Leadership+ Issue 102 January 2018 by Irish Primary Principals’ Network

ISSUE 102 / JANUARY 2018

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS

Time to Focus on

TEACHING & Learning

Weather Related Damage to your School Property What to do? Winter can be a magical time, where families and old friends come together like no other time of year. The weather is generally fresh and a little bit cold, which gives us all an excuse to curl up in front of the fire and enjoy a relaxing night in. While tis’ a season that can be enjoyed for the many benefits it brings, we also have to ensure that our property is winter ready. It doesn’t take extreme weather events for damage to occur so it is very important that schools are prepared and know what to do in the event of damage occurring. To ensure you know what to do in an emergency, we have outlined the practical steps Allianz customers can take if your school suffers a burst pipe, storm or flood damage:

IN THE EVENT OF YOUR PROPERTY SUFFERING FROM A BURST PIPE: I

Turn off the water at the mains stop tap as soon as you discover the leak. Drain the cold water system by turning on all your cold water taps. Turn off any water heating system, such as central heating or immersion heaters and then drain

the hot water system by turning on the hot water taps. Switch off the electrical mains if you think the water may have leaked near your electrics or electrical appliances. However, if the mains switch is wet, DO NOT TOUCH IT. Call a plumber to ﬁx the leak and an electrician if you think your electrical wiring may have been damaged by water. Contact Allianz as soon as possible so that we can commence processing an investigation of your claim.

IN THE EVENT OF YOUR PROPERTY SUFFERING STORM OR FLOOD DAMAGE: I

You can contact a contractor to inspect the roof and, if necessary, carry out emergency repairs initially. Photograph the damage to your property and contents, before any emergency repairs are carried out if possible. Wet or damaged items can be lifted or removed from the building. Please do not dispose of any items as we may arrange for an inspection.

I I

Leave the heating on to help the property dry out. You can also hire dehumidifiers. When a dehumidifier is on, close your windows. A dehumidifier should be emptied on a regular basis. You can take steps to remove the flood water from your property. In the event of widespread flooding, your local Council or fire brigade may be able to assist you. Please do not dispose of any items as we may arrange for an inspection. Avoid touching any contaminated items, unless wearing suitable gloves. Arrange for an electrician to check the electrics. Unblock any external wall vents. Also check the floor void for flood water. This will need to be cleaned and disinfected. Contact Allianz as soon as possible so that we can commence processing an investigation of your claim.

For helpful tips on making your school property ‘winter ready’, visit www.allianz.ie/schools, and contact your local Allianz Representative or your Insurance Intermediary.

Legal Diary

PAGE

David discusses Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools.

Reading Schemes Explained

Pat Canty discusses the Reading Recovery, Literacy Lift Off and Guided Reading Schemes.

PAGE

Addressing Adult Bullying Colm Ó Tuathail talks about the role of the school leader when it comes to workplace bullying.

PAGE

Time to Focus on Teaching and Learning It is timely that we devote an issue of Leadership+ to teaching and learning, which is at the core of the role of the school leader.

Principal in Profile

PAGE

THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS

Diarmuid McCarthy on relationships around our school communities and leading by example.

‘Whose Mammy are you?’

PAGE

+ Leadership

Damian White reﬂects on Parent Teacher Meetings.

Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co. Cork • 1890 21 22 23 • www.ippn.ie I I

I I

Editor: Geraldine D’Arcy Editorial Team: Geraldine D’Arcy, Páiric Clerkin and David Ruddy Comments to: editor@ippn.ie Advertising: Sinead Coakley sinead.coakley@ippn.ie ISSN: 1649-5888 Design: Brosna Press

The opinions expressed in Leadership+ do not necessarily reﬂect the official policy or views of IPPN

Signposts ISSUE 102 / JANUARY 2018

LEADERSHIP SUPPORT

Planting

Trees

ANGELA LYNCH LEADERSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAMME MANAGER

‘A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree cannot grow roots, just as the storm reaches the shore.’ We want our children to be happy, successful, healthy and safe, but the reality is that there are no guarantees. We are faced with rising levels of anxiety and distress among the school-going population. No matter what we do, our children will experience the pain of loss, get sick, be let down, be disappointed, be lied to and get sad. Even though we want to give our children a life without hardship, we know that it is impossible. What we can do, however, is to make them resilient and teach them how to deal with life’s ups and downs. By developing resilience, we can help them to find balance in their lives, take responsibility for their actions and show, by our own example, how to cope with the many difficult situations we all face on a day-to-day basis. We can show them that we believe in them. We can support them. We can create the culture in our school communities to make children feel truly safe. In that environment, they can take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings and grow. Many questions arise: I How can I achieve this? I Where do I even start? I Must we now take on yet another initiative/programme? I How do I convince others to come with me on this journey? I How can I even start the conversation? The only way to achieve real impact is to embed emotional wellbeing in a culture that focuses on wellbeing not as an extra or additional initiative - but as an integral part of a learning journey, to achieve confidence,

success and the ability to cope with the difficulties of life. The work of building this culture is for me, for you and for us. Wellbeing is a whole-school endeavour in which the culture of the school supports the wellbeing of all and aligns the vision with all aspects of school life. Imagine, if the adults in our school communities subscribed and lived that value. Imagine what could be achieved. Children need to learn how to manage their feelings in a healthy way and they learn this mainly from the key adults in their lives – adults who recognise their own feelings and manage them accordingly, adults who focus on the quality of their relationships. Many schools are demonstrating great practice in maintaining and enhancing the wellbeing of students, staff and parents in their own communities.

ideas that brought a significant influence to bear on their school communities. Both primary and second-level schools presented not only their vision, but the actions taken and the impact these had and are continuing to have on their communities. We are hoping to persuade some of these schools to write about their experiences in the coming issues of Leadership+. We acknowledge and commend these primary school communities for their commitment to putting wellbeing at the heart of school communities, as well as their willingness to share experiences. The schools involved were: I I I

An important event took place in Croke Park in November, organised by the Wellbeing for Teachers and Learners group (WTL*), in which the focus of the day was on schools sharing their practice and learning in the area of wellbeing, with time for attendees to reflect on what they had heard and to discuss how this might be applied in their own contexts. The whole day was moving, passionate and demonstrating of the fact that a group of parents, teachers and children committed to making life better for their community can achieve great things. A parent in one of the schools spoke movingly of how, what she had learned from the school, helped her to deal with her behaviourally-challenged child at home. Several students spoke of the difference to their lives created by the culture embedded in their school community. Some of the principals and staff outlined the small steps and

Bunscoil Clochar Mhuire, Trim, Co Meath - Cóilín Ó Coigligh Corpus Christi PS, Moyross, Co Limerick - Tiernan O Neill Cloghan’s Hill NS, Tuam, Co Galway, a one-teacher primary school - Iseult Mangan St. Mark’s SNS, Tallaght, Dublin Richie Walsh.

Keep planting those trees. *WTL was formed in May 2016, comprising of the Ombudsman for Children, Teaching Council, National Parents Council, NAPD and IPPN.

January 2018

Time to Focus on

EDITORAL

TEACHING & LEARNING It is timely that we devote an issue of Leadership+ to teaching and learning, which is at the core of the role of the school leader. In the IPPNcommissioned publication ‘Quality Leadership <=>Quality Learning’, Fullan emphasises the pivotal role of the school principal in leading teaching and learning. School leaders need time to focus on this core function – they require time to reﬂect, time to research and time to collaborate with colleagues. Fullan places great emphasis on the importance of this collaboration as well as the development of leadership capacity. School leaders also place great value on opportunities to meet and reﬂect with colleagues. The challenge is to create enough time to do so. Prioritising teaching and learning requires the removal of what Fullan describes as the ‘distractors’ - the bureaucratic and managerial actions that eat up time and energy at the expense of instructional and student achievement matters. These distractors are a major part of the workload issue, resulting in heightened and unreasonable expectations of school leaders. Principals’ work overload is damaging the health and wellbeing of school leaders, as well as their capacity to lead the learning. Principals are committed to reform and improvement in the quality of teaching and learning, but totally frustrated by the lack of resources and time to understand, implement and embed these changes. There seems to be no joined-up thinking in relation to proposed change - the change agenda itself needs to change.

Principal Teachers – In Clear Focus provides a useful guide of how to go about this, whether through focusing on key priorities, delegation and/or deprioritising non-essential tasks.

PÁIRIC CLERKIN AND DAVID RUDDY Reform is to ensure that school leaders have adequate time to focus on leading teaching and learning. All of us must continue to challenge the system and ensure that teaching and learning is prioritised. We must continue to raise awareness of Fullan’s ‘distractors’ and actively avoid engagement in non-essential tasks. We must focus on doing the right thing for our pupils – leading and managing the quality of learning in our schools. IPPN’s publication Priorities for

Meanwhile, in this issue, we have asked a number of school leaders and teachers to share their expertise across a wide range of aspects of teaching and learning. Some have provided practical hints and tips, grounded in good practice; others have shared the conclusions of action research or postgraduate studies. We hope you will ﬁnd something of interest. We plan to continue this theme with a series of further articles of a similar nature. If you would like to share your own practical guidance or research conclusions on an aspect of teaching and learning, we would like to hear from you to editor@ippn.ie.

IPPN’s suggestion for how this might work is to engage in a collaborative approach to a ‘Calendar of Reform’, where stakeholders and agencies would engage respectfully in open and transparent dialogue around the change agenda, with a view to prioritising and staggering the pace of change and its impact on schools. This would translate into improved teaching and learning and, as a direct consequence, improved educational outcomes for children. One of the primary aims of this Calendar of 33

Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 (Part 1) The Department of Education and Skills (DES) have published on its website the above document and the accompanying circular 0081/2017. I will attempt to highlight some of the changes that the new procedures will advance. This article is no substitution for reading the full Procedures as published by the DES. IPPN has produced an extensive resource bundle on its website to support school leaders What is the main documentation that informs the way schools adhere to best child protection practice?

DAVID RUDDY BL IPPN PRESIDENT

A. Children First Act 2015 B. Children First National Guidance 2017 C. Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 D. Child Safeguarding Statement to include a Risk Assessment Template 2017 E. DES Circular 0081/2017 (A) The Children First Act 2015 The above act was enacted in November of 2015. However, it had only been partially commenced by means of a statutory instrument resulting in the abolition of reasonable chastisement by parents. As of December 11th 2017 all the remaining sections of the Act are fully commenced. The Act deďŹ nes best practice in child protection. It will put

elements of Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 on a statutory footing. It forms part of a suite of child protection legislation which includes the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012-2016. Other legislation that is part of the legal framework includes Section 176 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 Reckless Endangerment, Protections of Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998, and the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. Legislation is a robust mechanism to underpin procedures and guidance. What are the key measures in the Act? 1. A statutory requirement that schools keep pupils safe from harm 2. Schools must produce a Child Safeguarding Statement, to include a risk assessment, by March 11th 2018 3. Every registered teacher, as a Mandated Person, now has a statutory obligation to report child protection concerns over a deďŹ ned threshold to the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). Such reports are referred to as mandated reports 4. A requirement on mandated persons to assist Tusla in the assessment of child protection risk, if so requested.

LEGAL DIARY

(B) Children First National Guidance 2017 (DCYA) Like the Children First Act, this Guidance was crafted by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) and not the DES. This guidance applies to all bodies and organisations who interact with children. The National Guidance should be read in conjunction with the Act. They coexist. The Guidance effectively scopes out the Act. Whilst the Guidance outlines the new statutory obligations for mandated persons, it also sets out best practice (non-statutory) obligations which are in place for all individual to include teachers, special needs assistants, school secretaries and caretakers. For the purposes of the Act, special needs assistants, school secretaries and caretakers are not mandated persons.

CHILD SAFEGUARDING RISK ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE List of School Activities

The School has identiﬁed the following Risk of Harm

The School has the following Procedures in place to address risk identiﬁed in this assessment

Training of school personnel in Child Protection matters

Harm not recognised or reported promptly

Child Safeguarding Statement & DES procedures made available to all staff DLP& DDLP to attend PDST face to face training All Staff to view Tusla training module & any other online training offered by PDST BOM records all records of staff and board training.

(C) Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 (DES) The DES, in recognition of its responsibility to assist schools in the implementation of the Children First Act 2015 and the Children First National Guidance 2017, has published its own Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools. These procedures were developed following consultation with all the education partners and are the essential reference for all school personnel and management. These Procedures replace the 2011 DES procedures and take immediate effect.

One to one teaching

Harm by school personnel

School has policy in place for one to one teaching Open doors Table between teacher and pupil Glass in window

Care of Children with special needs, including intimate care needs

Harm by school personnel

Policy on intimate care

Toilet areas

Inappropriate behaviour

Usage and supervision policy

Curricular Provision in respect of SPHE, RSE, Stay safe.

Non-teaching of same

School implements SPHE, RSE, Stay Safe in full

(D) Child Safeguarding Statement to include a Risk Assessment to identify possible risks of harm (DES) The Child Protection Policy will be replaced by a ‘Child Safeguarding Statement’. The DES has produced two documents that will greatly assist schools in crafting the new policy, as required by March 11th 2018. The Child Safeguarding Risk Assessment Template is a sample 2-page document which is accompanied by a 2-page review checklist. All schools must adopt this template. The statement must be published on the school’s website and must have been provided to all members of staff, the Parents’ Association and the Patron. It must be accessible to parents on request and to Tusla and the DES.

LGBT Children/Pupils perceived to be LGBT

Bullying

Anti-Bullying Policy Code of Behaviour

Recruitment of new staff

Harm not recognised or properly or promptly reported

Child Safeguarding Statement & DES procedures made available to all staff Staff to view Tusla training module & any other online training offered by PDST

Managing of challenging behaviour amongst pupils, including appropriate use of restraint

Injury to pupils and staff

Restraint Policy Health & Safety Policy Code Of Behaviour

Sports Coaches

Harm to pupils

Policy & Procedures in place

Students participating in work experience

Harm by student

Work experience Policy Child Safeguarding Statement.

Volunteers/Parents

Harm to pupils

Vetting procedures Policy for parents/Volunteers

The following matters should be included in a Child Safeguarding Statement; I Arrangements for managing any identiﬁable risk I Encourage staff to avail of training

Use of Information & Bullying Communication Technology by pupils in schools

ICT policy Anti-Bullying Policy Code of Behaviour

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

I I I I

Dealing with a staff member who is the subject of an investigation Selection and recruitment of staff Adherence to reporting procedures Risk assessment of any potential harm.

All BOMs shall appoint ‘a relevant person’ who shall be the Designated Liaison Person (DLP). This person is the first point of contact in respect of the Child Safeguarding Statement. What happens if schools fail/refuse to furnish a safeguarding statement? Tusla will create a register of noncompliance which will be made available for inspection by members of the public. What is a ‘mandated person’? Where a registered teacher receives an allegation or has a suspicion that a child may have been abused or neglected, or is at risk of being abused or neglected, in addition to reporting the matter to the DLP in that school, he or she must also consider whether it is necessary for him or her (i.e. the teacher) to make a mandated report to Tusla in respect of that concern. The procedures require the teacher to liaise with the DLP in the first instance. He or she must also consider whether the concerns are at or above the defined threshold for making a mandated report to Tusla. The teacher shall liaise with the DLP in relation to determining if the concern in question must be submitted by the teacher to Tusla as a mandated report. The teacher shall follow the relevant procedures including, where applicable, those requiring the teacher to submit a mandated report jointly with the DLP. The statutory obligation to make a mandated report rests with the individual teacher and this applies regardless whether or not the DLP reports the concern in question. However, if the teacher makes a mandated report to Tusla jointly with the DLP, he or she meets her statutory obligation to report under the Act. What are the two main statutory obligations of mandated persons? 1. To report to Tusla any knowledge, belief or reasonable grounds to suspect that a child: Has been harmed Is being harmed, or Is at risk of being harmed, and To report any disclosures made by a child in relation to the above. 2. To assist Tusla, if requested under the Act, in assessing a concern 6

which has been the subject of a mandated report.

to have a legitimate involvement or role. It is an offence to disclose information to a third party which has been shared by What is the defined ‘Threshold of Harm’ Tusla during the course of an assessment in relation to a child? arising from a mandated report, save in a. Assault, ill-treatment or neglect of accordance with law or if Tusla have the child in a manner that seriously given the person written permission to affects or is likely to seriously affect do so. Failure to comply is an offence the child’s health, development, or liable to a fine, imprisonment up to six welfare, or months, or both. b. Sexual abuse of the child. Training/In-Service Principal’s Report to the Board of Tusla has a (universal) online module Management (BOM) which is accessible from its website. The In reporting to the BOM at each meeting, Professional Development Service for the principal shall include a Child Teachers (PDST) is providing some faceProtection Oversight Report and will to-face in-service for DLPs and Deputy reference the following: DPLs only, and not for teachers. 900 schools can avail of a full day’s training I Allegations of abuse made against between January and March 11th. The members of school staff remainder of schools should be I Child protection concerns not accommodated in the early part of the involving school staff new school year. PDST hope to provide I Child protection concerns arising an online module in February 2018, from alleged bullying behaviour which will be tailored for schools. amongst pupils Schools will be permitted to close for I Summary data in respect of two half-days to allow time to engage reporting. with procedures and to access online Any matters relating to the employment support modules. status of a staff member as a result of child protection concerns should only be IPPN will support school leaders in considered by the BOM following legal helping to embed the new procedures advice. Tusla should not be consulted in and encourages them to engage with the Resource Bundle as published on our relation to employment status matters. website. Confidentiality Information should only be shared on a Part II of this topic will follow in Issue 103 ‘need to know’ basis. The person with – the March issue of Leadership+. whom you share the information needs

Do you have a need for a substitute teacher in your school? For short-term substitute vacancies (within the next 7 days) you can advertise through IPPN’s TextaSub service on www.ippn.ie I This service is available to fully-qualiﬁed primary school teachers only I Teaching Council numbers are validated I On average 316 primary school teachers subscribed daily (547 subscriptions) I Over 37,000 text messages sent per month For planned absences of less than 24 weeks, you can advertise for a substitute teacher or Special Needs Assistant on EducationPosts.ie by selecting the Status of Post ‘Substitute – less than 24 weeks’

OnYourBehalf Highlighted below are a few examples of IPPN’s advocacy and representation work on behalf of principals and deputy principals, through meetings, events and submissions, since the last issue of Leadership+:

INTO, 16th October, Parnell Square, Dublin A number of key topics were discussed at this ﬁrst meeting of the General Secretary and President of the INTO with IPPN’s new CEO and President, with a view to collaboration between the two organisations to progress challenges for school leaders. These included: One Release Day per week for Teaching Principals I Clariﬁcation regarding the implications of Budget 2018 in relation to the breakdown of administration days for principals I Working towards the aim of a minimum of one day per week for all teaching principals dedicated to their school leadership role I Clusters for principals’ administration days. Calendar of Reform Discussion of the concept of Calendar of Reform and its potential impact on the system.

Posts of Responsibility Clariﬁcation of the implications of the Leadership and Management circular in relation to smaller schools regaining their full allocation of posts and the need to progress the issue for larger schools.

Teacher Supply Potential solutions.

DES MEETING 17th October 2017 – Marlborough St Páiric Clerkin and David Ruddy met with the Secretary General Seán Ó Foghlú, and Assistant Secretaries Ruth Carmody and Martin Hanevy. Among the topics discussed were: I Budget 2017/2018 - progress made and what school leaders need I Leadership and Management circular and its implications I Teacher Supply – potential solutions discussed Calendar of Reform and possible collaboration in relation to this IPPN initiative I TextaParent and EducationPosts resources and their future potential I Data Protection and the advent of GDPR I Child Protection in-service in relation to the revised Guidelines for Children First I Centre for School Leadership and IPPN’s partnership with the DES and NAPD; extending the pilot programme and further development of a quality assured induction programme

IPPN CPD Framework of quality I IPPN Board of Directors meeting professional development for school Portlaoise leaders, linked to the Quality I IPPN National Council AGM Framework, in collaboration with the Portlaoise DES, NAPD and other education I Wellbeing for Teachers and Learners partners. Symposium - Croke Park I IPPN Projects I CSL Implementation Group meeting - DES offices, Athlone G the Special Schools Project – IPPN is engaging with these I Induction of new IPPN Board of school leaders to increase our Directors members - IPPN offices, understanding of their particular Cork needs and the supports we may I CSL Shared Learning event be able to develop Athlone G One teacher schools project I Ciara O’Donnell, PDST - Citywest IPPN commissioned Shay Bannon I Noel Kelly, Tusla - Tusla offices, (former President of NAPD) to Dublin conduct research on the health I Department of Children and Youth and safety of one-teacher schools Affairs – Dublin. in 2017, which highlighted December signiﬁcant issues particularly in I Retrospective Vetting Process relation to child protection and Teaching Council offices professional isolation. I CSL Steering Group meeting - DES I Student and Parent Charter. offices, Marlborough St OTHER MEETINGS/CONFERENCES I National Parents’ Council - NPC ATTENDED/HOSTED Offices, Dublin October I PDST - Child Protection - Athlone I “Pushing Boundaries, Expanding I IPPN Mayo - Mayo Education Centre Vistas”: Celebrating the work of I CSL Shared Learning event John Coolahan - NUI Maynooth Athlone I Cork Digital Marketing Awards I Jim Mulkerrins, DES, Athlone I DES Working Group reviewing Child I Teaching Council - Teaching Council Protection Procedures - DES offices, Maynooth Offices, Athlone I DES - Review of Redeployment Arrangements - Athlone I Máirín Ní Cheileachair, National Induction Programme for Teachers - I DES - Cruinniú den Choiste NIPT Offices, Dublin West Education Comhairleach um Polasaí Oideachas Centre Gaeltachta - Dublin I Áine Lynch, National Parents Council I IPPN Board of Directors meeting - Dublin Portlaoise I Advisory Group on DEIS I Seminar on Children First Act Implementation - Clock Tower, Essential Compliance - Dublin Marlborough Street. I DES meeting - DES offices, Marlborough St November I IPPN Deputy Principals’ Focus I Learning and Discussion Lab on the Group meeting - Dublin theme of Community Sponsorship I Breda Corr, NAMBSE - Kildare Initiatives for Refugees - Dublin Education Centre I Growing up in Ireland Research I Directors of Education Centres Conference - Croke Park meeting - Kildare Education Centre I Wellbeing in our schools: I Seamus Mulconry, CPSMA - CPSMA international perspectives seminar offices, Maynooth Dublin Castle I NCSE Working group - DES, I Retrospective Vetting Process Marlborough St Maynooth I NAPD, Portlaoise. I NCSE Working group - DES, Marlborough St FORTHCOMING EVENTS I UCD Alumni Awards - UCD I IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference in Citywest on Thursday 25th and I Dublin West Education Centre Friday 26th January 2018 Note: this I CSL mentor training - Carrick-onyear Conference will start with Shannon, Sligo and Cork seminars on Thursday morning for I Wellbeing for Teachers and Learners all attendees. Group - Ombudsman for Children offices, Dublin I CSL Mentor training – 28-28th March, Cork I Cork Special School Principals IPPN offices, Cork I IPPN Annual Deputy Principals’ Conference in Citywest on 19th and I TUI Principal and Deputy Principals 20th April 2018. Association Conference - Enﬁeld, Meath 7

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

IPPN SPECIAL SCHOOLS MEMBER ENGAGEMENT PROJECT CLAIRE O’DONOVAN IPPN MEMBER ENGAGEMENT PROJECT LEAD The last issue of Leadership+ set out some key issues and recommendations from the IPPN Position Paper on Special Schools. As part of a speciﬁc member engagement project, led by Claire O’Donovan in the IPPN Support Office, IPPN is engaging with all principals of Special Schools to ensure that we have a complete understanding of all the issues. This project commenced in September with a visit to St. Paul’s Special School in Cork and an in-depth discussion with the principal, Anne Hartnett. In October, prior to the Dublin County Network AGM, principals of special schools throughout county Dublin were invited to attend a focus group meeting. 17 special school principals attended and discussed their concerns, issues, priorities and CPD requirements with IPPN President David Ruddy, IPPN CEO Páiric Clerkin and project lead Claire O’Donovan. In December, a smaller focus group took place in the IPPN Support Office, which was attended by four special school principals, Páiric, Claire and IPPN Leadership Support Manager, Angela Lynch.

NEXT STEPS… There are currently 137 special schools in the Republic of Ireland – with between 1 and 51 special schools in 24 of the 26 counties. IPPN wants to engage with the school leaders across all 137 special schools. To achieve this, IPPN is currently preparing a detailed survey that will be issued to all principals of special schools to gather information in relation to their unique circumstances as well as identifying an agreed set of priorities. We will prepare a report of the ﬁndings and will advocate on behalf of special school leaders - by engaging with the Department of Education and Skills and other relevant stakeholders to clearly communicate the top priorities as identiﬁed by special school leaders. IPPN is committed to supporting these school leaders and doing what we can to bring about change. We will continue to engage directly with these schools as part of this ongoing project.

There will be time for discussion and the sharing of practical ideas across various special school settings. The emphasis on sharing with and supporting each other will make this a must-attend seminar for all principals of special schools. We hope to see you there. County

No. of Special Schools 2016/17 as per Education.ie (September 2017)

Carlow

Cavan

Clare

Cork

Donega

Dublin

Galway

Kerry

Kildare

Kilkenny

Laois

Limerick

Longford

Louth

Mayo

Meath

Offaly

Roscommon

Sligo

Tipperary

Waterford

Westmeath

Wexford

Wicklow

CONFERENCE 2018 There will be a dedicated seminar for special school principals on Thursday afternoon, 25th January at IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference 2018. The seminar will be facilitated by Siobhan Allen, recently retired principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel Special School in Ballincollig for pupils with a moderate learning disability, and Claire O’Donovan, IPPN Member Engagement Project Lead. This seminar will bring together principals of special schools to engage in and interact with current topics. A number of current and former special school principals will give a short presentation (5 – 10 minutes) to share their knowledge or good practice on speciﬁc topics relevant to special schools.

TOTAL

137

See conference.ippn.ie for more information.

January 2018

IPPN Position Paper

Early Years & School-Age Care and Education Supporting children’s early development generates signiﬁcant long-term returns. Research indicates that, once a child has passed the age of two years, he/ she will develop more fully in a high-quality Care and Education setting rather than remaining at home. This is particularly true of children who come from a disadvantaged background or who have complex needs.

THE ISSUE €260 million is allocated annually to three support programmes of affordable childhood care and education - the ECCE free pre-school year, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programme. Ireland needs to increase its investment in this sector from 0.2% GDP to 0.8%. There are currently over 4,650 earlyyears settings in the 26 counties (Pobal, 2014). Most are independently managed and owned while one in eight are located on a primary school campus. Over the next 5 years, some 35,000 extra places will be required in early-years settings and subsequently in primary schools. These ﬁgures will present considerable challenges to educationalists in the coming years. IPPN believes equity must be at the heart of future provision, whereby children from homes with low levels of education stimulus and social disadvantage have similar opportunities and readiness to engage in education as their peers. The current landscape allows for an ad-hoc approach to early years’ education. While the system has become much more regulated since 2006, there are still key issues which must be addressed. In particular, there is an urgent need to regulate after school provision as there is currently no coherent policy in the area. IPPN is aware of plans to co-locate early years’ services with primary

schools. This offers some advantages, however issues the footprint of the school traffic management must be into deliberations.

discrete such as site and factored

IPPN believes equity must be at the heart of future provision, whereby children from homes with low levels of education stimulus and social disadvantage have similar opportunities and readiness to engage in education as their peers.

RECOMMENDATIONS The following are IPPN’s key recommendations in relation to Early Years Care and Education: Children with Additional Needs Improved outcomes for children with special needs must be prioritised in any recalibration of early years’ provision. These children must have access to intervention services at the earliest possible opportunity - before transitioning to primary school. Funding must be ring-fenced to ensure appropriate levels of support are available and to ensure the scandal of 18-month waiting lists is eliminated. Other Key Recommendations 1. IPPN recommends that co-located pre-schools are governed by the Board of Management and managed principals, subject to issues such as enhanced principal allowances, additional work load and terms and conditions of employment being agreed by all parties. 2. State funding to early years’ services should be contingent on achievement of agreed standards,

10.

11.

verified by a dedicated Early Years Education Inspectorate. Class leaders should either be fully-qualified primary teachers or have a Level 8 degree in Early Childhood Education and Practice. Childcare Assistants must have at least a Level 6 FETAC qualification in childcare. IPPN supports direct subsidies for childcare places to ensure targeted provision. All current and future primary school design projects should include provision for Early Years Education. Capitation grants for the free preschool year and the adult/child ratio should be restored to preausterity levels. As a significant percentage of children attend a primary school before the age of 6, the government should reaffirm its commitment to reduce the pupil/teacher ratio in junior classes to 20:1. Introducing 6-months’ paid parental leave immediately following paid maternity leave would address affordability of childcare issues for families while ensuring children have a proper start in life. An annual quality audit of curriculum provision, child development, data gathering procedures and observations of practise must be conducted in every early years’ facility. Funding and resource provision should come under the umbrella of one dedicated Department With the introduction of a second free pre-school year, it is now timely to re-examine the age at which a child should officially begin mainstream schooling.

To view the complete position paper, which provides details not included above, log in to www.ippn.ie and go to Advocacy/Position Papers.

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

ONE-TEACHER SCHOOLS Health, Safety and Welfare SHAY BANNON FOUNDER OF SHAKA EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANCY, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRINCIPALS AND DEPUTY PRINCIPALS (NAPD) In early 2017, IPPN commissioned a report on the health, safety and welfare issues associated with oneteacher schools. The principals of these schools were invited to complete a questionnaire - 90% responded. A number of schools were visited as part of the investigative report. The main aims of the report were to characterise the work of principals in one-teacher schools; investigate the particular health, safety and welfare issues associated with these schools; identify the difficulties that such schools face in complying with legislation and child protection procedures; and to draw conclusions and recommendations on the issues identiﬁed. It is important to acknowledge that, while the principals reporting facing many challenges, there were several aspects of the role that they enjoyed. More than three quarters of respondents were female and two thirds had more than ﬁve years’ experience in the role of principal.

KEY FINDINGS Health and Wellbeing I Negative impact of work on home / social life on a regular basis I Work-related health issues are a signiﬁcant issue, with 83% stating that it is being affected by their work in the school - 39% feel that their physical health is affected by their role and 41% stated that their mental or emotional health is affected. Almost one in ﬁve say this happens on a regular basis and a further 13% say that their physical, emotional and mental health is very severely affected by their role I There is inadequate supervision cover available to allow principals to have appropriate welfare breaks during a school day I The facilities available for food and drink/rest periods are often poor I There are inadequate health, safety and welfare arrangements in place to provide sufficient protection for principals as employees. 10

Teaching and Learning Ensuring the children fully access the curriculum, given that there are up to six class levels in one classroom I There are specific factors restricting the opportunities for principals to attend in-service training or CPD programmes, particularly a lack of substitute teachers I Need for specific training for those working in small schools I Need for clearer guidance and protocols governing interactions with pupils, as well as emergency situations I School inspectors often lack experience of the specific needs of one-teacher schools. I

Leadership and Management Lack of a clearly-deﬁned job description and duties I Dissatisfaction with the management structure within the school I Loneliness and professional isolation I More than three quarters of respondents have an up-to-date Health and Safety Statement in compliance with the HSW 2005 Act. However, almost a quarter are not in compliance. I Risk assessments do not deal with staff having to work alone – a key area of risk – 83% say there are inadequate protocols in place around working alone in a school setting I The duality of the role of teaching and management / administrative duties impacts on the role of a principal on a daily basis I There is no speciﬁc protocol to deal with staff or pupil emergencies I Funding and resourcing is an issue for many of the schools I Inconsistent enrolment numbers and movement of families in and out of the school I Keeping the school going on a daily basis I The increasing volume of paperwork I

Unrealistic expectations, particularly of parents and the Board of Management.

RECOMMENDATIONS The report has a number of recommendations, which can be summarised as follows: 1. Recognition, support and affirmation of one-teacher schools and the important role they play in the lives of children and the local community 2. A minimum of two teaching staff should be appointed to all small primary schools 3. An examination is required into how to address the disproportionate amount of time being spent on management and administration duties, as well as incentives to reduce overall workload 4. A cluster of designated substitute teachers to work in smaller schools only should be created as a matter of urgency 5. Boards of Management need safety training to enable them to fulﬁl their duty of care to staff and pupils, including monitoring and controlling hazards, 6. School Inspectors need training to ensure awareness of the particular issues of one-teacher schools 7. Put in place adequate practices and measures to avoid staff having to take risks that could leave them open to accusations of abuse or neglect. 8. Establish a Code of Practice for small schools (with the Health and Safety Authority) 9. Advise BoMs about initiatives to improve the health and well-being of teaching principals 10.Teacher Training Colleges could review and update their modules to better prepare trainee teachers to undertake teaching roles in one-teacher and smaller schools 11. Establish a working group to investigate and review the ongoing needs of one-teacher schools.

PRINCIPAL IN PROFILE

RELATIONSHIPS Leading by Example DIARMUID MCCARTHY PRINCIPAL OF HOLY FAMILY NS, RATHMORE, CO. KERRY AND A MEMBER OF IPPN’S NATIONAL COUNCIL Last month I read a lovely article on leadership penned by Catherine Carragher entitled ‘Reflections of my first year as a Principal’. I admire Catherine’s enthusiasm and I wish her well in her role in the years ahead. In the same issue I read with interest wise words penned by Angela Lynch ‘What ultimately drives us to do our best work and what defines a good leader is the quality of relationships within the work place’.

Our relationships with parents are hugely important. I ﬁrmly believe that, for children to beneﬁt from our education system, there must be a partnership between parents / guardians and teachers. So my thoughts turn to relationships around our school communities. Much of my life’s work in this area has been rooted in Christ’s teaching. We show love to the children in our care. This is rooted in the respect we show to each member of our school community and the demand that each member of our school community gives the same basic respect to all other members of that community. Children must learn to love themselves and then show that love to everyone else. ‘I love me’ does not equate with ‘I am the greatest’ but rather it says that ‘I am happy with me’ because if I can say I accept myself as God made me then I can also accept everyone else. I don’t have to be the best at Maths, Irish, English, Sport, etc. but I do my best and that’s OK for me. So many of our colleagues can tell us that it’s the SEN child who gives and

creates the brightest smiles in our school community. Our relationships with parents are hugely important. I firmly believe that, for children to benefit from our education system, there must be a partnership between parents / guardians and teachers. Parents often seek help and advice as to how best they can help their children. The parents / guardians are a child’s best advocate. The majority of parents want what is best for their children. It is important to remind parents that they need to be on the side of their own child. Parents will be glad when you remind them that they need to be their child’s advocate. It is then that the partnership becomes important. How can we resolve this problem together? Most difficulties can be overcome by creating a communication strategy between school and home. Good behaviour is rewarded at school and communicated to home and further reinforced at home. I feel I have been blessed having started my teaching career in July 1974. NTs who qualified in 1974 were concerned about securing a position for July 1st so that they got paid for the Summer months. It is a far cry from the reality experienced by NQTs in 2017. I commenced my teaching career at St. Josephs Monastery NS, on the Mardyke in Cork and spend five years there. I will always treasure my time spent working with the Presentation Brothers and later my professional contact with the Presentation Sisters in Rathmore. Wonderful work has been done by the Church and religious orders for education in Ireland over the years and it is important that this should be acknowledged by those of us who can bear witness to it.

As Principal, one has to deal with a huge diversity of organisations and relationships - the DES, Chairperson and Members of Board of Management, Parents’ Committee, Student Council, Deputy Principal, ISM, Ancillary Staff, SNAs and community organisations associated with the school, as well as outside bodies providing services to the school such as SENOs/NEPS, the Health Board, School Transport.

For a successful relationship between the Principal and the Chairperson of the Board of Management, there must be transparency at all times. If we can teach children to respect themselves and others, we must show them by example that we too show that respect to all. For a successful relationship between the Principal and the Chairperson of the Board of Management, there must be transparency at all times. If we can teach children to respect themselves and others, we must show them by example that we too show that respect to all. This is particularly important in our everyday working relationship with colleagues. If you have any comments or queries, you can email Diarmuid to dmccarthyrathbeg@gmail.com.

TEACHING & LEARNING

Reading Schemes EXPLAINED

PAT CANTY PRINCIPAL OF BAYLIN NS, ATHLONE, CO. WESTMEATH We are a six-teacher, rural school on the outskirts of Athlone, with an enrolment of 179. We have six mainstream mixed classes and three SET posts. I am a teaching principal in a learning support role, in my third year as an SET. I am also a trained Reading Recovery teacher. Having just reached the admin enrolment ﬁgure this September, I will be in an administrative capacity next September. As a result we have very large classes this year. When asked whether a school should choose between Reading Recovery, Literacy Lift Off or Guided Reading, my usual reply is…it depends! Let’s look at each separately. Reading Recovery is an early intervention programme that aims to close the gap between children who are really struggling with literacy and their classroom peers. It is a short-term one-to-one programme where the child and teacher are partners in learning. It involves intensive, daily half-hour lessons taught by a speciallytrained Reading Recovery teacher, who tailors the lessons to the needs of the child. The programme is aimed at children between the ages of 5 years and 9 months and 6 years 6 months who are having signiﬁcant difficulty in literacy. It focuses on reading, writing and oral language and the intrinsic link

between the three. Children are identified through specific testing and the lessons are then given in a block of between 12 and 20 weeks. Up to 4 children can be taken individually by a teacher. It is a big investment by a school as it does eat into SEN time but the benefits far outweigh the sacrifice - I have personally seen children who struggle to identify letters in October become independent class readers by March.

groups are provided with reading instruction designed to provide differentiated teaching that supports students in developing reading proﬁciency. The small group model allows children to be taught in a way that is intended to be more focused on their speciﬁc needs, accelerating their progress. Guided Reading can be implemented solely by the class teacher, and hence does not rely heavily on the availability of other teachers.

Literacy Lift Off is a class-based, short-term programme, which aims at increasing each child’s competency in oral language, reading and writing. It originates from the philosophy of and strategies taught in Reading Recovery. The duration of the programme and time spent each week varies from school to school. In our school, a team of four teachers spends half an hour with pupils ﬁve days a week for an eight week block. It is most suited to the junior end of the school. During the half hour, the pupils spend time at four different activity stations, one focussing on familiar reading, another on making and breaking words, another on writing and the fourth group on a new book. See our Literacy Lift-off guide/template on ippn.ie for further details.

In summary, Reading Recovery targets individual children who are having signiﬁcant difficulties in literacy. Literacy Lift Off is a class-based, shortterm intervention, requiring a minimum team of four teachers aiming to boost literacy levels across the class. Guided Reading is a less intensive teaching method, whereby one teacher can accelerate each group’s progress over the year. Each intervention requires an investment in graded readers which is expensive, costing up to €6000. (If you take part in the Reading Recovery training, the books are supplied as part of the course, which is provided by PDST). These readers can of course be used throughout the school and our parents’ association took it on as a project over a two-year period.

Guided reading is also class-based. It can be implemented all year long. Small

If you have any comments or queries, you can email Pat: pat.canty@gmail.com.

TEACHING & LEARNING

How Technology has Transformed

the Work of the Principal SIMON LEWIS PRINCIPAL OF CARLOW ETNS AND A MEMBER OF THE IPPN NATIONAL COUNCIL

The digital age has undoubtedly changed the job of a principal. This has come with a number of advantages and disadvantages. For example, if a parent feels like complaining to you about how their child was treated by a teacher that day and they are awake at 2 o‘clock in the morning worrying about it, email has made this entirely possible. I’m sure many principals know the dread of opening up their email first thing in the morning! On the other hand, what principal really misses the days where every roll book had to be manually balanced on the last day of the school year, or manually filling in the annual October census, or searching through filing cabinets for Johnny’s 3rd class school report for the welfare board? Technology moves quickly and, as school leaders, we have to be able to keep up with the trends. 20 years ago, Google had just arrived on a fledgling Internet. How we search for information has completely changed since then. I wonder how many classrooms have a set of encyclopaedias anymore. Are we too far away from a time where classrooms won’t even bother having dictionaries, thesauruses or calculators, when a mobile device can take their place easily? Looking at our teachers: watch how

most teachers now teach a song to their pupils - YouTube is king. Searching for a stimulus for a Looking and Responding class in Visual Arts? Google Images will give you instant images of anything from Da Vinci to Hockney. Learning about Neil Armstrong? Google Expeditions can bring your pupils on a virtual tour of the moon, and if they have VR goggle, they can even virtually experience walking on the surface!

As school leaders, administration has changed utterly. Sending data back to Túsla on attendance is done digitally. Keeping records of enrolments is done through POD. Many of us are using a Student Management System to keep track of student data. Sending messages out to families is done via computer through services like TextaParent. Even trying to ﬁnd a substitute teacher can be done electronically through TextaSub.

By 2020, it is likely that most primary schools will no longer arrange parent teacher meetings in the same way. Because of technology, schools will simply have to provide a set of times, and parents will book their preferred times online. This is already happening in a number of schools. Equally, it will soon become the norm for parents to email notes to teachers when their child is absent from school rather than using paper. Many schools already have a form for parents to sign.

The digital era brings us wonderful opportunities as school leaders but also a number of challenges. How do we help to keep our pupils safe from Internet trolls and predators? How can we balance our own work and home lives if we have access to school 24 hours a day? How do we ensure that the expectation of instant gratification is managed? Of course, there are many other practical questions (money, broadband, technical support) that need to be answered but it is safe to say that the job of a school principal has been changed utterly by the digital era.

Social media now plays an important role in how schools communicate with their communities. Facebook didn’t exist 15 years ago. Now hundreds of primary schools around the country communicate their news with parents via the medium. Tools like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube are part of the everyday.

If you have any comments or queries, you can email Simon at simon@carloweducatetogether.ie.

TEACHING & LEARNING

Give Unruly Behaviour THE RED CARD!

JIM RYAN PRINCIPAL OF ST. BERNADETTE’S SNS, CLONDALKIN, DUBLIN 22 Over four years ago, the unsuitability of sanctions for misbehaviour arose at staff meetings. DFL - ‘Discipline For Learning’ was in use in the school. The rules and approach were very successful but the sanctions were not ideal. A sheet of lines, spellings or an essay was the eventual punishment. Teachers remarked that a lot of teaching time was wasted explaining and writing out the sanction for the offending pupil. Also, teachers’ time – which could be put to better use - was taken up collecting, correcting and discussing the sanction the following day. At home, as pupils progressed through the sanction sheet, writing became smaller, untidy and eventually illegible. The sheet was encouraging poor handwriting! The staff pondered if a more streamlined approach could be adopted where the sanction was instant, effective, easy to administer and did not waste teaching time, while engaging parents. Eventually, after much discussion and staff meetings a ‘new’ approach to sanctions was adopted in the form of behaviour cards – white, yellow & red. The idea was not new – it was a combination of staff opinions, ideas, discussions with colleagues / fellow teachers and research. We also examined what worked with other schools. What we arrived at was a card system which adopted, incorporated and tweaked ideas from many quarters.

It was initially piloted in the 5th class block after Easter 2013. After three months in use, a survey questionnaire was sent to all 5th class parents, in June 2013. The outcome was that 76% felt their child’s behaviour had improved as a result of the new discipline system. The majority of those parents agree that their child prefers the new system to the old one and 93% of parents surveyed said their child feels the new discipline card system makes him/her feel safer in school. The fact that pupils and parents/guardians had accepted and supported the new card system greatly increased its chances of success. The card system was introduced to all classes in September 2013. At the end of June 2014, two surveys – one to parents and one to pupils - were conducted. Teachers also contributed feedback at meetings throughout the year. Everybody was given the opportunity to comment on the ‘new’ cards and give suggestions/ideas for improvements or change. The results were very positive - similar to the initial pilot survey. All teachers, staff and pupils have noticed the improvement in behaviour since the cards were introduced. Suspensions and class interruptions have also been greatly reduced. Overall, the cards have been a tremendous

success. The reason the card system is so successful is that the misdemeanour is already written on the cards - saving the teachers’ time in writing it out. When an incident happens and the pupil is breaking the rules, the cards ensure that there is minimum interruption to the learning in class. The teacher writes the pupil’s name on the card, ticks the appropriate box, explains the incident and hands the card to the pupil. Immediately the lesson continues, ensuring others do not lose out each time a rule is broken. During the last half hour of school time each day, the principal calls to each class to collect, discuss and record cards. Pupils who received a card during the day must explain the reason why to the principal. They must then bring it home, discuss with their parents, get it signed and return it the next day. Many remark that ‘it’s easier to be good than to have the card hanging over you all day, explain my behaviour to the principal and go home to explain it again to my parents’. The cards can be seen in more detail on www.bernadettes.ie under School Policies – on the last page of our Code of Behaviour Policy. If you would like to get in touch with Jim about his article, you can call him at St Bernadette’s on (01) 6267116 or email him to principalquarryvale@gmail.com.

TEACHING & LEARNING

Parental Partnership MIST and the Forward Together Programme PHILOMENA CLEARY PRINCIPAL OF EDMONDSTOWN NATIONAL SCHOOL, RATHFARNHAM, DUBLIN 16

`Parents are the primary educators of their children’ (Art. 42.1 Bunreacht na hÉireann). How many times have you heard that statement? The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy 2011 – 2020 exhorts schools to embrace parents as partners (p 23). However, school leaders can struggle with engaging parents in meaningful partnerships that actually make a difference to the educational outcomes of children. The Middle Infant Screening Test (MIST) is a criterion-referenced, diagnostic literacy assessment. It is carried out in Senior Infants and tests children on skills that are deemed necessary for successful reading and writing - skills such as: I Listening skills I Letter sound knowledge I Written vocabulary I Three-phoneme words I Sentence Dictation. Children who underperform in three or more of these subsets are deemed at risk of falling behind their peers. Since the test is criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced, it is entirely applicable to the Irish context. Many schools use MIST but neglect to use the follow-up literacy programme – the Forward Together Programme (FTP). This research took place in a DEIS band 2, mainstream, vertical, coeducational primary school in South West Dublin. The FTP was delivered in three consecutive years. Each delivery was treated as a separate `case’ and then a series of cross-case comparisons were made. The parents of children who failed to reach cut-off criteria in the MIST were invited to attend an eight-week remediation course – the FTP. This involved attending school for one hour-long lesson each week. The facilitator of this course was the Home

School Community Liaison (HSCL) teacher, who followed the lessons outlined in the FTP teacher’s manual. Special Education Teachers would also be ideal candidates to deliver this programme to parents. In addition to meeting the parents, the HSCL met brieﬂy with the children each day and exchanged a book with them. The parents were requested to read with their child each day at home, play one of the literacy games in the FTP activity book and supervise their child writing. At the end of the programme, the children were re-tested using an alternative MIST. Results for the child: Substantial improvements for most children in the alternative MIST re-test

The Middle Infant Screening Test (MIST) is a criterion-referenced, diagnostic literacy assessment. I I I I

Better relationships with parent and less ﬁghting doing homework Increased conﬁdence Better reading and writing Not withdrawn from class

Results for the School: Improved literacy levels of pupils I Children at risk of severe perceptual and language difficulties identiﬁed I More parental volunteers I Schools’ strengths/weaknesses in speciﬁc areas of literacy highlighted. I

`Maximum result from the minimum amount of time and effort from the teacher’ (S. Hannavy 2014 research questionnaire). The FTP is a literacy intervention with speciﬁc, targeted objectives, carried out in partnership with parents, without withdrawal of pupils from class. This research has demonstrated that it can deliver for children and parents in Irish schools. The Forward Together Programme has been updated this year with ‘photocopiable’ activity sheets, online resources and is available from GL Assessment. Philomena Cleary B.Ed, PGDSLE, M. Ed. and Dr. Concepta Conaty Bursary Award Joint Winner 2016 If you have any comments or queries, you can email Philomena: philomenaclearyedmondstown@gmail.com .

`No Mam, I can do it myself, it’s ok, I don’t need you’. (Case Study 2, Child 9). Results for the parents: Empowered to engage with education at their own level I Less stressful homework I Felt they had made a difference I More self-esteem and more conﬁdence I Desire to volunteer in the school. `It was a proud Mammy moment’ (Irish participant of Case Study 3 on receiving results of MIST re-test). I

TEACHING & LEARNING

LEADING LEARNING

in a two-teacher school MICHELLE BONNER PRINCIPAL OF STOKANE NATIONAL SCHOOL, ENNISCRONE, CO. SLIGO The cheerful jingle of Joseph’s icecream van, as it stopped outside a two-teacher school in West Sligo on 1st September 2007, delighted the pupils playing happily in the yard. That day, both I and my deputy Christina Flynn took up our new positions in Stokane National School. Someone once said if you want children to remember an event, mark it with a treat. We did, and they still remember it. Prior to our move we had job-shared together in a large urban school. I believe job-sharing provided a wonderful foundation for our new positions as we had already established a working relationship built on trust, commitment, compromise and collegiality. Having taught all levels, we decided to alternate classes every two years. We have continued this practice, which challenges us because it necessitates collaboration in planning, sharing of methodologies and cooperation in the swapping of classrooms. However, it has enhanced our working relationship and as principal I know there is no easy half in a two-teacher school. I love the innocence of the junior room pupils, who heap praise upon my artistic skills while senior pupils question what exactly I’m trying to draw! I love the challenging curriculum of the senior room where I replace Enniscrone Beach

Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo with Eoin Colfer’s Benny and Omar. Swapping classes is also indicative of an equal sharing of responsibility and an equality of teaching ability. Hasn’t it been said anecdotally that teachers get paid more for teaching the senior classes! Resources can also be bought for one room without it seeming biased as these will beneﬁt the other teacher on the changeover. Our senior room has a more luxurious chair than the junior room - but how often does a teacher sit… especially in a junior room! In a small school, the strength of the bond between the principal and deputy sets the atmosphere in the school. We collaborate on wholeschool initiatives to encourage a similar bonding amongst the pupils. Children move between classes to showcase good work, celebrate achievements, share a Show ‘n Tell and to practice performances before an audience. Reading Buddies pairs every child. Senior pupils organise Science Week activities for junior pupils and a Christmas Market replete with stalls for them. Other shared activities include blackberry picking and jam-making, Hallowe’en games, making St. Brigid’s crosses, school band in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, choir, Pancake Day, Easter egg hunts, hurling and Gaelic coaching, gymnastics, swimming and school tours. For two days before our

Christmas concert, we move to practice on the stage in the local community centre where we order in hot lunches for all. Another treat! This is what the day-to-day running of our school looks like and it is our way of trying to encapsulate the maxim “Excellence in education is when we do everything that we can... to make sure they become everything that they can.” Carol Ann Tomlinson What about policies, planning, assessments, schemes, evaluations and the many other aspects of accountability that underline our teaching day? “Don’t try and reinvent the wheel” was the best advice I once got and I have beneﬁtted by sharing with and receiving from other schools. Last January we decided to move out of the school for some Croke Park hours and go for a long walk on Enniscrone beach. While attending to our mental and physical wellbeing, many decisions are made. I enjoy my job as a teaching principal but ﬁnd the documentation demands for the dual role can be onerous. However, because I also enjoy a work/life balance, I have learned that tomorrow is indeed another day! If you have any comments or queries, you can email Michelle at michellebonner@gmail.com.

TEACHING & LEARNING

A Whole-School Approach to

Teaching Science DARREN SHEILS PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER As a class teacher in a small primary school in a large urban area, I undertook the task of formally investigating my school’s approach to the teaching and learning of Science, through action-research (AR). The question I posed was, how can I as Science coordinator in my school work collaboratively with the school community to empower teachers, students and parents to become more engaged in the teaching and learning of Science? Firstly, I looked at the research. It conﬁrmed that the involvement of parents in their child’s learning is crucial to their children’s interest in and ability to learn Science (National Science Teachers Association, 2009). The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) reported in 2008 on the standards of teaching and learning of Science in Irish schools. Despite the greater emphasis in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), significantly, there was no mention of parental involvement. Internationally, there is evidence that well-designed, teacher-generated assignments in Science help to improve student academic and practical skills, while also promoting parent–child relations and parent– teacher communication (Van Voorhis, 2001 and 2003). What about our school? We asked ourselves how would we know whether improvements had been made in the learning of Science in the school. We found out this by asking the students, parents and teachers questions about their experience of Science. We found that: I There was generally a positive attitude towards Science among teachers, parents and students I Teachers were willing to engage in action research and felt their

I I

students were “stretched, creative, imaginative and in charge of their own learning” Students enjoyed planning and leading their own investigations Parents demonstrated their keenness to be involved and felt they had an important role to play in the teaching and learning of Science Parents expressed greater interest in Science as a result of this project Parental enthusiasm was not necessarily perceived as such by their children.

We recognised that we needed to be creative and brave, otherwise, the teaching and learning of Science in our school would remain stagnant and stale. Since the project, we have abandoned text books for Science, redrafted our whole-school Science plan to involve more inquiry-based learning, to develop critical thinkers and problem solvers and to celebrate the open-endedness and creativity involved in Science investigation. This was achieved via a few key steps: 1. The principal approved the use of Croke Park Hours for CPD in STEM learning 2. Encouragement of staff in conducting practical research into their daily practice through AR, ensuring buy-in to a whole-school approach. By teachers leading their own investigations, they could see the beneﬁt to such an approach being adopted in the classroom. Teachers gained conﬁdence to go into the classroom and support students in leading their own investigations in a fun, interactive and collaborative manner, and potentially leading the learning of Science with their parents at home. It allowed for professional conversations about Science.

3. The principal encouraged me, as the school’s Science Coordinator, to lead the whole process and others to also lead in this area. This gave staff who were passionate about Science the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and style. 4. Sustaining the project needed continued leadership, including encouraging, supporting and resourcing staff to engage with STEM learning in the classroom. This has happened through the implementation of a new school plan. The Action Research project was not without its leadership challenges. These included: 1. The open-ended nature of action research can make it challenging to decipher what information is valuable to keep in order to improve practice. 2. Home-school links in the teaching and learning of Science were difficult to sustain. We recognised that teachers had to prioritise the new whole school approach to Science i.e. we needed to walk before we could run. 3. We need to be mindful of creating initiative overload for staff, which is counterproductive. It must be considered that the power of collective capacity enables ordinary people to do extraordinary things (Fullan, 2010). This, in fact is what observed in action in my school during the whole process. If you have any comments or queries, you can email Darren: darrensheils@gmail.com.

TEACHING & LEARNING

The Role of Deputy Principals in

LEADING TEACHING AND LEARNING DR. ANNA JENNINGS M. ED., ED. D. DEPUTY PRINCIPAL OF HOLY CROSS NS, DUNDRUM, DUBLIN

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS AND RESPONSIBILITY When chatting with principals, you regularly hear about the ever-growing pace of change in their schools, the increasing administrative and legal responsibilities attached to the role and the pressure that emanates from a wide variety of sources. Anecdotal evidence and ﬁndings from my own research suggest that principals recognise the need to distribute leadership, at the very least to lighten their load but also in recognition that two (or more) heads are better than one. For the potential of the deputy principalship role to be met, genuine responsibility must be shared and autonomy must be given in important decision-making and goal-setting. This, of course can only exist if there is full trust and effective communication between the principal and deputy principal (DP).

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL? Of late there seems to be a shift away from thinking about the DP’s role in terms of their duties, to considering how it can be a more multi-faceted role that evolves along with the needs of the school. DPs can and should be considered as co-leaders in schools working in partnership with the principal and with other colleagues. This involves a willingness on the part of the principal to devolve responsibility. Equally, it requires commitment from the DP to ‘step up’ and take ownership of that which they are leading.

I have found it very helpful to ask my colleagues what areas they feel would be most beneficial for me to focus on in each academic year. That way I know that I am responding to identified needs of the school. Examples of leading teaching and learning include: I Taking a subject or two from the Plean Scoile and looking at how the school’s policy can better reflect external curricular developments and key internal principles I Examining short and long-term planning and, in collaboration with others, develop templates or a new approach that best suits the school’s context whilst simultaneously meeting external requirements I Considering aspects of assessment practices and reviewing alternatives if required I Facilitating colleagues in implementing new curricula – for example the new Primary Language Curriculum. This may involve delivering professional development to colleagues or facilitating others to do so.

Deputy Principals can and should be considered as co-leaders in schools working in partnership with the principal and with other colleagues.

WHAT MIGHT LEADING TEACHING AND LEARNING LOOK LIKE?

THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL AS LEADER OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Leading teaching and learning requires getting the buy-in of teachers, the ability to bring others along and also to keep momentum going. Personally

DPs can be particularly well-suited to leading teaching and learning in their schools and doing so can develop their (and other’s) leadership skills in the

process. Some examples include: I

Teaching and learning are the business of schools. Leading within these areas is important work and can be a driving force behind positive development in schools Most DPs are still in classrooms and therefore changes made directly impact upon their own work. Not only does this enable them to identify potential needs, it also helps them to see how decisions that have been made play out in practice It requires teamwork, good communication and decisionmaking - all important leadership skills that can be honed by the process There is a lot of scope for the distribution of leadership to others. Identifying other’s strengths and contributions is a very affirming and empowering part of a leader’s role.

Personally speaking I have found that leading teaching and learning has been an incredibly rewarding experience, enabling me to develop myself as a leader and also guide and support others with shared purpose. If you have any comments or queries, you can email Anna to annamjennings@gmail.com.

DIARY NOTE IPPN Deputy Principals’ Conference 2018 will take place on April 19th – 20th at Citywest Hotel

TEACHING & LEARNING

The Leaning

Tower of PISA PAUL O’DONNELL PRINCIPAL OF ST PATRICK'S NS, SLANE, CO. MEATH The PISA assessments are carried out on behalf of the OECD, which was founded in 1960 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. PISA now claims to carry out the most comprehensive tests of maths, reading and science in 80% of the world’s economy. What began as an assessment tool has now become vehicle of huge educational influence and the results in 2016 were hotly anticipated by governments and the media. Many countries are reshaping their education systems specifically to improve their performance in the league tables and the PISA test creators now also offer a for profit consultancy service to facilitate this. In the recently published Department of Education Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, ironically in the wellbeing section, PISA targets for improvement in these curricular areas are explicitly stated as part of the Plan’s vision “to provide the best education and training system in Europe”. PISA’s influence is now also spreading outside of the Department of Education and Skills. The Teaching Council sent a tweet out after the recent results saying “Congratulations to teachers, students and parents on PISA results! 5th out of 70 countries for literacy”. However, there are many critics of this assessment. In an open letter to its Director in 2014, a long list of global academics and education activists (including Dr. Ciarán Sugrue of UCD), expressed their concerns about the effects of PISA on education systems around the world. They cited the danger of moving to short term fixes to help countries climb the rankings, the narrowing of

education to a focus on such few measurements and the senselessness of comparing a developing country with one where 15 year olds are routinely drafted into child labour. When the results came out first, the Finnish educational community was surprised at their high performance because they placed such an emphasis on whole child development and the teaching of the arts. Finnish professor Pasi Sahlberg now believes that the subsequent attention on their system stunted reform for fear of falling down the rankings.

The narrow curricular focus, inﬂuenced by PISA, has already led to discretionary curricular time being given over to numeracy and literacy. In all of its 320 actions to implement the new Action Plan, the words Visual Arts, Art, Music and philosophy are mentioned a combined total of ten times. This also now appears to be a road our education system is heading. The aforementioned Department of Education Action Plan reads like a global car manufacturer’s strategic business document. Its focus is undoubtedly on providing skilled, literate workers for our economy. The curricular emphasis is on numeracy, literacy, ICT and STEM areas, soaked with words and phrases such as innovation, outcomes, the economic

environment, entrepreneurship and quality frameworks. The narrow curricular focus, influenced by PISA, has already led to discretionary curricular time being given over to numeracy and literacy. In all of its 320 actions to implement the new Action Plan, the words Visual Arts, Art, Music and philosophy are mentioned a combined total of ten times. There is no mention of Drama, History, Geography and zilch also for the natural world around us. This gives rise to a fundamental question. What is the ultimate goal of education in Ireland? Because if it is primarily focused on the immeasurable educational objectives of developing children physically, morally, civically and creatively, and providing opportunities for their imaginations to enquire and create, as is stated on most school mission statements, the Department of Education seems to have developed a very strange way of supporting us. Perhaps we would be better served by trusting and defending our own observations, assessments and teaching and learning methods to improve the education and well being of our own pupils in our own villages, towns, counties and country. Who do you think would be best placed to influence the education of the children in your school, your own educational community or a global economic organisation? Modified version posted networking 8th December 2016.

If you have any comments or queries, you can email Paul at donegalpaul@hotmail.com.

TEACHING & LEARNING

OUR PRIMARY CURRICULUM and the NEXT GENERATION EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PRIMARY TEAM, NCCA For many teachers and school leaders across the country, the phrase ‘primary curriculum’ brings to mind the image of a grey box containing 23 books delivered to schools over 18 years ago. That was the year Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts met in Notting Hill and when Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published! It was also before the ‘world wide web’ infiltrated much of what we do on a daily basis. When published in 1999, the primary curriculum was a cutting-edge foundation for teaching and learning. Eighteen years on, perhaps an important question for us now as a society is whether or not, or to what extent, our curriculum is still at the cutting edge of primary education. Does it still reflect what we see as important for children’s learning? Irish classrooms have changed significantly since 1999. They’re busier and more dynamic places and support a greater diversity of learners. We also have more research helping us to better understand how children learn and the childhoods they have here in Ireland. Children born in 2018, and beginning primary school in 2022/2023, will start their working lives in the 2040s and retire in the 2080s! We can, at best, only imagine their world then. It’s timely therefore to check back in on our primary curriculum and to consider what it needs to do for the next generation. The NCCA’s consultation last year provided the first opportunity since the curriculum’s publication to step back and consider how it’s structured and how time is used within it. Huge thanks to the principals and teachers who participated in that consultation. As with any consultation, there were points of agreement alongside points of disagreement, and calls for further consideration of some aspects of the proposals. There was broad welcome for the proposal to move from 11 subjects to a more integrated curriculum in the early years of primary

while retaining subjects at least in the latter years of school. There was also general agreement about the importance of flexibility for schools to make decisions about the curriculum in their local context. At the same time, concerns were expressed about how ‘flexible time’ was presented in the proposals and the specific elements included within it. Consultation discussion also touched on other important aspects, such as a curriculum’s purpose, the values and principles that should underpin it, and the overarching priorities for a primary education. Curriculum implementation and the importance of sustained, highquality CPD was also discussed. The NCCA will publish a report on the consultation in early 2018 describing the key findings and setting out the next phase of work. Where to next? The next important step in redeveloping the curriculum involves setting out what it might look like, and what it might include and say about teaching and learning in the years to come. The next phase focuses on an updated introduction or overview of the curriculum including: I its purpose, taking account of developments in the early childhood sector and a changing junior cycle experience when students begin post-primary school I the values and principles underpinning the curriculum, reflecting a changing Irish society I the priorities for children’s learning across the eight years of their primary education I the structure and content of the curriculum including the number of stages and what each stage might comprise of I an updated framework for allocating time within the curriculum I important pedagogies to support children’s learning and development across the curriculum.

This overview will be the focus for a major consultation in 2019. In the meantime, the NCCA will commission a series of short research papers on the above aspects of a curriculum which will generate discussion on, and consideration of what we, as a profession and as a society, want our primary curriculum to do for children into the next ﬁve, ten, ﬁfteen years. There will be a series of seminars to provide further direction and shape the redeveloped curriculum. This is another opportunity for school leaders to share your experience and ideas for the next iteration of the primary curriculum. Throughout all of the work, account will be taken of changes already in place such as the new Primary Language Curriculum/Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile and the new draft Primary Mathematics Curriculum, as well as the calls for more consideration to be given to areas such as children’s wellbeing, computational thinking and coding, values, religions and beliefs, and modern foreign languages. We hope you can get involved in the discussions planned for 2018 and in shaping a redeveloped primary curriculum. For further information, keep an eye on the website at www.ncca.ie. The NCCA Early Childhood and Primary Team members have classroom experience in a range of school contexts both nationally and internationally, as well as school leadership experience. In recent years, the team have worked on Aistear, Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile, proposals for a curriculum in Education about Religions and Beliefs and Ethics, a new draft Primary Mathematics Curriculum and an initiative on coding. The team are in the process of reviewing and redeveloping the primary school curriculum and look forward to engaging with school leaders from around the country in the coming months.

REFLECTIONS

‘Whose Mammy are you?’ Parent Teacher meetings unwrapped DAMIAN WHITE PRINCIPAL OF SCOIL SHINCHILL, KILLEIGH, CO. OFFALY AND IPPN DEPUTY PRESIDENT

One of the more unexpected upsides of becoming an administrative principal 15 years ago was how enjoyable the parent teacher meetings suddenly became. Rather than moving from a full day’s teaching into a full evening’s talking, usually stretching to a second evening when classes were big, I now had the chance after my day’s work to chat to the parents in an altogether different way. Of course, when a parent wished to discuss a serious, or less than serious, matter with you, they were afforded the time, but now without the added backdrop of a chalk-face day in the rear view mirror. It is also one of the days when I get to reﬂect on just how difficult these days can be for teaching principals. What constitutes a useful meeting for parents and teachers, and a fruitful one for the child central to the ten minute têteà-tête? I can recall from my early pre-principal days, a very friendly mother catapulting through the door with a ‘Howya Damian. Some craic below in the clubhouse the other night. I never knew you could sing’. My singing talent was news to me too, and I had vague memories of the clubhouse, full to bursting point on the night a Kells team, including, unluckily for them, a heavy-set corner forward of profoundly average ability, brought home the Meath Intermediate Championship. By all accounts, I had murdered a great number, while standing on top of a very rickety bar-stool. Unlike Daniel O’Donnell, who can remember his every fan by their tea pot, I couldn’t for the life of me put a moniker on my only excited groupie. ‘Well, how’s this lad of ours getting on?’ The dreaded question, with no John or Michael or Peter included. I had only a 38-1 chance of being right, 37 if you took the twins into account. ‘He’s grand’ I spluttered lamely. ’He’s doing very well overall.’ ‘How are the maths? He struggles sometimes with the fractions’ she countered. ‘They’re all ﬁnding the fractions a challenge’ says I, still

praying for divine inspiration. ‘Where does he sit?’ Sweat was coming out in bubbles at this stage. ‘I move them around a good bit’ I responded unconvincingly. ‘He loves you anyway!’ she cheerfully shared as she headed for the door. To this day, I never knew whose mother I’d just met. I hope her young son, now in his 40s, has worked out ok and in spite of his fractions, that his glass is at least half full. A good parent teacher meeting should reassure the parent about what is going well, and support them in assisting the child with the areas that need attention. It also gives the teacher a chance to put a face with a name and to learn from the parent of interests, hobbies, concerns or anxieties the child might have. A jovial, happy and friendly parent may be indicative of the reason their child presents the same way. A parent with a stressed or worried countenance may provide a clue as to why their child too, seems anxious or worried. A teacher with recent standardised test results, some samples of work at hand and a clear picture of how the child is managing socially, with peers as well as adults, is someone who will enhance the parents’ understanding of their child’s progress, academically and socially. For a teaching principal, the day or days can be amongst the longest and most tiring. While some may choose to get the job done over a short period, others may decide to stagger meetings. An administrative principal, on the other hand, can circulate, meeting parents as they queue at classroom doors and engage with them in a relaxed way. Areas of the curriculum or school procedures can be explained during these brief but productive encounters. While there are more parents, there’s less possibility of meeting a chancer with a penchant for bawdy singing and selective memory. And the encounters will be more useful and rewarding for all.

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

IPPN Submissions

The Role of Religion in the School Admissions Process GERALDINE D’ARCY IPPN RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS MANAGER

The Irish Constitution (Article 42.1) states that: ‘The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.’ In some cases, this has been interpreted as an absolute right of parents to a school of their choice for their children. It is probably fairer to say that parents’ right to choose a school for their child is respected but not guaranteed. In any case, in a rapidly diverging society with limited resources, it is simply not possible to provide a complete choice of schools to every family in every location throughout the country. Difficulties around enrolment are increasing and this can be extremely stressful for those affected – children, parents and schools. The number of Section 29 (enrolment-related) appeals is growing as a result of parental frustration at not getting their ﬁrst choice school, which is a further drain on schools, parents and ultimately the whole school system. IPPN believes that securing a school place should not be inﬂuenced by whether the child’s parents are past pupils or teachers, nor whether the child practices a particular faith. Neither should a relationship with a benefactor of the school, a place on a multi-annual waiting list, a receipt of a deposit or aptitude screening results be among the criteria, official or otherwise. A fairer and more transparent enrolment process would relieve stress on many parents and schools. Ideally, all children would be enrolled in their local school, thus proximity to the school would be the

only criterion, or at least the main criterion. SCHOOL LEADERS’ RESPONSE TO THE MINISTER’S ENROLMENT OPTIONS The Minister proposed four possible approaches to school admissions as follows: 1. Catchment area 2. Nearest school rule 3. Quota system 4. Outright prohibition. For details of the above options, see the DES consultation paper. https://www.education.ie/en/Parents/ Information/School-Enrolment/Roleof-Religion-in-School-Admissions.html IPPN consulted our members in March 2017 in relation to the Minister’s proposals and received 254 responses (8% of primary school leaders). The spread of opinion in relation to the options put forward by the Minister is shown below: While not given the option of retaining the status quo, it is worth noting that many principals commented that would be their preferred option as they believe their schools to be fully inclusive. This also reﬂects many of the views expressed at IPPN’s National Council meeting in March 2017. When asked why they chose their preferred option (Catchment Area), the following words were the most commonly used descriptors: Some of the key points provided in the submission related to catchment areas with regard to: 1. Possible impacts on minority religions 2. Possible constitutional issues 3. Possible impacts on the management/administration of individual primary schools/of a primary school system of 3200 schools

4. Possible unintended impacts on other goals of education policy. A suggested web-based enrolment process was put forward as a potential way of managing the process in a more open, transparent and efficient way. CONCLUSION The issue of school admissions is closely linked to patronage and curriculum and all three elements need to be reviewed together if Irish education is to become truly inclusive. As the responses to our own survey show, there is considerable variety of opinion – although almost two thirds chose either catchment area or nearest school rule - and it will be very challenging to bring about change without alienating signiﬁcant cohorts. Further consultation and a pilot project are required to ensure that the chosen option is workable on the ground and that all scenarios are dealt with up front. Communication with all stakeholders is also vital. Whatever option is chosen, the web-based enrolment process outlined in the submission is worth considering, as it ensures openness and transparency across the system. The complete submission was published on ippn.ie in March 2017 and is available to view/download from www.ippn.ie Advocacy/Submissions.

January 2018

Overview of 2017 Submissions Over the past several years, IPPN has made numerous submissions to the DES, to education agencies and other parties involved in the education sector on a wide range of topics. We do this in order to inform policy-makers - and those who make decisions about funding and other priorities - about the reality of primary education on the ground – in classrooms and staff rooms, and the issues relating to leading and managing schools today. Submissions are usually made in response to requests or public consultation processes, but also proactively, as is the case with submissions to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills. The information provided is generally backed up by research, and your own survey responses are a key input to this. The following are the submissions made during 2017. All our submissions are available to view and download from www.ippn.ie under Advocacy – Submissions. In each issue of

Leadership+ this year, a key submission is summarised to provide an overview of key points raised, starting in Issue 101 with the submission regarding the DES Action Plan for Education 2016 to 2019 – Priorities for 2017. 2017 1. Submission to the DES re. the DES Statement of Strategy 2016-2018 (Jan 2017) 2. Submission to the DES re. The role of religion in the school admissions process (Mar 2017) 3. Opening Statement to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills in relation to the proposed Ombudsman for Education and the proposed Parents & Pupils Charter (attended the JOC and presented in Mar 2017) 4. Submission the DES on STEM Education Policy (June 2017) 5. Submission to Department of Finance and DES - Pre-Budget

Submission for 2018 (Aug 2017) Submission to the Centre for School leadership re. Professional Learning Continuum for School Leadership (Nov 2017).

Note: I IPPN’s submission regarding the DES Statement of Strategy 20162018 was summarised in issue 94. I Administration Burden in Irish Primary Schools - IPPN’s submission to the DES - was summarised in Issue 80.

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

www.ippn.ie Latest resources retrospective vetting of teaching If your school has a policy or plan that is staff, non-teaching staff and others not available on ippn.ie, or which would supplement available resources, we I 0068/2017 - Supplementary Panel would appreciate if you would submit it I 0066/2017 - Cycle to Work Scheme for review by email to CURRICULUM & SCHOOL PLANNING rachel.hallahan@ippn.ie. Plans The following are the new resources I Literacy Lift Off Plan available in the different sections of the website:

RESOURCES STAFF MANAGEMENT API & APII Posts I APII Marking Sheet I APII Advert I Sample Duties I API Role & Responsibilities I APII Role & Responsibilities. DES CIRCULARS I 81/2017 - Publication of new “Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 I 0072/2017 - Reminder to schools regarding the deadline of 31 December 2017 for the

RECRUITMENT Teachers I IPPN Guide to Interviews - Teacher I Teacher Contract of Indeﬁnite Duration SCHOOL POLICIES Child Protection I Guide for the Reporting of Child Protection and Welfare Concerns PLANNING PROMPTS A new prompt is uploaded each week to this section, outlining activities that schools may wish to consider at that particular time of year. This section will act as an online archive of planning prompts, which are also issued via Escéal.

SUPPORTS LEADERSHIP+ 2017/2018 I Leadership+ Issue 101 – October 2017. E-SCÉALS A new E-scéal is uploaded each week to this section, outlining key information that is relevant to school leaders – deadlines, decisions, planning prompts, research etc. This section will act as an online archive of E-scéals.

ADVOCACY PRESS RELEASES I 10th October - Budget 2018 - More teachers, less sugar, provides sweetener for Education SUBMISSIONS Submission to the Centre for School leadership re. Professional Learning Continuum for School Leadership (Nov 2017)

January 2018

The Role of the School Leader in

Addressing Adult Bullying COLM Ó TUATHAIL PRINCIPAL, REARCROSS NATIONAL SCHOOL, REARCROSS, NEWPORT, CO. TIPPERARY ‘At the end of the day all the issues were at my door, I was the one who was dealing with it day in day out, day in day out. The toll on me and my staff was absolutely colossal, it was draining, absolutely draining, so much energy went into it, it was very difficult to keep any focus on teaching and learning…’ Participant Ten As part of a postgraduate programme in Educational Leadership and Management, I completed a dissertation on the topic of adult bullying. The research explored the extent to which primary school leaders recognise, prioritise, respond to and resolve the issue of workplace bullying. To examine the research question, two data collection instruments were used, semi-structured interviews and a focus group, across a sample of eighteen participants.

There is considerable agreement among international researchers that prevalence rates of workplace bullying are particularly high in the education sector CURRENT RESEARCH There is considerable agreement among international researchers that prevalence rates of workplace bullying are particularly high in the education sector (Kitt, 2009). Despite the high incidence of workplace bullying in education (Economic and Social Research Institute, 2007), research into bullying behaviour in Ireland has largely focused on children in primary and secondary schools (Minton & O’ Moore, 2007). However, research by Stevens (2013) highlighted the impact of workplace bullying on primary principals and found an incidence rate

of 41%. More recently, results published by IPPN into the health and wellbeing of primary school principals and deputy principals reported adult bullying occurring at triple the rate of the general population (Riley, 2014).

FINDINGS A number of key findings were identified in the research data. Participants’ understanding of what constituted workplace bullying varied from good to confused and less than complete. When asked to identify whether or not they saw workplace bullying as a challenge, several principals admitted that they had little or no experience in dealing with it and generally did not prioritise it as an issue. However, school leaders who had dealt with adult bullying noted the severe impact it had on them personally, on their ability to lead the school effectively and to influence teaching and learning. Perhaps one of the most interesting and challenging findings arose from the focus group discussion of twelve experienced school leaders. It emerged that several principals feel constrained in their role as the school manager and leader by the threat of an adult bullying claim being brought against them by an uncooperative teacher. This point was illustrated by participant five, ‘They may claim they are being bullied but it is the principal who is actually being bullied’. Whilst the group agreed that only a small minority of teachers were involved, the impact on the school, staff morale and the authority of the school leader was still very significant. The strategies which principals use to prevent workplace bullying were identified; principals acknowledged the importance of a positive school culture and climate in preventing adult bullying with several highlighting the role of leadership as being of critical importance. However, a large majority of principals disclosed that they had no specific policy in place to address adult bullying with a sizeable minority

unaware of the agreed procedures for resolving it.

The strategies which principals use to prevent workplace bullying were identified; principals acknowledged the importance of a positive school culture and climate in preventing adult bullying with several highlighting the role of leadership as being of critical importance. CONCLUSION A shortage of purposeful training for addressing adult bullying was highlighted by all participants in this research. A lack of awareness of current procedures, an absence of any formal training for boards of management, principals and staff on how to effectively address adult bullying and prevent its occurrence was emphasised by the participants. There is now a clear requirement to increase awareness of workplace bullying among principals and to provide continuous professional development in the areas of interpersonal relations, conflict management and workplace bullying. The current procedures, whilst providing a direction for the resolution of workplace bullying, are not without their flaws and need to be reviewed but principals, in particular, have to be made more aware of the procedures for addressing workplace bullying and trained in their use. If you have any comments or queries, you can email Colm to colmotuathail@gmail.com. 25

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

New members on the IPPN Board of Directors IPPN’s Board of Directors has the principal responsibility for the general leadership of the organisation, to achieve its mission and the legal accountability for its operations. This means that, as a group, the Board is in charge of establishing a clear organisational mission, forming the strategic plan and overseeing and evaluating the plan’s success. We are delighted to welcome the following as new directors on IPPN’s Board. They bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the Board and we look forward to working with them in the coming years.

LOUISE TOBIN Louise has been principal of St. Joseph’s Primary School in Tipperary Town since 2009. She previously worked for a year with School Development Planning as a facilitator, and for a further year with the Primary Development Service for Teachers as an advisor, during which time she completed postgraduate studies in School Planning. Louise worked in Grange NS, Clonmel for 20 years, and was Acting Principal there for 2 years. She has experience as both teaching and administrative principalship. Louise is a Tipperary representative on the IPPN National Council and is an active member of the local principals’ support group in Tipperary Town. She has a strong interest in school planning as a powerful means of promoting school effectiveness and development and has advocated on behalf of pupils living in areas of disadvantage, seeking extra resources under the DEIS scheme. Louise is also a member of the Principals of ASD Classes Network Group in Tipperary and is a trained and active CSL mentor.

PADRAIG McCABE Padraig is principal of St. Mary’s Junior NS, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, a mainstream, coeducational school with DEIS Band 1 status. He holds several postgraduate diplomas as well as a Masters in Educational Leadership. He has represented IPPN on a number of committees and forums, including presenting a submission to the Oireachtas Committee for Social Inclusion; he is IPPN National 26

Coordinator for Children and Young People Services Committees; a member of the DCU-based Prevention of Hunger in Schools Strategy Group and the working group convened by Diabetes Ireland. Padraig is Chairperson of his local School Completion Programme and a Board member of Archways. Padraig has been a member of the IPPN National Conference Venue Committee since 2010 and also from 2004-2006. He is a trained Mentor with the Centre for School Leadership and also acts as a ‘Cara’ to mentors.

IPPN BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2017/18 Name

County

Anna Mai Rooney

Monaghan

Brian O’Doherty

Wicklow

Catríona O’Reilly

Waterford

Damian White

Offaly

David Ruddy

Dublin

Denise Ward

Meath

Gerard Ruane

Clare

Gerry Moran

Wexford

Íde Ní Dhubháin

Cork

Máiréad O’Flynn

Kildare

Pat Connaghan

Donegal

LouiseTobin

Tipperary

PadraigMcCabe

Dublin

The bios of the directors are available on the About Us – Our People – Board of Directors webpage on www.ippn.ie. Note: Páiric Clerkin stepped down from the Board of Directors upon his appointment as CEO of IPPN in September 2017 and Caoimhe Máirtín in October 2017, thus there were two Board vacancies.

January 2018

A Tribute to Outgoing Board Member Caoimhe Máirtín Caoimhe Máirtín has been a ‘critical friend’ of IPPN, in the best possible sense, since its inception. IPPN’s ﬁrst CEO and founding member Seán Cottrell involved Caoimhe in several signiﬁcant projects over the years, and encouraged the Executive Committee to bring her more formally into the fold in 2007 as a co-opted member of the Committee (later the Board of Directors). Caoimhe brought considerable experience and insight to her role as a member of the Board of Directors of IPPN. Her expertise has been invaluable in conducting the research underpinning the IPPN publications Primary School Governance – Challenges and Opportunities; and Boards of Management – Guidelines for Best Practice, both published in 2011 and

Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar - Distributing Leadership, published in 2007. She has also been involved in steering IPPN as an organisation, particularly in relation to governance compliance and our Continuous Professional Development programme. Caoimhe facilitated the IPPN annual principals’ conference in 2004 and 2005 and delivered a keynote address on governance in 2008. Caoimhe has experience of leadership in many areas of education, having been a school principal, lecturer in Carysfort College, Director of Teaching Practice in St. Patrick’s College and President of Coláiste Mhuire Marino. Caoimhe also held the position of Coordinator of the Primary School Curriculum with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and had a key role in the design of the Revised Primary

Curriculum (1999). Caoimhe was seconded for a period by the Department of Education and Science to the expert committee established to review and make recommendations on teacher education in Ireland. Caoimhe’s special interests include teacher education, Gaeilge and promoting quality leadership in education. Caoimhe has a keen interest in researching folklore on education in Ireland and has published a book, An Máistir, which includes many interesting insights into the role of principal as recorded ‘i mbéal na ndaoine’. Caoimhe bears many of the characteristics of great leaders who are known by only their ﬁrst name - Pele, Napoleon and Galileo. Certainly, the name ‘Caoimhe’ is well-known and highly regarded in educational circles, both in Ireland and around the world. We thank Caoimhe for her immense contribution to IPPN over the past decade and wish her the very best in her future endeavours.

Education-related Statistics I

PROJECTIONS OF ENROLMENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS FROM 2017 TO 2035 Year

Projected Enrolment

2017

563,716

2018

567,369

2020

563,716

2025

485,276

2030

418,156

74% of the peak level

2035

398,419

70% of the peak level

Estimates are based on assumptions around migration and fertility levels, using a conservative estimate in the mid-range of the projections. Note: The error rate in projections is less than 1%.

TEACHER RETIREMENTS – 2016 There were 538 retirements at primary level in 465 schools, 86% of which had one retiree. There were 654 primary retirements in 2015, 794 in 2014 and 465 in 2013. 29% of retirements at primary level in 2016 were Principals – compared with 7% at second level!

Comment

Peak level (projected)

Some other interesting statistics about teacher retirements included: I 82% of teacher retirements were voluntary; 5% CNER (cost-neutral early retirement); 4% medical grounds; 9% compulsory (reached maximum age) I 52% of primary teachers between 55 and 59 retired; 42% between 60 and 65. This is almost reversed at second level - 41% of those retiring were between 55 and 59 years; and 52% were aged 60-65. I 4% of teachers were under 55; 1.5% over 65

13% of primary teachers aged 55 retired, compared with 4% at second level… The most common ages to retire were 60 and 55 at primary level. At second-level 17% of those who retired were aged 60, signiﬁcantly higher than any other age.

The retirement terms and conditions for teachers are dis-improving: I Those appointed before April 2004 - Voluntary retirement from age 55 if they have 35 years’ service. They must retire before the end of the school year in which they turn 65. Can avail of CNER from age 50. I Those appointed between 1 April 2004 and 31 December 2012 Voluntary retirement from age 65. No maximum retirement age. Can avail of CNER from age 55. I Those appointed after 1 Jan 2013 Voluntary retirement from age 66, increasing to 68 in 2028 – in line with the contributory state pension age. They have a maximum retirement age of 70. Can avail of CNER from age 55. Source: https://www.education.ie/ en/Publications/Statistics/StatisticalReports/Other-Statistical-Reports.html 27

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

PIRLS 2016: Reading Achievement of Fourth Class Pupils EEMER EIVERS RESEARCH FELLOW AND LORRAINE GILLEECE, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE

Ireland was one of 50 countries to participate in the 2016 cycle of Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). It is the world’s largest study of reading achievement at primary level and the 2016 cycle involved over 340,000 pupils, 330,000 parents, 16,000 teachers and 12,000 schools. In Ireland, the administration of PIRLS is managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC). PIRLS assesses the reading skills of pupils in fourth class (or the equivalent grade in other countries), as this is seen as the point at which most pupils have learned how to read and are now reading to learn. First conducted in 2001, PIRLS takes place every five years. As Ireland first participated in 2011, 2016 is the first time information on trends is available. The 2016 study included a new element – an assessment of online reading skills, called ePIRLS, to complement the paper-based assessment. Ireland was one of 14 countries that took part in both PIRLS and ePIRLS. The results (announced in December 2017) reveal that Irish pupils have very high levels of reading achievement on both the paper-based and digital assessments. On PIRLS, only the Russian Federation and Singapore had significantly higher mean scores than Ireland. The Irish mean score did not differ significantly from that of four countries (Hong Kong SAR, Finland, Poland and Northern Ireland), and was

significantly higher than that of the remaining 43 countries (including England, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand). Irish pupils performed as well on the digital assessment as they did on the paper-based assessment. Just one country – Singapore – had a statistically significantly higher mean score than Ireland. Ireland’s mean score is very similar to that of Norway, and significantly higher than that of the remaining 11 participating countries. Ireland and Canada were the only two countries where achievement on PIRLS and ePIRLS did not differ significantly. Slovenia, Italy and Chinese Taipei showed a significant advantage on the paper-based test over the digital test. Conversely, countries with the largest advantage on the digital test over the paper test were the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Denmark. In all but two countries, girls scored higher than boys on PIRLS, and gender differences were slightly larger when Literary rather than Informational types of texts were considered. On ePIRLS (composed solely of Informational text) girls scored higher than boys in 11 of the 14 participating countries. In Ireland, the gender gap on PIRLS was somewhat smaller than on average internationally, while the gender gap on ePIRLS was similar to the international average.

Ireland was one of 41 countries that participated in both PIRLS 2011 and PIRLS 2016. Of those countries, mean scores increased in 18, remained unchanged in 13, and dropped in 10. Ireland was one of the countries with a large improvement between the two cycles. Other English-speaking countries with significant improvements in performance were England and Australia, while English-speaking countries with a significant drop in performance were the United States and New Zealand. An initial report and flyer describing Ireland’s performance in PIRLS 2016 were published in December 2017 and are available for download at www.erc.ie/pirls, where you can also see samples of PIRLS texts and questions, and a link to try some ePIRLS questions (as experienced by pupils). Further indepth analyses are planned for 2018 and will examine topics including the variation in technology usage across countries and over time; associations between pupil home background characteristics and performance on PIRLS and ePIRLS; and, aspects of the class and school climate. If you would like to contact the authors in relation to the article, please email them to pirls@erc.ie.

Figure 1: Performance of countries in PIRLS 2016, relative to Ireland Figure 2: Comparing scores on PIRLS and ePIRLS – all ePIRLS countries 600

Russian Federation & Singapore

580 560 540

PIRLS

520 ePIRLS

Hong Kong SAR, Ireland , Finland, Poland & Northern Ireland

500 480 460

UA E

ae l rtu ga l Ge or gi a Po

en ia ov

Isr

Ita

na Ca

US A De nm ar k

ng ap or e Ire la nd No rw ay Ch .T ai pe i Sw ed en

440

All remaining 43 countries, including Norway, Chinese Taipei, England, US, Australia, Canada, Germany & New Zealand

CE A L RP

OU Y K OO

IPPN Annual Principals’

CONFERENCE

2018

Leadership Without Borders CITYWEST HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTRE

Thursday 25rd and Friday 26th January 2018 - EARLIER DATE! KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

SHEILA NUNAN Secretary General, INTO

RICHARD BRUTON TD Minister for Education

MARY NIHILL Centre for School Leadership

ANNA MAI ROONEY Centre for School Leadership

ANNE LOONEY Executive Dean, DCU, former CEO of the NCCA

DEBBIE SCHÄFER

BRIAN SCHREUDER

Provincial Minister, Western Cape, South Africa

Head of Education, Western Cape, South Africa

JOE BROLLY Barrister, Pundit, former GAA player

SEMINARS I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I

NEW! Leadership Pathways Seminars will start on Thursday morning Leadership Pathways – Creating the Space to Lead – four separate session designed to meet your needs based on your level of experience as a school leader – IPPN Leadership Support Team and CSL An Teanga ó Bhéal - Spreagadh agus Cur Chun Cinn na Cainte - Máire Nic an Rí Children First Act - essential school compliance information - Maria Doyle Developing a Safety Culture: Leading from within - Alan Black and Shay Bannon Everything a school leader needs to know about technology but was afraid to ask! - Simon Lewis Getting Data Protection Ready - Mairéad O’Flynn BL Induction – The HOW and the WHY - Catherine Carragher Managing Interpersonal Behaviours, Relationships and Emotions, the role of the school leader - Jacinta Kitt Principalmeet 2018 - Kathleen Byrne and Ciara Brennan Restorative Practices - Ann Ryan and Richie Walsh Special schools Supporting Each Other - Siobhán Allen, Claire O’Donovan Staff Wellbeing for Dummies - Cóilín Ó Coigligh Supporting Teachers’ Learning Through the Continuum of Teacher Education - Teaching Council What does a child-centred approach to complaint handling look like? - Ombudsman for Children

NOTE: Seminars will start on Thursday morning I Early check-in on Wednesday evening I Contact the hotel asap to book your room See conference.ippn.ie for more information and to register

NEW APP A TextaParent App is now available in Apple & Android for schools, clubs, community groups and organisations TextaParent’s new App can dramatically reduce the cost of sending messages to parents and staff.

TextaParent Purchase Example 3,000 Standard Texts = €165 3,000 App Messages = €82.50

A MASSIVE SAVING OF 50% FOR YOUR SCHOOL* The App is available to use at no extra cost to schools or to parents. The more contacts that download the App, the lower the cost of sending messages will be. You do not need to do anything different when sending messages via TextaParent.ie. Contacts with the App downloaded will receive the App message – those who don’t will receive a standard text message Calendar Function On your Textaparent home screen of the website, you will see a new tab School Calendar.This NEW feature will allow you to add events to the calendar which can be viewed by the contacts on the App. Ideal for marking early closures, fundraising events, school play, other important dates, etc. Award Winning We are delighted to announce that TextaParent.ie was voted the Best eCommerce website at the recent Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2017. The awards ceremony took place in Pairc Uí Chaoimh on 26th October, 2017.

Calendar Function

Claire O’Donovan (IPPN) and Sarah McNamara (TextaParent.ie) accepting the Best eCommerce Website award at the Cork Digital Marketing Awards.

TextaParent has been extremely busy since the start of the school year. Along with the usual surge in activity with returning for the school year, we had extreme weather to contend with too. During storm Ophelia we hit the highest volume of messages ever sent through the system, with over 800,000 messages delivered between Saturday and Monday of that weekend.

Message volume during Storm Ophelia

If you have any queries, or would like to try TextaParent.ie for yourself, please contact info@textaparent.ie or 1890 401 501 *Prices may be subject to VAT. Saving will depend on the volume of recipients with the App downloaded.

Irish Primary Principals’ Network Líonra Phríomhoidí Bunscoile Éireann