Leadership+ Issue 64 September 2011

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ISSUE 64 ● SEPTEMBER 2011

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

Principal Advice SNA Cutbacks Photocopiers Icebergs and Lifeboats...

Ar scáth a chéile…

The summer of 2011 will be remembered for many reasons. It was the summer in which many Principals struggled to have a family holiday and a real break.

With thanks to

Sponsor of IPPN Publications

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Ar scáth a chéile…

by Seán Cottrell and Gerry Murphy The summer of 2011 will be remembered for many reasons. It was the summer in which many Principals struggled to have a family holiday and a real break.You may now be back in school less refreshed than you should be because of the vagaries of the panel system, the demands of recruitment, the delay with SEN resource allocation and responsibility for summer works schemes.The demands the system makes on Principals are enormous, and the economic downturn is now asking you to give even more. As this trend continues, all Principals need to be more conscious of your own self care and well-being, and of your ability to ask for support as the new school year begins. You must look after yourself and your health if you wish to be of value to your school community.

IPPN’s vision sees ‘Every Principal empowered to be an exemplary leader of learning – Every teacher inspired to lead every child’s learning’. As leaders of learning, Principals are advocates for children’s education. As you consider the year ahead, with all the difficulties it promises, it is important to try to look for the opportunities that will present themselves and celebrate the many achievements, both great and small, in every school.

Your role as advocate for children is nowhere more important than in relation to child protection. Every school must make sure that their Child Protection Policy is in place, is reviewed frequently and that every teacher has a copy and is aware of the procedures to be followed. It must be on the agenda of every staff meeting to be certain that new staff members are immediately aware of its vital importance. Likewise, the Board of Management agenda must provide space to address this issue in its first meeting of the new school year.

to provide you with the key resources to help you in your role as Principal.

You will have received your membership renewal information by now.

Membership fees are critical to run our support services. In your own experience, I’m sure you will appreciate the challenge of administering the collection of monies from parents. Likewise, our Support Office staff would really appreciate if you could return your membership fee along with the updated school data form before the end of September. It would be the single greatest improvement in our productivity if your school could set up a direct debit form of payment or pay the fee online.

We extend a special warm welcome to the many Newly Appointed Principals (NAPs) who are beginning their leadership role this week. We wish you well and assure you of IPPN’s help and support in the years ahead.

We strongly recommend that you avail of the various IPPN services for NAPs, especially the support of an experienced Mentor for your first year as Principal. For all Principals, there is no substitute for the support and collegiality that is to be gained from participating in your local Principals’ Support Group. If none exists, please let us know through your membership renewal form and we will help to establish one in your area.

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.

The challenges ahead will include fewer teachers and SNAs in schools, diminishing ISM teams, transport issues and fewer resources to assist children with SEN, with the resulting effect on staff morale. The Principal is the person who communicates the DES decisions to parents and teachers and can often be associated with the bad news. It is worthwhile ensuring that the school has a policy of clear and unambiguous communication with teachers, SNAs and parents. Clear and accurate information serves everybody well.

A new Board of Management will be established in every school in the coming months. IPPN has consistently pointed out the lack of expertise available to Principals and BoMs. While there will be minor procedural changes to the functioning of the new Boards, there is still a strong case to be made for equipping BoMs with the appropriate HR, legal, financial and property management expertise to reflect the more complex role of the BoM as employer in 2011.

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Thank you, Mr President Pat Goff returns to his school in Coolcotts, Wexford at the end of a remarkable two years as President of IPPN. Anyone who knows Pat would not be surprised to hear of his outstanding work in representing Principal teachers throughout the country. Pat’s knowledge, experience and capacity for work have been evident in his role as President.

Coming from a school with such diversity of pupil background and needs placed Pat in the ideal position to highlight and advocate for the issues that are familiar to any type of school. His affable manner, sense of humour and genuine humility has enabled him to be the perfect ambassador for Principals and he has gained the respect of all who encountered him.

Anyone who knows Pat would not be surprised to hear of his outstanding work in representing Principal teachers throughout the country.

In the last two years Pat has engaged with all education agencies and the DES. His reputation for expertise, particularly in the area of Special Educational Needs, made him the default contact for both national and local media and he has been tireless in his efforts to further the

school leadership agenda. Pat has been particularly strong in his advocacy of adequate provision for children with learning difficulties, with SEN and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Furthermore, his input to IPPN’s strategic direction has been immense.

We thank the Board of Management and staff of Scoil Mhuire, Coolcotts in Wexford, for ‘releasing’ Pat for the duration of the presidency.

We are sure he will enjoy returning to the ‘chalk face’ after his experience of working full-time with the IPPN Support Office on behalf of Principals and Deputy Principals. Finally, a word of thanks to his wife Norrie, who had some early experience as an ‘IPPN widow’, having seen very little of Pat over the past two years.

Welcome, Mr President Pat Goff handed over the reins to Gerry Murphy in late August. Gerry is a native of Knockbridge, Dundalk and today lives in Blackrock, Co. Louth with his wife Marian. He received his entire primary education in a twoteacher rural school before attending Meánscoil na mBráithre Críostaí, Dún Dealgan. He graduated as a national teacher from St Patrick's, Drumcondra and subsequently obtained a BA (Gaeilge and Psychology) from UCD and later an MSc in Computer Applications for Education from DCU. Gerry has worked in schools serving disadvantaged communities his entire working career. He taught in De La Salle NS, Ballyfermot from 1972 to 1979 and has been Principal of St Joseph's NS, Dundalk from 1979

to date. During that time, the school has grown from a green field site 2-teacher school to a school which has a staff of 34 teachers and 16 non-teaching members. Sa bhliain 1980 cuireadh tús le sruth Lán Ghaeilge sa scoil agus bunaíodh Gaelscoil Dhún Dealgan de bharr na hoibre seo i 1986. Gerry says that the 3Rs in St Joseph’s School are Reading (Literacy), ‘Rithmitic (Numeracy) and Relationships and he believes that the Relationship component is the foundation stone for all good teaching and learning - ‘mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí’. Gerry is founder member of the Dundalk Incredible Years (DIY) Project and is a member of the Board of Directors of Archways (www.archways.ie).

He was very involved with NCTE and the

Schools’ IT 2000 initiative and currently represents IPPN on the Department of Education and Skills ICT Steering Committee.

He led the On-line Claims System (OLCS) roll-out project as Coordinator on behalf of IPPN during the school year 2007-2008. Gerry has served as the North-South Co-ordinator and the Educational Disadvantage Co-ordinator on the IPPN Executive for several years and as Deputy President since 2009.

IPPN’s Executive and Support Office staff look forward to working with Gerry over the next two years. He is following in the footsteps of six previous presidents, each of whom brought their own unique talents to the role. Principals and schools are very fortunate to have someone of Gerry’s calibre at the helm.

IPPN Pure Telecom Partnership ends After 5 years of successful service delivery to members, IPPN has concluded its partnership association with Pure Telecom, the providers of the ScoilTel telephone service to schools. We would like to confirm that both parties have parted on extremely amicable terms with the assurance from Pure Telecom that there will be no negative repercussions for those members using the ScoilTel service or planning to switch to the service in the future.

In fact Pure Telecom are delighted to announce that in response to feedback from existing customers they will be lowering their ScoilTel rates even further in September.

In operation since 2005, Pure Telecom is a 100% Irish-owned and operated landline telephone provider.The ScoilTel service offers savings of up to 40% [to over 500 primary schools] when compared to eircom and each school is given PAG E 4

access to a dedicated account manager responsible for all your telephony requirements.

IPPN would like to wish ScoilTel every success in the future and recommend that you contact them on 1890 701 801 for more information and let them help your budget go further.

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Principal Advice Manager Angela Lynch Angela joined the IPPN Support Office team on 1st September. She retired as Principal of Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Glasheen, Cork, where she began teaching in 1975. She was Principal of the school for the past 20 years. Angela’s new role – Principal Advice Manager – has been created due to the ever-increasing volume of calls to the Support Office from Principals seeking professional advice and support.

Angela is well known to IPPN members, having been Conference Organiser for the past five years and as a member of IPPN’s Executive since 2001. She is immensely suited to the role, bringing with her not just a wealth of experience and knowledge of school leadership

but also a wide range of skills that she has honed from numerous programmes undertaken in the area of counselling and related disciplines.

Angela’s new role will enable IPPN to further improve the quality of service given to Principals and Deputy Principals.

As part of the Principal Advice Manager role, Angela will also monitor requests for Principal Advice and identify the key underlying issues which require inclusion in more formal professional development for Principals and Deputies, both pre and post appointment.

Angela has specific responsibility for the Principal Advice service, a one-to-one confidential advice and support service for Principals and Deputies. For Principals experiencing extreme needs,Angela will arrange discrete support as part of IPPN’s Leadership Recovery service. Advice will be made available through e-scéals and podcasts, in advance of seasonally predictable needs.

Angela’s first Principal Advice professional guidance article is below.

Every issue of Leadership+ is archived on www.ippn.ie in the Policy & News section.

Thanks to Our Contributors You have told us that Leadership+ rates very highly in terms of the supports and services IPPN offers and that it is a publication you keep close by and refer to over and over, is full of useful advice and information and set out in an easy-toread format.

What you may not know is that all of the content is provided free-of-charge by members, retired Principals, ‘friends of IPPN’, education and other specialists and many others who take time from their very busy lives to write summaries, anecdotes, professional guidance,

personal insights, overviews and expert opinion on a wide range of topics for the benefit of school leaders. On your behalf, we thank each and every one of them for their contributions over the past ten years of Leadership+.

Principal Advice – SNA Cutbacks

By Angela Lynch, IPPN Principal Advice Manager ‘A warrior knows that his best teachers are the people with whom he shares the battlefield.’ Paulo Coelho.

It may be dangerous to ask for advice and even more dangerous to give advice. This column is a means of identifying issues common to Principals and of sharing some of the strategies and ideas that have worked well over the years. Each school is different. The ideas presented here may help to focus on the issues and present some strategies which may then be adapted to address the particular circumstances of the school you lead.

Schools, of course are not battlefields (at least I hope not!). However the elements of planning, good communication and strategic organisation enable positive outcomes.

At the start of this new school year, we are facing many challenges. Of immediate concern may be the cutbacks in SNA support. Parents and staff have been used to a particular level of support.

That support may now have to be re-assessed and changes made to how that support is allocated.

The Special Needs Policy of the school will provide the basis for prioritising the needs of the children to whom support is allocated. Parents and staff need to be very clear how the recent cuts will impact on the ability of the school to deliver the support and more importantly, how priorities are established. Communication to all relevant parties is the basis for establishing an understanding of

how the school manages to do this.

The following may need to be considered: ● Review and discussion of SEN Policy at a staff meeting, with emphasis on SNA support ● Communication of any SNA support changes to parents as part of the IEP discussions at the start of the school year.

The means of arriving at these decisions should be communicated also. ● Documentation of meetings, decisions reached and difficulties encountered by the school ● Regular consultation with the SENO in relation to difficulties that arise ● Regular review of support with the class teacher, support teacher(s) and parents.

Keep everyone informed. This is not as easy as it sounds. It has to be decided at each meeting you attend what information needs to be communicated, to whom and by whom.

Some questions you may want to consider: ● What do we need to communicate this year? (Code of Behaviour/Bullying Policy/Complaints Procedure/Child Protection/Curriculum Development/ Routines and Procedures etc.) ● To whom do we need to communicate?

(Staff/Parents/Outside agencies/ PAG E 5

Community/Media) ● How will we do this? (newsletters/website/texts/Parents/Parents’ Association/formal-informal meetings/literacy-numeracy meetings/Community newsletters/Parish bulletins/Newspapers etc.) ● Do we need to draw up a schedule? (PIMS is a valuable tool for organising and keeping track of a communication calendar. Build in prompts 1-2 weeks on advance of any planned communication activities).

On a personal note, I approach this new role of Principal Advice Manager with much enthusiasm and a certain degree of anxiety. This role will develop over time. Advice will be provided on predictable annual events and also on issues arising from the Principal Advice service, but I would like ensure that the service meets your needs in terms of the day to day running of the school and in terms of your leadership role.

I invite you to email any ideas or suggestions to angela.lynch@ippn.ie.

Tá súil agam gur féidir linn tacaíocht, misneach agus spreagadh a thabhairt dá chéile I mbliana. Go n-éirí go geal libh.

Le mór-mheas, Angela

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Photocopiers Icebergs and Lifeboats...

By Pat Burke Walsh Pat is a retired principal from Neilstown who tells us of his experiences in dealing with copiers over the years Having retired in 2009 after 19 years as Principal of St Peter Apostle SNS Neilstown, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, I enjoy looking back over that period at both the perceived triumphs and indeed the tribulations associated with the position.

Having served as vice-principal, sorry deputy nowadays, for eleven years with the great Pól Breathnach, recently deceased, I thought I had a handle on most things pertaining to school life and its organisation. However the change from copilot to captain is mammoth and the demands and indeed the rewards are very evident and daily in occurrence. One of the first demands came from the teaching staff. It was for a photocopier. My predecessor had not shown much interest in these relatively new machines. We had always made do with the old ‘duplicator’ or ‘the bailer’ as we called it. I’m sure the more senior of you will remember them and your ink-stained fingers.

One of the first demands came from the teaching staff.

It was for a photocopier. My predecessor had not shown much interest in these relatively new machines.

This quest should have started with a staff brain storming session followed by the acquisition of three quotes from reputable companies and the final rubber stamping of the BoM - not in 1990

it didn’t.A phone call to a local Principal who had just acquired ‘one of these yokes’ and a quick meeting with the ‘photocopying man’ led to the installation of our new machine.

We were soon up and running and I was so proud of the new photocopier I began advising other local Principals of the merits and advantages of these modern appliances. The staff of St Peter Apostle were at the cutting edge and worksheets were being churned out at an unprecedented rate.

As I sat filling in the Leabhar Tinrimh I was comforted by the steady, rhythmical, sound of the photocopier. The captain of the Titanic probably found the sound of his engines equally comforting.

We were soon up and running and I was so proud of the new photocopier I began advising other local Principals of the merits and advantages of these modern appliances.

My iceberg struck 10 months later.The ‘drum’ was damaged and of course that was the only part not included in the so-called guarantee. What I thought I had signed up to was not delivered.

So “bí cúramach” when purchasing your new copier, make sure it’s from a reputable company in business for a considerable length of time and with a customer list and references. Make contact with a few of the customers listed and ask

appropriate questions about price, service as well as lease and buy options.

When acquiring your new system, ensure that you have a service contract with your supplier on a cost per copy basis to cover all eventualities. By monitoring your monthly copying volume, you will always know what your photocopying costs will be as what you pay is based on actual usage.

Your contract should cover all call outs, parts and toner.A cost per copy agreement will allow for all costs to be incorporated onto a single invoice, which is easier to administer.

Copiers have evolved into Multi Function Devices - which can copy, print, scan and fax if needed, in both Black & White and Colour. By networking such devices (connecting them to a PC or network) you can eliminate costly standalone printers, and save a small fortune on inkjets and cartridges in the process!

My own lifeboat arrived after four years of everincreasing frustration. A company with an impressive portfolio of schools made itself known to me. The early discussions revolved around getting a new photocopier and a better service contract. That was 18 years ago. That company, which is now the IPPN preferred supplier, still supplies my old school with their photocopying equipment and many other schools throughout the country.

So, speaking now from my ‘Department Circular Free Zone’ of retirement, I realise that I made one good decision! To misquote an old Jesuit I once knew, ‘Don’t judge a company by what it says, judge it by what it does!’ “Bliain achmhainneach, torthúil agus sláintiúl daoibh uilig”

EMS Copiers IPPN is delighted to announce EMS Copiers as our preferred supplier of printer and copier machines for schools. EMS is an Irish company with a nationwide network. They have been supplying schools for over 20 years and already have a strong IPPN customer base.

Before choosing EMS, we consulted with several Principals who spoke highly of the value for money and quality of printing and copying machines. EMS has a reputation for excellent customer service and is now the sole supplier of

printing and copying machines in the IPPN Support Office. In return for their support for IPPN we ask that you supply EMS with a copy of the most competitive quote received when you are getting quotations for your next printing or copying machine. EMS will guarantee to improve on it with like-for-like equipment.

For an initial period EMS has agreed a price guarantee for IPPN members. Our advice to you is - if you are upgrading your office machines, please invite EMS to tender and you

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will be more than pleased with the savings on offer. You can contact EMS on 01 6205501 or by e-mail to ippn@emscopiers.ie.

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ICT Tips Literacy & Technology

by Simon Lewis, Principal, Carlow Educate Together NS In December 2010, the latest PISA report gave damning news about Ireland's performance in literacy and numeracy. Ruairi Quinn was quick to offer a solution – teach for longer and compulsory testing.

This is the opposite of what we should be doing. One thing we do very well in our schools is to offer children an holistic education with a diversity of subjects. However, we have been slow to take up the tools that have been revolutionising the rest of the world for the last fifteen years – technology.

It was noted in a 2005 report that only 4% of teachers were using ICT in their teaching each day.

It was only with the advent of the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB), which gathered pace after an IPPN Principals' Conference in 2008, that around 80% of teachers use technology today in their classrooms. However, most teachers I have spoken to still feel unequipped. I often hear phrases such as ‘I don't feel I'm using it well enough’. But if you can book a flight on Ryanair.com, you are more than qualified to be confident in training your staff up!

I'll focus here on literacy and offer some simple ideas to kick-start your teachers' confidence. An IWB is simply a way of displaying your computer screen on a

bigger surface. This allows everyone in the room to see it. I believe the very best use of an IWB is to treat it as a stimulus for whole class discussion. Here are some simple ways of using an IWB to create the beginnings of brilliant literacy lessons: EARLY LITERACY SKILLS By putting web sites such as Literactive.com, TES iBoard or Starfall.com on a big screen, teachers automatically have a bright, visual stimulus to begin teaching a phonics concept or a nursery rhyme.

MIND MAPPING With www.bubbl.us, you and your class can create brainstorms easily.You can save them and bring them back at any time. Best of all, different classes in different schools can collaborate to create mind maps to inspire any writing.

WORD CLOUDS Take any piece of text and copy and paste it into Wordle.net.When you click the ‘Create’ button, it will create a word cloud. I have often used it to show the headline story in the news or even to introduce a piece of text.

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These are only three simple ways to start a good literacy lesson using technology and you certainly don't need a degree in computer science to use these well.Technology enhances these lessons because they offer excellent visual, auditory and kinaesthetic opportunities. However, technology is useless without the greatest resource of all, the classroom teacher.

WEBSITES ● Early Literacy http://www.anseo.net/2010/07/using-an-iwbwith-literacy-for-infants/ ● Word Clouds http://www.anseo.net/2010/07/wordle-onthe-whiteboard/ and http://www.wordle.net ● TES iBoard - http://iboard.tes.co.uk Simon has been presenting lectures, workshops and keynote speeches about education and technology around Ireland since 2003. He is editor of anseo.net, a website dedicated to giving advice and opinion on education matters. His current interest is in how technology can be used to increase communication and learning. Despite spending lots of time with them, he doesn't have a favourite Interactive Whiteboard.

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Legal Diary

by David Ruddy, B.L.

‘Indirect Discrimination by school in admission policy held to be justifiable’ Mary Stokes (on behalf of her son John Stokes) V Christian Brothers’ High School, Clonmel & Circuit Court Judge Teehan, July 2011 FACTS John Stokes, the pupil in question, applied unsuccessfully for a place in the above school.

The Christian Brothers’ High School admission policy was based on the following three criteria for applicants: 1. Catholic ethos 2. Attended a recognised feeder school 3. Father or brother would have been past pupils. Some 83 of the 174 applicants for the 140 available places in 2010/2011 met all

three criteria. John Stokes did not meet the parental requirement. His name went into a lottery with others who did not meet the three criteria and he failed to get a place.

The teacher decided to appeal the decision but, in spite of this, the Principal sent a letter congratulating the successful candidates.

THE EQUALITY TRIBUNAL His parents initiated a Section 29 Appeal against the school. However this was unsuccessful.They

then took a case for discrimination under the Equal Status Acts 2000-2008 against both the school and the DES. At the Equality Tribunal, the Equality Officer held that members of the Traveller Community were at a particular disadvantage compared with non Travellers and that the High School had not proved that this parental criterion was objectively justified by a legitimate aim which was appropriate and necessary.

The pupil argued that giving priority to the sons of former pupils put members of the Traveller Community at a particular disadvantage compared with non Travellers. Travellers of this pupil’s father’s generation (those who would have been of post-primary school-going age in the 1980s) were most unlikely to have attended

Fixed-term and Specific Purpose Contracts – in plain English Q1. Why all the fuss about fixedterm/specific contracts?

In the past, teachers were employed by some Boards of Management (BoM) on a temporary basis to fill what were permanent posts. The idea was that the temporary teacher could be let go at the end of the school year, or indeed years, if the BoM were not happy with the temporary teacher’s performance. It was a matter of schools hedging their bets. In recent years, employment legislation has outlawed this practice and gives more protection to teachers. If a school employs a teacher on a temporary basis it must be explained in the contract why the post is temporary in nature and why the Unfair Dismissals Act does not apply to the teacher.

Temporary posts are referred to as ‘fixed-term’ or ‘specific purpose’ contracts.

Q2. What is a fixed-term contract?

A Fixed-term contract applies where a teacher is employed on a temporary basis to replace a teacher engaged in a job-sharing, career break or secondment arrangement. In each case, the date that the contract finishes is known to all in advance.

Q3. What is a specific purpose contract?

A specific purpose contract is usually for a shorter period of time than a fixed-term contract and the end date is not known or is uncertain. This type of contract covers maternity/adoptive leave, sick leave, parental leave and unpaid leave – the list is not exhaustive. In this case, it is the nature or purpose of the contract that gives rise to a vacancy that determines when the contract ends.

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Q4. What has unfair dismissal to do with all of this?

Unfair Dismissals legislation, subject to a few exceptions, will only apply to employees who have at least 52 weeks’ continuous teaching service. Claims for unfair dismissal do not apply where the only reason for the contract terminating is: (a) The expiry of the temporary-contract of employment which might be, for example, the date a career break finishes (b) The purpose of the temporary-contract no longer exists i.e. the teacher has returned from maternity leave. Contracts which are not subject to unfair dismissal legislation should state so and contain a waiver clause.

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post–primary school. Figures supplied by the Department showed that less than 100 Travellers in the entire country in 1988 were enrolled in post-primary schools. The likelihood of a Traveller of the pupil’s father’s generation would have attended a post-primary school was extremely remote. The High School produced no evidence that any Travellers attended the school during the 1980s. In oral evidence the School explained that, prior to 20 years ago (before 1990), entrance to the High School was determined by competitive written examination. This would certainly have acted as a serious barrier to Travellers.

Figures supplied by the Department showed that less than 100 Travellers in the entire country in 1988 were enrolled in postprimary schools.

Q5. What is a waiver clause?

A waiver clause states that the Unfair Dismissal Act does not apply to the contract as, for example, the teacher on the fixed-term contract is replacing a teacher on authorised leave and the post cannot be filled on a permanent basis, or the post is, for example, a language support role which is allocated to the school on a temporary basis.

Q6. Why have a written contract?

A contract is an agreement reached between a teacher and the BoM. Each teacher employed for a month or more of continuous service must have a written contract. The contract must be signed by the teacher and the Chairperson of the BoM. Q7. If a teacher on a fixed-term contract for one year is available for a subsequent year and, if it happens there are some new fixedterm posts available in the school for the subsequent year, is this teacher entitled to one of these posts?

No. There is nothing in the legislation which requires a BoM to offer this teacher a second or

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JUDGEMENT The School appealed the Equality Tribunal findings to the Circuit Court. Judge Teehan allowed the appeal by the school. The Judge stated that what was significant was whether the parental rule was discriminatory against Travellers and if so, could it be objectively justified by reference to a legitimate aim and means to achieve it which could be both appropriate and necessary. The Judge was satisfied that the parental rule was discriminatory against Travellers and new immigrants such as Polish and Nigerian applicants whose parents were unlikely to have attended the school. In such circumstances it fell to the school to show that its admission policy could be justified by some legitimate aim, and he found that one of its stated goals of supporting the family ethos within education amounted to such a legitimate aim. He also found that the parental rule helped strike a balance between admission based on academic results and admission based on exceptional circumstances.The parental rule was a necessary step to creating a balanced and proportionate admissions policy.

OBSERVATION This landmark judgement was handed down in favour of the school on the grounds that, whilst there was indirect discrimination against this Traveller boy, it was justifiable on the family ethos grounds. The school won this case on the strength of its admission policy. The Judge clearly felt his hands were tied on this issue - ‘The Oireachtas should look at making positive discrimination mandatory for schools in their admission policies’. He also remarked that the legislators must, like both the Courts and School Boards who frame admission policies, seek to strike a balance between legitimate competing interests. If the parents of the pupil concerned wish to appeal this judgement to the High Court, it must be on a point of law.

subsequent contract just because the BoM has an ongoing requirement for a fixed-term teacher.

However, when a post is advertised, the teacher on the temporary contract should be made aware in writing that the post is advertised.

Q9. Can a BoM advertise a new fixed-term vacancy even if there is a teacher currently employed on a fixed-term contract who is available to take up the new contract?

Yes, the BoM is fully entitled to advertise any vacancy that arises in the school. Other than short-term vacancies requiring a substitute teacher, recruitment best practice should be followed in all cases i.e. public advertising, agreed selection criteria, short-listing, interview and appointment on merit. It is important to note that, in the event of the vacancy being advertised publicly, the advert should also be prominently displayed in the staffroom and imparted personally to any fixed-term teacher in the school, including those on leave.

Q8. In a situation where there are a number of teachers on fixed-term contracts and the BoM has fewer fixed-term posts to fill in the following year, what process should the BoM use to decide which teacher(s) should be offered the new fixed-term contracts?

It is open to the BoM to fill fixed-term contracts by whatever methodology it thinks appropriate.

This includes public advertising, short-listing and interviewing and assessment of suitability based on pre-determined criteria.The school is entitled to appoint such teachers as it thinks appropriate for such posts. The mere fact that a teacher has been employed by the BoM under a fixed-term contract in the past, or is currently working under such a contract, gives him or her no rights whatsoever wider than the population as a whole.

PAG E 9

Minister for Education and Skills Mr Quinn launched a discussion document on the subject of admission policies recently.

Q10. Is there such a concept as ‘notional seniority’ in relation to teachers on fixedterm or specific purpose contracts?

No. The concept of seniority applies to permanent contracts only. There is nothing in legislation which gives rise to the concept of seniority, notional or otherwise, for fixed-term or specific purpose contracts.

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Literacy Leanings?

By Damian White, Principal of Scoil Shinchill, Killeigh, Co. Offaly

As I head towards 25 years in the teaching profession, or as the MC on the night of a celebration to mark such a special event might say ‘A quarter century of unselfish and masterful deliverance of a profoundly rich and rounded education to the lucky children who have experienced his tutelage, I recently took a George Best moment to ask myself- ‘Where did it all go wrong?’’

Irish education and Italian tourism have something in common- the words ‘falling’ and ‘Pisa’ in the same sentence has caused alarm bells for the respective powers that be. In both cases, no time is lost in devoting much energy and resources to making things right. Foundations are examined critically. Plans are drawn to buttress the ailing mega-structure. Someone influential opines, well but not too wisely, that no resource should be spared in straightening the thing now to preserve it for future generations.

Thankfully, sense prevailed in the cradle of the Renaissance and the value to the local economy and image is still augmented by flawed masterpiece which continues to tilt, albeit a little more safely.

Since the Celtic Tiger came to a grizzly end, every organisation has an opinion on where education should be heading.

Our recent PISA results revealed a drop in standards of literacy and numeracy which have brought about an almost ‘situation room’ type response from every individual and organisation ever remotely interested in or connected with education. Every school is scrutinising its policies to ensure their wording reflects the latest thinking.

Every teacher presenting for interview this year could expect to be drawn on their plans to bring about improvements in literacy and numeracy.

The selection of summer courses available was dominated by one word - literacy. ‘Literacy and IWB’ was the title of our school-based course as was the case in about 90 other schools nationwide.

The course was excellent but I must confess the title reminds me a little of a course entitled ‘computers and Irish dancing’ which was available some years ago when ‘Information Technology’ was the buzz word. (The cynic in me had Myles na gCapallín facilitating that one!) A consensus

seems to be emerging that the curriculum is overcrowded and that literacy and numeracy are suffering in the wake of the broad brushstroke that must be covered in a teacher’s weekly plans.

spent on literacy and 4/5 hours on numeracy, a total of 6% of each of their weeks. OF COURSE this is INSUFFICIENT if not backed up with home supporting stimuli.

Reducing the number of subjects is being mooted as a solution, with the extra time generated restored to literacy and numeracy. Visual Arts, Drama, SPHE and religion are the vulnerable areas in any review likely to take place. Thirty six minutes per day devoted to numeracy is seen as too little and must be increased. Some other subject has to suffer.

As teachers, the broad aims of helping the student to live a full life as a child and to prepare them for adulthood are as relevant today as when they first appeared in the apocalyptic clockwork orange manuals in 1971. Circumstances have changed and the cane over the blackboard, memorably prevalent back then, has been replaced by the projector over the whiteboard as a means of encouraging children to engage in learning.What the 1971 curriculum sought to do was to move from Teacher-centred to Child-centred education, arguably only achieving this goal with the move to the current revised model. New concepts and buzzwords were introduced to our lexicon. The Five Intelligences were rubberstamped as existing and relevant in assessing children’s capabilities.

Circle time became ‘de rigeur’ as a means of encouraging children to talk and think.Visual Arts was born.

As I began on my 25 year odyssey, the buzz word was ‘Integration’ or ‘ko haw who!’ Subjects were not independent republics and the teaching of them should be linked. A reading lesson could be on a historical theme which led to a drama or art and crafts lesson. Oral English was seen as essential and should be interpreted anywhere possible. Oral Maths constituted a lesson per week in teaching practise.

The reality in Irish classrooms today is that subject integration is alive and well, maths gets much more than 36 minutes per day and that children are given ample opportunity to develop oral language skills across a myriad of situations. Even allowing for the recent regrettable cuts in services, children still have much greater access to learning support and resources than was the case in the mid eighties.

So are there other factors causing our PISA results to tilt? Issues which politicians dare not mention or schools fear to contemplate? Let’s start with the easy, almost rhetorical questions. How many children have TVs in their bedrooms? What do they watch and when? How many children share at least one family home-cooked meal per day around the table in a TV-free room, sharing a civilised conversation? How many children lay the table for that meal?

Some more difficult questions then - How many children regularly come to school without breakfast? How many come to school leaving behind chaotic relationship issues between parents at home? How many are on Facebook half the night? How many children, by the PISA testing age of 15, are drinking, taking drugs or sexually active? How many children, when faced with finding a quiet place and space to do homework, cannot do so without clearing a week’s dishes from the kitchen table?

Children spend 25 hours per average week in class, a little over 16% of their lives. Of this, 5 hours is PAG E 1 0

Since the Celtic Tiger came to a grizzly end, every organisation has an opinion on where education should be heading. IBEC seem aggravatingly influential at times while Aosdána would have views greatly at odds with them. Various academics decry the lack of foundation in their areas of interest. Recently, a professor returning to the United States said with a parting shot that we should ‘blow up’ the Leaving Certificate as it encouraged learning by rote to the detriment of critical analysis and creative thinking. Now if we focus entirely on Literacy and Numeracy while shelving the creative subjects, what are we doing to the capacities of those children who will enter third level in six or seven years time? What will the outcry be for them?

In ‘The Master’, Brian Mc Mahon quoted some solace he received from an old teacher when, as a young Principal, he returned to Kerry to take up the role we all love and cherish - If they were all geniuses, who’d ever be there to carry your bags from the station? As ever, we ought to use the experience we have as teachers and leaders in education to read into what is behind each loaded suggestion as to how primary education should proceed into the future. Beware of trends - my 24 years has taught me that much.

For those planning the celebrations for my 25th anniversary, I won’t be presumptuous but a trip to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa would be nice.

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Are you planning to retire in 2011/2012?

If you have made the decision to retire at any stage during 2011, we wish you every happiness and fulfillment in the future.

IPPN will run two pre-retirement workshops during this school year – one in October and one in March. If you are thinking of retiring, these events will provide you with information pertaining to your own personal development and welfare, planning for retirement with your school and a dedicated session on managing your finances.

IPPN acknowledges the importance of providing every possible support for new Principals and aims to contact them as soon as they are appointed. However, the greatest challenge we face is to find out the names of these newlyappointed principals as early as possible.

To assist the work being done in the IPPN

Support Office, could you please let us know of your impending retirement and also the name of the Newly Appointed Principal as soon as that decision has been made?

Some of our retired principals like to remain in contact and within ‘the loop’. During the last few years a number of them have worked with us on a range of projects. Others wish to just remain in the information loop without being involved directly. If you are interested in either, associate membership is available to retired principals at a cost of €50. Associate members can avail of Leadership+ and other publications, access to most of ippn.ie and to all IPPN events, among other benefits.

Any information that you can provide can be mailed to Jackie at the IPPN Support Office, Glounthaune, Co. Cork or by email to support3@ippn.ie.

Newly revamped website Access to our titles online Great interactive exercises and activities for our Bun go Barr, Wonderland and Mathemagic series Links to specially selected web sites relevant to each page of our Quest series Free trial of the award-winning Destination Maths (Riverdeep) software, localised for Ireland Teacher’s manuals, solutions, schemes of work… they’re all online at www.cjfallon.ie and our latest addition, www.mathletics.ie Block B Liffey Valley Office Campus Dublin 22 Tel 01 616 6490

www.cjfallon.ie PAG E 1 1

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To mark the appointment of EMS Copiers as the IPPN Preferred Supplier for copiers & printers, we are pleased to make the following special introductory offers for a limited period 21ppm A4 Colour Printer: Network Ready with Duplex

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IPPN Preferred Supplier

In 2010, 2,759 schools used IPPN’s TextaSub service to find a substitute teacher.

TextaSub works with the Teaching Council to check that all teachers that register for TextaSub are fully qualified, Primary level teachers that are registered with the Teaching Council.

Simply visit www.ippn.ie and click on the homepage to take you directly to the service.

button on the right hand side of the

Fill out your sub vacancy requirement and TextaSub will instantly text qualified teachers available for work in your county who in turn will contact you.

TextaSub is a free service to IPPN members.

PAG E 1 2

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ippn.ie restructured

Policy & News is your first port of call when looking for IPPN publications from the Leadership+ archive to press releases and research documents.

In addition, the Education News section brings you up to the moment news articles from the sector.

CPD (Continuous Professional Development) contains full information about IPPN’s current and past conferences, seminars and other CPD events such as online courses and mentoring for Newly Appointed Principals. It contains a wealth of resources and information in the form of presentations and downloads from all past events.

Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the new layout – we hope you will find it useful throughout the school year.

IPPN’s members’ website has evolved over a number of years to become the first port of call for Principals who are looking for answers to a wide variety of queries. It is home, not only to information on all of IPPN’s services and events, but is also where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, topical articles and resources on a broad range of subjects.

Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the new layout – we hope you will find it useful throughout the school year.

We have recently reorganised the site to make it easier to use, as follows: Home is where you will find information about the most current topics, whether an IPPN event, a recent development in the education sector or the latest Department circular. This is the best place to check for information before the need to call the Support Office arises.

About IPPN outlines details of your membership of IPPN, from renewing your membership to detailed information about the supports and services available to you, whether you are a newly-appointed Principal, renewing your membership or considering retiring from the role.

Policies & Plans is an invaluable collection of materials and resources that assist Principals in their daily operations, ranging from FAQs to sample policies and template planning resources. This section covers nine management areas - Recruitment, Board of Management, School Policies,Administration, School Development and Curriculum Planning, Inclusion, Parents & Pupils, Human Resources Management and the Principal’s Role.

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Supports & Services outlines some key IPPN supports in further detail such as the e-mailing lists, e-scĂŠals as well as the Principal Advice Callback service.

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Boards of Management What you need to know

by Brendan Mc Cabe, Principal St. Colmcille’s School, Kells ESTABLISHING A BOARD OF MANAGEMENT The Board of Management (BoM) of schools with more than one teacher will comprise: ● Two direct nominees of the patron/patron body, one of whom shall be Chairperson ● Two parents of children enrolled in the school, one mother, one father ● The Principal and one other teacher in the school, elected by the teaching staff ● Two members from the community, proposed by the six above, at the first meeting of the Board.

The Board of Management of one-teacher schools will comprise: ● One nominee of the patron ● One Principal ● One parent (elected) ● One other.

The Board is charged with the day to day management of the school so as to provide an appropriate education for each student in the school.

The patron has a duty to appoint a BoM for each school to ensure that a recognised school is managed in a spirit of partnership - Education Act (1998).

The patron has ultimate responsibility for the school but may delegate much of that responsibility to the BoM. The Board will contact the patron on a number of specific issues: appointments to the Board, appointment, suspension or dismissal of teachers and finance. The patron is entitled to request reports or documentation from the school and minutes of BoM meetings.

DO THE BOARD MEMBERS REPRESENT VARIOUS INTEREST GROUPS? Absolutely not. The Board is a ‘corporate body’, meaning that all 8 members, once appointed, act together as a unit. Individuals do not act as

representing various groups within the Board.

CONFIDENTIALITY All members are required to keep confidential the matters discussed at meetings unless otherwise agreed by the Board. A violation of this rule can lead to dismissal from the Board (following proper procedures in relation to dismissal from the Board.) It is good practice at the end of a meeting to agree on a report which can be communicated to staff or the parents’ association.

All expenditure by or on behalf of the Board must be approved by the Board. The production of a financial report at each meeting allows the whole Board to make informed decisions in regard to spending, budgets etc. An annual report should be produced at the end of each school year and should be ‘properly audited or certified’. The annual audit/certification can only be done by a third party independent of the BoM. If there is an accountant on the BoM, that person cannot do this work.

INDEMNITY The Board and individual members of the Board are indemnified for any claims made against them under Section 14 (7) of the Education Act (1998), provided they are acting in good faith and within the provisions of the Education Act, the Rules and Procedures for Boards of Management and the Rules for National Schools.

The production of a financial report at each meeting allows the whole Board to make informed decisions in regard to spending, budgets etc.

FUNCTION The Board is charged with the day to day management of the school so as to provide an appropriate education for each student in the school. All school policies must be approved by the Board. The Board as employer appoints the Principal, the teachers and other staff and is responsible for contractual issues. It has overall responsibility for the school’s finances. It is obliged to have comprehensive insurance cover for the school. It must keep proper annual accounts which must be available to the patron and the school community. It must promote contact between the school, the parents and the community and must facilitate and give all reasonable help to a parents’ association in its formation and its activities.

NUMBER OF MEETINGS Five per annum is the minimum (Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure, page 13) but additional meetings may be arranged as needed.

FINANCE “A Board shall keep all proper and usual accounts and records of all monies received by it or expenditure of such monies incurred by it and shall ensure that in each year all such accounts are properly audited or certified in accordance with best accounting practice.”

Education Act 1998, S18 (1) PAG E 1 4

It is strongly advised that the Principal should not act as Treasurer of the BoM. BOM AND PARENT ASSOCIATION FINANCES Regarding Parent Association finances, the BoM Information Manual (page 35) stipulates that: ● A Parents’ Association (PA) is entitled to raise funds for the administration and activities of the Association ● Full accounts must be maintained and presented at the Annual General Meeting of the PA ● The PA should consult with the Board about fundraising for the school or school projects ● The approval of the Board is needed prior to these funds being raised ● The expenditure of these funds is by the Board in consultation with the PA ● The Board prepares a total account of income and expenditure at the end of each year and this is available to parents ● Any funds raised must be used for the purpose(s) for which the money was collected ● If, in exceptional circumstances, it becomes unnecessary for the Board to use all of the funds collected for the purpose specified,

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the Board will communicate this to the Parents’ Association and, where appropriate, the local community.

BOM AS EMPLOYER When appointing staff, either permanent or part- time, it is imperative to follow to the letter of the law the procedures laid out in Appointment of Teachers. There will be an additional appendix covering this area specifically in the revised Boards of Management Rules & Procedures book - to be republished in the Autumn.

All BoM members should be given copies of the Board of Management Handbook etc when they are delivered to schools and ALL members of the Board should avail of training when it is organised (not just the Principal and the Chairperson, as often happens).

When appointing staff, either permanent or part- time, it is imperative to follow to the letter of the law the procedures laid out in Appointment of Teachers.

avail of the allowance should complete the Application Form at Appendix 1 of Circular 0079/2007 and have it signed by the Chairperson of the Board of Management. On receipt of a completed application form, payment of the allowance will be made on a fortnightly basis with salary.

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT The Principal’s Report forms a part of the agenda of all meetings. There is a template in your PIMS folder which may be helpful in this regard. It is also available online on www.ippn.ie, by clicking on ‘Supports & Services’ and then on ‘PIMS 2011/2012’.

ROLES Once the Board is fully constituted it should nominate from within its membership a Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Safety Officer. It may also wish to nominate a Maintenance/Buildings Officer.

In considering possible candidates for the BoM from within the school community or locality it is important to consider the skills that could be useful, for example accountancy/finance, legal, building and construction, HR, and to let it be known that the BoM needs such people.

DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS From parents: the complaints procedure to be used is outlined in the CPSMA Handbook, page 318.

From teachers: The Grievance Procedure for teachers, as agreed between the INTO and Management Bodies, is outlined in the CPSMA Handbook, page 208.

PRINCIPAL AS SECRETARY OF BOM The Principal may, should he/she wish, act as secretary to the BoM. He/she is entitled to be paid an allowance for this. Principals wishing to

Excerpt from Circular 0079/2007: The following is a broad outline of the duties of a Secretary to a Board of Management.

1. Set the Agenda for meetings in consultation with the Chairperson.

2. Issue notice of meeting and agenda to Board members.

3. Record the minutes of Board meetings - to include issues discussed, decisions taken, including the numbers of those voting for or against a motion, and actions to be taken.

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4. Transmit Board decisions to relevant parties and follow up appropriately.

5. Keep minutes of each meeting in an appropriate form and in a safe place.

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6. Deal with Board of Management correspondence.

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7. Liaise with Chairperson between meetings.

8. Provide information to members concerning Board of Management rights and responsibilities

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9. Liaise with school management authorities on behalf of BOM and apprise BOM members of advice and guidance received.

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10. Advance development of school policies.

The principal, if acting as secretary to the BoM, does not have to act as recording secretary at meetings. This duty may be delegated to another Board member.

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An Ghaeilge: Am na Ciniúna – Ní neart go cur le chéile Máire Áine Uí Aodha Bhí cairde linn sa bhaile ón bhFrairc le déanaí.

Bhí Fraincís ar a dtoil ag a leanaí óga. Chaithfidís na tráthnóntaí ag imirt peile go déanach ar an bhfaiche le leanaí na gcomharsan, leanaí gurb é an Béarla an chéad teanga a bhí acu. B’é Béarla an teanga chaidrimh a bhí eatarthu go léir ag súgradh. Nuair a bhí straitéis buacach os na Francaigh ar ndóigh, bhí Fraincís in úsáid acu!

Fad is a bhí na Francaigh óga sa tír seo phioc siad suas focail agus nathanna Gaeilge gan stró ar bith agus le fonn bhí uathu breis a fhoghlaim. Bhí antuiscint acu ar theangacha agus ar shlite éagsúla chun rudaí a rá i dteangacha éagsúla. Ach is baolach go bhfuil an tuiscint sin ar iarraidh ar formhór páistí óga na tíre seo. Go hiondúil, ní thuigeann ár bpáistí gur modh cumarsáide atá i gceist le teanga; gur teanga nó modh cumarsaide í an Ghaeilge seachas ábhar scoile; gur modh eile í an Ghaeilge chun rud éigin a rá nó chun cumarsáid a dhéanamh.

Is gné chasta í teanga a mhúineadh, is gné níos casta fós í an dara teanga a mhúineadh agus i mbunscoileanna na tíre seo is gné níos casta fós í an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh mar go macánta níl an Ghaeilge riachtanach dóibh chun iad féin a chur in iúl sa seomra ranga. Fiú creideann an teangeolaí Leanne Hinton:“The European Union, for instance, is increasingly concerned that English will eventually replace some European languages, since it's the only language that many Europeans have in common”.

Téann teangacha in éag ar chúiseanna éagsúla.

Cuireann an eacnamaíocht domhanda brú anmhór ar phobail bheaga rogha a dhéanamh idir a dteanga dhúchais agus mór theanga tionsclaíochta. Maireann an dá theanga i dteannta a chéile ar uairimh ach de ghnáth, cailltear an teanga dhúchais le himeacht an seana mhuintir agus labhrann an t-aos óg an mór theanga – teanga na tionsclaíochta, teanga gnóthaí eachtracha agus an teanga is úsáídí agus is praiticiúla. Is cinnte go bhfuil cónaí orainn i ré atá thar a bheith dúshlánach in an-chuid slite sa bhaile, leis an gclann, san ionad oibre agus sa tír go ginearálta. Ta sé thar a bheith fuirist a bheith tachtaithe, bascaithe, brúite leis an strus go léir.

Is mion teanga í an Ghaeilge. Creideann na teangeolaithe go mbeidh ar a laghad leath des na

mion teangacha (tá thart ar 6,000 mion teanga ar domhan) caillte faoin mbliain 2050 agus deir an teangeolaí Krauss go bhfuil an-bhaol ann go mbeidh 90% caillte roimis 2100. Dúirt Andrew Woodfield, stiúrthóir an Centre for Theories of Language and Learning i mBristol, England, i 1995 ag seimneár ar chaomhnú teangan “ that people do not yet know all the ways in which linguistic diversity is important”. "The fact is, no one knows exactly what riches are hidden inside the less-studied languages."

Is cinnte gur chuir Rialtas na Breataine an-brú sa naoiú haois déag ar Éire agus ar an mBreatain Bheag na teangacha ceilteacha a chur faoi chois.

Cé go bhfuil caomhnú teanga láidir in áiteacha tá cos ar bolg á imirt ar mhion teangacha in áiteacha eile, go háirithe san Aifric. Cé go bhfuil an-brú ar na mion teangacha tugann scéal forbartha na gCornach sa Bhreatain Bheag agus forbairt an Eabhrais i measc na Giúdaigh an-ardú croí dúinn. B’é an tumoideachas sna scoileanna ba chúis le hathbheochan na dteangacha sin le fiche bliain anuas. Gan dabht tá an-obair go deo ar siúl ag Gaelscoileanna sa tír seo, áit ina bhfuil an tumoideachas i bhfeidhm agus an Ghaeilge mar chéad teanga na scoile. Gan dabht ar bith bíonn ardchaighdeán Gaeilge ag formhór na bpáistí sin faoin am a fhágann siad rang a sé. Ach níl i gceist anseo ach thart ar 200 bunscoil sa tír seo. Ins na scoileanna ina bhfuil an Béarla mar chéad teanga sa tír seo bfhéidir go bhféadfaimís díriú ar chleachtadh breise ar úsaid na dteanga a thabhairt do mhúinteoirí na scoileanna seo tré clár forbartha teangan a chur ar fáil dóibh.

“Teaching languages to children needs all the skills of the good primary teacher in managing children and keeping them on task, plus a knowledge of the language, of language teaching, and of language learning”. (Lynne Cameron – Teaching Languages to Young Learners 2001 Cambridge University Press).

Do réir an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge a seoladh i 2010: “Is é an córas oideachais an t-inneall criticiúil chun an acmhainn theangeolaíoch atá mar bhonn leis an Straitéis 20 bliain a ghiniúint. Is é an sprioc lárnach a chaithfidh a bheith ann, mar sin, fócas náisiúnta níos córasaí agus níos déine a bhaint amach ó thaobh an Ghaeilge a mhúineadh agus a fhoghlaim ar dhóigh a n-éireoidh léi. Is mór an réimse PAG E 1 6

saincheisteanna a gcaithfear díriú orthu leis na gnéithe oideachasúla den Straitéis a chur i ngníomh.”

Im’ thuairim féin, ní féidir linn a bheith ag brath ar chóras oideachais chun teanga a chaomhnú.

Tá dualgas ar gach Éireannach sa tír seo iarracht a dhéanamh an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn, sé sin, í a labhairt nó cine a thógaint go náisiúnta í a scaoileadh le sruth. Níl teora lenár gcumas má chuirfimid chuige – na dúshláin a thógaint ar bord agus tacú lena chéile. Is baolach go bhfuil an-dúshlán romhainn an Ghaeilge a athbheochan agus a chur chun cinn ach chuirfimís chuige le chéile.

An féidir linn? “Is féidir linn” An féidir le muintir na hÉireann dearcadh dearfa i leith na teanga a chothú agus an tábhacht a bhaineann leis an nGaeilge mar chuid dár noidhreacht a chur ina luí ar an nglúin óg?

An feidir linn nasc níos mó a dhéanamh idir an Ghaeilge agus gnéithe dár gcultúr ar nós amhránaíocht, ceol traidisiúnta, rince, scéalaíocht, filíocht agus páistí a mhealladh chun scileanna a fhorbairt sna gnéithe sin?

An féidir cumas Gaeilge na hábhair oidí agus na múinteoirí a fheabhsú a chuirfeadh go mór le teagasc na Gaeilge? (Fáiltím moladh ón gComhairle Múinteoireachta (Initial Teacher Education. Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers June 2011) gur ghá B1 Gaeilge Ardleibhéal san Ardteistiméireacht.) Is deacair teanga a theagasc muna bhfuil cumas maith teanga ag an teagascóir. B’fhiú, bhféidir, múinteoirí atá meirgeach ar an dteanga a pháirtniú le múinteoirí go bhfuil an Ghaeilge ar a dtoil acu. Is iontach an saibhreas teangan atá ag na múinteoirí atá ina gcainteoirí dúchasa. Nach gcuifeadh sé go mór lenár gcaighdeán Gaeilge da mbeimís mar phrintíseacha lena léidéídí siúd?

Tá’s againn go léir go bhfuil titim ar chaighdean na Gaeilge in ár measc mar mhúinteoirí.

Caithfimíd seansanna labhartha na teanga a chur ar fail dúinn féin.

An féidir tuiscint níos fearr a thabhairt d’ábhar oidí agus do mhúinteoirí ar conas a shealbhaíonn an páiste óg teanga agus saineolas a thabhairt dóibh ar na céimeanna éagsúla a bhaineann an páiste amach sa bhfoghlaim úd?

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An féidir leis na múinteoirí tuiscint nios fearr a thabhairt do pháistí ar cad is brí le teanga, ar chúiseanna go bhfuil teangacha éagsúla againn, ar fheasacht teanga - na cosúlachtaí agus na difríochtaí idir theangacha, ar an difríocht atá idir mór theanga agus mion teanga?

An féidir oiliúint níos fearr a chur ar fhóirne scoileanna ar conas forbairt teanga a phleanáil go córasach chun a chinntiú go mbeidh fás agus forbairt leanúnach ag tarlú sa rang Gaeilge ó lá go lá, ó sheachtain go seachtain, ó théarma go tearma agus ó bhliain go bliain? Mholfainn anseo go mbeadh níos mó béime anseo ar an bhfoghlaim agus go mbeadh an próiseas foghlaim lárnach seachas páiste lárnach ach ag

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cinntiú ag an am céanna go mbeadh an t-ábhar tarraingteach agus suimiúil don bhfoghlaimeoir.

B’fhiú, chomh maith, go bhfeicfeadh agus go gcloisfeadh gach páiste an Ghaeilge mar theanga cumarsáide sa scoil i measc foireann na scoile agus i rith an lae sa seomra ranga agus go mbeidís in ann páirt a ghlacadh sa chumarsáid céanna gan stró.

An féidir le tuismitheoirí na tíre ról suntasach a ghlacadh chun tacú le foghlaim na Gaeilge agus a gcuid a dhéanamh sa bhaile chun tógaint ar an bhfhoghlaim atá déanta ag na páistí ar scoil?

An féidir le gach comharsanacht ról suntasach eile a ghlacadh agus iarrachtaí a dhéanamh tacú leis an nGaeilge agus í a thógaint lasmuigh de

shaol na scoile agus í a bheith i lár an phobail? (aifreann / serbhísí; fógraí; srl). B’fhiú bfhéidir féachaint arís ar chuspóirí Chonradh na Gaeilge a bunaíodh i Mí Iúil 1893. Bhí plean gnímh anréalaíoch acu a bhí adhainte le díogras agus geallúint.

Is feidir, is féidir, is féidir…

Breis ‘s dhá mhíle go leith bliana ó shin dúirt Confucius féin an saoi Síneach: “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order. To put the nation in order, we must put the family in order.

To put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life.We must first set our hearts right” Beatha teanga í a labhairt!

On your behalf Over the Summer, IPPN met with the DES, education agencies and other bodies in relation to the following: 1. Submission to the Forum on Patronage & Pluralism in the Primary Sector, followed by a working session with the Advisory Group, chaired by Professor John Coolahan, in

relation to the details of our submission.

IPPN’s submission is available on both ippn.ie and education.ie.

2. Submission to the DES on their literacy and numeracy strategy, having taken input from Principals

3. IPPN representatives met with Jim Mulkerrins of the Special Education Section of the DES to represent the perspective of primary Principals in relation to resource hours, SNAs and all aspects of SEN provision

Pupil Personal Accident Insurance - Review Many of you may already have a group Pupil Personal Accident scheme organised through your school or parent association. Questions may now arise in relation to new offers guaranteeing free insurance for a certain number of pupils and whether you should renew your existing policy or avail of such offers. You may also have enquiries from parents looking for advice on this matter.

To help you to make an informed decision, and provide answers to parents, IPPN has taken a detailed look at such free insurance Policy offers, and have compared it to the Allianz scheme.The main differences are as follows:

G Small claim for casualty €100 approx – With the free insurance offers there is a €50 excess which will have to be paid by the parents and they can only claim €50.

G Chipped tooth following a fall – Again, the first €50 will have to be paid by the parent (with the free insurance offers) and if treatment is not incurred within 72 hours the claim may not be paid.

G Accident requiring extensive dental treatment - The free insurance offers state that treatment is covered for immediate pain relief only. This benefit will potentially only provide cover for the initial dental visit to relieve pain, but will not pay for any follow on work to be carried out.

This limitation could be very costly for parents and ultimately fall back on the school in the form of a legal challenge.

After looking closely at the details of such offers, IPPN would recommend that you keep your existing Pupil Personal Accident scheme and advise the parents of your pupils to do the same.

€50 is a considerable amount for parents to pay following an accident especially considering it only costs €5 to get more complete protection with no policy excess. In our opinion, keeping a Pupil Personal Accident scheme in the school is the only way of ensuring that the parents / guardians of injured pupils will be able to claim the medical and dental expenses following an accident. This will in turn reduce the possibility of legal action being taken against the school.

We recommend using the Allianz Pupil Personal Accident Insurance as they do not have time limits for the follow-on costs that may occur as a result of an insured accident.

Issue

Free Insurance Offers

Allianz

Excess

€50 excess

No excess

Up to €25,000 but limited to relief of immediate pain

Cover up to €50,000

Treatment incurred within 72 hrs for dental and within 1year for medical.

Treatment incurred within 2 years but no time limit on follow-on costs after initial treatment.

Dental cover

Time Limit

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A school budget – to have or not to have

by Seán Cottrell The concept of operating a budget for school finances is not widespread. Perhaps this is a reflection on the state of school finances.

Traditionally most schools kept a close eye on the bank statement and made decisions on individual purchases based on the current account balance. However, practical this approach was in the past, it presents a number of key disadvantages: 1. It is a very short-term approach and offers no scope for achieving better value over the longer term 2. The Principal is restricted regarding purchasing decisions and constantly reverting to the BoM for permission to spend 3. When the heating oil runs out or there is no more money for shared reading books, staff and parents assume that this as a result of the Principal’s own decision or inability to manage finances.

as parental voluntary contributions, BoM/Parent Association fund-raising, financial support from local businesses, Church/Parish/Patron etc.

5. Agree the main expenditure headings.

These should be high level headings which are clear to everybody 6. Use a 3-column approach i.e. Actual 2010/11, Budget 2011/12, Actual 2011/12 for both expenditure and income 7. The figures from the last school year may include exceptional or once-off items of income or expense. Remember that when agreeing the budget figure for any heading, last year’s figure is merely a guide. The figure you budget for the year ahead has to be your best ‘guesstimate’ of what is likely to happen.

Association. The understanding that both groups gain from this knowledge is likely to increase their appreciation of the challenges faced by the BoM and decrease uninformed criticism.

11. Having an agreed budget in place means that the Principal and, in the case of large schools, senior management staff, are authorised to spend BoM monies without seeking permission for each individual item. Naturally this is predicated on spending within budget limits with the full year in mind. The Finance sub-committee should monitor the actual expenditure set against the agreed budget.

12. With this process in place, the financial report presented to a BoM by the Treasurer would be easy to read and understand and will require little or no discussion unless a situation arises where there is a risk of going over budget on some item which might require adjustments to other budget headings.

The figures from the last school year may include exceptional or once-off items The strongest argument for adopting a budgeting approach is its usefulness in dealing of income or expense.

The first time you engage with a perpetual shortage of money. Setting up in this exercise, the chances 8. The first time you engage in this exercise, Leading a school is a the chances are that the total budget are that the total budget expenditure far exceeds total budget challenging and exhausting income. This is where the ‘fun’ starts - you expenditure far exceeds are now at the heart of budgeting. The job. It requires a lot of energy total budget income. total finance which is likely to be available to the BoM must be distributed across the and you need the Summer 13. Remember that there is a free, easy-to-use, various expenditure headings bearing in vacation to re-charge the Excel-based school finance software mind that some areas leave no room for package – Airgead Bunscoile – available to discretion e.g. ancillary staff wages, batteries. download from www.ippn.ie in the electricity. a school budget for school finances is not as daunting as it may seem. The following are some suggested actions that can be taken: 1. Establish a BoM Finance sub-committee.

This would typically involve the Treasurer, the Chairperson and the Principal 2. Examine and discuss the certified accounts for the last school year 3. Establish the known income for the school year ahead including capitation and auxiliary service grants and any other sources of official funding 4. Establish sources of unofficial funding such

9. What happens if it is not possible to balance the budget? If this happens there are two options – either fund-raising and sponsorship targets will need to be increased or further expenditure reductions will have to be agreed (or a combination of the two). In such an event, the BoM, on the advice of the Finance sub-committee, should inform and consult with the staff and the Parents’ Association. The implications of further fund-raising or reduced expenditure should be made clear to both groups before the BoM decides on which course of action to take.

10. Once the budget has been agreed it should be made available to the staff and Parents’ PAG E 1 8

Policies & Plans – Administration section.

This will greatly facilitate the monitoring of actual expenditure across all the headings you agree as part of the process outlined above.

In conclusion, adopting a budgeting approach to managing school finances spreads the responsibility across the full BoM and has the effect of relieving the Principal and/or Treasurer of excessive responsibility.

It eliminates endless discussion at BoM meetings whether the school should buy product A or product B. It ultimately professionalises relationships and the way limited school funds are managed.

(Article originally published in Leadership+ Issue 52, Sep 2009)

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O Overview

K Key Facts

Hibernia Hiber nia College’s College’s M.A. M.A. in Teaching Te eaching & Learning provides Learning pr ovides today’s todayy’s primary and post-primary po ost-primary teachers with the e knowledge and ne ecessary to deal with current curren nt issues in the skills necessary modern areas moder n classroom. classroom. Specific ar eas covered covered include additional learning diversity,, development and additiona al lear ning needs; diversity d disadvanttage; i-learning i-learning and contemp porary issues in disadvantage; contemporary education. education n.

Dealls with current Deals curre ent issues fa faced ced by today’s today’s teachers teac chers

Delivered by experienced educators with w Delivered a focus on application in the Irish classroom, classroom, the programme programme provides the tools ools and knowledge know wledge to enable teachers bring the latest innovations inno ovations and best setting. Because the practice into the class setting. content is based on strategies and techniques (rather tha than n a particular gra aduates from from the classroom curriculum) graduates programme e will be able to o apply their new skills regardless age dless of the ag ge of the students m they work. work with whom

Modules Mod dules can be completed as a stand alone continuing conttinuing professional professional development develo opment courses

The programme ramme consists consistts of 14 modules plus a thesis. esis. Each module mod dule represents represents 5 ECTS credits, edits, is completed comp pleted online and consists of 10 weeks of downloadable multimedia-enhanced lectures, self dia-enhanced lectures, directed study and live online tutorials. tutorials A unique aspect of this programme is that each module can also be completed as a stand alone continuing professional development course.

Focuses Focu uses on application in the Irish Irish classroom classrroom o HETAC HET TA TA AC accredited accredited to Level 9 on o the National Framework Fram mework of Qualifications (www.nfq.ie) (ww ww.nfq.ie) Deliv vered by experienced educa ators Delivered educators

Dura ation: 2 years taught plus thesis the esis Duration: Relevant Rele evant for both primary and an d post-primary teachers teac chers Now w enrolling enr olling for October 20 011 2011

Entry Ent try Requirements Requirementts Include A rrecognised ec cognised teaching qualifica qualification ation OR

A mi minimum inimum of 2 years practical experience in a re eco ognised educational context. contextt. recognised An u undergraduate honours degree de egree (Level 8).

Holders of a Level 7 qualificatio qualification n can also apply for entry to the programme prro ogramme through thrro oug gh the recognition recognition e of prior learning. arning. The College will w assess such s on an individual basis. basis. applications

rnia College is a HET TAC A a accredited online ege offffering quality assured d, blended and ne education programmes..

For more details or to register for an information webinar please visit:

www.hiberniacollege.com/matl

academicaffairrs@hiberniacollege.net

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www.ippn.ie – Latest resources See also ippn.ie restructured article on page 11

SUPPORTS & SERVICES (formerly Resources) DES CIRCULARS All Department circulars are now available online on www.ippn.ie. Each has been linked to the year of publication and also assigned to the relevant category - so you can now view all circulars in a particular category without needing to know which year it was published. Categories reflect those listed in recent years on the DES website: ● Administration (198 circulars) ● Payroll & Pensions (110) ● Terms & Conditions of Employment (101) ● Teacher training & development (29) ● Health (12) ● Curriculum (8).

It is interesting to note that, between 1973 and 1999, a total of 32 circulars were issued to primary schools. Between 2000 and 2011 (to date) some 402 circulars have issued!

Recent circulars added include: ● 45/2011 - Minimum Notice Period for Retirement ● 42/2011 - Staffing Arrangements in Special Schools ● 41/2011 - New Pay Scales for New Special Needs Assistants 2011 ● 40/2011 - New Pay Scales for New Appointees to Teaching in 2011 ● 37/2011 - Revised Arrangements for the Provision of Resource Teaching Supports for the 2011/12 school year ● 36/2011 - Cycle to Work Scheme 2011 ● 34/2011 - Standardisation of the School Year in respect of Primary & Post-Primary Schools for the years 2011/2012, 20012/13 and 2013/14 ● 31/2011 - Teacher Recruitment Registration And Qualifications ● 30/2011 - Arrangements for the 2011/2012

School Year in Relation to Learning Support/Resource Teacher (LS/RT) and Resource Teacher (RT) Posts - Full and Part time Posts ● 28/2011 - Revised Promotion Procedures For Appointment To Deputy Principal, Assistant Principal And Special Duties Teachers In Recognised Primary Schools

Leadership+. Sections 6-10 and 15 are Notes Pages) ■ Section 4 - Contacts ■ Section 5 - Teachers/SNA Absence ■ Section 6 - Principal/Deputy Principal ■ Section 11 – Caretaker ■ Section 12 – Pupils ■ Section 13 – Special Education Needs ■ Section 14 – Parents ■ Section 16 – Parent Association ■ Section 17 – Board of Management ■ Section 18 – Staff Management ■ Section 19 – IPPN Member Benefits ■ Section 20 – Treasurer/Financial Grants.

POLICIES & PLANS (formerly Principal Advice) FAQS (FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS) Over 100 new frequently-asked questions (and answers!) have been added to the website since June.These span all of the following categories and cover a wide range of recent topics: ● Administration ● Board of Management ● Human Resource Management ● Inclusion ● Parents & Pupils ● Recruitment ● School Policies ● School Development & Curriculum Planning.

RECRUITMENT ● Litreacha chuig an Easbag/Patrún - Letter templates 'as Gaeilge' from the Board of Management to the Patron/Bishop providing details of appointments made. 7 letter templates in total within the document, one per page.

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT ● Application form for Principals who act as Secretaries to BoM ● Before and After School Supervision – Professional Guidance.

ADMINISTRATION ● PIMS 2011/2012 Templates (Note: A hardcopy of Sections 1-3 was posted to member schools in June with Issue 63 of

SUITABLE PRAYERS, SONGS, HYMNS ETC ● The Story of the Pencil – Paolo Coelho ● The Story of the Crab Bucket ● Graduation Ceremony Ideas (revised June 2011).

SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT & CURRICULUM PLANNING ● Green Schools Flag Ceremonies - Ideas.

CPD (formerly Events)

● Principals Professional Briefing Day ● Mentor Orientation.

CPD ARCHIVE (formerly Events Archive) ● Dr Martin Gleeson - A Strategic Approach To Children’s Comprehension Development ● Dr Pasi Sahlberg ● Seán Delaney - Thinking About Mathematics Teaching ● Gene Mehigan - Leading Literacy: Solution or Revolution? ● Workshops ■ Fiona King - Station Teaching Sample ■ Fiona King - Exploring Approaches to InClass Support.

Ireland’s No.1 Recruitment Site for Education Vacancies Since January 2010 more than 7,000 vacancies have been advertised on the site. ●

Advertise your job vacancies FREE of charge

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Your details go directly to job seekers; registered teachers receive email alerts about vacancies matching their subjects and chosen location

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Advertise all categories of teaching posts using the simple step by step ‘Advertise a Post’ process

●

Designed by Principals for Principals

Irish Primary Principals’ Network Líonra Phríomhoidí Bunscoile Éireann

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10th World Convention of the International Confederation of Principals Last month Toronto Canada hosted the 10th World Convention of the International Confederation of Principals (ICP) at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Convention was organised by the Ontario Principals’ Council and was attended by more than 2,000 Principals, Deputy Principals, education leaders, researchers, academics, policy makers, government representatives and education professionals from around the world.

The Convention was officially opened by ICP President and IPPN Assistant Director Virginia O’Mahony, who welcomed attendees and urged them to avail of the many opportunities for networking and interaction with colleagues from around the world.

The symbol of the Convention was the Inukshuk, chosen to represent the theme –

Leading Student Achievement: An International Odyssey. The indigenous people of Canada constructed the Inukshuk from stone, forming land marks to show the way and guide travellers along the right path.The theme encapsulates the stimulating challenge that school leaders face every day.

The sessions provided opportunities for networking and interaction, enabling educators to examine the moral purpose that initially led them to this pivotal role and the journey undertaken every day.

The convention included keynote speakers, feature speakers, plenary sessions, round table discussions and workshops, all designed to help school leaders grow in their role and become better instructional leaders for their staff and students.The sessions provided opportunities for networking and interaction, enabling educators to examine the moral purpose that initially led them to this pivotal role and the journey undertaken every day.

Each day provided an opportunity to hear two keynote speakers and the big names included Professor Michael Fullan, Professor Andy Hargreaves, Sir Michael Barber, Jennifer James, Stephen Lewis, Roger Martin and Lesra Martin.

Over 100 workshop sessions were interspersed with featured speakers and opportunities to participate in an international dialogue on a variety of topics.

5)& $0.13&)&/4*0/ #09 The Comprehension Box incorporates three levels of comprehension questions in a multiple-choice format and assess 12 different comprehension skills. Separate answer cards allow the pupils to work and progress at their own rate while keeping a record for their own and the teacher’s reference.

All your TTeacher eacher Reso Resources ources for 2011–2012 s Visit Visit www www.prim-ed.com .prim-ed.com s V View iew every page of everyy book PAG E 2 1

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Personal Advice Six simple money-saving tips It is fair to say that so far 2011 has been a difficult financial year for most of us. The new term is a great time to think about making changes to improve your personal finances.The best way to start is by looking at the smaller things that we can do which will make a difference to your pocket immediately. So here are six handy tips to start you off in the right direction for the new school year 2011/2012.

1. Don’t pay unnecessary charges for mobile and landline calls People who have inclusive bundles of minutes with their landline and mobile phone packages are still charged extra to call 1890, 1850 and 0818 numbers.

SayNoTo1890.com will provide you with the geographical phone numbers for companies that still use these phone numbers. Calls to the geographic number are normally subtracted from your monthly minutes bundle and won’t cost you extra. So for example a Vodafone prepay user who is normally charged 49c per minute for 1890 calls at peak times would pay nothing extra by calling the geographic number instead. Visit www.saynoto1890.com for further details. Also visit callcost.ie to see if your plan suits your needs.

SayNoTo1890.com will provide you with the geographical phone numbers for companies that still use these phone numbers.

2. Switch back to your old electricity supplier This is a simple way to save money on your electricity bills. Most of us saved between 10% and 14% in the first year when we switched to Bord Gáis or Airtricity. If you were to make the switch back to ESB Electric Ireland, there are further savings to be made. The best value package is the SuperSaver - a direct debit is mandatory for this (but payments can be made manually off your bills to reduce or eliminate the amount taken by direct debit -

payment options are available http://tinyurl.com/3qu8m4s.)

at

SuperSaver offers a 12% discount, comprising an overall 8% and a further 4% for the direct debit. If you opt to receive your statements by email, that's a further 2% discount. And Dual Fuel (electricity and gas) takes a further 3% off.

An average household will save between €90 and €125.

3. Earn the highest interest rates on your savings People often leave their money lying idle in low interest rate savings or zero interest current accounts, often having been attracted by an introductory offer which drops to a lower rate at a later date. Switching to a higher paying account gets your money working as hard as possible for you. Each week the Sunday Times lists the best accounts in the Personal Finance section. A quick glance at these tables can save you hours of searching the web.

People often leave their money lying idle in low interest rate savings or zero interest current accounts, often having been attracted by an introductory offer which drops to a lower rate at a later date.

4. Shop around for all financial services/ products Bonkers.ie is a free-to-consumer, impartial online comparison and switching service which helps you to compare prices on a range of products and services including electricity and personal finance products. Its aim is to help you take advantage of the best prices and services on offer from suppliers.

5. Review your insurance policies Life, health, motor and home insurance policies account for some of our biggest monthly expenditures. Before renewing a policy, first

PAG E 2 2

shop around and don’t assume that you have the best rate. Life cover for example varies significantly among providers yet we very rarely review our cover and most of us wouldn’t even be able to locate our policy. Yet if you can save even €10 a month on a 30 year policy you would be €120 per year better off or €3,600 over the term of the policy.

Creating a budget planner is not about going on a ‘financial diet’. The purpose of preparing a budget plan is to give you greater control of your finances.

6. Create a Budget Planner A major problem that most people experience when it comes to managing their money is that they are not entirely sure how much they spend each month. Creating a budget planner is not about going on a ‘financial diet’. The purpose of preparing a budget plan is to give you greater control of your finances. By knowing your finances inside out you can determine how much you can spend and save each month without slipping into debt.

Crucially if you discover that you are spending more than you earn then it essential that you make the appropriate changes to your finances to start paying down your debt.

IPPN would like to thank Dorrin Financial Services for their contribution to this article.

Dorrin Financial Services has a wealth of experience providing specialist financial advice & preferential deals to public sector employees.

They are focused on providing expert impartial advice on Public Sector pension’s and benefits so you can enjoy a prosperous retirement.

For a free Budget Planner Chart or to review your cover contact Dorrin Financial Services at: James Brett: 087 7788800 Tom Grant: 086 3873779 Email: info@dorrin.ie Web: www.dorrin.ie

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Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People

By Caroline Cantan, Programme Co-Ordinator for ‘Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People’.

Caroline is a social worker by profession and is the clinical co-ordinator for Enable Ireland’s children's service in Tallaght, Dublin.

In recent years mainstream schools have seen a significant rise in the numbers of students with disabilities.The way the health and education sectors interact to support their inclusion and ensure they can maximise their education has come into sharp focus. In Ireland disability services, delivered by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and non-statutory organisations, have developed independently over time. There is wide variation in the services available in different parts of the country and for different categories of disability. As a consequence of this some children and their families have little or no access to services.The HSE has launched a national programme aimed at changing the way services are delivered across the country so that they are more equitable and consistent.

The vision for the programme is: ● One clear pathway to services for all children with disabilities according to need ● Resources will be used to the greatest benefit for all children and families ● Health and education working together to support children to achieve their potential.

PROVIDING HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN From a health perspective, many children with delays in development can have their needs met by their local primary care services (GP, Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Public Health Nurse etc). We also need early intervention and school age disability teams to provide a more specialised service for children who require it. The national programme aims to have one clear pathway to health services for all children with disabilities. This means that professionals and parents will know where a child should be referred and how to do this. Importantly, the objective is that no family will be left without a service.

requirements and being willing to change work practices and procedures. A group comprising members from the education and health sectors is currently exploring how we might go about furthering this co-operation. One area being looked at is the development of joint working between health and education professionals. Another is the potential for greater integration of training and information for teachers, which is currently provided by various disability and education organisations. Limited resources are of course an issue and it may take a long time to achieve a comprehensive service structure throughout the country. However, if we have the vision of where we want to be, we can put the pieces in place according to this picture until we accomplish the whole.

FURTHER INFORMATION More information about this programme can be found on the HSE Learning and Development website www.hseland.ie - you don’t have to be a member of HSE staff to use it.To enrol, type in a username and password, click ‘Enrol Here’ and fill in the enrolment form online.You will then be able to log in using your newly-created username and password. Once logged in, click on Change Hub (scroll down to the Learn & share with others area) and select Progressing Children’s Disability Services from the Reconfiguration menu (on the top line). A dedicated email address for queries and comments from parents and service users, health and education staff about the programme is available - info.childrensdisabilityservices@hse.ie We would welcome your comments and will ensure that they are passed on to those involved in local and regional co-ordination in your area.

PROGRESS TO DATE The programme is organised at national, regional and local level with participation by all stakeholders including education. Local programme leads will bring together representatives from services and parents in each area to see how current services can be reorganised to achieve this improved structure.

This will include looking at what is currently available for children with disabilities, planning how best to use these resources and making sure throughout that there is good consultation and communication.

HEALTH AND EDUCATION Health services, parents and schools need to develop closer working relationships so that, together, they can ensure that children with disabilities make the most of their education. Parents deserve issues concerning the development of their children to be addressed in a holistic manner and not as two separate ‘health’ and ‘education’ components. Our respective sectors are separately organised and our task is to make sure that parents can’t see the join! We know from our contacts with the education sector that there is a healthy appetite for closer co-operation.

The Department of Education and Skills, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) are all represented on the National Co-ordinating Group. We will be seeking representatives from the education sector to become a part of the regional and local co-ordinating groups.The National Co-ordinating Group is engaging with health services and their education counterparts to discover examples of how they have built co-operation, with a view to developing guidelines for others to follow. Building a system that works in the best interests of children will entail each sector understanding each other’s PAG E 2 3

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IPPN Membership 2011/2012

Now available on-line As a professional body supporting school leaders, IPPN continues to grow, due in no small measure, to the support and commitment of members. For a list of supports and services available to IPPN members, please see below.

Using regular surveys and consultation with County Networks, IPPN represents your professional experience as school leader to influence educational policy at national level. By taking part in your professional body enables you to have your experience as a school leader reflected in IPPN policy.

Membership Fee 2011/2012: There has not been an increase in IPPN’s membership fee since 2008. ● Teaching Principals: €225

● Administrative Principals: €260

(Deputy Principal included in fee. In 2 teacher schools the second teacher is entitled to membership under the DP heading)

Renewal Options ON-LINE RENEWALS Complete the On-line payment at www.ippn.ie.

Record your PayPal transaction ID on the form. Amend necessary details and return your application form to the support office.

CHEQUE & APPLICATION FORM

DIRECT DEBIT & APPLICATION FORM

Cheques should be made payable to 'IPPN' and returned with a completed application form to o: The Treasurer, IPPN Support Office, Glounthaune, Co. Cork

If you choose to renew your membership using Direct Debit please complete the mandate on the membership form.

Existing Direct Debits will be presented to Banks on September 5th

IMPORTANT • To ensure you do not experience a break in Member Services, please renew your membership before October 7th • Please select the mailing lists you wish to subscribe to for the coming year

MEMBERSHIP SUPPORTS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING for a full list, please visit www.ippn.ie www.ippn.ie: IPPN’s member website where you can avail of a wealth of resources, FAQs, publications, research, information updates and education news.

Mailing Lists: Members-only mailing lists which facilitate professional debate, peer support and the sharing of good practice. In addition, advice@ippn.ie is a oneway mailing list to request a

response from the Principal Advice panel only.

E-scéal: E-mail updates sent regularly to inform you of current issues within education and providing professional guidance from FAQs on circular releases to announcements about IPPN events and services

Principal Advice Call-back Service: A one-to-one confidential advisory service that offers Principals a listening ear from someone who understands your situation. The Principal Advice service provides collegial support and guidance of a non-directive or legal nature from a team of skilled serving and retired Principals.

Call 1890 21 22 23 to avail of this service.

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Leadership in Action: Principalship of a Hospital School and Exploratory Research on Acquired Brain Injury in children

by Avril Carey, Teaching Principal, Beaumont Hospital School, Dublin Beaumont Hospital School was established in 2000 and in 2003 it became a fully-funded Department of Education Hospital School.

The majority of children attending St Raphael’s Ward do so for neuro-surgery following some form of brain trauma e.g. head injury or brain tumour.

Over the years the school has supported hundreds of children recovering from Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Their injuries range from mild, with many children discharged directly home, to more severe injury resulting in further rehabilitation in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire. ABI arrives so unexpectedly it turns the lives of the child, the family and their community up-side down. It is important to anticipate the potential barriers which may limit the social inclusion of these children in the aftermath of such upheaval. In order to gain greater insight into the experiences of children, their parents and teachers upon returning to school post-brain injury, I recently undertook a small exploratory research project.

Over the years the school has supported hundreds of children recovering from Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

There are many studies on ABI in children which explore the associated deficits and impairments which can impact on the child’s ability to return to pre-injury functioning.

Research shows that children may return to school experiencing difficulties, not only in academic and organisational areas, but in the social, emotional and behavioural aspects of school life. While each case presents its own unique challenges, there are common areas of difficulty. Sharing best practice and an understanding of the range and complex needs of children with ABI became a focus for me as a teacher.

A good number of those interviewed reported very positive outcomes for children who now have considerable acquired special educational needs as a result of their injury. Parents

complimented schools on their positive approach to inclusion of their children.

However for others, there have been difficulties.

Emerging themes included poor communication between parents and school, bullying issues and lack of information on the potential issues associated with ABI.

There are many studies on ABI in children which explore the associated deficits and impairments which can impact on the child’s ability to return to pre-injury functioning.

During hospitalisation, many of the potential deficits and impairments are discussed with parents. Parents commented that they “didn’t take it all in” at the time. Since delivering the message to the school was down to the parents, the relationship between the school and parents was in some cases quite complex. In two cases the children had changed school, citing lack of support and understanding of the child’s needs as the reasons for the move. Aspects of ABI were misunderstood, for example, fatigue and executive functioning deficits were misinterpreted as laziness and apathy, disinhibition as a result of frontal lobe damage was misinterpreted as wilful behaviour or ‘cheekiness’. A parent described how ‘we all expected her to pick up where she left off. Initially the teacher felt she needed to ‘buckle down’, when in fact, nothing new [new learning] was sticking [memory difficulty] and she just kept falling behind.’ Another commented “They [the school] were very wary around her physical needs, had no idea how to help her and weren’t willing to find out either’. ‘The new school has been more helpful and positive. At least they listen when she says she needs to rest or take breaks’.

Emerging from the discussions with teachers was frustration, and regret in some cases, that they didn’t fully grasp the extent of the child’s difficulties early enough. Many felt they could have avoided the difficulties, or at least put

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support in place earlier, had they a better understanding of how the child was affected by their injury.

A good number of those interviewed reported very positive outcomes for children who now have considerable acquired special educational needs as a result of their injury.

Based on this small sample, and in collaboration with the teachers involved, I identified some areas where outcomes for children with ABI could be improved. In the teacher section of www.beaumonthospitalschool.ie teachers are invited to register and access some downloadable resource sheets. These include some general information relating to returning to school postbrain injury. There are checklists which might be helpful in identifying lingering difficulties. If the child is registering with significant impairment in particular areas e.g. executive functioning, memory deficits etc, there is an information leaflet provided to address such difficulties. Some classroom strategies which we use in our classroom are described that may be useful to the ‘home school’ teacher.These leaflets are a simple sharing of practice between teachers which might aid quick assessment, which it is hoped may avoid the experiences of failure expressed by teachers and parents who had struggled with no support in the past.

This exercise was an opportunity to critically reflect on how hospital schools can provide leadership and positively support class teachers in the ‘home school’.Through this pilot project, teacher feedback on the resources will inform changes and improvements. As we move toward the new National Children’s Hospital School, I hope this web resource will grow to include advice and guidance for teachers of children across a range of complex medical needs.

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And Finally…

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY Most things which are urgent are not important, and most things which are important are not urgent President Dwight Eisenhower

If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission Admiral Grace Hopper

Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter Jack Benny

Experience is something you don’t get until you need it Anonymous

Imagination is more important than knowledge Albert Einstein

Man (including woman) is the only animal that blushes, or needs to!

Anonymous

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ooked L e H y r a in d r O How re were two schools of thought

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IPPN County Networks 2011 First Term/Autumn Meetings Kerry Westmeath

Tuesday 20 September, The Brehon, 4pm Tuesday 20 September, Mullingar Park Hotel, 4pm

Meath Louth

Thursday 22 September, The Newgrange Hotel, 4pm Thursday 22 September, The Fairways Hotel, Dundalk, 4pm

Wexford Carlow

Monday 26 September, Riverside Park Hotel, 4pm Monday 26 September, The Dolmen Hotel, 4pm

Longford Wicklow

Tuesday 27 September, Longford Arms Hotel, 4pm Tuesday 27 September, The Glenview Hotel, 4pm

Tipperary Waterford

Wednesday 28 September, Anner Hotel, 4.30pm Wednesday 28 September, Waterford Teacher Centre, 4pm

Clare Roscommon

Thursday 29 September, Clare Education Centre, 4pm Thursday 29 September, Abbey Hotel, 4pm

Galway Sligo

Monday 3 October, Ardilaun Hotel, 7.30pm Monday 3 October, Clarion Hotel, 4pm

Cavan Leitrim

Tuesday 4 October, Hotel Kilmore, 4pm Tuesday 4 October, The Bush Hotel, Carrick on Shannon, 4pm

Kilkenny Kildare

Wednesday 5 October, Hotel Kilkenny, 4pm Wednesday 5 October, Kildare Education Centre, 4pm

Donegal Cork

Thursday 6 October, Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, 4pm Thursday 6 October, Silver Springs Moran Hotel, 4pm

Monaghan Mayo

Tuesday 11 October, Monaghan Education Centre, 4pm Tuesday 11 October, The TF Royal Hotel, 4pm

Offaly Laois

Wednesday 12 October, Tullamore Court Hotel, 4pm Wednesday 12 October, Maldron Midway Hotel, 4pm

Limerick Dublin

Thursday 13 October, The Radisson Hotel, 4pm Thursday 13 October, Red Cow Hotel, 4pm

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7E´VE BEEN PROVIDING SPECIALIST ½NANCIAL ADVICE AND PREFERENTIAL DEALS TO 0RINCIPALS AND 4EACHERS FOR NEARLY DECADES

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#ORNMARKET 'ROUP &INANCIAL 3ERVICES ,TD IS REGULATED BY THE #ENTRAL "ANK OF )RELAND ! MEMBER OF THE )RISH ,IFE 0ERMANENT 'ROUP )RISH ,IFE 0ERMANENT PLC IS REGULATED BY THE #ENTRAL "ANK OF )RELAND 4ELEPHONE CALLS MAY BE RECORDED FOR QUALITY CONTROL AND TRAINING PURPOSES