vetted in advance of September 1st 2006. The Teaching Council processed the application forms for those new teachers and acted as the Liaison point with the GardaCentral Vetting Unit.

(Source) "The Allianz Schools Journal" Autumn Edition

OBSERVATION An expert from London giving evidence on behalf of the girl claimed that the sponge ball constituted a dangerous missile in the context of a game of dodge-ball. However Mr Joe Lennon, a sport’s expert and holder of All Ireland Medals with the Co Down Football team strongly disagreed. The critical observation of the judge was that; “There is a risk of falling in any game and in this case, the risk was incidental rather than inherent”.

In the November / December issue of "Solas" there is an article on Page 18 which is essential reading for all School Principals. The following are the main points in the article;

2. The expansion of Garda Vetting to the wider sections of the DES is being introduced by way of a phased approach during autumn / winter 2006. All new ancillary staff in Primary Schools will be vetted.

3. To manage this process in a professional manner the Garda Central Vetting Unit trains liaison personnel to brief organizations on the management of Garda Vetting applications and disclosures. These liaison personnel are called Authorised Signatories.

4. A specific number of Authorized Signatories for the sector will be appointed. The Teaching Council acts as the Authorized Signatory for the processing of application forms for teachers seeking registration in advance of September 1st 2006. School Patrons will or have already nominated a team of people to act as Authorised Signatories for the appointment of Ancillary staff.

This claim arose out of an incident in which a pupil received an injury during the course of a supervised game of dodge-ball. The plaintiff was 12 years old at the time and was participating in a regular P.E. class in school. The complaint made in

PROCEDURE FOR APPOINTING ANCILLARY STAFF (SUMMARY) 1. BOM establishes Selection Board 2. Short List Criteria, invitation to interview 3. Check CV’s of candidates 4. Following interviews, recommendations to the BOM 5. Before appointment BOM asks successful candidate to complete Garda vetting form 6. Authorised signatory checks completed forms and forwards it to GCVU 7. GCVU vets the successful candidate and passes results to the authorized Signatory 8. Authorised signatory forwards result to chairperson of BOM 9. BOM completes appointment process or re- advertise the post PAGE 14

IPPN-NAHT "Cultural Diversity" Conference Armagh City Hotel, 27th-28th November 06

IPPN Representatives at Dungannon Council Meeting.

Front Row: Gerry Murphy, Dundalk, IPPN North /South Coordinator, Máire Mc Redmond,Principal,Offaly, Emmet Breathnach, Principal, Offaly Back Row: Tomás O Slatara,President IPPN, Paddy Kirk,Principal,Dundalk,John Maloney,Principal, Dundalk

On the 27th and 28th November the second IPPN-NAHT Conference took place in the Armagh City Hotel. As a result of the changes in the Irish population both North and South of the border the theme of ‘Cultural Diversity in Schools - Challenges and Opportunities’ was chosen. During the second half of the week, 24 Principals from Southern Ireland were hosted by Principals in Northern Ireland for three days as they participated in an historic first ever ‘ IPPN/NAHT North-South Leadership Initiative’ designed to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the ever increasing cultural diversity in our schools. This timely and historic Conference and Schools’ Leadership Initiative received financial and other support from the DES and DENI and in particular from NcompasS through Léargas and the British Council.

Tomás O Slatara in his welcoming address said "It is hoped that at the end of this week there will be agreed conclusions and recommendations about the challenges and opportunities of cultural diversity in our schools that can be discussed and acted on by school leaders, staffs, communities, governments and education partners North and South" Dessie Hamilton, National President of NAHT (UK) was particularly pleased to welcome participants to the Conference and said "As school leaders, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) came together to focus on the issue of Cultural Diversity. With an ever increasing migrant worker population it is an issue which is evident on both sides of the border and is affecting schools in both jurisdictions in many similar, and yet many different, ways. The nationalities are diverse – Portuguese, Polish, Brazilian, Latvian, Lithuanian, East Timorese, Russian – to name but a few and each culture brings its own challenges and opportunities to the school door".

IPPN and NAHT representatives at Dungannon Council meeting left to right: Gerry Murphy, Dundalk, IPPN NS Co-ordinator, Kenny Wright, Past President NAHTand NS Conference Coordinator, Pauline Mc Allister,Principal, Bush PS, Dungannon, and Tomás O Slatara, Pesident IPPN

president NAHT (NI) John Mc Grath, current President NAHT (NI) and also Gerry Murphy, IPPN N/S Co-ordinator. Special praise was given to NAHT Office Secretary, Patsy Corry for coordinating accommodation and venue arrangements.

Over the course of the conference one of the most interesting debating points was about the correct term to use when referring to people who have come to our country seeking work or refuge? The term non-national was immediately disregarded as all people have a nationality. The debate was lively and one could appreciate the difficulty in settling on a term that was suitable and also politically correct. In the end partial but not final consensus was achieved with the term ‘newcomer’. Yours views on this will be welcome.

The conference was addressed by a variety of speakers from parent, to teacher to representatives of both Departments of Education and Support Agencies. Monday morning started with Neil Downing, Principal of Dungannon Primary school and Marcella Ó Conluain, Deputy Principal, St Joseph’s Primary School, Dundalk. Both spoke about the challenges and opportunities being experienced in their schools and of strategies they employ within their schools to welcome and educate our newcomers.

The importance of adequate funding and staffing being supplied was stressed. One of the biggest concerns of our colleagues in the North was the retrospective allocation of funding, a situation mirrored by our system of retrospective allocation of staffing. Their presentations were grounded in the reality of school life and were inspiring to all present.

Following their presentations Olabumni Salako M Ed. a Special Needs Assistant and parent in St Joseph’s Primary School Dundalk spoke about her experiences of education. She moved from Nigeria in 1999. Emmanuella, her 18-year-old daughter, found it difficult to settle into her new surroundings. The school suggested she give a presentation on Nigeria to her classmates to help her explain the culture and traditions. "She wore a costume and told her class about Nigeria and they loved it,and It worked because she was

Children from Holy Trinity Primary School,Cookstown with Mr Lima, Special Language Support Teacher, Mr Paddy Kirk,Principal,Dundalk and Mr Tomás O Slatara, President IPPN

telling them all these new things about herself and she made friends immediately. The problem for children who move is that they don’t have a sense of belonging and find it difficult to mingle," Bumni told us. A most interesting aspect of her presentation was how different cultures interpret body language differently. She spoke of how in Nigeria it is impolite for a child to make eye contact with an adult. How many times have we said to a child, ‘Look at me when I am speaking to you’? Her presentation brought us into the parental and child’s perspective and was most interesting, challenging and informative.

Daniel Holder of ANIMATE Dungannon then spoke of services being supplied to newcomers

by Dungannon Council and of the difficulties they encounter on a day to day basis. We also met Daniel later in the week when a group of six IPPN Principals including IPPN President Tomás O Slatara along with NAHT (NI) Principals were invited as special guests to meet with Council members and officials. A similar invitation was received from Cookstown Council and also from Councils throughout Northern Ireland in the areas where Principals were being hosted on the NS Schools Leadership Initiative. This was a very welcome learning opportunity and every effort will be made to arrange for similar invitations when NAHT Principals are our guests during reciprocal visits next May ’07.

In the mid morning/ afternoon session the Conference was addressed by Annette Honan of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) who informed us of the very useful work and research done by the NCCA. The NCCA has published Intercultural Guidelines for both Primary and Second-level schools and is collaborating with the Education Centre Network to provide in-service for Primary schools on these guidelines. This project is being supported by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law reform and the Teacher Education Section of the DES.

IPPN-NAHT

Both expressed their appreciation for the work of the Conference Organising Committee led by NAHT Co-ordinators Kenny Wright, Past

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Mary Yarr of the Southern Education and Library Board (SELB (NI)) and Barbara Simpson of the Integrate Ireland Language and Training (IILT) based in Trinity College gave a

presentation on the development of a practical toolkit for schools to facilitate capacity building on a whole school basis in relation to learning and teaching, the role of parents and community, assessment and monitoring of students’ progress and promoting the concept of inclusiveness. This ‘tool kit’ will be available to all schools next September. A very useful booklet ‘Together Towards Inclusion’ has also been developed by IILT and SELB with the support of the Standing conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCOTENS). We are planning to have articles in future editions of Leadership+ in relation to these and other initiatives.

Mr Will Haire, Permanent Secretary of the DENI, and Mr Frank Wyse, Assistant Secretary DES spoke of how they are aware of the challenges and opportunities being presented in schools as a result of the increase in newcomer students and informed conference attendees of steps being taken within both departments to help and support Principals and their staffs. Mr Wyse informed us that 22,200 foreign students were enrolled in Primary schools in the 2004/5 school year. These include the children of asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers from EU accession states. The highest concentration is in urban areas and an estimated 60% are from nonEnglish-speaking backgrounds. He also told us that: ■ 189schools had more than 28 newcomers ■ 80 schools had more than 50 ■ 42 schools had more than 75 ■ 20 schools had more than 100 In a wide ranging and informative address he highlighted some of the initiatives being taken by the DES ■ Framework to address key social challenges

over the next 10 years ■ Provision of an extra 550 language teachers by 2009 ■ Revised circular on language support ■ Information on Irish Education system on DES website in 6 languages ■ Development of an information pack for Non-Irish national parents North and South Mr Sean Ward and Ms Jane Sidor from the DENI Inspectorate (ETI), presented the findings of a recent report into how schools in Northern Ireland are coping with students for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL).

The remainder of Monday’s session and most of Tuesday’s session was spent preparing for the SLI visits to the schools in the North. This involved Diversity Training workshops prepared by Jim McGrath of NETCARE which challenged us all to experience and reflect on the our own perceptions and attitudes in relation to cultural diversity. The IPPN and NAHT cluster groups also discussed and agreed amongst themselves as to why they got involved in this aspect of the Conference and what they hoped to achieve as a result of their participation. In all there were eight groups of three Principals visiting their counterparts over three days. There was professional dialogue and learning between teaching and leadership professionals, enabling them to explore best practice and policy from both sides of the border.

More reports on this aspect of the conference will follow in future editions of Leadership+.

Conclusions and recommendations from the Conference and School visits are being collated at present and will form the basis of an agreed IPPN/NAHT report on The Challenges and Opportunities of Cultural Diversity in Schools’

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which will presented at IPPN and NAHT Conferences in 2007. Feedback from the on-line survey and the schools based research will also be included.

Feedback on the conference and Schools Leadership Initiative was most encouraging. The proactive approach taken by the IPPN and the NAHT in recognising the challenges and opportunities that our newcomers present was acknowledged and commended by all attendees and education partners at the conference. In less than twenty years time one fifth of our population will be newcomer or of newcomer descent. This conference is a positive step towards ensuring a quality leadership and a quality education for all the culturally diverse children in our schools.

We strongly believe that our 2nd Conference and N/S Leadership Initiative is a timely and important example of North-South co-operation at a crucial time when so much hope and expectation is an agreed priority for so many on the island of Ireland in supporting and promoting peace and reconciliation.

ON-LINE SURVEY IPPN and NAHT have launched an on-line survey to gather relevant information in relation to the challenges and opportunities presented by cultural diversity and ‘newcomer’ children in our schools. Please give 10 minutes of your time to complete the survey on educationopinion.ie For further Information: Check the IPPN website for presentations made at the Conference and also for links to the relevant support agencies.

School Building Projects Risk Management Considerations Over 1300 schools are engaged in a building project at the moment or have been sanctioned to do so within the next year. School building projects present authorities with significant Health Safety and Insurance issues which must be addressed. The following guidelines issued by Allianz Insurance should prove to be of invaluable assistance to schools when taking on a building project.

Policy Cover It is important for all schools to realise that the Custodian School Protection Policy specifically excludes liability arising from or in connection with buildings and consequently separate insurance cover is required in respect of work of this nature. In view of the significant increase in exposure presented by such activities, Allianz recommends that all such work should be carried out by “bona fida” Contractors experienced in the type of work, to be carried out and who carry their own separate Public Liability and Employers’ Liability insurances. Taking this approach ensures that claims arising in connection with the work are dealt with under Contractor’s insurances and do not therefore impact on school premiums.

Confirmation that the Contractor does carry such insurance should be obtained prior to commencement of the work, including the following:a) That the cover is provided for the contract b) Such insurances are operative and will remain so during the currency of the contract. c) The limit of indemnity provided by such insurances is not less than €1,300,000 on any one accident. d) Such insurances provide an indemnity to the Insured.

The Architect overseeing the project should ensure that all the above are in place and it is not the duty of the Principal to put insurance cover in place.

Health and Safety All work of this nature is subject to the requirements of Health and Safety legislation. While there are implications for Insured’s under the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, for example – Section 17 which requires a person who commissions or procures construction work to appoint a competent person to ensure that the work is carried out safely – the principal duties arise under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (general application) Regulations 1993 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 1995 and 2001. – The Construction Regulations apply to :■ All building, civil engineering or engineering work.

■ Maintenance work on buildings or services.

■ Conversion, renovation or redecoration.

■ High pressure cleaning, and all work of a similar nature other than privately commissioned domestic work.

The Regulations impose the following duties on the “person or organisation who commissions the work” – i.e. School Management. a) Appoint a “competent” person (or Company) to act as Project Supervisor for the design stage. b) Appoint a “competent” person (or Company) to act as Project Supervisor for the construction stage,.

c) Keep and maintain a Safety File as defined in the Regulations and where necessary make it available for the future maintenance, alteration, renovation or other work on the structure. When a property or structure is disposed of, the Safety File must be passed to the new owner. d) The duties of the Project Supervisor for the design and construction stages are defined in detail in the Regulations. The Regulations do not, unfortunately, define the term "competent". However, in practice a qualified architect would be "competent" to carry out the duties of the Project Design Supervisor and a "bona fide" contractor experienced in the type of work to be carried out should be "competent" to carry out the duties of the Project Construction Supervisor. It is important to be fully aware, however, that the onus is on School Management to be satisfied that both the Architect and the Contractor are "competent". Additionally, it must be appreciated that compliance with the Regulations is not optional – it is a statutory obligation.

Controls Work of this nature creates physical hazards such as debris, cables/hoses etc. over walkways, falling objects, holes in floors and grounds, equipment and use of hazardous materials.

The following are examples of measures which should be taken to reduce the potential for losses:a) Require a written contract for all work to be carried out, including but not limited to the nature and timing of the work, areas within which is contained (fencing), pupil requirements, emergency/ evacuation procedures, security and welfare facilities. b) Provide a copy of your Safety Statement to the Contractor before they commence work on site. This should include controls and rules for contractors, to ensure the protection of Health and Safety of staff, pupil’s, contractors and others who may be affected when contractors are engaged in the school. c) No cutting, welding, and/or any application of heat ("hot work"), without a written hot work permit. In most cases the person issuing the permit will be the Project Supervisor appointed by the Insured.

Your insurance company can provide you with a Sample Hot Work Permit System on request. d) Scaffolding and other access equipment must be erected and maintained in accordance with current Regulations and Codes of Practice. e) Smoking is prohibited. f) All entrances and access routes must be kept clear at all times and free from obstruction. g) Appropriate signage should be erected. h) Implementation of agreed procedures in relation to the storage and use of hazardous materials. Such materials must be stored and used in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations. i) Review the Contractor's plans for protection of the site including, but not limited to, barricades, fencing, signs, overhead protection for walkways, covers for holes, provision of safety equipment and other measures.

Where you are planning to carry out any work of this nature, it is important that you advise your insurance company well in advance of the proposed commencement date so that all issues in relation to insuring the risk can be appropriately addressed.

Source: Allianz School Journal

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IPPN Submission Paper

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE Principals generally enjoy a good working relationship with their Boards of Management.

Having a constructive and respectful relationship forms one of the corner stones of a successful and effective school. Similarly, the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) enjoys a very fruitful relationship with the National Organisations representing Management Boards of Primary schools. In this context, IPPN, in conjunction with the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA) published and circulated ‘a framework of good practice’ for Boards of Management in 2004.

consensus by the six earlier members.

The Education Act stipulates the Board of Management operating as a 'Body Corporate'. In the context of the local nature of school communities is this achievable or do members of the BoM function in a representative fashion?

The Board of Management on behalf of the Patron employs the staff of the school. If the Department of Education and Science regulates recruitment, determines the place of work, pays the salary, sets down terms and conditions of employment, deducts tax, pension and PRSI, regulates holidays/sick leave, determines the nature of the work, evaluates the quality of

In the six years since IPPN was established to support and represent the role of school leader, two key issues continue to present themselves requiring in-depth research and renewal. These are In School Managemgnt and Boards of Management —The role of Principal is often described as ‘pivotal’, ‘strategically important’, ‘Chief Executive Officer’, ‘a lightning conductor’ etc. In all images the role of Principal is at the centre of decision making, communications and carries a broad range of responsibilities. It is however at the level of Board of Management, that Principals Teachers have greatest concerns in relation to accountablility and sustained good practice. The following are what IPPN consider to be a menu of questions which outline the issues, concerns and challenges identified by Principals in our research on School Governance.

ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL?

■ What is the difference between Governance and Management?

■ Are Primary School Boards of Management engaged in a Governance function or a Management function?

■ What impact is the decline of voluntarism having on BoMs? ■ What risks are associated with declining voluntarism?

■ Can a BoM structure which was established c.1975, satisfactorily serve the needs of schools in 2006?

■ Whose responsibility is it to ensure that School Governance is sufficiently empowered to meet current and future education needs?

■ The BoM is a group of eight people made up of four pairs, each coming from a different constituency - two parents elected by Parent Body, the Principal (Mandatory) and one other teacher elected by the staff, two patron representatives (one as Chairperson) nominated by Patron and two community representatives co-opted following

What other aspects of public service delivery have a Board of Management consisting of representatives from those who ‘consume’ the service. The Principal is accountable in law to the Board of Management yet most BoMs are predominantly dependent on the Principal for advice and information. Is this good practice?

Does it run the risk of a Principal having undue opportunity to ‘manage’ the Board? ie - The Principal has stated he is responsible to the BoM in law and is also legally obliged to provide leadership to the whole school community? Is there a risk of role contradiction in these parallel functions? Current BoM structure was designed in 1975 and barely ‘tweaked’ in 1995. The fundamental infrastructure and capacity of a BoM may have been appropriate for the governance/management requirements of that era. With seven pieces of major legislation as well as the advent of School Development Planning, Revised Curriculum, Leadership Development, National Policy Initiatives such as ICT, Special Education Needs, Education Disadvantage and many more, impacting on schools since 1998, is the same infrastructure appropriate or indeed capable of exercising its function in 2005?

Does a Board of Management enjoy a fair balance between the responsibility it holds and on the other hand the authority and resources it requires? work, redeploys surplus staff etc. Can it be sure that it is still the BoM/Patron who is the employer given that all ‘employer type’ functions are carried out by the DES?

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In the event of a serious challenge based on decisions made or not made by a BoM, would a Board be able to successfully defend its competence given that the majority of its members would not be within the profession of the business they are managing? Does a Board of Management enjoy a fair balance between the responsibility it holds and on the other hand and the authority and resources it requires? In light of current trends, will BoMs be in danger of becoming a ‘layer of insulation’ between the Exchequer and the ‘consumers’ of public education? What accountability structures are in place for BoMs who are either grossly underperforming or indeed over performing?

Why has the legislation enacted in 1998 never been adequately interpreted in a language and manner which would be useful to those serving on BoMs? In an era of declining volunteerism, why is it acceptable that many patrons and Principals have to coerce individuals to serve on a BoM? If somebody is acting in a purely voluntary basis and is an ‘education amateur’, can this person be held accountable for his/her part in decision making? Does every school need its own BoM? Approximately 1,000 schools have three teachers or less, yet these schools have an eight person Board of Management? In areas requiring high levels of compliance e.g. finance, employment, Special Education Needs, equality etc, how do BoMs of Primary Schools establish their competency given the scarcity of training, absence of resources and wide range of responsibilities? Is there a value in considering

In an era of declining volunteerism, why is it acceptable that many patrons and Principals have to coerce individuals to serve on a BoM? the provision of professionally trained, paid and accountable staff to support BoMs in areas such as managing capital projects, maintenance, contracts/payments for part time staff, financial management etc on a regional/district basis?

Given the reality of the make up of BoMs and their membership directly taken from the school community, is it reasonable to expect the BoM to function as a normal employer in instances where there are either staff difficulties or professional competency issues? Is there a value in considering a number of small schools being governed by a shared BoM? Why does a BoM

Principals ‘Step Down’ Facility

renew its entire membership all at once? Is it wise that often there is but one person, usually the Principal, acting as link from old to new BoM? Is there a clear understanding of a BoMs level of accountability, responsibility and authority? Is there a clear understanding of where a BoMs role ends and that of Principal teacher begins? With growing trends of lobbying teachers and Principals by vested interest parent groups, what are the implications for BoMs if more and more operational decisions such as class to teacher allocation are being referred to the BoM by the Principal and staff?

There are many questions, however a dearth of answers. IPPN represents the professional needs of Principals and Deputy Principals in 3,300 Primary Schools. In the space of ten years, Principals have gone from being delighted with the BoM that does nothing as ‘it allows me get on with running the school’ to bemoaning the

What are the implications for BoMs if more and more operational decisions such as class to teacher allocation are being referred to the BoM by the Principal and staff? ‘unavailability of the Chairperson and the unwillingness of BoM members to take on a management role’. This shift in attitude is like a barometer of the pressure on schools arising from rafts of legislation and continuous waves of policy initiatives.

IPPN strongly recommends that the Oireachtas Committee establish an independently run research, and consultation process, to examine all aspects of school management and governance.

The alternative is to do nothing other than to ‘maintain’ the current set up which is grossly outdated. There are few businesses as important as the education of our children. The quality of learning and teaching in a school is heavily dependent on the quality of leadership and governance in place.

East West Contact Seminar, Liverpool, 2nd – 4th February 2007 Following the Good Friday Agreement, the East West Programme was initiated to strengthen school partnerships and to encourage friendship and understanding between young people in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Priority is given to projects promoting respect and accommodation of difference through increased knowledge and insight into each others’ culture.

If you would like to initiate a project between your school and one in the UK, I am delighted to inform you about the upcoming 3-day contact seminar to be held from: 2nd – 4th February 2007 in Liverpool – venue to be confirmed.

All Irish, English, Welsh, and Scottish Primary and Post Primary School Teachers interested in participating in the East-West programme are invited to apply to attend this seminar in Liverpool, to learn about the programme, discuss project ideas, exchange information, and make initial contacts with potential partner schools.

Funding will be made available to successful applicants in the form of travel coast (flights, train or bus),hotel accommodation and meals will also be paid by Leargas for the duration of the seminar.

Please note that the deadline for submission of your application is 4th January 2007. Priority will be given to schools that have not already been involved in an East West Project or have not already attended a contact seminar. In the interest of fairness places will be allocated on a first come basis.

If you would like discuss any issues relating to the East West Contact Seminars please call Kathleen Carey on 01-8871212 or via email on: kcarey@leargas.ie . For more information on the programme please visit our web site: www.leargas.ie/education/eastwest.html.

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Evidence gathered by the INTO and IPPN over recent years clearly indicates that many Principals are looking for a way out due to an impossible workload, increased expectations, and feelings of being undervalued. The inaugural IPPN President, Mr. Jim Hayes called for such a step down facility for Principals at the IPPN conference in Galway in 2001. The INTO has done valuable research work on the same theme in recent years and concludes that new initiatives, lack of training and supports, salary issues and a completely changed educational landscape are all contributing towards forcing Principals to ‘hand back the keys’.

Options for Principals The options currently available to Principals include: ■ Retirement after 40 years service ■ Early retirement ■ Retirement under one of the strands ■ Resign as Principal and seek teaching post in the same school or in another school.

Retirement may not be ideal option for a Principal. It will incur reduced pension entitlements and in some cases may lead to a lowering of self esteem and a feeling of failure. The loss to the school will also be considerable as a wealth of experience and significant management and leadership skills will have been lost.

A Principal who retires and seeks a post in the same school will endure a loss of seniority while he/she faces open competition for a teaching post if they seek a post in another school as well as a loss of previously accrued seniority and pension entitlements.

IPPN will support the INTO in seeking to secure ■ retention of seniority ■ an early retirement scheme for Principals ■ preservation of pension benefits ■ Automatic rights to next available vacancy within the same school when stepping down.

■ Panel rights for Principals who step down.

Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar

Pre-Publication Executive Summary by Caoimhe Mairtin

School leadership, and the role of the Principal teacher, has benefited from reflection, consideration, and action in recent years. The role of Deputy Principal has not received the same level of attention, and Deputy Principals could correctly feel that their positions, roles, duties, and functions have remained unclear and undervalued. It is for this reason that IPPN has produced Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar, a discussion document on the role of the Deputy Principal. This paper examines the leadership challenge facing Deputy Principals; it gives voice to the views and reflections of Deputy Principals on their role; it examines the potential for providing distributed leadership capacity in schools, and it identifies an action plan in the form of key recommendations listed at the end of the report.

Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar begins with a historical framework tracing policy development for the post of Deputy Principal. It is over thirty years since a policy statement on the role of vice/Deputy Principal was last issued by the Department of Education (Circular 16/73).

This tracing of the role in Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar indicates how Deputy Principals have not been appropriately positioned in the management structure of Irish Primary schools. In many instances Deputy Principals have less defined areas of responsibility than post-holders as they ‘stand-by to step-up’.

What is most evident is a sequence of missed opportunities and undeveloped potential for leadership.

Possibly the most interesting aspect of Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar is the compilation of the views of a core group of approximately 150 participant Deputy Principals who sought to identify indicators of effectiveness for the leadership post of Deputy Principals. This group was facilitated during the 2004 IPPN Deputy Principals’ Conference to engage in an action research project on describing their role, identifying the issues and challenges, suggesting recommendations for the development of the role of Deputy Principal, and enhancing and extending the partnership potential of distributed leadership between Principal and Deputy Principal.

PROMOTING PARTNERSHIP The ideal relationship between the Deputy Principal and Principal was characterised by partnership and mutuality, which confirmed that the ideal role relationship was not that of the Deputy being a relatively unimportant shadow of the Principal but rather one with both playing dual roles, heightening the need for effective communication, in sharing out the leadership responsibilities. Deputy Principals identified six key indicators of effectiveness in leadership that ideally should permeate the dual-roles of Principal and Deputy Principal. These indicators were good communication, knowledge and confidence, an interdependent partnership, good interpersonal skills, self-confidence and selfesteem, and professional development IPPN facilitated workshops with Deputy Principals also addressed the complexities that arise for Principals and Deputy Principals in their role-relationships. In order to overcome challenging leadership issues Deputy Principals identified two particular areas that were important for the leadership partnership– (i) having a clarity of purpose which required an agreed vision, identifying issues and confirming decisions; and (ii) focusing on the team aspect of dual leadership, encouraging and promoting a visible team within the school, and developing and promoting a collaborative leadership culture.

Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar moves from the historical and descriptive aspects of the role through to identifying issues and challenges, but more importantly, the document concludes with some simple, yet profound statements on what makes for good and effective leadership between Principals and Deputy Principals. The eight ‘leadership value statements’ emerging from the research on and with Deputy Principals are simple yet profound: ■ Leadership is not something you do ‘to’ people – it is something you do ‘with’ people ■ Shared leadership requires a shared vision ■ Effective leadership cannot be realised in the absence of good communication ■ Leadership positions in essence are about leading.

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■ Leadership involves management and more ■ Leadership requires a team.

■ Effective leadership involves role review, appraisal, affirmation ■ Leadership assumes relationship And to complement – and realise - these vision statements the concluding chapter in the draft report recommends twelve action-points that need to be addressed if change is to occur and Principals and Deputy Principals are to develop a team leadership-partnership in schools.

These action-points focus on role-definition, role-operation, and role-extention. Some of the suggested action points seek leadership time and co-leadership time for Principals and Deputy Principals, leadership release days for Deputy Principals, an equal role-status for Deputy Principals in Primary and Post-Primary schools, courses on interactive partnership for Principals and Deputy Principals, and much more, as described at the end of the report.

The leadership-relationship of Principal and Deputy Principal impacts on the leadership culture of the entire school. It is for this reason that Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar is considered to be an important research document. IPPN has presented this document in draft ‘green-paper’ format to provide for discussion and feedback prior to finalising and publication. Its publication will hopefully help to re-position the thinking around the leadership partnership of Principals and Deputy Principals in schools.

The full document is available on IPPN’s website www.ippn.ie. IPPN invites Principals and Deputy Principals who wish to provide comment/feedback or suggestions on the draft Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar to do so by Friday, 19th January. Every effort will be made to ensure that feed-back provided is reflected in the final document. This is your statement on the role of Deputy Principal and on the partnership role of Principal and Deputy Principal – your contribution will be most valuable. It is hoped to have the final Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar publication distributed to schools

by March 2007.

PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE

Question:

What are the employee’s duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005? What are the penalties for employees who break their statutory duty?

The following is offered as a guide for Principals and Deputy Principals so that they will have some understanding of the new legislation. More detailed information on this subject and on all other areas of health and safety is available from the Health and Safety Authority (free of charge) on their website: www.hsa.ie The 2005 Act has repeated many of the employee’s duties of the 1989 Act while also introducing some important new duties.

Section 13 and 14 of the Act outline the employee duties, while section 77 outlines the penalties, which may occur if they breach their statutory duties under this Act. Section 13 is intended to protect the employee, fellow employees and other people affected by their actions.

This section could apply to students if they behaved recklessly in a laboratory, construction studies room or technology room for example or where students misuse Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or remove/damage safety equipment such as fire extinguishers.

Section 77 states that a person having duties under the Act, is guilty of an offence if another person suffers a personal injury as a consequence of them breaching their statutory duties. This section sets out the full range of offences applicable under the Act. Section 78 provides for a fine under summary jurisdiction not exceeding €3,000 for a person guilty of an offence under the first category of offences set out in Section 77(1). A person found guilty of any other offence set out in Section 77 is liable, on summary conviction (in the District Court) to a fine not exceeding €3,000 and/or up to 6 months imprisonment. Charges brought on indictment (in the Circuit Court) may lead to a fine not exceeding €3 million and/or 2 years imprisonment.

The duties of an employee are: ■ To comply with relevant Safety Law, both in the 2005 Act and Failure to comply with the duties results in criminal prosecution for elsewhere. (New) breech of duty and can lead to: ■ To take reasonable care to protect their safety and that of others a. difficulties obtaining a travel visa. affected by their acts or omissions. b. not able to serve on state bodies.

■ Not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs to the extent that c. a criminal Record they are likely to endanger their safety or that of others. (New) ■ If reasonably required, to submit to appropriate tests for intoxicants under the supervision of a competent Employees who do Section 79 will allow the Minister to introduce regulations prescribing a range of offences as being liable registered medical practitioner. (New) not comply with for on-the-spot-fines up to €1,000, payable within 21 (Note that this has yet to be introduced, as consultation Payments will be made to the Health and Safety between the social partners is taking place. Also the safety and health days.

Authority and a receipt issued, which should be kept as Minister will submit it in draft form to the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise). rules will find it proof of payment.

■ To co-operate with their employer to help in difficult to object if In the event of a Civil Liability claim against an employer, complying with safety legislation. breach of the employee’s statutory duty may be used ■ Not to engage in improper conduct or behaviour that their employer takes aagainst them to indicate contributory negligence – is likely to endanger safety or health. (New) Violence, Horseplay or Bullying would come into this section. disciplinary action examples of case law exist to support this assertion.

■ To attend appropriate training and instruction given by against them.

Employees who do not comply with Safety and Health their employer. (New) rules will find it difficult to object if their employer takes ■ Correctly use any article, substance, protective clothing disciplinary action against them. The Employment Appeals Tribunal has and equipment provided for use at work (by their employer) to in the past ruled that dismissals based on these grounds and following protect their safety or health. proper procedures were fair.

■ Not to misrepresent their level of training, upon entering into an employment contract.

Section 23 covers medical fitness to work and subject to the making of ■ To report to their supervisor, or other appropriate person: • work being carried out in a manner, which may endanger health or specific Regulations, which will name the types of employment concerned and under what circumstances, it will give rights to the employer to require safety. (New) employees to be assessed by a registered medical practitioner as • contraventions of the statutory provisions, which may endanger nominated by the employer as to fitness to carry out work which presents health or safety. (New) critical risks to the Safety, Health and Welfare of Persons at Work.

• defects in the place, system or equipment at work, which may endanger health or safety.

If the registered medical practitioner is of the view that an employee is unfit to perform such work, he or she must tell the employer and Section 14 prohibits any person from recklessly interfering with or indicate the likelihood of early resumption of work for rehabilitative misusing anything provided under law for securing health and safety, or purposes. The registered medical practitioner must also tell the place at risk the safety of people in connection with work activities. It is employee and give him/her the reasons for that opinion. worth noting that this applies to persons and not just persons at work.

Continued on page 22.

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Continued from page 21.

If an employee covered by this section becomes aware that he or she is suffering from any disease or illness likely to expose him or her or any other person to an increased risk of danger in connection with any work activity, he/she must immediately inform their employer or a registered medical practitioner, nominated by the employer.

If the employer is informed as above by either a nominated registered medical practitioner or the employee, immediate action must be taken by the employer to comply with the general duties under Section 8 as regards the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work of his/her employees.

Section 27 of the Act states that an employer may not penalise or threaten penalisation against an employee for: a) complying with legislation b) performing duties (such as safety rep or safety committee) c) refusing to work in a situation of serious and imminent danger.

Note: Penalisation can include suspension, demotion, transfer of duties, or change in working hours.

Section 28 – 31 (new) contains detailed provisions on dispute resolution about Safety and Health. So where the employer breaches Section 27, the employee has

If an employee becomes aware that he or she is suffering from any disease or illness likely to expose him or her or any other person to an increased risk of danger in connection with any work activity, he/she must immediately inform their employer rights under Section 28 to appeal such decisions.

Section 85 provides that the Health and Safety Authority may, from time to time, compile and publish lists of names and addresses and the description of business or other activity of persons on whom a Court under Safety and Health legislation imposed fines or other penalties, The list must include details, as the Authority thinks fit, of the matter involved and the fine, penalty, notice or order concerned.

This would be negative publicity for the individual and may effect them when making future career changes as companies will be able to check the published lists when checking out potential candidates when filling vacancies.

textasub tex-asub.ie .ie

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This information is then automatically sent by text message to all substitute teachers who have registered their mobile phone numbers with www.textasub.ie

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Love it or hate it, punctuation makes a difference

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Jill PAGE 22

ELMORE’S PRINCIPAL OF RECIPROCITY

“

For each unit of performance I ( the system) demand of you (the school), I have an equal and reciprocal responsibility to provide you with a unit of capacity to produce that performance.

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”

Educational Recommendations for

Autism Spectrum Disorders Author: Elaine Williams, M.A., Child Development Specialist, Autism and Related Disorders INTRODUCTION Autism is a lifelong disability with symptoms typically appearing during the first three years of life. Autism Spectrum Disorders are neurobiologically based and encompass a wide range of disabilities that may affect thought, perception, and attention. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) and include: Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Asperger’s Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett’s Syndrome, and Autistic Disorder.

The major characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders are: ■ Language delays and/or deficits ■ Abnormal ways of relating to people, objects, or events ■ Unusual reactions to sounds, sights, taste, touch, or smell ■ Uneven developmental abilities, scattered strengths and weaknesses The mildest forms of Autism Spectrum Disorders often appear similar to language delays and learning disabilities. More severe forms may include repetitive behaviors and aggressive behaviors. It is important to distinguish Autism from other disorders since incorrect diagnosis may result in inappropriate and ineffective treatments.

The prevalence of ASDs is currently understood to be 6 per 1,000 for the entire Spectrum of Autistic Disorders, with 2/3 of those being in the high-functioning classifications. The implication for educators regarding these statistics is that many ASD students have the cognitive ability to be included in regular classrooms. It is critical for educators to understand that the cognitive and

language competence of individuals with Asperger Syndrome may mask their significant social and communication difficulties, for which classroom adaptations can enable them to succeed personally as well as academically.

Syndrome/high functioning Autism need to be in a school setting with typical peers where they can learn and practice vital socialcommunication skills in functional and relevant situations.

Autism Spectrum Disorders are treatable. Early diagnosis and intervention are vital to the future development of the child. Research indicates that with appropriate treatment, individuals with Autism can continue to make progress throughout their lives.

2. Functional Skills: Although the student with ASD may be able to learn ordinary rote academic skills (such as identifying colors, shapes, numbers, and letters), special attention must be given to the application of skills such as math and reading to practical tasks like independently buying an ice cream and getting the correct change. It is important to focus on the relevance of information to the individual's functioning in the real world. The emphasis should be on teaching in context--doing real things in real-life situations.

1. Educational Setting: The child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder requires a highly structured program with an emphasis on the systematic presentation of materials, with a small class size and a student:teacher ratio which permits considerable personalized attention. Children with Autism learn much better in 1:1 or small group instruction because of their difficulties with attention. It is essential that experiences both in the classroom and at home be structured and systematic, thereby promoting a sense of predictability for the child and enabling him to handle transitions and changes in routines more easily.

No single educational technique or method has been shown to be effective with all ASD children; hence, an eclectic approach, combining all of the techniques which are appropriate to the individual child at this particular time in her life, is essential.

Because of the heterogeneous nature of Autism Spectrum Disorders, there will be a need within the school system to provide a variety of educational settings for children with ASD, including individualized attention in special educational classrooms, and partially- or whollyintegrated placements in regular classes (inclusion). Students with Asperger's PAGE 24

3. Ideally, we want to help the child with ASD to reach the goals of competence and independence. Because the nature of Autism interferes with the learning of pragmatic social and communication skills, the school must include the responsibility for the specific, direct training in functional social skills in the child's Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) in addition to academic goals.

4. While it is sometimes necessary and desirable to provide 1:1 instruction for the child with Autism, particularly during the preschool years if there are speech and attention difficulties, the child with ASD should be encouraged to work in small groups (1 adult to 2 or 3 students) where she can learn and practice the social and communication skills which will enable interactions with other children and adults in the everyday world.

Care should be taken to avoid separating the child, either physically or psychologically from social interactions with classmates. If the child

has an instructional aide, it is best for that person to facilitate instruction and social interactions in as non-intrusive a way as possible, enabling the child to do the work himself with adequate support, thereby fostering independent functioning over the long term.

5. Because Autism is such a complex, heterogeneous disorder, individualized programming is both appropriate and essential for the child with ASD, with frequent reviews to ensure that progress is being made on all Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) goals.

Individualized teaching should be demonstrable on a daily basis in the training of specific and functional skills in a variety of areas. The child's IEP should be based on shortterm goals and objectives which are mutually agreed upon by her teachers and parents, and which are modified according to her capacity to respond.

6. The child's teachers, SNAs, and therapists should be trained and experienced in working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Additional staff training through on-site consultations, inservice workshops, and conferences will enable teachers to continue to expand their repertoire of educational techniques for the Autism Spectrum Disorders.

7. The child with ASD demonstrates his need for consistency by his preference to continue playing the same way with certain toys or materials ("preference for sameness/ resistance to change"), which is more comfortable to him than the relative unpredictability of interacting with new persons or places. Consistency will promote learning and generalization to new situations, as well as being the basis for building success and trust for the ASD child.

The child's preference for sameness, insistence on rigid routines, and the tantrums or meltdowns that may result when she is frustrated or overwhelmed, are all evidence for the anxiety which is common to persons with Autism. The learning environment should be structured so as to help the child accept changes gradually over time. This process can be greatly facilitated through the use of visual materials (picture schedules, written or computerized planners, sequence strips, daily calendars) to let the child know the order of activities and any variations in the usual sequence of events before and as they occur.

8. Individuals with Autism often have difficulty processing information that comes at them too rapidly, producing overload and shutdown of their ability to understand and respond. It is important to give children and adults with ASD a little extra time (this is known as latency) to process and respond to what has been said or requested.

9. Transitions from one activity to another present considerable difficulty for persons

with Autism because their sensorimotor world is quite disorganized, based on central nervous system dysfunction. Maintaining "sameness" and/or adherence to their "rules" or standards are ways for them to keep from being overwhelmed by stimuli, and to attain a sense of security that comes from being able to predict what's going to happen next.

10. MAKE IT VISUAL! Because most persons with ASD are much better visual than auditory learners, it is strongly recommended that facilitating transitions as well as general classroom instruction should be accomplished using visual materials which are paired with clear, concrete, concise verbal instructions. For example, one way for a child to comprehend the flow of activities at home and at school is to use a daily calendar in both settings, with a drawing or photo plus the word for each activity. These can be discussed in terms of what he just did, what he's doing now, and what he's going to do next, thereby facilitating his sense of continuity, structure, and security.

COMMUNICATION 1. Communication that is truly functional should be the top priority for instruction of children with ASD. Limitations in both receptive and expressive language interfere with their understanding and performance of a wide variety of learning activities. It is strongly recommended that pictorial-based systems, such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or the Prizant/Weatherby Transactional Exchanges, be utilized.

2. For children with Autism who may have below-average cognitive functioning, and little or no expressive language, the most urgent priority is to provide them with a means to communicate their wants and needs. Their behaviours - sometimes aggressive or anxious are indeed their means of communication.

Furthermore, children with ASD typically have significant deficits in auditory processing, which makes it difficult for them to understand verbal instructions. One function of echolalia (repeating what has been said, either immediately or after a delay) is for the child to have more time to process and respond to what was just asked or said.

3. Although students with Asperger Syndrome may have a large vocabulary and little difficulty in expressing themselves, they usually have significant problems with pragmatic languagethe unspoken, between-the-lines aspects of communication which include gestures, facial expressions and body language. Children with Asperger's typically need IEP goals and objectives. Asperger's children and adults may also need help in learning to initiate speech with both adults and peers.

SOCIAL 1. Since individuals with ASD, including those with Asperger Syndrome, are essentially "socially learning disabled", children with Autism need to learn how to initiate and carry PAGE 25

out appropriate and complex play interactions with peers, which is more than just parallel play, involving truly sharing in cooperative activities. For persons with Asperger's, the greatest impediment to successful career and life adaptation as adults is the lack of appropriate interpersonal skills. These skills must be trained very specifically from an early age throughout all school years and in varying real-life contexts so that they generalize into useful overall abilities which facilitate competence and independence as an adult.

2. Furthermore, it is difficult for persons with ASD to learn social skills just by observing a model, so that how to behave appropriately and what other options might be available must be specifically taught and rehearsed across a wide variety of everyday situations.

Just telling the child not to do something is inadequate--they must be taught a number of behavioral options which are appropriate in that situation. That is, we must deliberately teach what they need to know and do in social interactions. Carol Gray's "Social Stories" can be very helpful in this regard (see www.thegraycenter.org).

MOTIVATION AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS 1. The ASD child's interest and cooperation in activities which can promote his learning are likely to be best motivated by utilizing his own special interests or routines (whatever is truly important to him at the time, such as aliens and outer space themes, dinosaurs, trains, mermaids, jumping, playing with strings, favorite music, water play) as a means to teach and provide practice in new concepts. In addition, giving the student frequent short “rest breaks� in which he can engage in his own self-directed play or stereotypic behaviors should be beneficial in rewarding the child's cooperation for and continuation of other educational tasks.

2. Regarding tantrums and other undesirable behaviors, it is recommended that the child's parents and teachers study the situations in which the behaviors occur, then change the antecedents and/or consequences as necessary.

It is important to try to anticipate times or situations which are most likely to provoke outbursts and head them off preventatively.

Offering the child frequent, short breaks and/or using systematic rewards for his compliance (such as play with Legos, if that's a favourite activity) are additional means for reinforcement of his cooperative efforts.

3. The use of medications in conjunction with appropriate behavior management techniques is often the best way to help with attentional and behavioural problems. Consultation regarding medical management should be discussed with a physician who is experienced in treating children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Source: Pathfinders

Key Research on

Children in Ireland www.textaparent.ie Would you like to be able to send a brief message to the parents 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 textaparent to send messages to the parents in our school?

Arrange for the collection of the parents’ mobile telephone numbers Log on to www.textaparent.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 you 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

The first ever significant research on children in Ireland is about to commence in 2007. Growing Up in Ireland – a National Longitudinal Study of Children will examine the development and general wellbeing of children at the ages of 9 months and 9 years. It will be of major benefit to Principals and teachers as it will provide the quality of evidence needed to shape National and school based policy for children’s education.

What is it about?

The main objective is to paint a full picture of children in Ireland today and to understand what factors affect their development in the current social, economic and cultural climate.

The results will be used to help shape related policy and the provision of services to improve the lives of all children and ensure they can have the best start in life.

What will it tell us?

The purpose of the study is to improve our understanding of all aspects of children and their development. It will: ■ Tell us how children in Ireland develop over time.

■ Help us to find out what factors affect a child’s development.

■ Look at what makes for a healthy and happy childhood and what might lead to a less happy one.

■ Help us to discover what children think of their own lives and learn what it means to be a child in Ireland today. The study is designed to ensure that the voices of children themselves are heard. It is very much a study of children, for children, with children.

Who is running the study?

A Government funded initiative, Growing Up in Ireland is being jointly carried out by the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute) and Trinity College Dublin. Although it is the first of its kind ever to have been carried out in Ireland, it follows in the footsteps of a host of similar studies already being carried out worldwide in countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and the US. These countries are now reaping significant benefits in terms of understanding children and their development.

Why is it so important?

Speaking about the study, Professor James Williams, Principal Investigator and Co-director of Growing Up in Ireland explains: "Over the next seven years we will be following the progress of 18,000 children from all across Ireland and learning about everything from their

PAGE 26

social and emotional development to their educational and physical development."

"We have already seen huge benefits from similar studies conducted in other countries. In the UK, for instance, a funded pre-school year was implemented for children based on a finding that this has a significant impact on a child’s development. And in Canada, targeted language support was introduced for immigrant children, which led to higher academic achievement on their part within two years."

Professor Sheila Greene Co-director of the study, based in the Children’s Research Centre, TCD, added: "From an educational perspective we will be looking at what role the education system plays in a child’s development with a view to developing policies to encourage positive educational outcomes for as many children as possible. Most importantly we will also be able to relate a range of personal, family, community and school characteristics to a child’s success in the educational system."

How will it work?

The initial part of the study, which is due to begin in the coming weeks, will focus on 8,000 9-year-old children who will be selected randomly through the National School System.

To ensure that a complete picture of each child is created, information will be sought from the children themselves as well as their parents, teachers and School Principals.

In the coming weeks the researchers will be approaching 750 randomly selected schools from across Ireland to invite them to take part.

Keeping in mind the ever increasing workload which Principals and teachers now face, each school will be designated a specially trained study researcher to ensure minimal impact on the schools taking part.

The cooperation and participation of schools is of great importance as they have a key role to play in the study. Although the study is voluntary, it is hoped that all schools will support this hugely important work. The importance of Growing Up in Ireland cannot be overstated as it is the most significant and exciting of its kind ever to be undertaken in this country with the potential to shape the lives of children for years to come.

For more information on the study please contact: Jillian Heffernan Communications Officer, Growing Up in Ireland.

Ph: 01 8963378 or E: jheffern@tcd.ie

EPSEN Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004

THE REALITY FOR PRINCIPALS AND SCHOOLS

One of the key provisions of The Education for Persons with Special Education needs (EPSEN) Act is to provide a legislative basis for the introduction of Individual Educational Plans (lEP's) for students with Special Needs in an inclusive environment so that they have the right to and can benefit from appropriate education as their peers. In particular the Act provides for the increased involvement of parents in the education of their children, who have an assessed need, so that they have an opportunity to engage in social and economic activities contributing to independent and fulfilled lives.

Individual Education Plans An Individual Education Plan is a written plan specifying learning goals that are to be achieved by a student over a period of time. It only documents what is additional to or different from the curriculum that is being provided in the classroom. The plan will also outline strategies, supports and resources to be used in reaching these goals. It is important to remember that lEP's are not yet a statutory requirement. The Implementation Plan presented to the Minister in October will address the timing and commencement of the plans.

The Role of the Principal If the Principal forms an opinion or is made aware that a student is not benefiting from the ordinary education programme being provided in the school and if the staged approach (Circular 24/03) and 02/05) has failed to redress the situation, the Principal shall, after consultation with the parents, arrange for an assessment of the child to be carried out. It is in order for the Principal to delegate this function to some other teacher within the school whom he/she considers appropriate. Alternatively, the Principal may request the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to arrange and carry out the assessment. It is within the remit of the Council to refuse a Principal's request for an assessment to be arranged and if this is the case, the Principal may appeal the Council's decision to an Appeals Board. In any event an assessment must be completed within 3 months of the Principal forming the opinion that the child may have Special Educational Needs. It is the duty of the Principal or the person designated by the Principal to ensure that the Special Needs Organiser (SENO), parents and other appropriate agencies are consulted in the drawing up of an IEP which must be activated within one month of receipt of the assessment.

Council Directed Education Plans If the Principal is of the opinion that a school IEP

will not meet the child's Special Educational Needs, the Principal can request the Council to prepare an IEP. An IEP prepared by the Council supersedes other lEP's. Assessments should only be carried out by qualified personnel such as a medical practitioner, psychologist, qualified therapist, qualified social worker, Principal or qualified teacher nominated by the Principal. The Special Needs Organiser is charged with the responsibility of convening the assessment team.

Principal Directed Education Plan The Principal is required to ensure that specific guidelines required by the Council in relation to the preparation of Education Plans are followed.

These include ■ Facilitation of the involvement of all relevant agencies ■ The nature and degree of the child's abilities, talents and needs ■ The educational performance and needs of the child ■ The supports and resources necessary for the child to achieve ■ The goals which the child is to achieve over a period not exceeding 12 months The Principal is expected to ensure the implementation of an Education Plan while it is the duty of the Minister for Education/Science to provide money, resources and supports to assist the Principal in the implementation of the plan.

The process involves information gathering such as formal tests, teacher designed tests, curriculum based assessment, teacher observation, diagnostic assessment and work samples. The child's strengths, interests and needs are recorded, priority needs are identified and targets are set linked to the broader curriculum.

Transition from Schools If a child for whom an education plan has been prepared is transferring from one school to another, the Principal of the child's current school must consult with the Principal of the child's proposed new school before the child moves. This measure enables the new Principal to make any amendments to the plan which he/she considers necessary having consideration for the Special Educational Needs of the child. The new Principal must inform the parents of any such amendments. Consultation with the SENO may also be necessary to review the plan.

Designation of a school Under the Act the National Council for Special Education may, at the request of parents, designate the school which a child with Special Education needs is to attend. When directed by the Council the designated school must admit PAGE 27

the child. Obviously, the school’s ability to accommodate additional students and the capacity of the school to meet the child's needs must be taken into account. A school can appeal against such designations, through the Board of Management but must be clearly able to demonstrate that the school does not have the capacity or resources to meet the needs of the child. An appeal by the Board of Management must be heard within 2 months of the appeal being made.

Review of I.E.P Section 11 of the EPSEN Act places the onus on the Principal to ensure that each education plan is reviewed at regular intervals "but in any case not less than once a year". The main objective of the review process is to establish whether the child has received the services requested and whether the child is achieving the targets specified in the plan. Amendments may have to be made such as changing targets or modifying teaching strategies and all recommendations of the review must be reported by the Principal to the parents and the SENO. The SENO may then decide to reconvene the I.E.P team if goals specified in the plan haven't been achieved by the child.

The Role of the Board of Management It is the function of a schools' Board of Management to ensure that a child with Special Needs is educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs, provided that the provision of such education is in the best interests of both the Special Needs child and the children with whom the child is to be educated. It is also the duty of the Board of Management to ensure that parents are fully aware of the child's needs and the schools provision for those needs. The Board of Management must also facilitate parents in all significant decisions concerning their child's education and ensure that all teachers and employees of the school are aware of the Special Educational Needs of students and the importance of identifying students who may have Special Educational Needs through the "staged approach" (Circular 02/05).

Conclusion Careful and systematic planning for pupils with special educational needs is extremely important. A whole school approach is essential.

Collaboration and advance planning ensures efficient outcomes and reduces fragmentation.

Ongoing professional development and the sharing of expertise is vital to ensure targets are met and new goals identified. Always, as Principal, acknowledge and record good practice and affirm the Special Education Team regularly.

Avoid excessive paperwork and let common sense guide you in everyday procedures.