Leadership+ Issue 86 May 2015 by Irish Primary Principals’ Network

ISSUE 86 / MAY 2015

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

SMALL SCHOOLS

need NOT close

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Legal Diary

Sometimes schools ﬁnd themselves in situations where ancillary staff, including caretakers and secretaries, do not wish to retire at the normal retirement age.

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NCLI Leadership Awards

Last November, we invited nominations for the NCLI Leadership Award.

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Priorities for Principal Teachers

The Board of Management (BoM) has been the governance structure underpinning Irish primary education for four decades.

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Small Schools Need Not Close It’s inspiring to hear about principals who show great courage in their leadership.

Principal Advice

We often speak of ‘team’ in the school context. Team for me equates to Together Each Achieves More.

Retirement for School Leaders

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THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

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+ Leadership

Psychologically, the idea of retirement can take some getting used to although, in essence, the retirement process is a normal life transition.

Signposts ISSUE 86/ MAY 2015

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Deputy Principals’

Conference 2015 This year’s Deputy Principals’ Conference will take place on the afternoon of Thursday 28th May and all day Friday 29th May in Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Co. Dublin. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Daire Keogh, President of St Patrick’s College of Education and Maria Doyle, IPPN Deputy President will address the conference on Friday afternoon. IPPN President Brendan McCabe will facilitate the plenary session. In addition to an impressive line-up of speakers there will be an opportunity to attend three seminars from the following topics: I I I I

Ar aghaidh le chéile - Deputy Principals and Principals working together - Micheál Rea Dealing Effectively with Bullying - Seán Fallon School Self-evaluation and the Deputy Principal - Anna Mai Rooney Taking care with touch - the reality of using physical interventions and restrictive practices in schools - Aisling Heidt & Siobhán Allen Multi-grade teaching - practical tips - Caroline Madigan

DARING TO LEAD

CI PALS’ DEPUTY PRIN

CO NFEREN CE

2015

CO. DUB LIN EL, SAG GART, 5 CIT YW EST HOT 29th May 201 th

Thursday 28

& Friday

EDUCATION EXPO 23 companies, demonstrating a wide variety of products and services, will exhibit in the area adjacent to the conference auditorium. Set some time aside to visit our exhibitors and ﬁnd out about the latest developments in teaching and learning resources with many items available for purchase. Education Expo will be open from 3.30 on Thursday 28th May. Conference Registration will open at 3.30pm, with an early registration option available from 2.30pm. The conference fee is €150 per person and can be booked on ippn.ie.

May 2015

SMALL SCHOOLS

need NOT close The recently published Value for Money Review of Small Primary Schools, whose recommendations the Minister has decided not to implement, makes nonetheless for interesting reading. The objective of the review was, according to its authors, “to assess the efficiency, effectiveness and examine the value for money of these schools as currently configured and organised. The review should examine the scope for alternative organisational approaches to improve efficiency and effectiveness of provision.” Small schools for the purposes of the Review were defined as 1 and 2-teacher schools, i.e. schools of less than 50 pupils. Ireland for historical reasons connected to former population density, its evolution from an agrarian society and a nineteenth century decision to organise its primary schools along religious lines, has a higher proportion of small schools than most other countries. The counties with the highest numbers of small schools are Galway, Mayo, Donegal, Cork, Clare, Roscommon, Kerry and Tipperary. Between them, these eight counties have almost 70% of all the small schools. The Review was initiated due to the increased demand for new schools putting pressure on the education budget at a time when small schools are seen to be economically costly. The review found that the mean per pupil cost of 1-teacher schools was €6,870, 2- teacher €4,833, 3-teacher €3,582 and 4- teacher €3,425. The trend flattens from 4-teacher schools and above. The estimated per-pupil operating cost of a 1-teacher school is more than twice that of a pupil in a 16teacher school (€3,214). However, schools are not businesses and should not be measured in purely economic terms. They play a vital role in their communities above and beyond education. The Value-ForMoney Review set about to compare schools of all sizes to determine whether there was a correlation between school size and the quality of teaching and learning. The Inspectorate was asked to analyse schoollevel quality data and to compare the inspection data for small schools with

SEÁN COTTRELL AND BRENDAN McCABE

As rural Ireland has witnessed the closure of Garda stations, post offices, shops and churches, the local primary school has become the main focal point for families.

though, there has to be an enrolment number below which a 1-teacher school ceases to be viable. Amalgamation, where this is possible without undue travel distance to a school of similar patronage or language, must be actively considered when enrolment falls below the stipulated figure. IPPN conducted significant research on the future of small schools and has used the findings to pursue a clear strategy to give the Department alternative options to forced closures, namely various types of school ‘federation’ with shared governance which allows the local school to be retained. Almost a decade later, we are pleased to see that these models are now being discussed openly as school-driven options. And the DES will not force the closure of any schools. Reason and common sense has prevailed.

that of schools of 50 pupils or more. The report from the Inspectorate found that there is no signiﬁcant relationship between school size and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in schools. Much of the argument for the retention of small schools relates to their importance within the community. As rural Ireland has witnessed the closure of Garda stations, post offices, shops and churches, the local primary school has become the main focal point for families. It’s worth remembering that small schools are also a feature in urban areas, mainly founded by minority religions and they too are feeling the pressure. The recent announcement by the Minister suggests a reasonable and more balanced way to consider the future of small schools. 2, 3 and 4teacher schools can, should they choose, continue to exist. Realistically 33

Compulsory Retirement Age Sometimes schools find themselves in situations where ancillary staff, including caretakers and secretaries, do not wish to retire at the normal retirement age.

DAVID RUDDY BL

Is there a statutory compulsory retirement age? The Government allows schools to fix a retirement age under the provisions of the Employment Equality Acts and there is no requirement on the part of the Board of Management to justify it. Under the Employment Equality Acts, fixing a compulsory retirement age does not constitute age discrimination. However, any differences in treatment on the grounds of age must be

objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim. If the retirement age for the secretary is 65 years and that of the caretaker 60 years, the school would have to justify why there is a difference. Health and Safety could well be an issue. The school would have to prove that the caretaker was not unfavourably treated. In summary, a retirement age should be clearly stated in the contract of employment. There should be a clear retirement practice and policy in place without exception. The compulsory retirement age should be objectively and reasonably justified by a legitimate aim.

PRINCIPAL OF TALBOT SNS

In summary, a retirement age should be clearly stated in the contract of employment. There should be a clear retirement practice and policy in place without exception. 4

LEGAL DIARY LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

THE PROTECTED DISCLOSURES ACT 2014 The above act came into effect on the 16th of July 2014. It heralds a new era in Ireland for ‘whistle-blowing’. Schools must put in place whistle-blowing policies which meet the requirements of the act. What is a Protected Disclosure? “A protected disclosure means disclosure of relevant information which in the reasonable belief of the worker tends to show one or more relevant wrongdoings and which came to the attention of the worker in connection with his/her employment” What are “Relevant Wrongdoings”? Relevant Wrongdoings are defined exhaustively and include the following: I The commission of an offence I Non-compliance with a legal obligation I Threats to Health & Safety I Misuse of Public Monies I Concealment or destruction of information relating to any of the foregoing. To whom do you make the Disclosure? The vast majority of disclosures should be made to the Board of Management in the first place. Where this is inappropriate or impossible, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has published a list of “Prescribed Persons”. These are bodies that in his opinion are the appropriate ones to investigate. In relation to schools, the prescribed person is the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills (DES). In making a disclosure, a worker must reasonably believe the information disclosed to be substantially true. What protections are available to whistle blowers? Among the protections are: I Protection from dismissal I Up to 5 years remuneration for unfair dismissal I Protection of identity (subject to certain exceptions) I Protection from penalisation by the school Board of Management. What does Board of Managements need to do? It should be noted that to date the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has not issued guidance or a timeline to the DES or indeed management bodies. What is best practice? Boards of Management should put in place a whistle-blowing policy which should make clear that malpractice is taken seriously. The policy should

In what must be one of Ireland’s most litigated school-related cases, a pupil who claimed he was the subject of discrimination failed most recently to persuade the Supreme Court that he had been denied a place at the Christian Brothers High School, Clonmel distinguish between workplace grievances and whistle-blowing concerns. It should provide examples of the type of concerns that might arise by reference to the wrongdoings specified in the Act. Workers should be informed that, while internal reporting is encouraged, they have the option to raise concerns outside of line management and report to the prescribed person, namely the Secretary General of the DES.

of “upholding the family ethos within education” and the “characteristic spirit of the school” and was thus objectively justified as wholly legitimate. They also argued that nontraveller applicants were equally affected by the rule. All those who failed to gain a place under the sibling and parental rule had their names included to participate in a lottery for the remaining places. The boy had initially been successful before the Equality Tribunal but lost all 3 appeals to the courts.

MOTHER OF TRAVELLER STUDENT FAILS IN DISCRIMINATION CASE

Admissions (to Schools) Bill 2015 The above Bill, if enacted in its current form, will prohibit any parental rule in future Admission and Participation policies.

MARY STOKES (ON BEHALF OF JOHN STOKES) V CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HIGH SCHOOL, CLONMEL Timeline Equality Tribunal December 2010 Circuit Court July 2011 High Court February 2012 Supreme Court February 2015 In what must be one of Ireland’s most litigated school-related cases, a pupil who claimed he was the subject of discrimination failed most recently to persuade the Supreme Court that he had been denied a place at the above school. His claim was on the basis that the school gave preferential treatment in awarding places to boys whose fathers had been past pupils of the school. Evidence was produced on behalf of the boy to the effect that very few fathers of travellers would have attended post-primary school, thereby discriminating against him under the parental rule in operation at the school. However, the school successfully argued that the parental rule was inserted with the stated aim 5

PRINCIPAL ADVICE

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

REACHING ANGELA LYNCH PRINCIPAL ADVICE MANAGER

OUT

Given the number of principals appointed over the past four years, we are republishing an article from Leadership+ from a few years ago to highlight the supports and services available to you as a principal.

As principals, we think that we should be able to be self sufficient, able to solve all problems and handle stress effectively. When we are living in tough times, it becomes more difficult to help yourself. If my time as principal has taught me anything, it is that it is all too easy to become overwhelmed and reach a point of crisis, both personally and professionally. The honesty, openness and willingness of principals to share their vulnerability and reach out for help serves to underline the serious situation faced by all of us, in terms of our health and welfare. We often speak of ‘team’ in the school context. Team for me equates to Together Each Achieves More. The team at IPPN have much to offer by way of supporting you. A number of different avenues exist in accessing the support you need. I

Mailing lists such as networking @ippn.ie provide you with advice and information on a wide range of topics from fellow principals subscribed to the mailing list. is ideal for those daily queries and questions where the advice from colleagues on how they approach various situations can help you to make progress with your own situation. Mailing lists such as and are facilitated by members of the Principal Advice Panel, who alone reply to postings. The replies are

posted on the mailing lists for all to view the advice offered. There are times when more discussion and confidential advice is needed. A call to the Support Office will ensure that a member of the Principal Advice Panel will contact you for a confidential one-to-one discussion on a situation in your school, which may be divisive, worrying or leaving you distressed in some way. There will be times also when you are overwhelmed by your workload or may be experiencing a lack of motivation in your role. A conversation with an experienced principal who may have dealt with similar circumstances is often what could be needed to re-focus and help you see the way forward more clearly.

IPPN research indicates that a growing number of principals are being treated for stress, sleep problems and depression. More principals are struggling to cope in the face of increasing workload and decreasing resources. Are you struggling to cope with your workload? Are you finding the demands of principalship too great? Are the demands of your professional life affecting your personal life? IPPN has a service for principals who find themselves in a critical situation and cannot see a way out. This service is designed to help you find a life balance and give you back the confidence that you may have lost. All you need to do is to call 1890 21 22 23 to speak to a member of the Support Office team and let us help you. Your call will be treated in the strictest confidence and you will be

referred to the Principal Advice coordination team who will work with you to put a support system in place. If you don’t know how to start the conversation, simply say that you need to speak to a member of the Principal Advice coordination team in relation to a difficulty you are experiencing. Let us support each other on this journey of leadership.

May 2015

Teacher Absences & Leave Resource Bundle RACHEL HALLAHAN IPPN PRINCIPAL INFORMATION OFFICER In recent years, many circulars have been issued by the Department of Education & Skills (DES) regarding changes to teacher absences and leave. Revisions were introduced in certain areas. Changes were made in relation to both the duration of and eligibility for some of the leave. Alterations to teachers’ terms and conditions of employment in turn impacted on the day-to-day management of schools. Some absences and leave types were now no longer substitutable. This caused much confusion. The staggered approach by which the implementation occurred further

added to the confusion among our members. This was reﬂected in the number of calls received in the Support Office seeking clariﬁcation. Moreover, National Council representatives re-iterated at every Council meeting the need to have one reference source for listing all DESapproved teacher absences and leave. It was in response to this demand that IPPN produced our latest resource bundle for members – Teacher Absences & Leave. It is advised that you become familiar with this particular resource as it contains all the necessary information you will need. Often you will require access to the information at short notice. Once

familiar with this resource bundle, it takes little time to ﬁnd what you need. It will be kept updated to reﬂect any future changes. Teacher Absences & Leave Resource Bundle is an interactive guide that provides a list of all DES approved teacher absences and leave, whether or not the leave type is substitutable and guidelines on how to log the leave type on OLCS. It also provides a brief synopsis of the relevant circular. To view and download the resource bundle, log in to . Go to ‘Resources’ on the menu tool bar and select ‘Resource Bundles’ from the sub menu.

AVAILABLE RESOURCE BUNDLES There are six other resource bundles developed and available to download from ippn.ie. There were developed in response to the most frequently asked questions received to the National Support Office. These include: I I I I I I

Recruitment & Appointment Parental Separation – Implications for the School Communication – Managing School Relationships Deputy Principal – Appointment Process School Improvement Plan School Self Evaluation – Road Map

COMING SOON Two further resource bundles are currently being developed. These will be on the topics of Supervision and Managing SNAs. These resource bundles will address the most frequently asked questions that we received in the National Support Office in relation to these topics.

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

NCLI Leadership Award Last November, we invited nominations for the NCLI Leadership Award. This is the ﬁrst award delivered through the National Centre for Leadership and Innovation and was established to honour and recognise an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership qualities, within the school community. We were delighted with the positive reaction

and the large number of nominations that were received. On Friday, 30th January at IPPN Conference 2015, Catherine Farrell was announced as the recipient of the inaugural NCLI Leadership Award. The award was presented by Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan.

Catherine is a recently retired primary school principal of Holy Family Special School in Cootehill, Co. Cavan. This is a special national school for pupils aged four to eighteen years. The school caters for pupils with moderate, severe and profound learning disabilities and for pupils with autism. Catherine worked in the school since it opened in 1973 and became principal in 1992. The two adjudicators on this year’s panel were retired Supreme Court judge and lifelong activist, Catherine McGuinness and retired primary school principal and founding President of IPPN, Jim Hayes.

Catherine Farrell was announced as the recipient of the inaugural NCLI Leadership Award. The award was presented by Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan. Catherine McGuinness, adjudicator for the competition, said, “It was an amazing experience to read all the nominations for the NCLI Leadership Award, both because of their extremely high quality and also because of their wide range. There was not a single nominee that did not deserve huge credit for the work they had done and the leadership shown. Judging was an experience that showed so clearly that, in spite of all the cuts and austerity, our education system is full of wonderful leaders”. We would like to thank all those who took the time to submit nominations to acknowledge some of the great leadership work being carried out on a daily basis in our school communities. We encourage you to speak to the person you nominated and highlight the reasons why you did. We see this award as an opportunity to celebrate leadership in action.

May 2015

Catherine Farrell What the NCLI award meant to me I was overwhelmed when I received the phone call from Seán to say I had won this award. I appreciate the Principal and Deputy Principal taking the time to put in the nomination. Our school was always pupil-centred. It supported the development of the whole child and celebrates their uniqueness. The school provides an environment where the child feels happy, safe and motivated. Teaching in a Special School involves sharing information. Communication is hugely important so that staff and parents can support each other and work as part of a team. I always imagined my role as Principal to be similar to that of the conductor of an orchestra, under my guidance the different members of the team worked in harmony. As principal, I had to be impartial and fair, and deal with situations and problems quickly and effectively. It was important to be assertive and express my feelings and beliefs in a way that others understood and respected. It was also important to take people along with me rather than direct them. The staff were always motivated when they could see the beneﬁts of new initiatives being implemented. Nobody’s perfect and sometimes I would wonder if I was doing a good job. It means a lot to be appreciated by my colleagues. I felt privileged, humbled and proud to be the chosen recipient of the inaugural NCLI Leadership Award.

www.ippn.ie Latest resources If your school has a policy or plan that is not available on ippn.ie, or which would supplement available resources, we would appreciate if you would submit it for review by email to rachel.hallahan@ippn.ie. The following are the new resources available in the different sections of the website:

RESOURCES STAFF MANAGEMENT Team Building I Scavenger Hunt RESOURCE BUNDLES Absences & Leave Resource Bundle This interactive guide provides an upto-date reference source of all DES approved leave types with a brief

synopsis of the relevant circular, whether or not the leave type is substitutable and guidelines on how to log the leave type on OLCS.

all submissions made by IPPN to the DES, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education & Social Protection and other bodies.

PLANNING PROMPTS A new prompt is uploaded each week to this section, outlining activities that schools may wish to consider at that particular time of year. This section will act as an online archive of planning prompts, which are also issued via Escéal.

EVENTS

SUPPORTS Leadership+ I Leadership+ Issue 85 - March 2015

PRINCIPALS’ CONFERENCE Principals’ Conference 2015 The video clips of all keynote speakers are available to view in this section. ABOUT US This menu has been revised and updated to include relevant information about IPPN the organisation, , our people including the National Council, Board and staff as well as A Guide to IPPN.

ADVOCACY SUBMISSIONS This page has been updated to include 9

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Over 2,800 schools use Textaparent.ie on a weekly basis. On a number of occasions we have delivered more than 100,000 messages a day through TextaParent.ie.We recently introduced an upgraded version of TextaParent.ie to schools. The reliability and customer service provided by TextaParent.ie cannot be compared to.However, it is our new features that have received the most positive feedback. These include: Auto Top Up - Never run out of credit To help schools who do not have credit card facilities, TextaParent.ie has added anAuto Top Up service. You can request that your account is automatically topped up by a preset amount when your balance goes below a preset threshold. So you can set your threshold to 500 credit, when your balance goes below 500 credits you can set the Auto top up to add another 300 credits to your account.

To set up this facility, log on to your TextaParent.ie account using the principal’s proﬁle. Go to the admin area which can be accessed by clicking on the principal’s name on the top right of your screen. Go to Credit Threshold and then to AUTO TOP UP. I

Subscriber Delivery Report - Has a parent received your message? You can now report on delivery for one individual number. To check that your school’s message has been delivered successfully you can check delivery to one mobile number and print this report for the parents. You can access this facility through your Reports page and then Subscriber Delivery Reports.

If you have any queries, or would like to try TextaParent.ie for yourself, please contact info@TextaParent.ie

Summer Courses TEACHING PRINCIPALS

ONLINE COURSE

LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING IN SMALL SCHOOLS IPPN is delivering a summer programme for Teaching Principals’ - ‘Teaching Principals – Leadership and Learning in Small Schools’. This will cater for the various cohorts in the Teaching Principal community. Focusing on the complex role of the Teaching Principal, the course will cover leadership skills; planning; communications; and strategies for SSE, self-care and much more.

CIALL CEANNAITHE I Ciall Ceannaithe - IPPN’s online summer course is a highly practical step-by-step course built on the collective wisdom and experience of seasoned principals. The course is designed to professionally support Newly Appointed Principals through the first day, first week, first month and first year of their Principalship. It is also very suitable for teachers and deputy principals who wish to undertake the role of principal or as a refresher course for experienced principals who wish to reflect on their current practice.

IPPN will be running our summer school in two locations: I July 1st to 7th (excluding Saturday and Sunday) in Limerick and I July 6th to 10th in Sligo. Further information on these summer courses will be available on ippn.ie in the coming weeks.

Ciall Ceannaithe, the online course for newlyappointed and aspiring principals will be available throughout the month of July.

Further information on these summer courses will be available on ippn.ie in the coming weeks. 10

May 2015

Honouring a Terrible Beauty

LOOKING TO

2016

DAMIAN WHITE PRINCIPAL, SCOIL SHINCHILL, KILLEIGH, CO. OFFALY Exactly three years after W,B. Yeats savaged the Irish merchant classes who ‘dried the marrow from the bone’ in ‘September 1913,’ he again unleashed his thoughts on events of the previous Easter. On September 21st of that seminal year, his peerless masterpiece on the Rising was published. The 4th and last verse of ‘Easter 1916’ is the most frequently quoted and captures the essence of what had befallen, the physical and emotional scars of which remained open and septic. Yeats highlights 3 of the signatories of the Proclamation - Pearse the teacher and idealist; McDonagh the teacher and Poet; the socialist and trade unionist Connolly; reﬂecting the spectrum of people behind the uprising. It’s no coincidence that he also names McBride, the husband of Maud Gonne, his beloved muse. I’ve always been fascinated by Major John McBride, not least because I was born on the 50th anniversary of his execution. He knew nothing of the impending Rising as he made his way into the city to meet his brother who was to be married a few days later. He met Tomas McDonagh leading a troupe of volunteers towards Jacobs Factory and left his nets to join them. The Boer War veteran was immediately made second in command of the battalion and although they saw little action, the British, aware of his role in Africa, took the opportunity to have him court marshalled and shot. He refused a blindfold, saying he had faced their guns before . Various biographies of McBride’s life and family members don’t cast him in a great light as a family man, but as Richard 111 told his co accused on the scaffold - ‘If all we have left to do is fall, let’s fall well’. How should we approach the centenary of such momentous events as teachers? As schools? As citizens? Is it a celebration or a commemoration we should be having? Hundreds of people died during between Easter Monday and the following Saturday of that year, many of them innocent civilians, 30 of them children. While the rising was underway, over 200,000 other Irishmen

were engaged in bitter trench warfare on behalf of the Allies, most of them members of the Irish Volunteers who promised to ﬁght for small nations in return for Home Rule once conﬂict was over. Others from this island fought and died at the Somme and elsewhere out of loyalty to the Union. The next decade will see hundreds of centenary events, commemorating thousands of young men and women who fought and died for what they thought was right. Many of these events will take place in Ireland at various, crossroads and lonely outposts where ambushes and skirmishes took place during the War of Independence and the ensuing and awful Civil War. Even at 100 years remove, such events must be handled with care and attention to good taste as the potential remains for the opening of old wounds.

How should we approach the centenary of such momentous events as teachers? As schools? As citizens? Is it a celebration or a commemoration we should be having? Why and how to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising? The Rising itself has been described as the ‘Triumph of Failure’- the most obvious case of losing a battle to win a war. For years afterwards the rising was known as ‘ The Mad Teachers’ Rebellion’, in reference to Pearse, McDonagh and the number of teachers involved. Those who planned it, who led it and who went ahead with it in spite of the countermanding orders following the weapons capture near Banna Strand knew it was doomed to failure. They knew they would most likely be executed. They were a compilation of people whose views on the world might have brought them into conﬂict with each other had they succeeded and lived.

The Rising occurred while the world was at war, while new ideologies were about to come to bear in Russia and at a time of a cultural and sporting revolution in Ireland. It was an exciting and dangerous time to be idealistic, when association with one group or another could cost a person their life. Many nations celebrate a momentous event associated with their birth or rebirth, or with a profound change in Ideology. The Storming of the Bastille was the precursor for widespread bloodshed and the guillotine for those associated with nobility, yet each July 14th it is celebrated as the birth of liberty, equality and fraternity. Legend and truth mix comfortably as Americans celebrate the midnight ride of Paul Revere through several counties warning of British attack in 1775. Czechs celebrate the Velvet Revolution. Poles idolise the rise of Solidarity in a Gdansk Shipyard. All South Africans know who Inmate 46664 on Robben Island was. For us, the Rising was the coming together of several ideologies, the lighting of a ﬂame, the declaration, through the Proclamation posted on the GPO and elsewhere, of the type of country the signatories wished to create. The promise of universal suffrage, of equal rights of all citizens, of civil and religious liberty and the cherishing equally of all the nations children are aspirations of merit and have been achieved to varying degrees in the state which subsequently emerged. As citizens we should celebrate the foresight of these brave people and seek to live up to the high ideals they espoused. No political party or interest group should dominate events as the Rising was key to the birth of the State and of all Irish shades of opinion. Easter 1916 was the point of conception in the birth of a Nation. The last words I will leave to W.B. Yeats: Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn, Are changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born.

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

RETIREMENT FOR SCHOOL LEADERS A step into the unknown JIM HAYES FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF IPPN Pat began teaching over 33 years ago and, after some years of enthusiastic dedication in his school, was appointed principal. In many ways, the school became his life and he left no stone unturned in his dedication to the children in that school.

Retirement for leaders has its own particular nuances. Our standing in the community will change as our inﬂuence on people and decision-making passes to our successors. During his time as principal, he noticed that his role was ever-changing. Changes in management and legislation began to impinge on the life of the school. Terms such as parental involvement, whole-school planning, leadership, in-school management, professional development, consultation, transparency, accountability, differentiation, special educational needs, child protection and many more gradually began to encroach on his daily life with frightening regularity. Eventually, the pace was beginning to tell and his enthusiasm began to wane. His wife had begun to notice that the job was taking its toll. Blessed with a large dollop of common sense, she broached the subject of getting out while he still had his health. Taking everything into consideration, they decided they could reasonably think about Pat retiring within two years. He read a little about retirement and attended a relevant course. The thought of playing some golf and travelling looked enticing. Pat is having a ball since he retired although he’s still waiting for that hole in one! Pat retired

from work, but not from life. He has found that retirement can be an exciting experience where he has opportunities to choose how he organises his own time and space, in a relaxed fashion. He told me recently that ‘retirement is the best kept secret in the world’ Psychologically, the idea of retirement can take some getting used to although, in essence, the retirement process is a normal life transition. While the retirement literature refers to denial, depression, anger and acceptance as possible stages in the emotional adjustment involved, it is also true to say that some people may not experience any of these stages to any significant degree. Retirement for leaders has its own particular nuances. Our standing in the community will change as our influence on people and decision-making passes to our successors. We may suffer a sense of loss of status and identity. Our sense of job loss may be more acute because as Principals we made a major investment in our school. The process of moving from Principal to anonymity can be stressful for some leaders and a great relief for others.

plan prudently for retirement find the experience more fulfilling, less daunting and full of opportunities. Of course, in order to prepare adequately for retirement as a school leader, there are some practical school-related issues that may need to be addressed such as deciding when is the right time, looking at examples of good practice and stepby-step guidelines on managing the impact of a Principal’s retirement on a school in addition to the rituals of saying goodbye and letting go. We will address these topics in future issues of Leadership+. ‘Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at living’

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Psychologically, the idea of retirement can take some getting used to although, in essence, the retirement process is a normal life transition. Notwithstanding all of that, I believe that it is true to say that people who are in tune with their inner selves and who

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

November May 2015 2014

Making sense of

‘CONDITIONAL REGISTRATION’

when employing teachers BRENDAN MCCABE

IPPN PRESIDENT AND TEACHING COUNCIL MEMBER

When employing teachers, Principals and Boards of Assessors in primary schools need to be aware that there are various forms of Teaching Council registration which can differ greatly. Registration has two key attributes; the regulation under which the teacher is registered and the category of that registration - either full or conditional.

REGULATION Primary teachers fall under one of two Regulations: Regulation 2 – Primary This regulation caters for teachers in primary schools who can teach the entire primary curriculum including Irish.

In other words their qualiﬁcation does not fully meet the teacher education requirements of the Council which would be covered in an Irish teacher education qualiﬁcation. Regulation 3 – Montessori and Other Categories Teachers registered under this regulation are eligible to be employed in special schools and in specific categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement. This applies to teachers who have a recognised Montessori qualification or specific Special Education qualifications, or certain teachers who completed their teacher education programme outside of Ireland. It allows them to teach only

in specified Special Education settings and never in a mainstream classroom.

GARDA VETTING The Teaching Council carries out the Garda Vetting process for all teachers and teachers registered since mid2007 have undergone the Evidence of Character process of the Council. The Principal/Board of Management of a school should also have sight of the Vetting Letter (with hologram) from the Council prior to offering a teacher employment in the school.

REGISTRATION CATEGORY – FULL OR CONDITIONAL Full registration Teachers in this category have completed a recognised course of teacher education which fully meets the requirements of the Teaching Council. Such teachers have also met the Council’s requirement for the teaching of Irish in the primary school and also the Council’s requirements of Induction and Probation where appropriate. Conditional Registration Registration subject to conditions is granted when an applicant for registration has not fulfilled all of the registration requirements of the Council. In other words their qualification (or post qualification employment/probation) does not fully meet the teacher education requirements of the Council which would be covered in an Irish teacher education qualification. The conditions applied to the teacher’s registration, and the time period allowed to meet those conditions, are notified to the teacher when the registration process has been completed. This type of registration is the one of which principals need to be most aware. The shortfalls could range from non-completion of the Irish Language Requirement (Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Gaeilge) to major deficits in the content of their programme of teacher

education (PE, Music, SPHE, etc.). If a teacher presents for employment or interview with a letter of conditional registration which has Qualification Shortfalls (QS) included, it is essential to request a copy of the recognition letter which details the specific shortfalls that were identified at the conclusion of the registration process. Under laws governing the movement of professionals among EU member States, and specifically European Directive 2005/36/EC, The Teaching Council is obliged to grant conditional registration to all teachers who have been trained and probated in other member States. This includes, for example, teachers trained in the UK through School-centred Initial Teacher Training Schemes (SCITTS) or Employment Based Routes (EBR) where the teachers have completed one year on-the-job training with minimal academic content.

This type of registration is the one of which principals need to be most aware. The Council is obliged (under the European Directive) to grant such applicants conditional registration. They may have considerable qualifications deficits which they need to address through undertaking additional studies, within a limited and clearly-defined time period. Only if they fail to do this can their registration be legally withdrawn or lapsed. If considering applications from job applicants with Conditional Registration it is wise to ascertain exactly what conditions remain to be fulfilled. They could be quite extensive!

Principals’ Conference, Citywest Hotel – see page 2 for details.

DEADLINES I

30th April - Extension of deadline to populate POD The DES announced that the deadline for schools to populate POD has been extended to 30th April 2015. 30th June - ‘Grace Period’ deadline for staff in the public & civil service to retire for superannuation beneﬁts to be calculated on the higher salaries in place prior to the cuts introduced under the Haddington Road agreement.

EVENTS I

May 28th and 29th - IPPN Deputy

This section of the website can be accessed from the homepage of www.education.ie.

UPDATES I

May 2015 - Resource Teaching allocations issued to schools via NCSE website June 2015 - SNA allocations issued to schools via the NCSE website NEPS guidelines, hand-outs and tips for teachers and parents The DES has announced that its website will now host NEPS guidelines, handouts and tips for teachers that will be updated regularly. The most recent set of resources relate to supporting children with language difficulties.

NOTABLE CIRCULARS I

0017/2015 - Teacher Exchange Scheme For Registered Teachers In Recognised Primary Schools 0023/2015 - Implementation of the Recommendations of the Expert Group on Fixed-Term and Part-Time Employment in Primary and Second Level Education in Ireland (Primary).

Note: All circulars are available on ippn.ie under Resources/DES Circulars. E-scéals are also archived on the website under Supports – E-scéals.

Finding Substitute Teachers at short notice Principals tell us that substitute teachers are becoming more and more difficult to ﬁnd at short notice. TextaSub is an online facility to help schools ﬁnd subs quickly and easily. You post details of the vacancy and it is sent automatically to all teachers who have registered their availability with the service, which they must do each week. This means that TextaSub is very up to date. It is also completely free for both schools and teachers. Note: TextaSub works best if all available teachers register with the service and if schools provide accurate information about vacancies, particularly contact phone numbers.

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

January 2015

PHILOSOPHY is a

RIGHT

DR. CHARLOTTE BLEASE IRISH RESEARCH COUNCIL POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW, SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY, UCD

Philosophy has an image problem. When we think of philosophy we may think of stuffy old men with elbow patches pontiﬁcating about Platonic metaphysics. Philosophy, we may think, is abstruse, technical, dry. If any subject has a right to reside (and conﬁne itself to) the ivory tower, we may muse, it is philosophy (and if any academics ought to dwell there day and night) they are surely philosophers.

Philosophy is for all. It is also a human right. But what is philosophy? Philosophy means love of wisdom. Philosophers enquire into big, juicy, questions that every one of us has asked. Examples: What makes something right or wrong? Do we have free will? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? What is justice? Does science gives us all the answers?

This may be a prevalent attitude about philosophy among the public, including educationalists. And the truth is that philosophy’s image problem isn’t helped by philosophers. Philosophers give philosophy a bad name (since I am academically branded as one, perhaps I am better equipped than most to admit to this). Philosophers tend to think philosophy is cosa nostra – our thing. That way we remain comfortably within the academic cloisters, better able to undertake our prestigious, selfappointed investiture as the nation’s thinkers. Somebody has to toil at the intellectual coalface, so why not let us philosophers do all the toiling. This ‘highbrow martyrdom’ on behalf of the masses might serve universities quite well but it is also narcissistic – worse still it is intellectually bankrupt. Philosophy is not just for philosophers (university-appointed, or otherwise).

On the face of it these questions are rather basic. They have the character of naivety. And children, like adults, ponder these questions too. As someone who has experience of teaching philosophy to children and adult learners of all ages, I know very well that, given the space to think and to enquire in an open, collaborative way, people love to talk ideas. Yet philosophy in the classroom is often considered too adult, too esoteric for kids. This is a mistake. Philosophy is a way of seeing the world rather than a body of knowledge. It is about thinking and having the conﬁdence to do so. Indeed Philosophy for Children is also a form of pedagogy. It was started in the 1970s by a disenfranchised Professor of Philosophy from Columbia University called Matthew Lipman. Lipman felt that philosophy students

were afraid to think. Philosophy for children (and indeed, for adults) is not the history of ideas or a form of passive dissemination or class dictation about grand theorists, from Plato to Patricia Churchland. Philosophy is not about hooking your ideas onto eminent ﬁgures of the past. It is not about deference to grand old men in ancient Greek garb. Rather it is about actively getting young people to think, and to challenge each other, in respectful ways. It is a form of classroom enquiry that encourages kids to be comfortable asking questions and recognizing that we may not have the right answer to all these questions. (Maybe there are no answers to be had; maybe the question was a bad one!) Philosophy for Children has much to offer us. We need to get past Philosophy’s PR problem – something that President Higgins has acknowledged in his Ethics Initiative: philosophy needs to be brought out of the ivory tower and into the marketplace. Philosophy ought not to be the preserve of the few. If we value a thoughtful citizenry and an actively questioning democratic society, we need philosophy.

On Your Behalf Since the last issue of Leadership+, IPPN has continued our advocacy and representative role on behalf of principals, through meetings, events and submissions in relation to the following:

MARCH I

(ATECI) 2015 AGM

Launch of a report from the Children’s Mental Health Coalition, entitled Meeting the mental health support needs of children and adolescents: a Children’s Mental Health Coalition view 1916 centenary plans for the ‘Ireland 2016’ programme Department of Education

Education Matters Editorial Advisory Group - Oatlands College, Dublin.

APRIL I I

INTO Congress, Ennis, Co Clare NAPD Symposium, Dublin.

REFLECTIONS

Self-Care for

PRINCIPALS

As Principal and leader of your school, everyone turns to you for answers. It’s inevitable that colleagues seek your support and advice, indeed it is a very good sign of your leadership if they do. However, constantly giving of yourself is a major drain on you personally and your emotional wellbeing. It is likely that you will be of little use to those around you if you neglect to care for yourself. With a bit of planning and delegation, there is no reason why principals cannot take a decent break to re-energise while the school is closed over the summer. For sure, the last fortnight of June can be frenetic. Everyone seems to need you so they can achieve ‘closure’ by June 30th. You may feel forced to give all of your time to these requests, postponing many of your own priorities until July 1st. That’s when you feel relieved on the one hand because the external pressure has been released, yet on the other exasperated by how much you have to do and because you are alone in getting it done.

You can prevent a lot of this summer-time overload by proactively and strategically planning the workload arising from the management needs of the school. To achieve this, you must acknowledge two facts – first, the Principal is not responsible for carrying out the function of the BoM; and second, the longer you continue to compensate for the unavailability, unwillingness or inability of others to fulfil their management responsibilities, the more you perpetuate and ‘normalise’ the practice whereby the Principal is expected to carry out the work of others. Many Principals say that ‘It’s easier to do it myself’ and ‘If I don’t do it, no one else will’ but the long-term consequences of this are disastrous! So how do you start? The Ten Self Care Commandments below provide an approach to scheduling and managing not just your workload, but also the workload which must be undertaken by members of the BoM & school staff. You may think ‘I could never do that in this school!’ Why not? There is a first time for everything. Unless you can assert your right to distribute leadership, delegate management responsibilities and take a break yourself, you are consigned to perpetual martyrdom and a long To Do list on July 1st.

THE 10 SELF CARE COMMANDMENTS

1. Arrange a meeting with your BoM Chairperson and Deputy Principal to make a collective list of the main outstanding tasks for the months ahead. 2. Collectively prioritise key tasks and decide which items can wait until September. 3. Examine each of the prioritised tasks and decide who should take responsibility for them. 4. Delegate as much as possible to individual BoM members and In-School Management team members, if you have any left... 5. Where certain key functions such as recruitment must be scheduled, make a plan which facilitates the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Principal and Deputy Principal to provide cover for each other while also facilitating family holidays. 6. Arrange for the school secretary to handle all correspondence during the holiday period. If you do not have a school secretary, delegate it to a member of the ISM team or BoM. 7. If you don’t already have one, purchase a telephone answering machine. The voice message should advise parents why the telephone is not answered, where books and uniforms can be purchased, the date of school reopening, how to apply for late enrolments etc. Place the same information on the homepage of your school website, if you have one. 8. Delegate the responsibility to manage keys and alarm codes for summer camps, maintenance work, staff access and other unplanned events, e.g. burglary, vandalism etc., for example to a member of the BoM with responsibility for maintenance/upkeep/security. 9. Take a complete break from school by organising a holiday which physically prevents you from being available. 10.Although you are the principal, you are not indispensable. Turn off your mobile phone and take a decent holiday!

Priorities for Principal Teachers Board of Management/Patron The Board of Management (BoM) has been the governance structure underpinning Irish primary education for four decades.

PÁIRIC CLERKIN PRINCIPAL OF ST PATRICK’S NS, CASTLEKNOCK, DUBLIN 15

The leadership potential for governance is immense, given that there are approximately as many people directly (and voluntarily) involved in school governance as there are teachers teaching in schools. Board members should be commended for the support and commitment given to schools over the years. The lack of clarity in relation to the role and responsibilities of the members of the Board of Management and that of

the principal can lead to a signiﬁcant challenge for school leaders. The Board is a ‘body corporate’ which arrives at decisions collectively. When a Board is being formed, it is important to ensure a wide skill-set among the Board members. In the interest of good practice, all decisions should be noted in the official minutes. Regular communication with the chairperson of the BoM between meetings is to be encouraged. Remember that the authority of the principal derives from the BoM. The principal generally acts as Secretary to the BoM. The role of Recording Secretary (which involves note taking at the BoM meeting) may be delegated to another member of the BoM to enable the principal to fully participate in meetings. See the IPPN publication Primary

School Governance – Challenges & Opportunities re. the role of chairperson and the role of principal. Key Priorities for the Principal – Must Do: Critical duties which should always be the direct responsibility of the principal Other Priorities – Could Delegate or Share: These are priorities which the principal could fulﬁl personally but, alternatively, could delegate to or share with other members of staff, the BoM or other relevant qualiﬁed stakeholders. Other Tasks: These are tasks that the school may collectively agree to deprioritise for a time, as well as duties which the principal should not need to personally undertake.

PRIORITIES FOR PRINCIPALS

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

In relation to prioritising the work relating to the parent body, the following may be a useful starting point for your school: Key Priorities for the Principal – Must Do

Manage the school on a day-today basis, on behalf of the BoM

Comply with the Rules for National schools/ DES Circulars/ other relevant legislation

Ensure the school has a comprehensive Child Protection Policy and implements and reviews it annually

Report to the BoM any child protection referrals to the HSE

Report instances of bullying at each meeting of the BoM

Act as secretary to the BoM **See note

Prepare for and attend BoM meetings

Provide a Principal's Report to the BoM at each meeting

Actively participate in staff appointments as a member of the interview board.

Other Priorities – Could Delegate or Share

Other Tasks – Deprioritise / Principal should not need to personally undertake

Ensure that ﬁre drills/evacuations are carried out regularly and equipment serviced

Act as Treasurer of the BoM. (The principal must not act as treasurer - Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure)

Ensure school records are maintained per relevant rules and procedures

Act as Recording Secretary at BoM meetings (See Note below)

Ensure the requirements of legislation are met (BoM seeks legal advice)

Act as Health and Safety Officer

Act as Maintenance Officer

File and secure BoM documents safely

Act as ‘Out of hours’ Key Holder

Provide a School Financial Report ratiﬁed by the BoM to the Patron Body

Act as Fire and Security Alarms contact

Maintain accurate ﬁnancial records

Ensure all contractors have submitted health, safety & insurance documentation

Ensure accident/incident forms are completed in accordance with the Health & Safety Statement

Facilitate use of the school premises for use as a polling station, if required. (Mandated by the Electoral Returning Officer, not optional for the school)

REFLECTIONS LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Against

the HEAD DAMIAN WHITE PRINCIPAL, SCOIL SHINCHILL, KILLEIGH, CO. OFFALY Many springs ago an English prop forward paradoxically named Smart gave a Parisienne hotel room the rock star treatment in the wake of his team’s final Championship game in Parc de Princes. The bill for his cage fight with the furniture cost the RFU the equivalent of what it would have taken to rebuild Twickenham. His excuse? He claimed to have touched the ball for the first time in 3 matches. Excitement had gotten the better of him. At the time prop forwards propped the scrum. They didn’t carry the ball. They didn’t kick the ball. They didn’t pass. They didn’t lift anybody in the line out. They arrived at a ruck and collapsed like a sow on top of a pile of slightly fitter colleagues and rested. A kick was allowed, but only if an unfortunate opponent’s rear end emerged on the wrong side of a maul. A ball carrier was a lithe fellow with No.10 to 15 on his razor back. Today’s prop is different to say the least. He is expected to have specialist skills as well as a decent competency in all the game’s facets. He must be an athlete, built like a tree trunk and at all times tactically aware, even under the most extreme physical pressure. A school principal would empathise. I’m not for a minute suggesting principalship was easier many years ago. Mr Smart, by the way, was disassembling Anglo French relations around the time I took the reins. The job was more rudimentary. Once the oil was in stock, the insurance paid, the registers and rolls kept, the corrections done, the notes dusted (and ironed if necessary), life was straight-forward enough. Today’s principal, by comparison must be a ball carrier, tackler, lifter, kicker and motivator, while managing to remain onside at all times. The problem arises when the school’s Cian Healy or Niamh Briggs is at the bottom of a ruck and they are expected to roll away and pass the ball with soft hands. Like the teaching Principal who could end up having to observe

20 20

and mark diplomas.

colleagues

for

their

I recently heard a phrase which chilled me a little, I’ll admit. An inspector, quizzed on why principals were to be expected to do what was formerly in their bailiwick and what Cigirí would now be doing in its place, replied ‘Principals will inspect’.

A number of Principals I spoke with recently, having gone through the WSE process, described themselves as underwhelmed, in spite of the countless hours they had invested in getting everything right. I have no problem with this aspect of their role - as a principal, an inspector’s advice is always welcome. Is this going to be their key role as regards the schools in their caseload? Are inspectors to be hidebound by checklists? A number of Principals I spoke with recently, having gone through the WSE process, described themselves as underwhelmed, in spite of the countless hours they had invested in getting everything right. Praise was scarce in the oral feedback, in spite of happy children, bursting files and beautiful classrooms. The few negatives were the key focus. Props used to just prop. When they won a ball against the head or wheeled the scrum they got a pat on the back. Six inches above the target if they lost. Inspectors are talented educators who have changed roles mid career

and have heretofore carried out a selection of essential tasks, including inspection. A Frenchman, Maupassant, who defined the separation of powers, saw the need for checks and balances in any democratic institution. ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ was his mantra. He never witnessed the destructive power of an eight man (or woman) push. Inspectors, who have successfully probated thousands of teachers, will now have but one job face to face with frontline staff. That, my friends, wouldn’t be Smart.

‘

And Finally… M

eala came home all excited the ﬁrst day of school. She had a new teacher who allowed the kids to sit with whomever they wanted, and they could pick any group name they wanted. My daughter proudly announced that there were only girls in her group and they were the “Rainbow Fudgeballs Group”. That was Monday 1st September. By the Wednesday, she sadly announced that there were now boys in their group and that they had been renamed “Bord Glas” by the new teacher. How quickly she learned. Sé McCarthy, St. Joseph’s NS, Rathwire, Co. Westmeath

Talking about Botany Science Or what it is I love In detail. Failing To see The ignorance The impatience. Why are they angry When they look happy? Crying when they feel joy? Why does one thing always mean another? Like gay meaning happy And a form of sexuality? Why do they say ‘when life gives you lemons Make lemonade’ In order to demonstrate chances in life?

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together. Jesse Jackson

’

Q. What’s the longest piece of furniture in the school? A. The multiplication table.

LONELY PLANET By Aileen Corcoran They say I am A multitude of intelligence Locked inside A bubble.

QUOTATIONS

What do lemons have to do with chances anyway?

Why do people say I am on a lonely planet? Or in a little world of my own? I am in the world Owned by man I just need to understand it.

Why do they say ‘a leopard never changes it’s spots’ To say that people never change, Or that ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ To say it’s raining heavily, When leopards are not people, And it is impossible for clouds to perspire dogs and cats?

Not the world and that it is covered in eighty percent water Or that it was not invented by God because one man cannot make the world in seven days.

Why do lots of emotions confuse me? Like when I am sad and confused and angry because someone dies, Even though their dead and what is the point in crying That my head hurts and my eyes swim And I can’t think of anything So I rock and hold my head While saying The Entire Periodic Table Until I Reach One hundred?

Aileen is in her second year at UCC, studying English with psychology. It is her dream to become an author one day. She has an interest in Autistic Spectrum Disorders, because she shares many traits with those on the spectrum. If assessed today, she believes she would have ASD herself. ‘Lonely Planet’ was inspired by books about Autism and Asperger’s, such as ‘A Friend Like Henry’ by Nuala Gardner, and ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ by Mark Haddon.

‘

But the people in the world and why I cannot reach out to them And why they cannot attempt to reach out to me Just because I ﬁnd it scary to look into their eyes. Because of this I think illogically, And wish that I was alone in the world with my books And then it would indeed be A lonely planet Without The confusion Of Others.

NS QUOTATIO ope. dealer in h

a A leader is aparte oleon Bon Nap

’