Leadership+ Issue 55 March 2010

ISSUE 55 â—? MARCH 2010

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

Highlights from Conference 2010 The Nintendo DS in Primary Education To flee or not to flee, that is the question

Primary Education A Human Right or a Privilege?

The number of children that continue to be taught in prefabs, the dependence on parents to pay for basic operating costs of schools, the embarrassing state of ICT in schools and just now the doubling in the cost of water, suggests that the Celtic Tiger never went to school.

With thanks to

Sponsor of IPPN Publications

International Principal Exchange Leadership in Action School Principal and Choir Member, Padraic Mc Keon

Education. Covered by Allianz.

When it comes to day-to-day school management, class preparation and extra-curricular activities, www.allianz.ie/schools is always ready to help out. Created by Allianz, Ireland's leading insurer of schools, this unique website provides a wide range of information and assistance for teaching professionals and managers in Ireland. Visit the website and you'll find we've really done our homework, with detailed information on every aspect of school insurance, including teachers liability, pupil personal accident and use of teachers' cars.

Log on to www.allianz.ie/schools to find detailed information on school insurance and see why it is top of the class.

Allianz, Allianz House, Elmpark, Merrion Road, Dublin 4. Ireland. Tel: (01) 613 39 66.

Fax: (01) 613 36 30. Email: education@allianz.ie Website: www.allianz.ie/schools Allianz p.l.c. is regulated by the Financial Regulator.

Primary Education A Human Right or a Privilege?

by Seán Cottrell LEADERSHIP Even to the casual observer, it is clear that there is an extraordinary absence of leadership at national level. Politicians, bishops, bankers, developers, trade unions and state agencies can all take their share of the blame for subverting their mandate to lead while neglecting the interests of those they were supposed to serve.

The concept of ‘servant leadership’ has been replaced by ‘self-serving leadership’, where vested interests take priority over the common good and where self-preservation comes before everything else.

If we have learned anything in the last two years, it is that a leader who is without integrity is absolutely nothing.

Those who have abused their position of leadership are causing immense hardship for much of the population. There is a palpable anger amongst ordinary people whose incomes are cut, whose savings have disappeared or whose jobs are lost. As the perpetrators have still not been held accountable, it’s easy to see how you as a Principal could become frustrated, demoralised or even cynical. But you haven’t and that is the difference between real and bogus leaders. If we have learned anything in the last two years, it is that a leader who is without integrity is absolutely nothing.

Three years ago, there was an air of confidence and ambition which gave educators a sense of real hope. Hope that real investment in education was finally happening and that our education system would reach the standards and potential that we knew were possible.

Regrettably, the rising tide did not lift all boats.

The number of children that continue to be taught in prefabs, the dependence on parents to pay for basic operating costs of schools, the embarrassing state of ICT in schools and just now the doubling in the cost of water, suggests that the Celtic Tiger never went to school. Add to that the ruthless culling of Special Needs

Director: Seán Cottrell director@ippn.ie President: Pat Goff president@ippn.ie Editor: Damian White editor@ippn.ie Assistant Editor: Brendan McCabe

Assistants and English Language Teachers and school secretaries and caretakers working for a minimum wage… How on earth could this have happened? But this didn’t just happen.

People were in charge. Why are they not accountable now? My fear is that there is no willingness to hold those leaders to account.

In stark contrast, you have led by example, managing vast amounts of change in education with which you are all familiar. The quality of leadership evident in primary schools has been truly remarkable.

If it were Primary Principals who were leading our banks, churches and state agencies, somehow I doubt we would be in the mess that we are in now. What if it were the other way around?…

Imagine the cross between Celebrity Bainisteoir and Fantasy Football.Think of a primary school with Bertie Ahern as Principal, Desmond Connell as the School Patron, Roddy Molloy chairing the Board and Seán Fitzpatrick as Treasurer? Then you could have Liam Carroll building the school extension – money would be no problem as Seán Fitzpatrick could get a 120% loan from Michael Fingleton – and it wouldn’t even show up in the books! Minister, would you like your grandchildren to be enrolled in that school?

Staff morale has taken a hammering due to savage cuts in school budgets followed by the severe blow to teachers’ and principals’ personal finances. Low teacher morale is detrimental to children. Perhaps the greatest challenge for school leaders in 2010 will be to provide positive leadership to your teachers and staff and to inspire them to be the best that they can be for every single child in your school. Imagine for a moment that you are not the Principal in your school. Consider the difference it would make to you as a teacher having a Principal who models hope rather than despair, positivity rather than cynicism. As school leaders, our attitude to this education crisis will have a deep and longlasting impact on teachers and children in our schools. A single, credible, positive voice can outweigh a dozen whingers. … It is critical that you focus all of your time and energy on things

Assistant Director:Virginia O’Mahony Advertising: adverts@ippn.ie Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co Cork T: 353 21 452 4925 F: 353 21 435 5648 PAG E 3

that you can influence or control. And it is even more vital that you smother the forces of negativity by depriving them of your attention.

By any analysis, the role of Primary Principal is a complex and highly challenging role.Yet, there are few roles with such a high concentration of committed, caring and passionate professionals.

You show entrepreneurship, innovation and ingenuity in the way you lead, manage and achieve so much progress in schools that are so under-funded and under-resourced. Your leadership has inspired others. You have sacrificed your private and family time. All because you believe that the children in your school have the right to the best possible learning you can give them and too often if you don’t go the extra mile, no-one else will.

Additional responsibilities are continuously added to the leadership role of Principal without any realistic means to delegate tasks…

PRINCIPALS’ WORKLOAD At the first Principals’ conference in Cork in 1994, concern was expressed about the excessive workload being handled by school leaders. In the intervening 16 years, swathes of legislation, reams of policy guidelines and hundreds of Department circulars have been dispatched to schools. The reality is many of you don’t get time to study all of these documents.Your time is consumed scavenging for scarce professional supports for children with special needs, fundraising to cover operational costs, coping with a relentless growth in bureaucracy and attending a ridiculous schedule of meetings.

That’s if you are lucky enough to avoid a Section 29 or a post of responsibility appeal.

Additional responsibilities are continuously added to the leadership role of Principal without any realistic means to delegate tasks to In-school Management or Board of Management. Because

The opinions expressed in Leadership+ do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network ISSN: 1649 -5888 Design: Brosna Press • 090 6454327 • info@brosnapress.ie

of this, other important matters may be neglected. A major concern now arises from the recent union work-to-rule directive. This directive unfairly places Principals in an invidious position where we are torn between our leadership responsibility to deliver a service that parents and children are entitled to and a directive that will inevitably reduce the quality of that service. I thought Principals were members of that same union?

I firmly believe that unless you have experienced the role of Teaching Principal, you simply cannot appreciate how challenging it is to be the leader of a school community and at the same time, a fulltime class teacher.This 2in1 role has become a health and safety issue. If a risk assessment were to be carried out on the role of a Teaching Principal, I am certain that among others, it would identify one key risk the threat to the health and welfare of the Teaching Principal. There is ample evidence to show that the guilt, anxiety and stress, which is par for the course for every Teaching Principal, is damaging to their mental and physical health.

This issue will become a key focus of research for IPPN. CURRICULUM I acknowledge the Minister’s recent decision which will make it obligatory for all schools to teach the Stay Safe programme. This is a vital

IPPN’s preferred supplier for your Photocopier, Printers & MFP requirements www.ibs.ie

element in safeguarding children from abuse. It brings into sharp focus whether we are really meeting children’s right to an appropriate education in 2010. Just think of the reality of children’s lives today.They have to contend with peer pressure in relation to alcohol and drugs as well as bullying, racism and homophobia. The challenges that previously were experienced in second-level are becoming very real in primary schools. In a recent survey of Principals, depression and other mental health issues were identified as an area of growing concern. The deliberate sexualisation of children in music, television, films and magazines will have devastating consequences. We have become aware in the past year of at least three primary schools where children have ended their own life. Yet, the curriculum allocates just one hour per week to PE and just half an hour for social, personal and health education.

Of course schools are not the panacea to solve all the social ills of our time but now, more than ever before, they have a vital role to play in the physical, social, emotional and psychological development of the child. What children learn today must be relevant to their future. We urgently need to examine how our primary education system can best equip children with a far deeper and broader range of inter, and intrapersonal skills that will be so vital for the lives they will live.

…Children in 2010 are what I would call digital natives, their only experience is of a world with digital and multi-media technology. Not all technology is good, but clearly education can be one of the greatest beneficiaries when it is harnessed properly. For over 20 years, through the fundraising efforts of Principals, teachers and parents, many schools have been using technology to enhance and diversify what and how children learn. … In the absence of a successful national strategy, we are a long way from having even a basic sustainable ICT structure in place in all schools. Given that internationally, Ireland’s name is synonymous with the IT industry, it is simply inexcusable that we are so far behind.

It has been said that you should never waste a good crisis. Losing resources will inevitably lead to the need to re-examine and reprioritise the leadership and management responsibilities for your school. As the leader of your school, you not only have the right but the obligation to fulfil your role so it best serves the needs of the children. Their right to education must always come first and it is our privilege to serve that right.

Seán’s full speech text is available on www.ippn.ie under News & Views/Press Releases or Events/Conference 2010.

GUARANTEED 2-HOUR SERVICE RESPONSE TIME 65 STRATEGICALLY LOCATED SERVICE ENGINEERS WHEREVER YOU ARE IN IRELAND, IBS IS ONLY 30 MINUTES AWAY ISO CERTIFIED COMPANY

CONTACT: Dublin

Aileen Browne

01

Cork

Brid Hanrahan

021 4517000

Limerick

Noel Ryan

061 314962

Galway

Helen Crehan

091 755130

Laois

Claire Scully

057 8620651

Sligo

Noel Ruane

087 2417103

Waterford Fergus Coomey

4622646

087 6865217

Wexford

John Jones

087 2750871

Donegal

Liam Boyle

086 8202007

FREE PHONE PAG E 4

AL E N T LS R L HOO CIA S P E FOR SC CT YOUR E PRIC E CONTA BRANCH S S A E PL REST IB NEA

IBS - Proud sponsor of

1800 23 00 00

How old is your brain?

The Nintendo DS in primary education

By Robbie O’Leary, Principal, Sacred Heart SNS, Killinarden, Tallaght Here’s a little challenge: study the grid above for two minutes.Then cover it, and reproduce it using the empty grid at the bottom of the page.

3

22

4

11

9

2

19

24

8

16

23

3

20

7

18

1

6

15

14

17

5

12

21

25

10

Consider for a second that, if you did well, you will have focused, concentrated, persevered and, in all probability, looked for patterns among the randomly generated numbers.You will have exercised a number of the most important cognitive functions available to you.You may well argue that, in your role as school Principal or Deputy Principal, you are called on to do this on innumerable occasions every day.This is undoubtedly true, but what about children? How often are they stimulated to intensely activate their brains?

The above activity is one of 17 contained in More Brain Training: How old is your brain? for the Nintendo DS handheld console. In a survey we did in school last year we discovered that over 90% of our pupils had one (a DS that is!), and on the basis of an innovative study carried out in Scottish schools (see web address below), we set out to examine if the use of such devices in the school environment would have any positive educational impact. As part of this study, one 6th class of 3 used the More Brain Training application every day for about 9 weeks.An analysis of Drumcondra test results indicated significant gains in both Maths and English for the group that used them.

How does the application work?

Before the game begins, the player must perform a Brain Age Check to determine their brain age, which ranges from 20 to 80, to determine approximately their brain's responsiveness. A brain age of 20, the lowest age that the player can achieve, indicates that the player's brain is as responsive as that of an average 20-year-old. After the player is told their initial brain age, they can complete a series of mini-games to help improve their brain's responsiveness, after which they can run Brain Age Check again to determine their updated brain age.With daily training over weeks and months, players strive to improve their mental acuity and lower their "DS Brain Age." The core game rewards diligent, daily training. Clocking in every day results in date stamps for your play-log, and unlocks new content in the form of more training mini-games.

and use them in successive sums - are both ingenious maths-based activities which put your calculation and quick-response capacities under increasing pressure. To improve your brain age, it will be necessary, on a daily basis, to listen and watch intently, think rationally under pressure, use memory and logic, concentrate intensely – and compete against yourself to improve your score.

Although, undoubtedly, this is an area in which much more work could be done, our conclusions underlined those of the Scottish study: regular usage of such applications results in increased levels of concentration, memory, mental agility and quicker response times. And it is these factors, in particular, that we suggest are responsible for improved standardised test scores, i.e. increased capacity to engage with and complete the cognitive tasks required, irrespective of the subject.

While space does not allow for a comprehensive description of the many other DS applications with educational potential currently available, or of other ways in which we are currently using DS consoles in school, it is convenient to categorise these applications under 5 broad headings: 1. Brain training applications, such as described above. Other examples include the original Brain Training, Junior Brain Trainer and Big Brain Academy 2. Applications to enhance basic skills, such as Maths Training (highly recommended), Word Academy and Spellbound 3. Adventures and simulations to enhance cooperative problem-solving, such as the (also highly recommended) well known Professor Layton series 4. Games and puzzles such as Scrabble, Countdown, chess, crosswords etc.

We have also been impressed with Junior Classic Games and Animal Genius.

5. Interactive books such as the newly available Flips series. Each application contains up to 8 different books from authors like Eoin Colfer, Enid Blyton and Cathy Cassidy. (We particularly like the Too Ghoul for School series).

Postscript: Two consequences of DS use in school that are particularly appealing: ● walking into a classroom and not being noticed by anyone except the (smiling) teacher ● being asked by parents to recommend educationally beneficial DS applications for use at home. http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/ictineducation/gamesbasedlearning/index.asp

Other games and tests include Masterpiece Recital, in which you hit piano keys according to instructions and in rhythm with the music. Obviously musical prodigies will initially be at an advantage, but, as in real life, practice makes perfect. Word Scramble sees you picking out the right word from a rotating selection of letters, starting with four and gaining in difficulty. Correct Change challenges you to give the correct change under pressure of time in a shopping scenario. Word Blend requires you to correctly identify several words that are read out at once. Days and Dates asks you several increasingly complex questions about days and dates. Memory Addition and Continuous Countdown - which scribbles out numbers while you try to remember them PAG E 5

IPPN Conference 2010

IPPN President Pat Goff Speaks Education has been described as a basic human right since 1948, by the Universal Convention on Human Rights. How do we as Principals ensure that this right to education is upheld? How can we ensure that our pupils do not pay for this recession, and that our schools will provide quality learning, even with fewer resources? How we react to this challenge may be our defining moment as leaders. There is a saying that ‘A positive attitude may not solve all of your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort’. Difficult as it may be, we have to lead by example. The key message in any school is respect. We have to assure our colleagues that they are respected and valued.

The moratorium on posts of responsibility has had an enormous impact on many schools and especially on our workload as Principals.

EDUCATION CUTS AND THEIR IMPACT While the past decade has brought significant change to the role of the Principal, the economic downturn of the past year has brought enormous challenges to school communities. The huge reduction in the number of English Language support teachers has had a profound impact on newcomer children but also on every other child in those classes.

The moratorium on posts of responsibility has had an enormous impact on many schools and especially on our workload as Principals. I have heard many cases where the work of five people has now become the work of two.This is just not sustainable.

The few supply panels that existed around the country are to be disbanded. Instead of expanding the current scheme to provide proper qualified substitute cover for release days for Teaching Principals, the DES took the easy option to disband them altogether. I cannot understand the logic here as it is cost neutral and would have made the life of the Teaching Principal so much easier.

Everyone has paid a price for the recklessness of the few but unfortunately we Principals have paid the highest price. If you include the pension levy and the non-payment of the benchmarking award, our incomes down a full 19%, but then, unlike some senior civil servants, we didn’t have a bonus scheme to scrap. They tell us they are not paid for overtime – I have some news for the Minister for Finance, Principals are not paid for overtime either.

The Inspectorate has not been immune to the cuts either.You would have thought then that the number of WSEs and incidental visits would be down as well. Unfortunately the people who suffered most are newly-qualified teachers.

Following a meeting with the inspectorate last week, I am pleased to report that these young teachers are to be prioritised in the deployment of resources by the Inspectorate. A review is currently taking place with first priority being given to those whose panel rights would be affected by not being probated.

The last decade has seen our schools change beyond all recognition. Class size went from 30:1 to 27:1, to 28:1. What has really changed is the mix of the 28+ children in each class! We now have pupils from other countries who have significant English language needs, pupils with Special Educational Needs, pupils with challenging emotional and behavioural needs as well as pupils from a disadvantaged background.

Yes, the mix has changed but the challenge and expectations have remained.

INCLUSION DEIS targeted the schools with the highest number of most disadvantaged pupils. DEIS Band 1 schools rightly have most resources while Band 2 and Rural DEIS have very limited support.

Outside of this, there is little or no recognition of disadvantaged pupils in any other school. ...Those of us in DEIS have to produce a three-year plan.

Where is the three-year plan of the department for all children, but especially those that are disadvantaged?

There was SNA support for those pupils who needed some extra help to allow them be part of a mainstream class, that is, before the many reviews.Withdrawing supports from these special educational needs pupils affects the whole class and the progress of every pupil in that class. It is PAG E 6

false economy to define the needs of special needs pupils in such a narrow way as to make it almost impossible to access resources. ...What will be the ultimate cost to society of short-changing our most vulnerable children?

In my view, one of the saddest lines in this year’s budget was that the full implementation of the EPSEN Act would be shelved. We would say to the minister, please don’t destroy the expectation that has been created. Yes, there had to be cuts, but we also ask, what is your vision and long term plan for these pupils? Do you have a plan? If there was ever an argument for cross-party agreement on a policy, this is it. Let the legacy of this minister be that even in the hardest of times, the most vulnerable in our schools were allowed hope…

CHILD PROTECTION Speaking of the most vulnerable, the Ryan & Murphy reports make grim reading? As you know, I work in the Diocese of Ferns where we are no strangers to this type of report.Yet it was horrific – there is no other word to describe it.

We in IPPN publicly stated that anyone in a position of responsibility in schools who did not put children first should step aside from their role in schools. IPPN also highlighted that, based on our survey, 2% of schools had not brought their

In my view, one of the saddest lines in this year’s budget was that the full implementation of the EPSEN Act would be shelved. child protection guidelines up to date. One school is one too many. ... We expect the same standards to apply to everyone in education that we apply to ourselves and to our own schools. A number of abusers have tainted the excellent work of so many who gave sterling service to education. What is urgently needed now is greater openness and transparency in relation to child protection. Every patron, chairperson, chaplain, principal and teacher must always have the welfare and rights of the children in their schools as their first priority.

Anyone who cannot sign up to such a priority has no place in any school. If you only bring one

single thought from this conference let it be that the welfare of the children in your school will always come first.

The Child Protection Guidelines now in force must be put on a statutory footing. We owe this to our current pupils and to future generations of Irish children, it is their basic human right.

IPPN – THE FIRST DECADE Sixteen years ago, a number of Principals decided to put their vision into practice and held a conference, the first of many. A national network evolved and IPPN was officially launched on the 10th February 2000. What a decade it has been!...

It was a decade when more legislation for schools was enacted than all the previous decades put together – Education Act, Education Welfare Act, Equal Status Act, EPSEN Act. It is hard to remember a time when there was no IPPN Support Office, no Leadership+, no website, no e-scéals or texts, no networking mailing list… no TextaParent, no TextaSub, no Education Posts.ie saving schools millions of euro - a decade of changes for the better, an example of real leadership in action by principals for principals.

IPPN has never been afraid to highlight issues of major concern or to challenge the status quo. In 2010, IPPN will be publishing the findings of our

research into primary school governance. This involved an examination of 500 Boards of Management. I would like to thank all of our chairpersons, principals and Board members who contributed hugely to this research. IPPN fully supports the call by Archbishop Martin that there should be a Forum on Governance in primary schools. This research will be an important contribution to this debate on governance in the future.

Five years ago IPPN raised the issue of the underperforming teacher.

At the time, we were ‘scape-goated’ for mentioning the elephant in the room.

Five years ago IPPN raised the issue of the underperforming teacher. At the time, we were ‘scape-goated’ for mentioning the elephant in the room. Finally, new procedures for suspension & dismissal of teachers and Principals have been set out in Circular 60/2009. The circular states that the chairperson may call on an agreed panel of retired and serving principals to provide advice and offer guidance to chairpersons. Despite the

fact that the circular is now operational, it appears that no panels have been set up. The circular also lays down that reasonable support and training will be provided to school management and teachers through the appropriate education support services; however we are now hearing on the grapevine that these very support services are to be decimated from next September. It is professionally irresponsible to implement this circular without the required resources and training.

FOCAIL SCOIR There is no doubt that the environment in which we live and work is a difficult one. President McAleese told us in Killarney that ‘Few groups in our society play such a critical role as you do as shapers of individual and collective destinies and as frontline absorbers of major change’. Children have a right to the very best education that we can give them. We must continue to provide an environment where they can grow and where every teacher can make a difference. Our children may not remember everything that we taught them, but they will always remember how we treated them. IPPN will be guided by such values. We will be there for each other in 2010 and will continue to be a strong professional voice for all school leaders and an advocate for the children in our schools.

Life’s easier when things are simplified...

Edvance Primary allows you to easily manage school data, communicate more effectively and collaborate within your school community.

From only €495* per school The T he Edvance Edvance SSolution: olution: A Administration dministration & rreporting epo orting simplified T Testing esting & assessment e assessment methods h d made d easy

Book B ook your your demonstration demonstration t ttoday! oday!

Contact us no w tto o Contact now tto o find out mor e on n more (01) 293 1036 or ema ail email edv edvance@sami.ie ance@sami.ie

IImproving mproving communication communiccation in yyour our school Ex Extending tending education education bey beyond ond the classr classroom oom P Providing roviding yyou ou with a lear llearning ning suppor supportt net network work

SULPDU\

Visit: www.sami.ie

*Terms & conditions apply

PAG E 7

Legal Diary

by David Ruddy, B.L.

‘Dodgy reference allegations, offloading of pupils, transfers, and the rights of parents to send pupils to a school of their choice’ The above issues were all referred to in a High COURT ACTION IN COUNTY WESTMEATH VEC V DEPT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE & OTHERS HIGH COURT 2009 O’ KEEFE J Following the judicial mauling the Section 29 Appeal Committee received in the St Mologa’s case (reported in issue 50 of Leadership+) and currently under appeal to the Supreme Court, there was much speculation as to the fate of a different Section 29 Appeal Committee in the above case.

FACTS County Westmeath VEC took this action on behalf of one of its schools, Mullingar Community College. The school refused to enrol a pupil who was enrolled at the nearby St Mary’s CBS School (“the CBS”) pursuant to the Community College’s enrolment policy. The pupil in question had behavioural issues, and was informed that he would not be “welcome back” to the CBS. The Principal of the Community College stated that she had discussions with the Principal of the CBS. It was clear from those discussions that the boy in question had a serious disciplinary problem and that the school would not keep him on their rolls “if it could avoid it”. The contents of these discussions were completely at variance with the documentation sent to her by the CBS which supported the boy’s application for admission.

The refusal to admit the boy in question was appealed to a Section 29 Appeals Committee.The Committee upheld the appeal on the following grounds.

APPEALS COMMITTEE DECISION 1. The enrolment policy of Mullingar Community College with regard to transfers from post primary schools may be at variance with the rights of parents to enrol their son in a school of their choice 2. Following the withdrawal of the pupil from

his previous school, he had no school placement 3. Mullingar Community College has the capacity to accommodate the son in the preLeaving Cert class 4. Based on the evidence presented, the Committee felt that the level of misbehaviour by the son did not warrant a refusal to enrol in Mullingar Community College.

The College admission and enrolment policy stated that transfers into the school are discouraged in the overall interests of the continuity of the students’ education. The school recognises that, in certain exceptional circumstances, transfers are unavoidable (e.g. a change of residence, or a family moving into an area). The Board of Management reserved the right to refuse an application in circumstances which might include an established prior record of poor behaviour.

The Appeals Committee concluded by saying it wished to draw the attention of the National Educational Welfare Board to the irregular openended suspension, and refusal to take (the pupil) back to his previous school, the CBS.

In summary the college submitted that the four reasons given by the Appeals Committee for their decision were bad in fact, in law, irrational, and in breach of constitutional or natural justice.

It was submitted by the school that the Education Act of 1998 does not give parents an absolute right to send a child to a school of their choice.

MULLINGAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S CASE The Principal of Mullingar Community College raised a number of issues with the Appeals Committee regarding the offloading of difficult pupils into VEC schools. She pointed out the serious discrepancies between the references received by the school from the CBS in relation to the pupil and what appeared to be the position on the ground. The CBS reference stated that the pupil “had a great future ahead of him provided the correct structures are in place”.

Members of the Board of Management of the Community College felt that they had a duty of care to existing students and that the image of their school was important.The boy’s behaviour at the CBS school was deemed to be so unsatisfactory that he was instructed to complete his Junior Cert studies at home and to look for another school if he intended to pursue his studies.

PAG E 8

“Rights of parents to send pupils to a school of their choice” It was submitted by the school that the Education Act of 1998 does not give parents an absolute right to send a child to a school of their choice.There is nothing in the Education Act 1998 which seeks to grant or establish such a right. All a Board of management under the Act is obliged to do is to have regard to the “right”. Once the enrolment policy is drawn up and published, neither the BoM nor an Appeals Committee has any function or role in seeking to set up against that enrolment policy some free-standing positive right of parents to send a child to the school of their choice.There would be little point in drawing up an enrolment policy if in fact a parent had an absolute right to send a child to school he or she wishes. When a parent applies to a school of his or her choice, that school must consider the application in the light of the relevant enrolment policy.

It was submitted that the Minister for Education and Science would never have asserted or claimed an entitlement to give direction to schools as to how they accept pupils. If it was the intention of the Oireachtas to give such powers to an Appeals Committee, it was submitted it would have done so expressly in the Education Act. No such power should be inferred.

JUDGEMENT The Court considered the submissions of the Community College and the Department of Education and Science Section 29 Appeals

Committee. The four grounds advanced by the Appeal Committee were examined and ruled on separately.

1. Parents do not have an absolute right to enrol their child in a school of their choice 2. The Court accepted that, at the time of the refusal to enrol, the pupil in question was in fact validly enrolled in the CBS. Therefore the Appeals Committee erred in finding that the pupil had no school placement.

3. Mullingar Community College had capacity to enrol the pupil concerned 4. The level of misbehaviour of the pupil concerned was debatable.

The Appeals Committee did not act in accordance with its jurisdiction in coming to its decision. Mullingar Community College was vindicated in taking this case.

OBSERVATION “Section 29 Appeal Committees on life support” This case, following on the back of the St Mologa’s case, (where a Section 29 Appeals Committee were savaged by the High Court in relation to a decision to compel a school to enrol pupils despite serious health and safety concerns due to overcrowding) is a very serious blow to the stature and authority of Section 29 Appeals Committees. The committees, through a serious of poor decisions and disregard of their statutory limitations, have been seriously wounded. Hence the last throw of the dice is the Supreme Court appeal of the St Mologa’s case. A third High Court case was lost by the Department of Education and Science when they erred in law in supporting a school that broke established procedures in the expulsion of a student.

The DES has just stated that, pending the outcome of this Supreme Court appeal, the role of a Section 29 Appeal Committee is confined to reviewing whether a school Board of Management applied its own policies correctly, lawfully and in a reasonable and rational manner.

Revised information for appeals including a new information note for parents has been posted on the DES website.

The case is also significant in that it clarifies the position that parents’ rights to seek a place in a school for their children is qualified by the requirements of a valid enrolment policy. There

is no automatic right vested in parents to place children in school by virtue of the Education Act. “High Court challenge against 5-day suspensionof 14 year old girl succeeds” TRACY KEAN V LAURELHILL HIGH SCHOOL, LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND MR JUSTICE COGHLIN HIGH COURT FACTS The pupil at the centre of this case and her friend were attempting to enter a room through a doorway which they alleged was held closed by an older male pupil. It appears that the girl the subject of these proceedings kicked the door open. In doing so the glass shattered and she was hospitalised and received 17 stitches as a result.

The school matron obtained a number of written statements from pupils including the older male pupil who allegedly had attempted to keep the door closed. A statement was also obtained from the injured girl. All these statements were exhibited in the school Principal’s affidavit as were photographs of the damaged doublereinforced glass doors.The Principal Mr Harvey considered the matron’s report and spoke to two pupils in particular. He was not impressed by the statement of the injured girl that her foot had “accidentally” gone through the double glass meshed reinforced Georgian door. He formed the opinion that the girl had deliberately kicked the door open.This was in his view a reckless act which constituted serious misconduct.

THE CODE OF DISCIPLINE The school code of discipline required that pupils who engage in vandalism against the school are in the first instance required to pay compensation.

Serious acts of vandalism may result in exclusion from the school community. After some consideration of the circumstances of the case, the Principal decided to suspend the pupil for 5 school days.

The Principal telephoned the father of the girl in question, communicated to him the results of the investigation and the sanction to be imposed.The father took the view that the incident was accidental and that he “would see the school PAG E 9

Principal in Court”.

JUDICIAL REVIEW The girl and her parents brought an action for judicial review 3 months after the suspension was imposed.The purpose was to seek to set aside the decision of the Principal and remove this black mark from the records of the girl in question.The crucial point in the application was that the school Principal did not interview the girl directly about the incident nor did he invite the girl’s parents to the school to discuss the incident.

He had relied on statements taken by the matron of the school. It was pointed out that he had in fact interviewed the older male pupil. Solicitors representing the girl had written to the Principal requesting him to reconsider the decision to suspend. It was also alleged that the Principal’s decision was 1. Arbitrary 2. Irrational 3. Unfair 4. Disproportionate 5. Contrary to the rules of natural justice.

JUDGEMENT Mr Justice Coghlin observed that “The standards of fairness are not immutable. They may change with the passage of time, both in general and in their application to decisions of a particular type.

The principles of fairness are not to be applied by rote identically in every situation. What fairness demands is dependent on the context of the decision, and this is to be taken into account in all its aspects.”

“Suspension is a serious sanction second only to expulsion in the hierarchy of the school sanctions.

In this present case there was a failure to ensure that procedures were fair and in compliance with the requirements of natural justice.”

OBSERVATION Whilst on the facts of the case there is no doubt that the girl in question had deserved to be suspended, the Principal fell down on the test of fairness of procedures and due process. Given that the girl was to be suspended, the Principal should have invited her parents to the school to discuss his proposal and the girl should have had a direct opportunity to put her side of the story to him.

The father’s bluntness with the Principal on the telephone was not a good enough reason for not inviting the parents to a meeting.

Project IRIS: Evaluating special education provision in Irish schools Ireland has witnessed unprecedented change in the education of children with special educational needs (SEN) over the past number of years, with a definite shift in focus to creating inclusive school environments and the placement of children with SEN in mainstream classrooms. With such a drive to get children with SEN into the system, less attention has been paid to understanding what the child is experiencing in such settings and the extent to which they are benefiting from this placement.

Project IRIS (Inclusive Research in Irish Schools) is a three-year longitudinal study, commissioned by The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which seeks to address this issue and provide an in-depth study of special and inclusive education in Ireland.This is the most extensive piece of research into how special educational needs are provided for in Irish schools and will examine the way in which school policies and practices impact on the

educational experiences of pupils with special needs. The study will also explore how the curriculum is delivered to those with special educational needs and the way in which resources and support services are used by schools.

The research is being carried out by an international collaborative team drawn from three major research institutions:The University of Northampton, UK; Trinity College Dublin, and The Institute of Child Education and Psychology Europe (ICEP Europe). This national overview of SEN provision in Ireland is being carried out in a number of discrete phases and involves survey questionnaires, focus groups, and case studies within selected schools.

Information will be gathered from multiple perspectives, including: pupils with SEN; their parents; classroom and school-based practitioners; and a range of disability groups across the country. The results will allow for

informed judgements about the impact of provision and the outcomes at a number of levels including the education system, the school, and the individual.

Critical to the research will be evidence based on first-hand experience, and in March 2010 the research team will be distributing a short survey to all primary schools in Ireland by email or post. The survey will examine curriculum application, the use of specialist resources, and collaboration with professional and voluntary agencies. The Project IRIS team would like to invite IPPN members to assist us in this research by completing and returning this survey, and we are grateful for all assistance received.

IPPN Members wishing to find out more about Project IRIS can log on to the project website www.projectiris.org and can contact the team directly by emailing info@projectiris.org

The Teacher T Reso Resource ource Compa Company any

FFor or aall ll your your audio audio vvisual isual and and teaching Value teaching needs needs and and the the BEST BEST V alue Lo-call today Lo-ccall 1890 92 99 59 toda ay

02/*%#4/23

7()4%"/!2$3 6)35!,)3%23

s $ATA PRO s $ATA PROJECTORS OJECTORS ss )NTERACTIVE 7HITEBOARD s )NTERACTIVE 7 )NTERACTIVE 7HITEBOARD 7 s 6ISUAL s 6ISUALISERS ISERS s )NFRARED SCRE s )NFRARED SCREEN OVERLAY EEN OVERLAY s )NFRARED 0ORT s )NFRARED 0ORTABLE SLATES TABLE SLATES

3OFTWARE FOR YOUR )NTERACTIVE 7HITEBOARD 3OFTWARE FOR R YOUR )NTERACTIIVE 7HITEBOARD D %ASY TO USE INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE COVERING ALL CURRICULUM AREAS VISIT %ASY %ASY TO TO O USE INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE COVERING O USE INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE COVERINGG ALL CURRICULUM A G ALL CURRICULUM AREAS VISIT AREAS A VISIT WWW PR IM ED COM TO lND D OUT MORE WWW PRIM ED COM TO lND OUT MORE D FR CAN BE C USED ON U

INTERACTTIVE INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS WH ITEBOARDS A

PROJECTORS PROJECTORS S

COMPUTERS COMPUTERS

Lo-call Lo-call 1890 92 99 59 toda today ay to ďŹ nd out mor m more e PAG E 1 0

em EE oC D

IPPN Conference 2010

Colm O’Gorman Executive Director Amnesty International (Ireland) Colm spoke on the topic of school patronage and governance. While not against schools under religious patronage he felt that there was a need for additional types of patronage, so as to give parents a wider choice in selecting the school type best suited to their particular beliefs or indeed non-belief. There is need for greater diversity.

He felt that the Dept of Education was abdicating its responsibility totally in handing the governance of schools over to Patrons and Boards of Management and so washing its hands of all accountability. The Louise O’ Keeffe case illustrated this very clearly. The judgement stated that the Minister of Education had no responsibility or liability in law for the welfare of children in state-funded schools.

The State needs to be fully engaged in, and accountable for, the provision of education. It is

unacceptable that it exerts huge control over how schools operate without taking the responsibility which goes with that particular position.

The State must also provide free primary education, which concept is, at the moment, merely a myth. If we look to the early days of this State we see aspirations for primary education for all children clearly enunciated in the principles upon which the State is founded, and this was long before any international Declaration of Human Rights. We need to revisit those principles.

to everybody, regardless of means, we must bring the State directly into primary education.

Amnesty has a programme available to schools (Liftoff) which teaches children to know and recognise their rights. Learning about rights is the first step towards defending, promoting and protecting those rights.

We need to inform those in power in this country, when we elect them, that public service means serving the public and that there can be no other agenda before the public and the common good.

The right to education, besides being a human right in itself is also an empowerment right. It increases a person’s opportunities for taking advantage of other human rights. Education is the bedrock upon which one is enabled to live a life of dignity.To ensure that this right is available

Amnesty will be happy to be a partner with principals in any project which will advance their advocacy for education in this country which is desperately needed and desperately important.

Synopsis by Brendan McCabe, Deputy Editor, Leadership+

RECENT EVENTS Since December, IPPN has held meetings with the DES Inspectorate, NPC, NCSE, NAPD and LDS. A number of resulting decisions are mentioned in Conference 2010 speeches, excerpts of which are included in this issue.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS ● The final Your School & The Law seminar of 2009/2010 takes place in Kilkenny on 27th March. ● Deputy Principals Conference in May 2010, date and venue to be confirmed.

Latest News IPPN SUPPORT OFFICE IPPN Support Office staff moved into new custom-built offices in Glounthaune, Co. Cork during the mid-term break in February. After ten years in four different premises, it is with great relief and satisfaction that we finally have somewhere to call home!

Further details and application forms for these events are available on www.ippn.ie.

www.ippn.ie Resources The following resources have been added to www.ippn.ie since the last issue of Leadership+. To access these, log on to the site with your username and password and go to the relevant section as noted below.

SCHOOL POLICIES SECTION ● Roedean School (South Africa) - Critical Incident Policy ● When Disaster Hits The School (Netherlands) EVENTS - CONFERENCE 2010 SECTION ● Keynote speech text, audio and video files for most keynote speeches ● Seminar presentation materials ● Conference Programme.

PRESS RELEASES SECTION ● 29th Jan 2010 - DES Strategy on ICT is an embarrassing shambles ● 29th Jan 2010 - Leaders at national level have let us down ● 29th Jan 2010 - Work-to-rule directive puts Principals in impossible position ● 29th Jan 2010 - Keynote address of IPPN Director Seán Cottrell at the IPPN Conference 2010 at Citywest ● 28th Jan 2010 - Procedures for Dealing with Underperforming Teachers are Flawed ● 28th Jan 2010 - Child protection the absolute first priority ● 28th Jan 2010 - Education Cuts are an attack on Children’s Rights ● 28th Jan 2010 - Principals are forced to neglect priority work ● 28th Jan 2010 - Water Charges may cripple PAG E 1 1

under-funded schools ● 28th Jan 2010 - Primary curriculum not meeting the needs of the child ● 28th Jan 2010 - Keynote address of Irish Primary Principals' Network President, Mr Pat Goff at IPPN's Conference 2010 ● 28th Jan 2010 - Leading Schools Through Recession is Principals’ Greatest Challenge ● 8th Jan 2010 - Principals Welcome clarity following decision to close schools ● 8th Jan 2010 - TextaParent: Just-in time school information for parents ● 21st Dec 2009 - Give Your Teacher’s Gift to Charity ● 21st Dec 2009 - Children bearing Gifts Recession is not Affecting ● 18th Dec 2009 - Principals Demand Accountability in Relation to Child Protection in Primary Schools.

IPPN Conference 2010

Fergus Finlay Chief Executive, Barnardos Fergus, in a very lively and stimulating address, questioned the extent to which education really was a right, as opposed to a privilege, in modern day Ireland.

He studied in detail the Department of Education mission statement and the language it used around the subject of inclusivity. He discovered that the DES promoted “equity and inclusion.” From his involvement with the Anglo-Irish negotiations some years ago he became aware that “equality means you get what you need and equity means you get what you deserve.” As a result he is always anxious when he sees the word “equity”.

In looking through all of the various government department mission statements, not a single one of them uses the word “equality”, not even the Department of Equality! So who is the driver for equality and rights?

The word “right” is very sparse on the DES website, other than when referring to the Disability Act when the “right” referred to is the

right of children to have as much as everyone else, but not necessarily the right to an education appropriate to the child’s actual needs. The Sinnott judgement in the Supreme Court illustrates this. Irish children have a right to en education, provided they are over three and under eighteen. Public policy in Ireland states that the DES has no responsibility for the continuing education of Special Needs pupils after age eighteen. The more support you need, the less you will get. Equality legislation, Disability legislation and Special Educational Needs legislation all fail to address this fundamental right of Special Needs children.

Since joining Barnardos, Fergus has become very aware that the only way to address the cycle of poverty, created through disadvantage, is through education. If there is any reason to make education a right rather than a privilege it is the fact that, at every level and at every age, there are thousands and thousands of children who simply

Supplier of all-weather surfaces for games, athletic running tracks, and wet pour safety surfaces for playgrounds.

Tel. 061 395786 info@mcsweeneysportssurfaces.ie www.mcsweeneysportssurfaces.ie

PAG E 1 2

will not make it unless education becomes their right. Unfortunately, the DES seems to have a very restricted definition of its own roll and seems only concerned with mainstream education. It is amazing that pre-school education, for example, rather than coming under the remit of the DES, is actually being rolled out by other Departments. We are in the process of building a super new prison in Thornton Hall at enormous public expense. In its first year of operation it will cost €1000,000,000 to run. It will become populated by the children for whom education is not a right. Because our education system is so privileged, so hide-bound, so bound up with traditional attitudes and mindsets, those children are effectively barred. The more we think of education as a right, the less we will make stupid decisions like that.

Synopsis by Brendan McCabe, Deputy Editor, Leadership+

IPPN Annual Principals’

CONFERENCE

2010

IPPN would like to thank the following companies for their wonderful support during our 2010 Annual Conference:

SPONSORS

Carambola IMEX Interactive Cornmarket Helping Families Through School Simple Solutions Real Results. Providing specialist financial services to Sponsor of this year’s Conference Sponsor of this year’s principals and teachers for over 35 years Gala Dinner Presidents Reception Sponsor of this year’s Conference Wine

CJ Fallon Ireland's foremost educational publishers Sponsor of this year’s Conference Publications

We would also like to thank the following companies for their kind contributions:

Chocolate for the conference packs.

Lifeline - for the conference packs.

IPPN CONFERENCE PASSPORT GIVEAWAY We would like to thank the following contributing companies for the amazing prizes they provided for our Passport Prize Giveaway this year details of which are outlined below:

David Sheill, Scoiltel presents Joan Guildea, Naul N.S, Co. Dublin with a two-night break in the Powerscourt hotel.

Phil Glynn, Ballyturn N.S., Gort, co. Galway pictured here with Peter Niblock, Imex Interactive receiving her prize of an Interactive Classroom package.

Declan Cahill, BlueKop, presents Mary Counihan, St. Frances Clinic Special School, Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin with her prize of a high specification laptop.

Sarah Barnes, Holy Family Senior School, Ennis, Co.Clare receives her prize of a weekend break and All-Ireland Football or Hurling tickets from Ciarán Whelan, Allianz.

Additional prize winner (not pictured): ● Liam Walsh, Waterpark NS, Waterford won a 32 inch flatscreen television from Edco.

Finally IPPN would like to thank our Conference Trade Expo exhibitors this year for their support in helping deliver our annual conference and contributing to its success.

PAG E 1 3

3 - !%42) .4' "5 $'

3%26)#%

&2%% #/.35,4!4)/.

!N EASY WAY FOR 02).#)0!,3 4%!#(%23 TO SAVE MONEY !N EA SY WAY FFOR O 02).#)0! !,3 4%!#(%23 TO SAVE MONEY 5SING SPECIALIST SOFTWARE WE WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW MUCH MONEY YOU COULD SAVE IN THROUGH 5SING SPECIA LIST SOFTTWARE WE WILL SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW MUCH MONEY YOU COULD SAVE IN THROUGH

)00. AD ) 00. AD

! $%44!) ! $%4!),%$ !.!,93)3 /& 9/52 0!93,)0 ! ,%$ !.!,,93)3 /& 9/52 0!93,)0 VICE CALCULA E TES AND SHOWS YOU ON SCREEN EXACTLY HOW 4HIS SER 4HIS SERVICE CALCULATES AND SHOWS YOU ON SCREEN EXACTLY HOW MUCH Y MUCH YOU ARE REALLY DOWN IN YOUR PAYSLIP OU AARE REALLY DOWN IN YOUR PAYSLIP

! 0/34 "5$'%4 2%6)%7 /& 9/52 0%.3)/. %.4)4,%-%.43 ! 0/34 "5$'%4 2%6)%7 /& 9/52 0%.3)/. . %.4)4,%-%.43 9 OUR O ENTITLEEMENTS WILL BE EXPLAINED CLEARLY AND SIMPLY AND YOU 9OUR ENTITLEMENTS WILL BE EXPLAINED CLEARLY AND SIMPLY AND YOU WILL WILL BE ABLE TO ½ND OUT HOW YOUR PENSION WOULD BE AFFECTED IF BE ABLEE TO ½ND OUT HOW YOUR PENSION W WOULD BE AFFFEECTED IF YYOU DECIDED TO CHANGE YOUR PLANNED RETIREMENT AGE OU DECIDED TO CHANGE YOUR PLANNED RETIREM MENT AGE

! 2%6)%7 /& 9/52 #522%.4 &).!.#)! !, 02/$5#43 ! 2%6)%7 /& 9/52 #522%.4 &).!.#)!, 02/$5#43 3HO 3HOWS YOU HOW TO MAKE SIGNI½CANT SAVINGS WHILE MAINTAINING WS Y S OU HOW TO MAKE SIGNI½CANT SAVINGS WHILE MAIN V TAINING THE C OVER AND BENE½TS YOU REQUIRE IN M MORTGAGE CARR HOME AND THE COVER AND BENE½TS YOU REQUIRE IN MORTGAGE CAR HOME AND HEALTH HEALTH INSURANCE SAVINGS PLANS ETC INSURANCE SAVINGS PLANS ETC

-/.%9 3!6).' 4)03 -/.%9 3!6) 6 .' 4)03 EAL WAYS YOU CAN SAVE ON YOUR HOUSEH HOLD EXPENSES INCLUDING 2 2EAL WAYS YOU CAN SAVE ON YOUR HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES INCLUDING THE CHE THE CHEAPEST PHONE PACKAGES ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS ETC EAPEST PHONE PACKAGES ELECTRICITTY PROVIDERS ETC

4O ARRANGE A &2%% CONSULTATION PLEASE CONTACT US ON 4 O O A ARR A ANGE A &2 E A &2%% C %% CON NSULTATION PLEASE C TION PLEASE CONTACT US ON US ON

#ORNMARKET 'ROUP &&INANCIAL 3ERVICES ,TD IS REGULATED BY THE &INANCIAL 2EGULATORR ! MEMBER OF THE #ORNMARKET 'ROUP &INANCIAL 3ERVICES ,TD IS REGULATED BY THE &INANCIAL 2EGULATOR ! MEMBER OF THE )RISH ,IFE 0ERMANENT 'ROUP )RISH ,IFE 0ERMANENT PLC IS REGULATED BY THE &INANCIAL 2EGULATOR )RISH ,IF E 0ERMANE ENT 'ROUP )RISH ,IFE 0ERMANENT PLC IS REG GULATED BY THE &INANCIAL 2EGULATOR 4ELEPHONE CALLS MAY BE RECORDED FOR QUALITY CONTROL PURPOSES 4 ELEPHONE CALLS MAY BE R E Y ECORDED FOR QUALITY CONTROL PURPOSES

IPPN Conference 2010

Minister Lauds Leadership of Principals Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe TD complimented the success of IPPN in running such a huge professional event. 'The money spent on substitute cover for Teaching Principals is money well spent' he added. He highlighted the 2010 Central Budget allocation of €578.8 million as significant and the reduced lost of building which would ensure the money goes further. The Summer Works Scheme will be renewed for 2010 with €100 million set aside for projects, including water conservation measures.

The Minister assured Principals that their school allocation from the €22million recently given towards the ICT Framework purchase scheme could be spent on ICT equipment as schools see

fit if they are already well equipped. An additional €50million will be forthcoming in the near future towards ICT also. A steering group including IPPN representation is to be set up to further progress ICT in classrooms.

The Minister called on schools to ensure that, where possible, newly qualified teachers were given the opportunity when substitute teachers were required.

On recent school closures, he described the weather as exceptional and that he trusted school boards would ensure minimal risk to children in ensuring that programmes are covered. The 'Time Out' issue can be best determined for schools on an individual basis.

He praised the good communications between school and home through IPPN's Text-a-Parent facility.

Assurances were given that the DES are working on giving schools more discretion in using allocated funds and simplifying the NEWB returns process.

Minister O'Keeffe said it was uplifting to visit schools and to still see the value placed on teachers in society. One of the comments he hears most often is that school is great due to the dynamism of the Principal.

Synopsis by Damian White, Editor, Leadership+

BlueKop Limited

Special Offer January 2010 until end of April 2010 Desktop Computers with new 19” Flat Screens.

Laptop Computers

Keyboard, Mouse, Network Cables, Antivirus, Remote Access Software. 2.4Ghz Processor, 40Gb Hard Drive, 2Gb RAM, CD/DVD Player.

10 Units for €3,000.00 Incl Vat. 5 Units for €1,575 Incl Vat.

Network Cables, Wireless & LAN Connectivity, Antivirus, Remote Access Software. 1.8Ghz Processor, 40Gb Hard Drive, 1.5Gb, CD/DVD Player.

10 Units €2,850.00 Incl Vat. 5 Units €1,495.00 Incl Vat.

www.bluekop.ie Ph: 01 4800560 Support Costs and delivery charges on request Contact: Declan Cahill at declan.cahill@bluekop.ie or direct on 01 4800560 Ray Church at ray.church@bluekop.ie or direct on 01 4800560

PAG E 1 5

To flee or not to flee, that is the question

By Brendan McCabe, Principal, St Colmcilles BNS, Kells, Co. Meath

Back in the late nineteen sixties and early seventies a goodly cohort of stalwart young men and women descended on those bastions of modern pedagogy, the teacher training colleges, full of idealism and ready to change the world of Irish schooling.

They came from every corner and parish of rural Ireland, opting, on the advice of older and wiser heads, to go for the safe, secure and, above all, pensionable career in teaching. They had the advice of the elders ringing in the back of their heads: “You’ll never be rich son, but you’ll never see a hungry day”.

In the intervening years those same poor souls have beavered away in classrooms all over Ireland. They have looked on from the sidelines while Ireland rose out of the depressing days of mass emigration and “an bád bán” to the ubiquitous Celtic tiger years, seeing their own sons and daughters, shortly after leaving college, earning more money than themselves. The virtually unteachable pupils, who never mastered long multiplication, never mind an aimsir fháistineach, were now working on building sites, raking in the money and building obscenely large houses for themselves on two acre sites while driving around in the newest and latest models of beamers and SUVs.

Finally, probably after many other emotions, most of them ones you’d not be proud of, you reach resignation: the realisation that you have a choice to make. On the one hand is the possibility that you are still enjoying your job, finding it fulfilling because you believe you still have lots to give. The tank isn’t empty yet. On the other hand can you afford to stay? What’s the point of hanging in there for another few years if, when you do retire, you are going to find yourself facing the future with a much reduced pension?

There are many teachers up and down the country with between thirty five and forty years service who will, between now and next December, be sitting down to work out the figures. It seems a shame that, because of the greed and recklessness of others, none of them teachers, many talented and experienced people in the teaching profession, the noble teaching profession, will feel themselves involuntarily sidelined. The wealth of experience that will be lost from the education system is incalculable. But, “nuair a stadann an ceol stadann an rince”.

But, “not to worry”, they thought, “at least when I retire I’ll have a good, safe pension to fall back on”.Then along came Budget 2010.

“You’re doing a great job as a teacher, and, if you are a Principal, you are probably running a very fine school, but, if you don’t get yourself out of there by the end of 2010 we’re going to penalise you until the day you die” says the Government.

The mechanism through which it would be done was very simple and straightforward: those who retired before the end of 2010 would have their lump-sum and pension calculated on their 2009 salary, before the cuts.

Those who retired post-2010 would have their lump-sum and pension calculated on their salary after the cuts. A very significant reduction.

It was like playing musical chairs and finding yourself, when the music stopped, with nowhere to sit down.

The first emotion was probably anger, like at a football match when you see someone committing a blatant foul on your favourite player. “Foul, foul!” you roar, canvassing the support and backing of all the fair-minded people around you. But, slowly it begins to dawn on you; they don’t see it in quite the same way that you do and, if truth be known, they really don’t give a damn about either you or your favourite player. You’re on your own.

The next emotion is probably disgust. You’ve spent nearly forty years of a teaching career trying to inculcate into children a sense of fair play, teaching them to be caring and considerate, and here you see a Government, when push comes to shove, all too willing to ride roughshod over the legitimate expectations of all of its employees, despite the fact that they have given good and loyal service and are in no way responsible for the debacle which has transpired.

PAG E 1 6

Moresoft prides itself on providing the type of I.T. support services that most people want - certainty with a human face. So whether its Managed Services, I.T. Support, System Design Implementation, Hosted Services or Hardware and Software sales, you’re covered. ‘ So call us now and see what we can do for you.

Tel: +3531 2160902 | Fax: +3531 2160908 | Email: sales@moresoft.ie

Support Services - Human Faces

IPPN Conference 2010

Dr Don Thornhill Chairman, National Competitiveness Council of Ireland Don Thornhill is a consultant and adviser on strategy and policy. He is Chairman of the National Competitiveness Council of Ireland, Chairman of the Irish Payments Services Organisation and a member of the boards of Forfás, the Irish Taxation Institute and Science Foundation of Ireland.

Dr Thornhill began his presentation by outlining briefly how Ireland has gone from the Celtic Tiger days of 2003 – 2004 to the serious economic concerns facing the Country in 2010.

Ireland's economic growth is dependent on net exports. We are one of the most exportdependant nations in the EU. Coming into the millennium, we were exporting much more than we were importing and for a number of years, slippage was noticed. In the years 2003 – 2005 we lost our competitiveness. Yes, it's about cost but from an education viewpoint, it's also about human capital, knowledge and skills.

● ● ● ●

Unemployment – re-skilling Poor cost competitiveness Slow productivity growth Falling world market share.

International comparisons see us as very good on reading and literacy, reasonably good but need to improve in science and average in maths.

The challenge now is to manage this adjustment, to position Ireland to benefit from global recovery. Public service reform needs to be implemented and a long-term strategy with particular focus on the education and skills needs of the exporting sector is needed.

Irish households became the most indebted in Europe. Money lent was money borrowed from international lenders. Costs went up and we lost our competitiveness. The result is the need for a very painful readjustment. The increase in debt is not due to the Government support of banks (as that is a contingent risk) but in the rapid decrease in tax and stamp duty intake.

Adjustment was inevitable but the timing was awful. Fiscal policy during 200 – 2007 left little fiscal room to counteract recession. While Ireland’s Euro membership has shielded us from some of the worst impacts of the global crisis, we need to restore competitiveness and reduce unemployment by reducing costs, rents, professional fees etc.

EDUCATION We need the best education system in the world - not just 'a good enough system'. All discussions should be based on that premise.

Ireland's prosperity depends on the quality of education. Human and Social capital generates 83% of our national wealth.

PROMOTING EXPORT-LED GROWTH Strengths ● Resilient export performance ● Inward investment remains strong ● Improved infrastructure, education and Research and Development ● Pro enterprise tax and regulatory environment. ● Government debt, while increasing , is manageable ● Good services.

International comparisons see us as very good on reading and literacy, reasonably good but need to improve in science and average in maths.

Strong outcomes have been achieved with modest public resources. The quality of our educators and parental support make such outcomes possible in spite of historic under funding.

Weakness ● Exposure of dependence on household and property borrowing

MORE EXPENDITURE – BETTER SERVICES? Resources are an essential foundation but outcomes are what matter. There is no compelling evidence that lower Pupil Teacher Ratios enhance outcomes. To achieve lower PTRs involves deflecting resources from other areas.

POLICY CHALLENGES FOR IRELAND We need ● Formal Pre Primary education system to tackle disadvantage ● Free Pre School year and up-skilling of staff PAG E 1 7

● Reduce number of pupils leaving school with poor reading or mathematical concepts ● Prioritise teaching of maths and science ● School building programme to deal with increased numbers ● Increase in ICT and integration into teaching practices ● Teacher quality and development – rewarding merit and addressing seniority issue.

ENHANCING SCHOOL LEADERS There is a disproportionate burden of management and administration on Principals.

Too much time is taken with returns and not enough on learning outcomes. Principals need greater capacity to distribute responsibility.

School autonomy and accountability needs to be enhanced.

THREE GUIDELINES FOR GOVERNMENT POLICY 1. Relentless attention to teacher quality.

With our teachers coming from the top 14% of CAO applications we are the envy of many countries. Teaching is the most important delivery of service to the community.

2. Provision of choice for parents and students – stimulate competition and cooperation between schools 3. The Government role is to set policies, fund for unusual access, regulate quality and use market like funding mechanisms.

The Government through pay and conditions can make teaching an attractive profession. They can ensure effective teacher selection and training, provide continuous professional development and provide reasonable exit arrangements if a teacher is unsuitable for the position.

The Irish funding system has positive features.

Schools here enjoy more autonomy then many systems worldwide. The capitation structure means money follows the student. Defined PTRs help to channel funding appropriately.

Grants are adjusted at national level for different levels of education and subjects, depending on delivery costs.

Synopsis by Damian White, Editor, Leadership+

A service from IPPN A simple web-based system that allows you to quickly and easily send instant text messages to specifically targeted groups of people within your school community – parents, members of staff etc.

Over 900 IPPN member schools are now using this service regularly

TextaParent.ie allows you to instantly convey messages such as: ● ● ● ●

Emergency Closure of School e.g. pandemics such as swine flu, bad weather etc Last minute changes e.g. cancellation of sports day Celebration announcements e.g. victory in sports final Timetable change e.g. early closing for staff meeting.

Advantages: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

A simple process on a user friendly site with outstanding customer support Store the mobile numbers of your contact groups within your secure account No set-up costs or monthly standing charges More cost effective and efficient than photocopied notes & telephone calls TextaParent.ie does not charge recipients of messages Messages can be sent from your PC, Laptop, PDA or Mobile Phone once connected to the internet Text messages cannot be left at the bottom of a bag!

Call the IPPN Support Office on 1890 21 22 23 to register an account.

The Blarney Golf Resort & Spa, Co. Cork is offering IPPN members exclusive rates on breaks and the opportunity to win a two night break in every edition of Leadership+ this year.

The Blarney Golf Resort & Spa facilities include: • 62 Luxurious Hotel Bedrooms • 56 Self Catering Lodges which include 2 En-Suite Bedrooms, fully serviced, Large Living room and full integrated kitchen • State of the art gymnasium

• 18 hole Championship Golf Course Co-designed by Major Winner John Daly • 20 metre swimming pool, steam room, sauna & Jacuzzi • ‘Spa’ including 5 treatment rooms & Yon Ka Therapies

• • • •

COMPETITION: To be in with a chance to win a fabulous 2 Night break for two people with dinner on evening in the AA awarded Iniscarra restaurant simply answer the following question: Q. Who are the speakers at the 2010 Your School & The Law Seminars in Kilkenny and Limerick?

Answer A. David Ruddy, Eileen Flynn, Brigid McManus B. David Ruddy, Emer Woodfull, Denise Brett C. David Ruddy, Ian O'Herlihy, Dympna Glendenning Answers by e-mail to adverts@ippn.ie. Please include your answer (A. B. or C.), your name, contact details and roll number.

Competition deadline Wednesday 31st March.. Winners will be notified by phone and announced in the next issue.

Congratulations to Harry Maune, Deputy Principal, Scoil Colm, Armagh Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12, winner of the fabulous prize of a two night luxury break to Blarney Golf Resort & Spa in the last issue of Leadership+.

Inniscarra Restaurant Cormac’s Bar Lions Den Bar Conference Facilities for up to 300 people.

Book dinner for 2 persons in the AA Rosette Inniscarra Restaurant and stay overnight for free.

Don’t delay in booking this unbeatable offer. Book now by contacting us on 021 438 4477 or book online.

For more information and reservations please contact: Conor O’Toole @ +353 21 438 4477 or conor.otoole@blarneygolfresort.com PLEASE QUOTE IPPN WHEN BOOKING.

IPPN Conference 2010

Education and the Changing Nature of Society Ferdinand Von Prondzynski Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski’s key note address centred on education and the changing nature of society. He suggested that we have tended to ignore the sense of community and dedication which gave us values as we have moved to a different level of social and economic development. Now a different society exists, particularly the multiethnic make-up, cultures, and language and value systems within the country. Moreover, the traditional population no longer shares the same outlook and values which might have been thought to exist.

Many of the things which make up the organisation of society today, including education, are based on an understanding of activities in society.

For example the organisation of school life is still, although no one says so, clearly premised on the understanding that there is only one breadwinner in the family unit and that you can send a child home in the afternoon without it causing any difficulty. This is not the fault of primary schools, but an understanding of society that is not true. The primary education system is still organised to reflect the practices and values of a society which we have long lost.

Change has occurred in primary education with regard to the curriculum and how it operates. However he questions whether or not it has changed to the extent that it should have. We still have a situation where science is taught to fairly inadequate levels and as a

country we know that we have problems attracting people to study science at third level.

This has serious implications for the future prosperity of this country and for its ability to operate. The real issue is not what happens between junior cert and leaving cert. It goes back much further and should be addressed at primary and secondary level.

The organisation of schools at primary level and the question of patronage and ownership is an issue that needs to be addressed because it too has implications for the way that society has developed over the last 40-50 years. The majority of primary schools are under catholic patronage. While there is no difficulty with this in principle, there is a case for the availability of denominationally organised primary education.

Particularly as we come into a society which runs very differently and has a different ethnic make-up and those that are part of the original groupings of Irish society may have a different understanding of what they expect from education in contrast to 40-50 years ago. As a matter of priority he suggested that we need to look at how education is structured institutionally.

In conclusion, Mr von Prondzynski stated ‘You are in a very important position. The institutions that you preside over are at the heart of Irish society and what you do and don’t do has a hugely disproportionate impact on what we as a country will be able to do in the future’.

New Chief Inspector at the Department of Education and Science The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Batt O Keeffe, TD, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Harold Hislop as Chief Inspector at the Department of Education and Science in succession to Mr Eamon Stack who retired recently.

Harold has held a wide range of positions at various levels of the educational system. He taught in and was later principal of Whitechurch National School, Dublin and was lecturer in education at Trinity College, Dublin. He worked as an education and development officer at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment during the development of the Primary School Curriculum and served as General Secretary of the Church of Ireland Board of Education, where he was responsible for management policy for primary and second-level schools. Harold joined the Inspectorate in 1998.

He has held a number of senior positions within the organisation and is currently Deputy Chief Inspector.

Originally a native of Co Cavan, Harold lives in Dublin and is married with one child.

PAG E 1 9

L]d VgZ HXd^aIZa VgZ HXXd^aIZa

A:I NDJG H8=DDA 7J9<:I <D ;JGI=:G½ â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe how easy it was to switch to ScoilTel. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to see the end of a monopoly and the beginning of lower charges for hard pressed school budgetsâ&#x20AC;?

HXd^aIZa 7ZcZ[^ih/ IZa 7ZcZ[^ih/

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gerry Murphy, Principal, St Josephs NS, Dundalk, Co Louth.

,%% &'%% BdW^aZ b^ch *% &%% '%% *%% &%%% AdXVa GViZ CVi^dcVa GViZ KdYV[dcZ GViZ D' GViZ BZiZdg GViZ

'%#.+ +#- &)#,*

'%#.+ *#%% &%#%%

% (- )-

+, -.

- && &% && &*

'+#'. )*#), -#(. &+#*('#,+ -%#)% &*,#-%

&*#,* ')#%% ,#,* &*#%% '.#,% ,'#*% &(,#*%

Â&#x2122; 7Z[dgZ ndj hl^iX] HXd^aIZa XVc egdk^YZ YZiV^aZY VcVanh^h Z ndj hl^iX] HXd^aIZa XVc egdk^YZ YZiV^aZY VcVannh^h ]i^c\ i]Z hhVk^c\h ndj l^aa bV`Z# ]^\]a^\]i^c\ i]Z hVk^c\h ndj l^aa bV`Z#

HVk^c\h

#%)', X #%,%- X

#%'.* X #%'.* X

)* &)%

#&-%' X

#&+ X

&(

#&,() X #'&#-+ X

#&+ X #&+ X

- (,

Â&#x2122; 6 h^c\aZ! ZVhn id gZVY W^aa [dg XVaah! a^cZ gZciVa VcY WgdVYWVcY \aZ! ZVhn id g d ZVY W^aa [dg XVaah! a^cZ gZciVa VcY WgdVY d WVcY ^gZYR P^[ gZfj^gZYR W^aa^c\ VkV^aVWaZ V Â&#x2122;:bV^a W^aa^c\ VkV^aVWaZ iZY VXXdjci bVcV\ZbZci! heZV` id V a^kZ V\Zc ci VcY Â&#x2122;9ZY^XViZY VXXdjci bVcV\ZbZci! heZV` id V a^kZ V\Zci VcY bVX]^cZ ]^ # NNdjg XVa d aa l^a a ^aa 6A a 6AL6NH WZ Vch NH W lZgZY l^i Y ^ii]^c (% i]^ (% cdi V bVX]^cZ# Ndjg XVaa l^aa 6AL6NH WZ VchlZgZY l^i]^c (% hZXdcYhh Xd^aIZa VXXdjc d i bVcV\Zg l^aa Vhh^hi l^i] 6AA Zcf fj^g^Zh Â&#x2122;Ndjg HXd^aIZa VXXdjci bVcV\Zg l^aa Vhh^hi l^i] 6AA Zcfj^g^Zh Zg W^aa^c\! c cZl hZgk^XZh dg ^[ ndj VgZ gZedgi^c\ VV [Vjai# l]Zi]Zg W^aa^c\! cZl hZgk^XZh dg ^[ ndj VgZ gZedgi^c\ V [Vjai#

6aa eg^X^c\ ZmXajYZh K6I '&#*

E6N 6H NDJ <D G6I:

7JC9A: E68@6<: G6I:

8DBE6G: I=: H6K>C<H / :^gXdb HXd^aIZa A^cZ GZciVa AdXVa$CVi^dcVa b^ch '%% )%%

HXd^aIZa ^h >EECĂ&#x2030;h aVcYa^cZ iZaZe]dcZ hZgk^XZ id bZbWZgh# >c ^h >EECĂ&#x2030;Ă&#x2030;h a h VcYa^cZ iZaZe]dcZ hZgk^XZ id bZbWZ Zgh# >c deZgVi^dc h^cXZ '%%* i]Z hZgk^XZ d[[Zgh hVk^c\h d[ je id )% dc h^cXZ '%%* i]Z hZgk^XZ d[[Zgh hVk^c\h d[ je id )% Pid bdgZ i]Vc )%% hX]ddaĂ&#x2030;hR l]Zc XdbeVgZY id Z^gXdb# Z i]Vc )%% hX]ddaĂ&#x2030;Ă&#x2030;hhR l]Zc XdbeVgZY id Z^gXdb b# HXd^aIZa ^h edlZgZY Wn EjgZ IZaZXdb l]d VgZ &%% >g^h] ^h edlZgZY W Z n EjgZ IZaZXdb l]d VgZ &%% >g^h] dlcZY deZgViZY VcY egdk^YZ hZgk^XZh id i]djhVcYh d[ deZgViZY VcY egdk^YZ hZgk^XZh id i]djhVcYh d[ gZh^YZci^Va XjhidbZgh VXgdhh >gZaVcY VcY Wjh^cZhhZh hjX] Vh i^Va Xjhidb bZgh VXgdhh >gZaVcY VcY Wjh^cZhhZh hj jX] Vh HZiVciV Hedgih! IgdXV^gZ VcY Hbni]h Idnh# Hedgih! IgdXV^gZ VcY Hbni]h Idnh#

Id h^\c je dg id gZXZ^kZ [jgi]Zg ^c[dgbVi^dc dc i]Z hZgk^XZ je dg id gZX Z Z^kZ [jgi]Zg ^c[dgbVi^dc dc i]Z hZgkk^XZ h^bean XVaa HXd^aIZa dc &-.% ,%& -%&# DcXZ ndj XVaa i]Z XVaa HXd^aIIZa dc &-.% ,%& -%&# DcXZ ndj XVaa i]Z HXd^aIZa iZVb i]Z hl^iX] ^h hZVbaZhh# iZVb i]Z Vb i]Z hl^iX] ^h hZ X] ^h hZVbaZhh#

;dg bdgZ ^c[dgbVi^dc dc Vcn d[ djg egdYjXih dg hZgk^XZh eaZVhZ Yd cdi ]Zh^iViZ id gbVi^dc dc Vcn d[ djg egdYjXih dg hZgk^XZh eaZVhZ Yd c cdi ]Zh^iViZ id

XdciVXi jh dc &-.% ,%& -%& VXi j jh dc &-.% ,%& -%&

CjYf ,$$ =DDB aYa CjYf ,$$ =DDB aYaVYf gW\cc`g UfY U`fYUXm G5J=B; aVYf gW\cc`g UfY U`fYUXm G G5 5J=B; J acbY m VcY [cbY [fYY Yb l^i] :cZg\^V! >gZaVcYĂ&#x2C6;h aV Vg\Zhi acbYm VcY [cbY [fYYb l^i] :cZg\^V! >gZaVcYĂ&#x2C6;h aVg\Zhi ^cYZeZcYZci ZcZg \n hhjeea^Zg VcY egdjY >EEC eV VgicZgg# ^cYZeZcYZci ZcZg\n hjeea^Zg VcY egdjY >EEC eVgicZg# K\m gk]hW\ mcif gW\cc`Ă&#x2021;g Y`YWhf]W]hm hc 9bYf[]U3 K\m gk]hW\ mcif gW\c cc`Ă&#x2021;g Y`YWhf]W]hm hc 9bYf[]U U3 Â&#x2122; < Â&#x2122; <jVgVci jVgVciZZY hVk^c\h d[ je id &% dc ndjg ZaZXig^X^in Xdhih VcY ZZY hVk^c\h d[ j je id &% dc ndjg ZaZXig^X^in Xdhhih VcY \Vh ^[ Veea^XVWaZ dcXZ ndj hl^iX] # \Vh ^[ Veea^XVWa Z dcXZ nndj hl^iX] # Â&#x2122; I]ViĂ&#x2C6;h V hVk^c\ d[ Ă´(%% eZg nZVg WVhZY dc V heZcY d[ Ă´(!%%% Â&#x2122; I]ViĂ&#x2C6;h V hVk^c\ d[ Ă´(%% eZg nZVg WVhZY dc V heZcY d[ Ă´(!%%% =Vhha =VhhaZ [gZZ hl^iX]^c\ Ă&#x192; 6c :cZg\^V gZe l^aa gZVY i]Z bZiZg [dg Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122; Z [gZZ hl^iX]^c\ Ă&#x192; 6c :cZg\^V gZe l^aa gZVY i]Z bZ ZiZg [dg nndj VcY iV`Z XVgZ d[ i]Z hl^iX]^c\ egdXZhh [dg ndj dj VcY iV`Z XVgZ d[ i]Z Z hl^iX]^c\ egdXZhh [dg ndj C di]^c\ X]Vc\Zh " cd cZl l^gZh dg bZiZgh Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122; Cdi]^c\ X]Vc\Zh " cd cZ Zl l^gZh dg bZiZgh Cd Cd XdccZXi^dc dg gZYZbei^dc [ZZh Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122; XdccZXi^dc dg gZYZb bei^dc [ZZh Ndj l^aa WZ jh^c\ dj l^aa WZ jh^c\ [fYYb fYbYkUV`Y Y`YWhf]W]hm VcY ]Zae^c\ Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122; d [fYYb fYbYkUV`Y Y`YWhf]W]hm VcY ]Zae e^c\ egdiZXi i]Z Zck^gdcbZci eg diZXi i]Z Zck^gdcbZci Â&#x2122; :cZg\^V hjeea^Zh ZcZg\n id '* d[ >g^h] Wjh^cZhhZh ^cXajY^c\ Â&#x2122; :cZg \^V hjeea^Zh ZcZg\nn id '* d[ >g^h] Wjh^cZhhZh ^cXajY^c\ 7ZlaZnĂ&#x2C6;h BdgVc =diZa \gdje! >VgcgdY :^gZVcc VcY 8dg` 8djcin 7Z laZnĂ&#x2C6;h BdgVc =di h BdgVc =diZa \ Za \g \ dje! >Vgcg dje >VgcgdY :^g dY :^gZVcc VcY 8 ZVcc VcY 8dg` dg` 8djcin djcin 8djcX^a ZiX# 8 djcX^a ZiX# Â&#x2122; cZg\^V ]Vh VagZVYn Xdbb^iiZY dkZg Ă´& W^aa^dc ^c gZcZlVWaZ Â&#x2122; : :cZg \^V ]Vh VagZVYn Xdb bb^iiZY dkZg Ă´& W^aa^dc ^c gZcZlVWa l Z VcY XdckZci^dcVa edlZg \ZcZgVi^dc XVeVX^in VcY X dckZci^dcVa edlZgg \ZcZgVi^dc XVeVX^in

Ka_f mh af eafml]k Ka_f mh af eafml ]k

XVaa/ $-% ',( %'* dg k^h^i kkk"YbYf[]U"]Y XVaa/ $-% ',( %'* dgg k^h^i k kk"YbYf[]U"]Y 9bYf[]U ! h\Y YbYf[m gidd`]Yf k]h\ Vf][\h ]XYUg" 9bYf []U ! h\Y YbYf[m gidd`]Y Yf k]h\ Vf][\h ]XYUg" 7VhZY V\V^chi :H7 VcY 7dgY <{^h ejWa^h]ZY eg^XZh# 7V

9jWa^c " 8 dg` " <ValVn "" 7Za[Vhi " DbV\] 9jWa^c " 8dg` " <ValVn " 7Za[Vhi " DbV\]

PAG E 2 0

International Principal Exchange

By Cóilín Ó Coigligh, Principal, St Mary’s Primary School, Trim It all started with the IPPN Bursary! In March 2007, Gerry O’Brien (Ballyroan BNS) and I visited fifteen schools in Melbourne. As the system there had Sabbatical Leave, Study Leave, Enrichment Leave and Long Service Leave, we were inundated with return visits, the following year. That year ten principals visited St. Mary’s as a result of the initial contact made through the Bursary visit.

One of those Principals was Peter Paul from Chandler Primary School, Keysborough, Melbourne. Over a cup of tea, Peter mentioned in passing that a teacher from New Zealand was currently exchanging with a teacher from his school. One of our teachers expressed an interest in doing a short term exchange.

The idea was that during the Australian Summer holidays a teacher would come to St. Mary’s to work in our school and be ‘home stayed’ by one of our teachers. During the Irish Summer holidays our teacher would do the same in reverse.

numerous obstacles were overcome, with the assistance of Keith Moynes and Geraldine Jinks.Throughout the whole process Mary Kelleher, who had been an ITF to the UK herself,shared her years of experience in managing the ITF program. As it turned out, no teacher took up the option of the short-term exchange, but we still had the possibility of the principal exchange. Mary introduced me to Mark Moloney, Principal of St Patrick’s P.S. Koroit,Victoria who was travelling to England on ‘Enrichment Leave’ in June 2009. I invited him to visit St Mary’s; he and his wife spent a week in Ireland and Mark committed verbally to the exchange. I was unable to make a commitment at that stage, for personal and study reasons. By the middle of August, I had attended to those obligations.That left us with only four months to organise what DEECD allows eighteen months preparation. It was undertaken with the support of IPPN as a pilot project.

The following September, Mary Kelleher, who manages the International Teaching Fellowship (ITF) program for all Victorian teachers, government, Catholic and Independent contacted me. She explained that she had endeavoured over a seven year period to establish an ITF Program with Ireland as there was such an interest in teaching in Ireland by Victorian teachers.

As Ireland did not currently have a Teacher Exchange Program I used the documentation developed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) in Victoria for the application and Teacher Registration processes.A Government to Government Agreement was necessary, between the Department of Education and Science, Dublin and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria before it was possible for Mark and me to obtain the appropriate visas. This was done through the hard work of Séamus McLoughlin and Mary Kelleher and the cooperation of Victorian and Irish Education authorities.

The ITF (http://www.study.vic.gov.au/OthrIntPro/ITF.htm) program was established in Victoria in 1971 to celebrate the centenary of state education in Victoria.This extended the teacher exchange program that was established between Victoria and the League for Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT) in 1921, which included teachers from the North of Ireland.

On 21 and 22 January, 2010 on a beautiful sunny day, I attended the ITF Orientation at DEECD in East Melbourne and met 14 other ITF colleagues from Canada, England, Scotland, USA and Switzerland. As the ITF program has such a long and prestigious history inVictoria, there is a very strong alumni organisation called the International Teachers’ Association (ITA) which takes on a supporting pastoral and social role for the incoming teachers.

After the communication with Mary Kelleher I endeavoured to see if it was possible to do an educator exchange from Ireland. But where to start? Over the next three months. I contacted Léargas who informed me that the teacher exchange scheme with Canada had been discontinued. My next port of call was to Seán Cottrell, IPPN Director, who gave me contact numbers for various sections in the DES. I spoke with Séamus Mc Loughlin, Principal Officer, International Section and explained about our Study Tour, how the contact had arisen and he expressed an interest.

DEECD,Victoria is interested in continuing the ITF with Ireland and Mark Moloney and I are under great pressure from our colleagues to be successful as so many principals and teachers from both Victoria and Ireland wish to follow in our footsteps.

In February 2009 Mary Kelleher asked if I was still interested in a Principal exchange.There was an Australian Principal who had applied for exchange for a full year and he was interested in adding Ireland to his application. I remember going to the staffroom and informing the teachers about the possibility of short-term teacher exchange and that there was a principal interested in exchanging for a year. The response on this from the teachers present was that of course it could be done, as one so clearly put it ‘Come on Cóilín, it’s (i.e. the job of principal) not rocket science!’ Over the next three months, thanks to the foresight and expertise of Séamus Mc Loughlin

Your School and the Law 2009/2010 David Ruddy, BL and Principal of Talbot Senior School, Clondalkin, in conjunction with IPPN, will facilitate and present the final one-day legal seminar of the 2009/2010 school year, entitled Your School & The Law on Saturday 27th March at the Ormond Hotel, Kilkenny. The keynotes and Q&A sessions will be delivered by David Ruddy, Emer

Woodfull and Denise Brett. The seminars will address the following issues: ● Teaching Contracts/ Employment Law ● Anti Bullying and Misbehaviour in Schools ● Revised Code of Behaviour/Enrolment Policy & Section 29 Appeals ● Current Legal Issues.

The seminars will be of interest to all those involved in primary and second-level education, including Teachers, Principals, Board of Management members and Parents.

For any queries, please contact IPPN on 1890 21 22 23 or by email to support@ippn.ie.

Application forms can be downloaded from the Events section of www.ippn.ie.

marmoleum

®

hygiene costs less

marmoleum® artoleum®

Marmoleum natural flooring kills bacteria, so it limits the spread of infections in school. It has an extremely durable coating, Topshield, which protects it from dirt and scuff marks, so no polish is required when cleaning.The result is a hardwearing, durable, natural and hygienic floor that is ideal for learning environments.

www.forbo-flooring.com

Leadership in Action School Principal and Choir Member, Padraic Mc Keon Padraic is Administrative Principal of Holy Family N.S., Newport, Co. Mayo From early days, I have always loved singing, from my national school choir days to Gilbert and Sullivan operas in secondary school to adulthood, all the time listening intently to radio, vinyl records (how many of you remember them?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and no, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean the 77 r. p. m. s!!) up to modern-day media. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not that I have a very good singing voice but I believe that I am a good chorus singer, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (almost!) nothing I enjoy better than a good sing-song.

I started teaching in St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BNS, Terenure, Dublin in the 1970s. That, of course, was the time of the great Dublin football team and Heffoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Army. St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had (and still has) a great GAA tradition which was only augmented by the success of the Dubs of the time and made it easy for us teachers (hello there Matt, Mick and Tom) to help promote our national games.

Why I mention this is because, naturally enough, we were regulars at Croke Park and, after matches, felt it part of our civic duty to frequent the local hostelries in Drumcondra and balance the sporting with the musical element of Irish culture by leading the people in singing the popular ballads of the day. So much so that the barmen used to greet us with the words â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Here come the Choir Masters again!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Many was the Monday morning when we taught the BuntĂşs in a voice an octave below our normal tone, but such was the price of culture development!

From early days, I have always loved singing, from my national school choir days to Gilbert and Sullivan operas in secondary school to adulthoodâ&#x20AC;Ś When I moved back west in the early 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, one of the first things I did was to join Castlebar Choral Society. Sr. Assumpta (N.T.) was our Musical Director and she trained us to a high standard, which was recognised when we won our competition at Cork International Choral Festival on three occasions. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with that choir, especially when we performed at home and away, singing our songs

and enjoying the social â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aftersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It helped give me a balanced life-style, and was very helpful to me in teaching music at school. My local Inspector knew about my involvement and, in the 1990s, invited me to join a team of primary teachers who were being trained by the Department to help teachers teach music. The training and course deliveries were both most enjoyable and fulfilling and, I believe, helpful in preparing the revised Music curriculum.

When that choir folded its tent, I joined Mayo Male Voice Choir, which now has almost 50 members from all over our county. Last year, I was elected Chairman, a role which has many similarities with my job as School Principalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; i.e. trying to get the best out of people for the good of the organisation.We perform locally and away, having recently travelled to Luton in England and to Bavaria in Germany.

Even though I am an admin principal, I still enjoy teaching Music in school, doing the school choir, etc.

During Halloweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;en of this year, we visited Praque for their International Music Festival (perfect timing for the teachers in our choir).

Part of the official opening was a performance by a local teenage choir â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bambino Il Pragaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; who sang about 20 songs from around the world and left us speechless in wonder at what they were able to do through song and dance. Our own choir sang in churches and in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Retirement Homesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. We also sang six songs before a professional adjudicator who afterwards gave our Musical Director and myself detailed and very helpful feedback on our performance, asking about our background, our ambitions, and giving us advice on how to achieve our goals (ring any bells with the job?).The closing nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gala Concert entailed a fabulous dance orchestra playing wonderful music with international rhythmsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thankfully it included jives and quicksteps! Of course, there were many joint singsongs, formal and informal, from the choirs.The whole festival was a true celebration of music throughout the world and our choir will never forget it. This was very rewarding for me, as the trip was my idea.

PAG E 2 3

Sometimes, when I come home from school (and if there is nobody in the house!), I unwind by sitting down at the piano and belting out some of my favourite songs/ ballads. As the IPPN networkers say: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This works for meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Even though I am an admin principal, I still enjoy teaching Music in school, doing the school choir, etc. I have recently completed some research into â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Learning Through Musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and put it into practice by installing a piped music system in our school and playing selected music at particular times, e.g. Mozart at Maths time, to improve learning.

Music is an important part of my life, and hopefully will always be.The barman must have been right long ago!

! " # ' !

! (

!

" #

$ %&

Hibernia College M.A. in Teaching & Learning - Online Key Facts

Overview Hibernia Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s M.A. in Teaching & Learning provides todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary and post-primary teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with current issues in the modern classroom.

Specific areas covered include additional learning needs; diversity, development and disadvantage; i-learning and contemporary issues in education.

Delivered by experienced educators with a focus on application in the Irish classroom, the programme provides the tools and knowledge to enable teachers bring the latest innovations and best practice into the class setting. Because the content is based on strategies and techniques (rather than a particular classroom curriculum) graduates from the programme will be able to apply their new skills regardless of the age of the students with whom they work.

x Deals with current issues faced by todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s teachers x Focus on application in the Irish classroom x HETAC accredited to Level 9 of the National Framework of Qualifications (www.nfq.ie) x Delivered by experienced educators x Assessed through written submitted reports and continuous assessment tasks that apply to classroom practice x Modules can be completed as stand alone continuing professional development courses

x Next class: September 2010 x Duration: 2 years taught plus thesis

The programme consists of 14 modules plus a thesis. Each module represents 5 ECTS credits, is completed online and consists of 10 weeks of downloadable multimedia lectures and live online tutorials.

A unique aspect of this programme is that each module can also be completed as a stand alone continuing professional development course.

Modular delivery Hibernia College's online Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning is designed to be completed in a modular fashion. Three modules combine to form one of four certificates in: x Additional learning needs x Diversity, development and disadvantage x i-Learning x Contemporary issues in education On completion of these four certificates, the student is awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning. If the student wishes to progress to the Master's award, they must then complete two modules in research methods and submit a thesis.

For more information including application form visit

www.hiberniacollege.net/MATL Hibernia College is a HETAC accredited online college offering quality assured blended and online education programmes Hibernia College, 2 Clare Street, Dublin 2 www.hiberniacollege.net academicaffairs@hiberniacollege.net (01) 661 0168