ISSUE 105 / SEPTEMBER 2018
+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS
IPPN’S
TOP PRIORITIES for Budget 2019
1. — 2. — 3. —
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Have you seen the newly-redeveloped EducationPosts.ie? Since its initial launch in 2002, EducationPosts.ie, owned and operated by IPPN, has played a pivotal role in the advertising of educationrelated job vacancies across the education sector. EducationPosts.ie advertises job posts across Pre-school, Primary, Post Primary, Higher and Further Education, Other Education and International job posts. Over the last four years alone, the number of education-related job posts has doubled, resulting in 17,000 job posts advertised on EducationPosts.ie in 2017. Over the years, IPPN has had to continue to invest in technology and resources to maintain and support the increased level of traffic and the number of activations on the site. There are over 115,000 active registered account holders. The site is maintained and managed by Support Office staff on a daily basis. All adverts are manually reviewed and activated and all queries are answered in a timely manner. The newly-redeveloped Education Posts.ie, launched in August, has seen the introduction of many new and exciting features. Many of these features were requested by you, the site user. In identifying new features and improvements, we have considered every correspondence sent through to us from both job-seekers and job advertisers and we consulted with management bodies, the Department of Education and Skills and other stakeholders.
EducationPosts.ie does not receive any government or department grant aid. All technical costs and the dayto-day running of the site have been absorbed by IPPN. Adverts were previously activated free of charge to DES schools in Ireland. However, due to the considerable resources, both staff and technical, and the financial investment required to maintain the site and to cover day-to-day running costs, providing a free advertising service is no longer viable. Noting that 55% of the adverts placed in 2017 were nonprimary adverts. The launch of the new site has seen the introduction of a nominal administrative charge for job adverts. This will ensure that IPPN, as a not-for-profit professional organisation, can continue to reinvest in leadership support and other services directly benefiting our members. The charge being introduced is €30 per job advert. This nominal charge will help support the day-to-day running of the site, while still being dramatically cheaper than the cost of advertising in any newspaper. We have reviewed site analytics and activity, and we have put measures in place to ensure that the introduction of this cost has minimal impact on IPPN members. Therefore, IPPN members will be subsidised with three free advertising credits for the coming year. IPPN members can log on using their IPPN username and password by visiting the Login page and selecting the purple button ‘Login as IPPN member’.
We are excited about the opportunities that the newly-redeveloped site will bring for EducationPosts.ie and we hope you will be too. We look forward to your continued support. If you would like to make any suggestions or provide feedback, you can do so by emailing info@ educationposts.ie. New site features include: l Job advertiser account creation and personalised dashboard l Generate multiple advertiser profiles within the same organisation l Create school / organisation profile l Upload school logo l School information will be stored and available for use on future adverts l Unique Advert ID for every advert l View all active, pending and expired adverts l Upload PDF documents or include web links within your advert l Instantly delete adverts l Receive relevant communication directly from EducationPosts.ie l We have also introduced a personalised dashboard for jobseekers with many new features.
6
Moving Forward with SSE
PAGE
Supporting all schools to engage effectively with School Self-evaluation (SSE) will be an important priority for the education system in the period 2018 to 2020.
16
Partner Principals
PAGE
IPPN ran a pilot called Ger Ruane discussesthe pilot scheme, ‘Partner Principals’, run by IPPN from January to June 2018.
30
Charity Sector & Governance of Primary Schools
As the CEO of one of the partners in education, I see how strong and positive governance and leadership in schools is crucial to how children navigate their time at school.
PAGE
Top Priorites for Budget 2019
3
Your top priorities are never far from our minds, especially as we embark on a new school year.
1. — 2. — 3. —
The Role of the Deputy Principal
10
PAGE
PAGE
THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS
The editorial of Leadership+ Issue 104 described deputy principals as ‘co-leaders’. Thankfully, the Department also recognises the importance of the role of Deputy Principal.
Opting Out
25
PAGE
+ Leadership
An admissions policy will now have to ‘provide details of the school’s arrangements for students who do not wish to attend religious instruction.’ This is more commonly known as ‘opting out.’ Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co. Cork • 1890 21 22 23 • www.ippn.ie Editor: Geraldine D’Arcy Editorial Team: Geraldine D’Arcy, Páiric Clerkin and David Ruddy n Comments to: editor@ippn.ie n Advertising: Jennifer McCarthy Jennifer.mccarthy@ippn.ie n ISSN: 1649-5888 n Design: Brosna Press n n
The opinions expressed in Leadership+ do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of IPPN
Signposts ISSUE 105 / SEPTEMBER 2018
1
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
POLASAÍ DON OIDEACHAS GAELTACHTA
faoi lán seoil sna scoileanna Gaeltachta
BLÁTHNAID NÍ GHRÉACHÁIN ARDFHEIDHMEANNACH, GAELSCOILEANNA TEO
Cuireadh tús le feidhmiú an Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 2017-2022 sna bunscoileanna Gaeltachta i Meán Fómhair 2017. Is é an Polasaí seo an chéad straitéis chuimsitheach don Oideachas sa Ghaeltacht ó bunaíodh an Stát agus fáiltítear go mór roimhe. Is de bharr feachtasaíochta ó mhúinteoirí Gaeltachta agus ó eagrais Gaeilge, Gaeloideachas ina measc le blianta agus na dtuarascálacha* a foilsíodh idir 2007 -2014 inár léiríodh práinn na géarchéime teanga sa Ghaeltacht a forbraíodh an Polasaí. I ranganna na naíonán beag sna Gaeltachtaí síneann réimse cumais Ghaeilge na bpáistí ó chainteoirí dúchais go páistí le beagán Gaeilge agus páistí nach bhfuil focal Gaeilge acu. Freastalaíonn múinteoirí na Gaeltachta ar réimse leathan riachtanas teanga in aon rang amháin. Is scoileanna beaga 2/3 oide iad formhór na mbunscoileanna Gaeltachta agus dá réir bíonn múinteoir amháin ag freastal ar riachtanais churaclaim cheithre rang, le réimse leathan cumas intleachtúil agus teanga iontu. De réir an tAcht Oideachais 1998, ní mór do na scoileanna a bheith ag feidhmiú trí mheán na Gaeilge, agus leagtar béim ar fhreagrachtaí na scoileanna i limistéir Ghaeltachta cur le cothabháil na Gaeilge mar theanga phobail. Anois, le feidhmiú an Pholasaí, tá treoir, forbairt ghairmiúil, acmhainní agus tacaíocht ar fáil do scoileanna ag an mbunleibhéal agus an iarbhunleibhéal chun dul i ngleic go dearfach agus go muiníneach leis na dúshláin a bhaineann le comhthéacs an oideachais Gaeltachta. Is iad na gnéithe is suntasaí den Pholasaí nua ná go bhfuil aitheantas mar bhunscoil Ghaeltachta anois ag brath ar chomhlíonadh 13 critéar agus an chéad cheann acu ná “clár lántumtha dhá bhliain trí Ghaeilge a chur i bhfeidhm sa tsraith naíonán, tráth nach múinfear Béarla ar bith lena linn. Céim an-shuntasach agus tábhachtach ar mhaithe le caomhnú 2
agus forbairt teanga na bpáistí is ea an critéar seo. Tá feidhmiú an chláir dhá bhliain luath-thumoideachais bunaithe ar shaineolas agus ar thaighde theangeolaíoch náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta, áit a chruthaítear gurb é an cur chuige is éifeachtaí é le bunús láidir a chur faoi T1 na scoile (An Ghaeilge). Freastalóidh sé ar riachtanais an fhoghlaimeora teanga agus treiseoidh sé cumas an chainteora dúchais.
I ranganna na naíonán beag sna Gaeltachtaí síneann réimse cumais Ghaeilge na bpáistí ó chainteoirí dúchais go páistí le beagán Gaeilge agus páistí nach bhfuil focal Gaeilge acu. Tá glactha ag 106 as 134 bhunscoil Ghaeltachta leis an bPolasaí trí chur isteach ar an Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta. Sa scoilbhliain 2017/18 cuireadh pleananna gníomhaíochta le chéile don Scéim, glacadh le cuairteanna comhairleacha ón gcigireacht, freastalaíodh ar sheimineáir agus cheardlanna FGL ó COGG agus ar chruinnithe poiblí chun an pobal a chur ar an eolas faoin bPolasaí. Anuas ar sin, bíonn Gaeloideachas ar fáil mar chrann taca do na scoileanna Gaeltachta agus ag feidhmiú de réir a gcuid riachtanais. I measc a cuid seirbhísí tacaíochta áirítear cuairteanna comhairliúchán ar scoileanna; achainí a dhéanamh ar riachtanais na scoileanna mar aon le hardú feasachta don phobal ar bhuntáistí an tumoideachais. Féach anseo físeán gearr faoin oideachas Gaeltachta: https://tinyurl.com/ yd73hzmr Faoin tráth seo, tá scoileanna ag tabhairt aghaidh go dícheallach agus go fonnmhar ar na spriocanna a
bhaint amach le bheith aitheanta mar scoil Ghaeltachta. Tá na pleananna gníomhaíochta faofa ag an Roinn, tá deontas acmhainní €1,200 faighte ag scoileanna agus tá uaireanta breise tacaíochta teanga bronnta ar na scoileanna. Ach níl ann ach an tús, agus tá raon leathan spriocanna le baint amach go fóill. I measc na riachtanais is mó atá ann le rathúlacht na scéime a chinntiú ná go mbeidh soláthar múinteoirí le líofacht Ghaeilge ann mar aon le tuiscint agus spéis sa chóras oideachais Gaeltachta. Léiriú eile ratha a bheidh ann ná tacaíochtaí Riachtanais Speisialta Oideachais trí mheán na Gaeilge a bheith ar fáil agus ar chomhchéim leo siúd atá ar fáil trí Bhéarla agus tá Gaeoloideachas ag treabhadh an ghoirt seo le cinntiú go bhfuil na riachtanais seo curtha faoi bhráid na Roinne agus an CNOS. Tá i gceist go mbeidh meastóireacht leanúnach á déanamh ar fheidhmiú an Pholasaí lena chinntiú go mbeidh scoileanna ag fáil na dtacaíochtaí is gá chun go mbeidh leas ar a gcuid oibre. Guíonn Gaeloideachas gach rath ar scoileanna sa bhliain scoile atá romhainn agus iad ag obair go dian i dtreo aitheantais mar scoil Ghaeltachta a bhaint amach. Tagairtí litríochta ar fáil trí ríomhphost chuig editor@ippn.ie
IPPN Special Schools Survey is still open – 91 principals of special schools have already participated. You will find the survey on https:// tinyurl.com/y6wy4p52
September 2018
EDITORIAL
IPPN’S
TOP PRIORITIES FOR BUDGET 2019 One of the hottest on record, coupled with a soccer World Cup and Papal visit - this summer is a season to remember. We hope that you enjoyed the holidays and that building works or recruitment, to mention a few potential disrupters, did not unduly shorten your break.
HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR CAPACITY TO OPERATE IN AN INCREASING COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT? 1. Attend your IPPN County Network AGM – a wealth of key information and a chance to get involved at leadership level with IPPN.
Your top priorities are never far from our minds, especially as we embark on a new school year. The best opportunity to advance one leadership and management day per week for school leaders with full-time teaching responsibilities and to fully restore management posts in medium and larger size schools is to lobby our politicians in advance of the Budget on October 9th. IPPN has advocated and lobbied to advance these priorities at every single opportunity when meeting with our Minister and senior DES officials. Equally, we sought and received support from all our education partners in relation to these goals.
2. Don’t underestimate the influence of your position in society. You are part of the fabric of your community. Communicate your situation directly to your local political representatives in person. The most effective way is to invite politicians to your school. They need to hear first-hand how schools have changed and to appreciate that the sustainability of school leadership has a direct impact on teaching and learning. Alternatively, call to a clinic, or phone or email. In our new political landscape, all politicians – both government and opposition - should be contacted. Politicians do listen and want the best for school leaders, pupils and parents. The issue for our Minister and his officials is how to allocate finite resources. If you feel our priorities are worth fighting for, make your voice heard in advance of Budget Day - October 9th.
Has there been any success? Yes! In 2015 and again from the start of this academic year, there has been a small increase in leadership and management days (‘release days’). Equally, the moratorium on management posts in smaller schools was lifted. WHAT IS IPPN DOING PRESENTLY? We recently submitted a pre-budget submission, highlighting these two top priorities; one leadership and management day per week for teaching principals and the alleviation of the moratorium on posts of responsibility for all schools. We
PÁIRIC CLERKIN AND DAVID RUDDY have also forwarded a submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills highlighting the challenges facing teaching principals and outlining how further alleviation measures would make the job more sustainable. We look forward to addressing the committee later this month. We will continue to highlight and explain how such measures can enhance teaching and learning in schools.
We recently submitted a pre-budget submission, highlighting these two top priorities; one leadership and management day per week for teaching principals and the alleviation of the moratorium on posts of responsibility for all schools.
Níl neart le chéile. Best wishes for the year ahead!
33
ADMISSIONS TO SCHOOL ACT 2018 DAVID RUDDY BL
The new legal framework for school admissions
IPPN PRESIDENT
WHY IS THIS ACT NECESSARY? The purpose of the Act is to ensure that the way in which schools decide on applications for admission is fair, structured, transparent and nondiscriminatory. The Act amends sections of the Education Act 1998, Education Welfare Act 2000 and the Equal Status Act 2000.The core of the new act deals with Admissions, Appeals and additional provision for children with special educational needs. It also provides for the designation of schools. WHEN DOES THE ACT COME INTO FORCE? Whilst it is already enacted it is anticipated that the act may be fully commenced to apply to pupils entering schools for the academic year 2019-2010. IPPN will be part of the consultation process managed by the Department of Education and Skills (DES) in preparation for the commencement of the Act.
4
Mandatory requirements of the Act include an Admissions Policy. This policy includes a non-discriminatory Admission Statement in accordance with the Equal Status Act 2000. WHAT MUST AN ADMISSION STATEMENT CONTAIN? The school shall not discriminate on any of the following grounds: 1. Gender – single-sex schools may refuse but must contain a nondiscrimination statement 2. Civil status 3. Family status 4. Sexual orientation 5. Religion – the ‘baptism barrier’ has been removed for Catholic primary schools but retained for minority faiths. Schools promoting a certain religious ethos cannot refuse on the basis of religion but only on the basis of the refusal being essential to maintain the ethos of the school 6. Disability 7. Race
8. Traveller community 9. Special Educational Needs (SEN). WHAT ARE THE OTHER MANDATORY ASPECTS OF AN ADMISSION POLICY? 1. Characteristic spirit of the school to be outlined 2. Details of school’s arrangements for students who do not wish to attend religious instruction 3. Selection criteria to be applied when there are excess applications over places 4. Board of Management must publish details of procedures for appealing decision to refuse admission 5. No voluntary contributions in advance 6. All applicants shall be admitted save in the following circumstances: a) School full b) Parents fail to give a written undertaking to accept the Code of Behaviour.
LEGAL DIARY WHAT ARE THE PROHIBITIONS IN AN ADMISSION POLICY? 1. Applications submitted after the birth of children or years in advance of them actually attending school 2. Attendance at preschool 3. Requirement of parents to attend interview 4. Students’ academic ability, skills, aptitude 5. Relationship with certain category of person (Siblings rule will still be valid. A cap of 25% on places allocated to children of past pupils) 6. Occupation or financial status of the parents 7. Schools must a) provide a waiting list maintained in priority order and valid for a school year. b) provide students with reasons for refusal of an offer and given their number on the waiting list. c) inform an unsuccessful applicant that they may appeal against a decision by the Principal to refuse admission and set out the appeal procedures to the board in the first instance and possibly section 29 thereafter.
All Irish primary and post primary schools who teach primarily through Gaeilge can give priority to Irish-speaking children. Parents will have to give evidence of pupils using Irish in their daily lives. WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT? 1. Determining, and preparing the draft admission policy(DAP) must be done within 3 months of the commencement of the Act. 2. Seeking patron approval for the DAP 3. Amending the DAP if modification required. (Seek patron approval again) 4. Publishing the policy 5. Hearing appeals in relation to implementation of decisions by the principal. Non adherence to these procedures will render the policy invalid.
WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF THE PRINCIPAL? 1. Implementation of the policy 2. Accountable to the Board for its implementation 3. The Principal, Board, and the Patron must follow procedures, processes and time limits set down in the Act or prescribed under its regulations. WHAT IS AN ANNUAL ADMISSION NOTICE? Prior to accepting applications for admission an annual admission notice shall be published. This notice will give notice of the admission policy, application form, dates for acceptance and closing dates to include a minimum 3-week period. A notification date and acceptance date is also required. WHAT OBLIGATIONS REST WITH PARENTS? An offer may be withdrawn information is fraudulent.
if
Parents who have received an offer must indicate in writing that they have accepted the offer of a place or are awaiting confirmation of any such offer at another school and give the relevant details. CAN A SCHOOL BE DESIGNATED? The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) or Child and Family Agency (Tusla) can designate a school in the case of a pupil with no school place in relation to Special Educational Needs or otherwise. Both bodies may do so at their own volition or following a parental request. Once designated, a school must accept or appeal the designation. The parents may appeal if the NCSE or Tusla refuse to designate. WHAT ABOUT GAELSCOILEANNA? All Irish primary and post primary schools who teach primarily through Gaeilge can give priority to Irishspeaking children. Parents will have to give evidence of pupils using Irish in their daily lives. IS THERE MINISTERIAL OR PATRON OVERSIGHT? Yes, there is a provision for a direction to the Board and the appointment of an independent person by the Patron or Minister. This provision can be utilised when a Board has failed to publish an admission statement or fails to comply with legislative requirements in relation to admission. A patron may initially direct the Board or, in default, appoint an independent
person to carry out the remit of the Board. As a last resort, the Minister may appoint an independent person when the Patron has not implemented the directive of the Minister or has failed to appoint an independent person. These provisions effectively mean a Board can be stood down in relation to the administration of the Admissions to School Policy, and yet may continue to discharge its other functions.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) or Child and Family Agency (Tusla) can designate a school in the case of a pupil with no school place in relation to Special Educational Needs or otherwise. OBSERVATION This Act contains many proposals which will level the playing pitch in relation to admission for many pupils. The proposal to require school principals to administer the enrolment process directly, as opposed to the BoM, is new in theory but not in practice. The principal will then, on the appeal of an unsuccessful applicant, need to justify the refusal to enrol to the BoM, possibly to the NCSE or Tusla, and thereafter to a Section 29 Appeals Committee. The designation of schools is also new. It is estimated that about 20% of schools are oversubscribed and it is the admission policies of these schools that will come under scrutiny by parents of unsuccessful applicants. The commencement of this new act will be well flagged. In the meantime, BoMs should prepare by placing the new Act on the agenda for discussion - being forewarned is to be forearmed.
See enclosed flyer for information about IPPN Autumn County Network meetings in your county
5
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Moving forward with SSE
DR LEO KILROY DIVISIONAL INSPECTOR IN THE INSPECTORATE’S EVALUATION SUPPORT AND RESEARCH UNIT Supporting all schools to engage effectively with School Self-evaluation (SSE) will be an important priority for the education system in the period 2018 to 2020. Many school leaders have welcomed the fact that SSE is back up and running and are working with their school communities on re-engaging with SSE following the guidance issued earlier this year in Circular 0016/2018. The SSE process helps us to review how effectively our schools are meeting the needs of learners in the context of implementing curriculum programmes that are appropriate and challenging. SSE provides us with the tools, resources and best-practice approaches to facilitate a real focus on effective learning and teaching in classrooms and throughout the school. Circular 0016/2018 provides specific guidance to schools on re-engaging with the SSE process. SSE is still, of course, essentially concerned with four critical questions: How well are we doing? What are our strengths? What are our areas for improvement? How can we improve? Circular 0016/2018 amended the expectations for the second cycle of SSE (2016-2020) and this article focuses on some key points that school leaders may find useful. AREA OF FOCUS The area of focus that you choose will really depend on your school’s context; SSE will look different in every school. Between now and the end of 2020, schools are asked to engage with either one or two areas of focus. An area of focus is something that is a priority for the school; it can be a curriculum area or a generic aspect of teaching and learning. For many schools, the implementation of the Primary Language Curriculum (PLC) is a significant priority and, understandably, many schools will use the SSE process for that purpose.
6
LOOKING AT OUR SCHOOL 2016 School leaders, teachers and SSE partners within school communities are becoming very familiar with the quality framework Looking at Our School 2016 (LAOS). One of its key intended purposes is to guide the thinking of schools, teachers, and boards as they engage in SSE. There is no single way of using LAOS; many school leaders are already finding creative ways for it to inform their SSE processes. We encourage a school not to focus on too many of the standards in LAOS but rather on one or two that are particularly relevant to its priority area of focus. Many school leaders are reporting that they find the statements of effective and highly effective practice in LAOS helpful in identifying strengths and areas for development. BRINGING ABOUT IMPROVEMENT The ultimate purpose of SSE is to improve the experiences and outcomes of pupils in your school. Gathering evidence, analysing and making judgements, and creating and sharing the improvement plan are all important parts of the process. However, it is really at step 5 of the SSE process, ‘Put improvement plan into action,’ that things begin to change. That is the critical step in the process and probably the one that needs most energy and commitment at classroom, staff and whole-school level. BOARD OF MANAGEMENT SSE also supports a school’s board of management in thinking about teaching and learning. There is value, for example, in keeping SSE as a standing agenda item at board meetings. In addition, the annual checklist for boards of management (available in the Resources section of the SSE website) is a useful way for the board to begin to reflect on its own oversight role. TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION We know schools are at different stages in their re-engagement with SSE. If your school has not yet recommenced its engagement with SSE, it will be important to establish a
first area of focus to get the process moving again. You probably have some evidence already available to you to get you started. By reflecting on this collaboratively with your staff and the board, and by gathering additional information as needed, you can begin to identify strengths and areas for development and plan for the improvements needed. We are encouraging schools to be ready to commence the implementation phase as early as is feasible in the 2018/19 school year. SUPPORTS FOR SSE The SSE website, www.schoolselfevaluation.ie has some great resources to support schools as they re-engage with SSE. Keep an eye out for the SSE Update, an E-zine that issues twice yearly. There is also a Twitter and Facebook feed. The Inspectorate organised regional SSE seminars in Spring 2018 and we plan to organise some more during the 2018/19 school year. Inspectors are also available to provide SSE advisory visits. You can request an SSE visit by emailing info@ schoolself-evaluation.ie. Final thoughts SSE is really about promoting and embedding a culture of professional reflection about learning and teaching in all schools and taking targeted actions to ensure that school development and improvement happens. SSE supports school leaders, teachers, school management and the wider school community to take ownership of quality in their own school and to make incremental improvements in teaching and learning. Every school is different and will be at a different point on the SSE journey. Together, we have discovered that schools that identified a small number of discrete but significant actions have had greater success. SSE is about regular, sustainable changes in practice that become part of a school’s shared practice. As one school put it, for SSE to really work it must be about ‘Every classroom, every teacher, every day!’
REFLECTIONS
Principal Envy A MORTAL SIN
DAMIAN WHITE PRINCIPAL OF SCOIL SHINCHILL, KILLEIGH, CO. OFFALY AND A MEMBER OF IPPN’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS I’ve just entered my 25th year as a school principal, with the belly and the wispy thatch to show for it. It’s probably 24 more years than I thought I’d last, when the enormity of what I’d just undertaken hit me in the last week of August 1994. I was married just 3 weeks, Offaly were about to take on Limerick in the All Ireland final and, in between, I was handed a large bunch of keys and shown where the roll book was by the recently-retired and, thankfully, still hale and hearty Tom Flynn. The fact that 2 out of 3 of those situations continue to be and to prosper is a tribute to an empathetic wife and .... well, nothing else really! Six teachers and one visiting ‘Remedial’ teacher, 184 pupils and a caretaker under the FÁS scheme were my fellow travellers during that first year. A Mórthuairsc (a prehistoric WSE for new readers) was launched on us before the first month was over, just to keep the mind focussed. Some weeks into the first term, I met a young lady who had also been appointed that summer. I told her about our impending inspectorial enema. ‘Gosh’ she replied, ‘he told me we were due one but he wouldn’t dream of landing me with it in the first year!’ My first brush with Principal envy took hold. Envy, I learned at primary school, is a sin, which breaks the 9th and 10th Commandments. Coveting a man’s wife or his goods could be seen as sexist in today’s parlance. Thankfully, I was never guilty of the former, but the latter, I’m afraid, sees me in mortal territory. I envied my principal colleague for the inspector’s lenience. I envied the few administrative principals in the area. I envied those who had a school secretary, not a ‘given’ at the time. I envied those without split classes. I envied those with the experience to know how to handle issues which were new to me. I also believed every initiative in every other school should be introduced in our school. By me.
It’s difficult to create a picture of how principals related to each other pre-IPPN. One from the generation older than me described how you’d hide your good charts and ideas if you thought a principal might be voting in your school on election or referendum days. An idea shared was an advantage lost by your school. From 1999 onwards, a culture change came about whereby all good ideas were shared. This was also at a time when the Revised Curriculum was being introduced and the expectation was that each school would have a plan for every element of every subject soon after the CPD was provided. Principals felt grateful for plans shared on the IPPN website upon which they could base their own school documents. Fuelled with gratitude, they shared their own and a culture was established. Today, it would be unthinkable for schools with good ideas or plans not to share with schools locally and nationally.
I sense that some principals in small schools envy the office-bound principal in the local town. And vice versa. A principal in a 2-teacher school who has a difference of opinion with 2-3 families has a potentially devastating and demoralising issue on their hands. Such an issue would scarcely feature in a large school community but can be the talk of an entire rural neighbourhood if it happens. On the other hand, a principal of a large school, with 30+ staff to deal with, as well as hundreds of families, may look longingly at his/her old college friend who deals with very few personnel issues in their small school. As we begin another year, let’s all take positive stock of our lot. We work in good places, with the chance to make a real difference in people’s lives. While we occasionally complain, on so many other grounds, our profession is the envy of many others.
The Community for Schools in Europe
eTwinning is the main European Union e-learning programme for the effective integration of ICT in education and training systems in Europe. The Digital Strategy for Schools Action Plan 2017 names eTwinning as one of the main “resources and learning opportunities” for Irish teachers.
Interested in connecting with other schools in Europe? Join eTwinning! • It’s free • It’s safe • It’s funded by the EU Contact us: etwinning@leargas.ie 018871206
7
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
IPPN Submissions
GERALDINE D’ARCY
Budget 2019
IPPN RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS MANAGER
IPPN acknowledges the DES’ Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, as well as its Statements of Strategy and other planning initiatives in recent years. However, the plans simply do not go far enough to meet the requirements of school leadership at primary level. IPPN’s top two priorities for Budget 2019 in relation to primary education are: 1. A minimum of one leadership and management day per week for Teaching Principals 2. Restore middle leadership posts in all primary schools. There are a number of other significant issues to be addressed but the above are the top priorities, so we will be focusing our attention on these during this school year. Minimum of One Leadership and Management Day per Week for Teaching Principals More than half (58%) of Irish primary school principals are ‘Teaching Principals’, as close to 2,000 schools in the state have fewer than 177 pupils. The proportion of school leaders who teach has fallen significantly over the past few decades, from almost 80% in 1996 to 58% in 2017. Teaching Principals have two critical roles to fulfil. They have full-time duties as teachers, more often than not teaching in multi-grade settings. They are also school principals with significant leadership and management responsibilities, many of which cannot be delegated. It could be argued that they are doing three jobs because they have only part-time administrative support. They are in an impossible situation – they can focus neither on their teaching nor on their leadership role, both of which are critical to the school, its pupils and its staff. Out of the official 183-day school year, from the 2018/19 school year, 8
Teaching Principals will have a number of leadership and management days (‘release days’) free from teaching duties - where they can find a substitute teacher to cover these days - as set out in the table below The number of teachers counted for the calculation of leadership and management days refers to mainstream class teachers only. It does not take into account additional support and ancillary staff such as learning support teachers, resource teachers, special class teachers, SNAs, ancillary staff or bus escorts, nor other staff such as nurses and occupational therapists that are often allocated to special schools. These additional staff members add huge value to each school but also result in significant additional duties for the Teaching Principal, as all staff must be managed, led and supported. It is also worth noting that the principals of the smallest schools have the least administrative capacity - owing to the wholly inadequate ancillary services grant - and also the fewest days for leadership and management – an inequitable situation that must be urgently addressed. Teaching Principals have the poorest infrastructure (in 2016, 38% had no personal office space or dedicated storage) and the least ancillary staff support, despite the fact that they are teaching full-time and desperately need full-time secretarial support.
It is clear that lack of time to deal effectively with their workload is having a negative effect on Teaching Principals’ ability to focus on leading teaching and learning. This should be a serious concern for the DES because of the inevitable consequences for schools. An international study by the London School of Economics in 2014 concludes that it is leadership that makes schools successful. Michael Fullan’s ‘Quality Leadership <=> Quality Learning: Proof beyond reasonable doubt’ (2006) also makes a powerful argument that if we expect our school leaders to function effectively as leaders, then we must support them with sufficient time to do so. At IPPN’s Conference in January 2015, Dr. Philip Riley – Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne and Program Director of Principal Health and Wellbeing Surveys in Australia and Ireland - presented us with stark evidence that teaching principals’ health and wellbeing is suffering as a direct consequence of their role. He points out that ‘Teaching principals (...) report lower levels of physical and mental health, coping, confidence, autonomy, personal wellbeing and a raft of other negative factors, along with the highest levels of work-related stress. (…) The current report
School Size
Leadership & Management Days per school year
% time allocated to school leadership by DES
Principal + 0/1/2 teachers
17 days
9%
Principal + 3/4 teachers
23 days
13%
Principal + 5/6 teachers
29 days
16%
September 2018
presents strong evidence of the negative factors associated with the role.’ In short, the health and well-being of almost 60% of the primary school leaders in our country is at serious risk! In this context, it is ironic that school leaders are being asked to implement strategies to protect and minimize risks for the children in their care while their own workload impacts significantly on their own health and well-being. There has been a marked increase in the number of principals using IPPN’s Leadership Support service in recent years. Many are stressed and overwhelmed by the challenges of the dual role. Many are availing of early retirement or stepping back from leadership to focus solely on teaching, as there is no dignified, fair process for principals to step down without loss of seniority and pension. In short, the current situation is unsustainable - something has to change. IPPN RECOMMENDATION IPPN’s main objective is a minimum of one leadership and management day per week for Teaching Principals. While it may be difficult to achieve this in one step/budget, we anticipate and seek progress each year in terms of ‘leadership and management days’ such that by 2020, all Teaching Principals would have at least one day per week to focus on their leadership role. To ensure adequate and consistent cover for Teaching Principals, a national panel of qualified substitute teachers allocated to clusters of schools needs to be established. Of the 137 special schools currently in operation, 18 are led by teaching principals. Due to the complexities of the role of principal of a special school, the large numbers of non-teaching staff and many special schools catering for both primary and postprimary pupils, IPPN recommends that principals of all special schools automatically be designated as administrative principals. RESTORE MIDDLE LEADERSHIP POSTS IN ALL PRIMARY SCHOOLS Principals’ work overload is a welldocumented issue, with numerous surveys confirming that the role is
unsustainable without an appropriate middle leadership structure in place. The moratorium on middle leadership posts meant that many schools lost their entire management team, with the exception of the Deputy Principal post. Middle leadership has a significant role in school selfevaluation and school improvement planning, the management of special educational needs, mentoring of new staff and, in larger schools, managing communication. The delegation of duties and areas of responsibility to the Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal roles is central to the effective functioning of any school. It provides a very necessary support for Principals in carrying out their role. This is fully acknowledged in DES circular 63/2017 – Leadership and Management in Primary Schools, which IPPN very much welcomed.
There has been a marked increase in the number of principals using IPPN’s Leadership Support service in recent years. Many are stressed and overwhelmed by the challenges of the dual role. IPPN also welcomed the partial restoration of middle leadership posts, and understood and supported the rationale behind the prioritisation of smaller schools, if it was not possible to achieve full restoration in one school year. Larger schools have significant leadership and management challenges also, and they also require sufficient middle leadership capacity to deliver quality teaching and learning, as well as to meet the myriad requirements of the education system. IPPN RECOMMENDATION IPPN is calling for the moratorium to now be lifted from all schools, to ensure that the rebuilding of leadership and management capacity can be facilitated right across the sector. In this context, IPPN considers, in particular, that: The Principal’s role as instructional leader may necessitate delegating particular areas of the curriculum to curriculum leaders / co-ordinators
Some of the day-to-day management and administration tasks of the school must be delegated to the middle leadership team The middle leadership structure should be tasked with relieving the Principal of substantial administration and communications responsibilities, as the post-holders will be responsible for these aspects of their particular areas of responsibility. CONCLUSION The quality of leadership in schools impacts directly on the quality of learning of pupils. There is evidence that lack of time and inadequate administrative supports to deal effectively with workload are barriers that prevent Teaching Principals from spending ‘quality time’ on their leadership function and that this is having a particularly negative effect on the health of almost 60% of primary school leaders. This situation is no longer sustainable. Introducing a minimum of one leadership and management day per week would help ease the burden on Teaching Principals and would signal serious intent on the part of the Department to address the serious problems highlighted for many years by IPPN and other education partners in relation to their role. IPPN urges the Department of Finance and the Department of Education and Skills to prioritise primary education in this year’s education budget and to carefully consider the two recommendations made in this submission. IPPN shares Minister Bruton’s vision for Ireland to have the best education system in Europe by 2026. To do this, the Statements of Practice outlined in the DES publication ‘Looking at our Schools 2016‘ need to be achievable by every school. The two priorities set out in this document, if fully funded, would significantly improve the capacity of primary schools and school leaders to fulfil their responsibilities, which will ultimately lead to the improvement in education outcomes for all children. The full submission is available on www.ippn.ie under Advocacy/ Submissions.
9
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
THE ROLE OF THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL in School and in IPPN PAT GOFF IPPN DEPUTY CEO The editorial of Leadership+ Issue 104 described deputy principals as ‘coleaders’. Thankfully, the Department also recognises the importance of the role of Deputy Principal, particularly in the language that they use to describe leadership in schools. The ‘Statements of Practice’ for leadership and management, set out in Looking at our Schools 2016 - a Quality Framework for Primary Schools, provides a common understanding and language around the organisation and practice of leadership and management roles in Irish schools.
Shared leadership requires openness and willingness on the part of principals and deputy principals, to share and to distribute leadership and management responsibilities in a manner that encourages and supports partnership.
High quality leadership is crucial in establishing a central purpose and vision for a school and the achievement of high quality educational outcomes for pupils. The primary purpose of school leadership and management is to create and sustain an environment that underpins high quality pupil care, learning and teaching. Shared leadership requires openness and willingness on the part of principals and deputy principals, to share and to distribute leadership and management responsibilities in a manner that encourages and supports partnership. As stated in Circular 0063/2017, within four years all appointments to the role of Deputy Principal will be by open competition for all schools as it is for principals at present. This will also facilitate those deputy principals that want to remain as a deputy principal but perhaps take on a new challenge in a different school. IPPN welcomes this change.
of School Leaders’. IPPN conducted an in-depth survey of deputy principals in 2016 to better understand their needs, hopes and challenges. In addition, we also conducted a number of focus group meetings around the country. These also fed into the Deputy Principals’ conferences over the past few years, which have seen an increase in attendance of 42% in the last three years. Ideally, IPPN would love to have one conference for school leaders rather than separate principals’ and deputy principals’ conferences. The reality on the ground makes this impossible for now. Almost all of our deputy principals and 58% of our principals have full-time teaching duties. Even if substitute cover was granted by the DES, finding two subs to allow both school leaders to attend conference would be next to impossible. Yet those of you who have attended Forbairt will attest to the value of the Deputy Principal and the Principal attending CPD together. This is an area that IPPN will focus on in the coming years. For the past two years, we have held a summer course specifically for deputy principals, in one venue in 2017 and in two this past summer, with attendance significantly up this year.
IPPN for some time now has also looked at the language we use so as to better reflect our membership of principals and deputy principals. Our new mission statement from 2016 reflects this: ‘To support and advocate for exemplary school leadership’. Just as many of you have a vision for your schools, IPPN’s vision became ‘Empowered Leaders; Inspired Learners’. Likewise, Leadership+ now has a tagline of ‘The Professional Voice 10
The Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, TD and the Chief Inspector Harold Hislop for the first time both gave keynote addresses at the same IPPN event – IPPN Deputy Principals’
Conference 2018. It was obvious from their input that they see the role of the Deputy Principal as one of crucial importance in leading and managing our schools. Of equal importance to IPPN was the high number of deputy principals who signed up to be part of a support group in their area. Some of you already have a very vibrant support group. Starting now, every deputy principal will have the opportunity to join a support group in their area. IPPN is working with the Education Centres to facilitate this. The schedule for our Autumn meetings is on the IPPN website. On the day scheduled for your county meeting, we propose to have a meeting of deputy principals to organise support groups. This meeting will be facilitated by either our President, David Ruddy, our CEO Páiric Clerkin or a member of the Board of IPPN. An email will be sent to you with the details. The Centre for School Leadership (CSL) targeted principals during its pilot phase. Now that they are transitioning to permanent status, IPPN as one of its partners will work to ensure that CSL will be for all school leaders. Yes, there is still work for IPPN to do in supporting fifty percent of our membership, deputy principals. Our next step is to ensure that all members know that all of our supports and services – including mailing lists, leadership support, CPD and professional guidance - are available equally to DPs as to principals.
See ippn.ie – CPD & Events for information provided at the Professional Briefing Day on 5th September
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
What if the Well
Runs Dry? ANGELA LYNCH LEADERSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAMME MANAGER
St. Swithin’s Day: As I sit here watching the rain fall softly and wonder if there will be 40 days of rainfall! I appreciate that we have become really concerned about the water shortage. My neighbour, a farmer, is really worried about the depth of water in his well. We never know the worth of water until the well is dry. This got me thinking about the start of the new school year and the words of Oprah Winfrey “I know for sure that you cannot give to everyone and not give back to yourself. You will end up empty, or at best, less than you can be for yourself, your family and your work. Replenish the well of yourself, for yourself.” It is up to each one of us to replenish our reservoirs of wellbeing. The Wellbeing for Teachers and Learners group, comprising representatives from the Ombudsman for Children, IPPN, NAPD, National Parents Council-Primary and the Teaching Council, adopted the following description for wellbeing. “In education, wellbeing is a state of mind and being that empowers all members of the school community, to fully engage with and create opportunities for growth through all aspects of school life, including quality teaching and learning.”
at staff, BoM and PA meetings to have professional conversations as to how this priority could be promoted through the collective endeavours of the whole school community. The SSE process could be used as a means by which the school could engage in this priority without adding to workload. The wellbeing process might be adopted as a strand. The effectiveness of any school is based on the quality of relationships. If we are to look after the wellbeing of children and put this at the centre of all we do, we must begin with the adults. The relationship between parents and teachers is a key dynamic in the culture of any school. Ways to support both parents and teachers in having better conversations and relationships need to be identified in order to create an authentic culture of wellbeing. Leading this can only be achieved by modelling a positive commitment to one’s own wellbeing. Many examples of this are modelled by schools and school leaders all over the country. In August, at the International Confederation of Principals’ (ICP) meeting in Killarney, some schools who have committed
to wellbeing as a priority showcased the steps they have taken and the effect of these actions on their local communities. Over the course of the next few issues of Leadership+, these schools will share their experience and I hope others will do the same. As a start, I urge you, as a school leader, to commit to prioritising your own wellbeing. Manage your ‘Self‘- you cannot lead anyone else unless you learn to lead yourself. Take some small steps – make sure that you eat your lunch every day. Tke a minute or two to focus on your breathing. Above all, tell your staff what you are doing and why. Encourage them to do the same. Check in with each other at regular intervals to see the effect of the plan. It could be the start of one of the most important professional conversations you will ever have. In the midst of deadlines, challenges, tiredness, rising tempers, Anne Lamott reminds us ‘Almost everything will work again, if you unplug it for a few minutes – including YOU.’
Ongoing professional conversations between all members of the school community that challenge the way things are done, think about how they can be improved and talk about it to others is the most significant way to create an authentic school culture of wellbeing. This authentic culture of wellbeing will empower each individual to be the best they can be as individuals and as part of the collective community that is the school. At the start of this school year you might consider making wellbeing a school priority. Find opportunities 11
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Every great answer starts with a great question AISLING MURRAY TEACHER OF THE WINNING CLASS I came across the Schools Teaching Awareness of Randomised Trials (START) competition last September on the Health Research Board - Trials Methodology Research Network (HRBTMRN) Twitter page. Created by Dr. Sandra Galvin and Prof. Declan Devane to celebrate International Clinical Trials day, the START competition is now in its fourth year. It is run annually by the HRB-TMRN based at NUI Galway and to increase children’s understanding of randomised trials and why they’re needed to improve healthcare. The competition’s uniqueness caught my eye as it allowed the pupils to experience how clinical trials are carried out and discover what constitutes a ‘fair test’, an important skill in the current era. It also gave my class the opportunity to use a wide variety of skills and apply them in an authentic way. Olive Malone, a pupil’s parent and a Clinical Trials Co-Ordinator, explained to the class the importance of clinical research, carrying out a fair test, and how this is used in medical trials. She also simulated a fair trial which
FROM ST. JOSEPH’S NS, KINVARA, GALWAY
involved rice krispie buns, which went down a treat! We mulled over our research question, with many ideas from the pupils. Funnily enough, our idea came in the middle of another lesson, when I asked for pupils (again!) to stop clicking pens while I was talking. This provided a question to which the children were totally committed to finding out the answer: Does silent fidgeting enhance pupils’ concentration levels and ability to listen? The pupils were delighted when the trial revealed that fidgeting had a positive effect on attention i.e., the more they fidgeted, the better their attention! The research was very enjoyable as it gave pupils the opportunity to direct the project and be involved in making decisions in each step. They also showcased different talents, whether it be directing the mini video we shot, interviewing teachers, carrying out the trial itself, or writing up the website. They even chose the silent fidgeting tool (blu tack), so that noise
from fidgeting would not skew results. They also took the role of the teacher, administering the test, scoring the results, and analysing the data. We were thrilled to discover that we were shortlisted; a fantastic recognition of the work the students had put into the project. The students were really excited and very proud of what they had achieved. The top schools were treated to a superb day of science workshops at Áras Moyola in NUI Galway by groups such as Cell Explorers, The Bug Doctor and Kitchen Chemistry. This was followed by feedback from judges (Prof. Shaun Treweek from the University of Aberdeen; Sarah Chapman, Knowledge Broker from Cochrane UK; and Dara Glynn, principal of CBS Ennis). Each school was presented with a trophy from BT Young Scientist winner, Simon Meehan, of Coláiste Choilm in Ballincollig, Cork. With balloons, START stickers, and goodie bags of donuts and juices and balloons, we boarded the bus with our trophy back to Kinvara after a very long and thoroughly enjoyable day.
The START (Schools Teaching Awareness of Randomised Trials) competition is run by the Health Research Board – Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TRMN) at NUI Galway to celebrate International Clinical Trials Day. The HRB-TMRN celebrates this important occasion with the help of the younger members of our community. We invite primary school students in 4th, 5th & 6th classes to lead on an exciting project and create their very own fun, randomised clinical trial with the aim of educating students about why we need randomised trials to improve healthcare nationally and globally.
How Can Schools Take Part?
What Can Schools Win?
Teachers and students are asked to identify a suitable research question they can answer using a randomised trial with the help of information resources. Pick a simple, easy to answer question, but use the proper steps of a clinical trial to answer it and report the findings in any way you like, podcast, video, collage or poster, report, it’s up to you to be as creative as you like!
Shortlisted entries will be invited to join the HRB-TMRN in NUI Galway where the winner will be announced and presented with the HRB-TMRN START Trophy 2019. The HRB-TMRN will cover all travel expenses for attending the ceremony and lunch will be provided on the day. Students will also enjoy a series of educational, interactive, fun workshops and learn more about clinical research.
Phone: +353 91 494492
Email: hrb-tmrn@nuigalway.ie
Website: https://www.hrb-tmrn.ie
For further information: https://www.hrb-tmrn.ie/public-engagement/start-competition/ 12
September 2018
Professor John Coolahan An Appreciation The many tributes in national and ed u c a t ion-se c t or pu blication s dedicated to honouring John Coolahan, not to mention the widespread comments on social media, are a testament to the calibre and impact of the man, the visionary, the academic, the friend, on all of us. Most will know Professor Coolahan as lecturer in Carysfort College and University College Dublin, and as emeritus professor of education at NUI Maynooth, where he shaped our understanding of policy over many decades. His crafting of various White Papers and Green Papers for Irish government and his support for, and encouragement of, generations of teachers have influenced perceptions of the importance of education, and of teachers and teacher education. His more recent steering of the equityfocused work of the government’s Forum on Patronage and Pluralism will have lasting positive consequences for generations of children and their parents. His influence went far beyond our shores, with consultancy projects at the World Bank, the OECD, the Council of Europe and the European Commission shaping international education policy as well.
He graduated from St Patrick’s College in Drumcondra in 1951 and taught as a primary teacher for four years, during which time he obtained an MA in English and qualified also as a post-primary teacher. He later added a PhD in the history of education to his qualifications, and wrote very significant books on the topic, notably Irish Education, its History and Structure, published in 1981.
reflection of his - and their - profound commitment to Irish education, and their generosity of spirit. We in IPPN are saddened by John’s passing and offered our sincere condolences to his wife Mary at his funeral, and to his daughters MarieLouise, Iseult and Deirdre, and son William. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal
John’s pride in his roots in Tarbert, Co. Kerry was never far from the surface and he regularly spoke of the influence of his primary and post-primary schools on his life and career, and on his love of the arts – literature and drama in particular. He remained very involved in the community there and was an avid follower of Kerry football. IPPN’s founding president and director, Jim Hayes and Seán Cottrell, involved Professor Coolahan from the very beginning of the organisation and valued his insights and collaboration over almost two decades. As recently as 2016, at the behest of IPPN and NAPD, John led a group of eminent educationalists to co-author Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System, published in early 2017. That they did so pro bono is a
UPDATES Primary Grant Calendar for 2018/ 2019 School Year was issued in July DEIS Grant issued in September
on schools confirming they have achieved their projected enrolments. Confirmation of enrolments for staffing purposes should be done via the submission of the National School Annual Census through the Primary Online Database (POD). Schools with a provisionally-approved post should ensure that their returns are completed as soon as possible after the census becomes available on 1 October 2018. Schools who have any difficulties completing the census return should contact the POD Helpdesk at pod@education.gov.ie.
DEADLINES September: Contracts to be given to new members of staff EVENTS See www.ippn.ie for details n 5 September 2018 – Professional Briefing Day n 11 September – 2 October 2018 – IPPN Autumn Meetings. DES CIRCULARS 40/2018 – Revision to Leadership & Management Days for 2018/2019 School Year
28 September 2018: Final date for receipt of appeals by NCSE in relation to SNA Allocations. 30 September 2018: Schools to confirm to their local SENO that students allocated access to SNA support are attending school using the Confirmation of Attendance form, NCSE Form 6.
5 November 2018: Latest date for filling a permanent post on a permanent basis. Thereafter, a permanent post may be filled only on a fixed-term basis unless the appointee is a permanent/CID holding teacher from the Main Panel.
30 September 2018: Decision on status of posts allocated to schools on a provisional basis will be based 13
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
IPPN Position Paper
Droichead CATRIONA O’REILLY
PRINCIPAL OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL SCHOOL, FERRYBANK, WATERFORD AND A MEMBER OF THE IPPN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
In May 2015, IPPN published a position paper on what was then known as the ‘Droichead Pilot Programme – Induction and Probation of Newly Qualified Teachers’. At that time, IPPN: n recognised that the Teaching Council had a statutory responsibility for establishing procedures and criteria for the induction and probation of Newly-Qualified Teachers (NQTs) n acknowledged the significant importance of the induction and probation period for NQTs n concurred with the stated aim of the Teaching Council of establishing ‘a system for the profession that meets the highest standard, addresses the needs of both pupils and teachers and reflects the realities of the daily life of schools’ n Stated clearly that ‘one size does not fit all’ n Supported the National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT) view of mentoring n Outlined concerns in relation to workload and the possibility of a high level of ‘opt out’ from Droichead n Proposed alternatives to the model outlined under the pilot programme. Since that time, Droichead has undergone significant policy changes: n It is now known as ‘Droichead: The Integrated Professional Induction Framework’ n It no longer includes an evaluative element (what was known as Probation) n It recognises induction as a significant phase in the teacher education continuum and it is seen by the Teaching Council as ‘a socialisation process into the teaching profession’ n The Principal may choose not to be a member of the Professional Support Team (PST) and an external panel is available
14
n
The NQT declares that he/she is ready to move to the next phase on the continuum.
From the time that it was first mooted as a means of inducting and probating NQTs, Droichead has divided opinion among school leaders. In IPPN surveys conducted in 2015 and in 2017, a majority (75%) of members who responded said that they do not wish to engage in a process about which they have expressed serious professional concerns. There are also IPPN members who have engaged with Droichead from the beginning and who believe it is the way forward for inducting NQTs and for further professionalising the role of the school leader.
It is evident from IPPN’s engagement with students during their Initial Teacher Education, and from IPPN’s engagement with members through County Networks, that NQTs are choosing schools that are participating in Droichead over schools that are not. WHAT IPPN HAS HEARD FROM SCHOOL LEADERS Participation in Droichead is not compulsory for schools, however, there is no other means of induction for NQTs in SEN settings or in schools where there are 24+ Mainstream Class teachers (all schools will be in this position by 2020). Schools in these categories that do not wish to participate in Droichead have been left in an untenable position. Do they make the choice not to engage in Droichead, thereby removing the opportunity
for their NQTs to be inducted, or do they participate in a process about which they have serious concerns so that NQTs may be inducted? To say that Droichead is not compulsory for these schools is disingenuous. It is evident from IPPN’s engagement with students during their Initial Teacher Education, and from IPPN’s engagement with members through County Networks, that NQTs are choosing schools that are participating in Droichead over schools that are not. The apparent perception among NQTs that non-Droichead schools are anti-NQT is concerning. The NIPT will no longer train mentors in schools that choose not to participate in Droichead. School leaders have always shared the view that mentoring less experienced colleagues through their first year of teaching is the professional and collegial approach and that this should and will continue. There is disappointment that the NIPT can no longer work with schools outside the Droichead process in the training of mentors. However, it should be pointed out that approximately 64% of schools never engaged with the NIPT when that opportunity was available to them. The evaluative element has been completely removed from the Droichead process. As professionals who are committed to maintaining and raising standards, school leaders believe that this is a retrograde step and that it compromises the integrity of the profession. At no time did school leaders ask that the evaluative element of induction and probation be removed entirely. The concern was not around evaluation, rather who should evaluate. School leaders who have engaged with Droichead in its pilot phase have described it as worthwhile for the whole staff. While acknowledg-
September 2018
ing that participation resulted in an increased workload for the Principal and members of the PST, those school leaders also say that the investment in NQTs paid dividends in the long run, for both NQTs and the schools concerned. Workload continues to be a determining factor for school leaders in relation to their participation in Droichead. Almost 60% of primary school principals have full-time teaching duties. Principals cannot consider participating in Droichead until such time as they have sufficient leadership and management (‘release’) time and adequate substitute cover to do so. In the case of Teaching Principals, this would need to be in addition to IPPN’s main priority of one leadership and management (‘release’) day per week. School leaders have also suggested
Workload continues to be a determining factor for school leaders in relation to their participation in Droichead. that induction should be an integral part of Initial Teacher Education. IPPN’S POSITION As a professional body advocating for school leaders, IPPN is very concerned that the debate around Droichead has become so divisive. IPPN believes that there is a way to accommodate and to support both those schools that wish to participate in Droichead and those who do not. As reflective professionals, we should embrace change and be flexible in our approach. We should maintain the highest standards for our profession and provide quality leadership in our schools, because without quality leadership we cannot have quality learning (Fullan, 2006). However, Fullan also contends that successful system change requires the engagement of a critical mass of leadership. The concern around a possible high level of ‘opt out’ from Droichead was highlighted by IPPN in 2015. While acknowledging the challenges it brings, for the majority of school leaders not to be engaged in the induction process for NQTs
is not good for the profession, nor is it responsible for school leaders to stand over a system that has no element of evaluation. System change also requires accountability and capacity. It is time to look seriously at the capacity of school leaders. Capacity is defined as ‘the maximum amount that something can contain or produce’. How is it possible for school leaders to continue ‘producing’ more, when nothing else has been taken away? PROPOSALS IPPN proposes the following as a way forward. 1. One size does not fit all and this should be reflected in a system that is designed to cater at primary level for anything from a one-teacher to a 40-teacher school. IPPN proposes that schools that are willing to participate in Droichead should continue to be supported and that there should be an alternative model available to NQTs in schools that are not willing to participate, no matter what the size of the school. As an alternative model, IPPN recommends that the Teaching Council recruits a group of 60 Lead Professionals as an induction and probation team, by seconding working Principals and/or recommended, experienced teachers who have a proven track record as NQT mentors within their own schools. The Teaching Council would have direct quality control of a team of professionals to manage the recruitment, training and assessment of its induction and probation team. The profession would remain self-regulating but on a more professional and quality-assured basis. 2. Allocate sufficient leadership and management (‘release’) time and provide adequate substitute cover to Principals to enable them to engage meaningfully in the induction of NQTs. This should be in addition to IPPN’s priority of one leadership and management (‘release’) day per week for Teaching Principals.
3. To continue building capacity for induction, NIPT should offer mentor training to all schools. 4. If Droichead is to remain as the induction stage on the teacher education continuum, the Teaching Council should define the next significant step and include an external, evaluative element at that stage. IPPN recognises the reality that the Teaching Council has a statutory responsibility for establishing procedures and criteria for the induction and probation of Newly Qualified Teachers. IPPN also recognises the reality that without ‘opt-in’ from a critical mass of schools, the system will not work effectively and more importantly, the teaching profession may be severely impacted by division and a lost opportunity to build capacity. IPPN wishes to acknowledge the many contributions from National Council members to the development of this paper and from teacher Derry O’Connor, whose research study was an input to the consultation process, and can be found on ippn.ie.
COACHING -
ACCREDITED COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEADERS COMING TO EDUCATION CENTRES n Courses are specifically designed for principals,
teachers, middle managers, APs, DPs and any professional who is already in, or who aspires to be in, a leadership role. n Course are accredited through the Association for Coaching (AC) and may be used to progress towards accreditation as AC coach, an internationally recognised award. The course incorporates guidance towards becoming a fully accredited coach. n Participants experience the practical use of coaching skills to enhance their personal and professional skill set in areas such as: Leadership People management skills Career progression Navigating difficult conversations September Courses: St. Jude’s GAA Club - Monday September 10th Blackrock Education Centre - Tuesday September 11th Cork Education Support Centre - Thursday September 13th Courses run from 6.30pm to 9.30pm each night for 7 consecutive weeks. Cost: 600euro Booking: BEC: http://booking.blackrockec.ie/event/view?id=2943 St Judes: http://booking.blackrockec.ie/event/view?id=2944 CESC: http://www.cesc.ie and go to the courses section For all other queries please email: info@kaizenpf.com “unquestionably the most useful CPD I have attended in my 25 years as an educator” - participant.
15
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
PARTNER PRINCIPALS
GER RUANE PRINCIPAL OF PARTEEN NS, CO. CLARE AND A MEMBER OF IPPN’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS IPPN provides several forms of support to help principals deal with managing workload and identifying priorities e.g. IPPN Leadership Support, IPPN website, IPPN Resource Bundles, IPPN Support Groups, IPPN CPD, IPPN Mailing Lists, TextaSub, TextaParent etc. IPPN is acutely aware that managing workload continues to be a major issue facing principals and is constantly striving to support principals. With this in mind, IPPN ran a pilot called ‘Partner Principals’ from January to June 2018. WHAT IS IT? Principals identify, either through IPPN Support Groups or their own networks, another principal who would develop a partnership with them. They seek approval from their Boards of Management - a sample letter for Boards of Managements is available in the Resources/Forms & Templates section of www.ippn.ie. They agree to meet on a monthly basis, in each other’s schools, to deal with a piece of work together. For example, in September, they might review what policies they will be working on during the year and work on the research together. In April, they might meet up to discuss how they propose to deal with class allocation and they could be a ‘critical friend’ to each other. In May, they could discuss how they are going to organise special education issues for the following year. In June, they could meet to discuss how they will deal with any issues which arise over the summer and organisational arrangements for September. HOW DOES IT WORK? Principals are asked to identify another principal who they feel they could work with on a focused basis. They meet at an agreed time each month. IPPN suggests two hours once a month. Together they could identify areas they would like to work on and get help from each other with. They could 16
review IPPN’s publication ‘Priorities for Principal Teachers – In Clear Focus’, to get started. A QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS This fits in perfectly with the Leadership and Management dimension of ‘Looking at our School 2016, A Quality Framework for Primary Schools’, (Department of Education and Skills Inspectorate, 2016): DOMAIN 1 - LEADING TEACHING AND LEARNING Standard: Foster teacher professional development that enriches teachers’ and pupils’ learning. Statement of highly effective practice: The principal and the other leaders in the school support and encourage the active participation of teachers in professional networks to improve pupil learning (p.23) The modelling of this with another school leader would make for excellent practice and also point towards extending the partnership to other staff members. DOMAIN 3 - LEADING SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT Standard: Build and maintain relationships with parents, with other schools, and with the wider community. Statement of Highly Effective Practice: The principal and other leaders in the school build and maintain very productive relationships with other schools and education providers to extend learning opportunities for pupils. The principal and other leaders in the school build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the school and the wider community. DOMAIN 4 - DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP CAPACITY Standard: Build professional networks with other school leaders
Statement of Highly Effective Practice: The principal supports the professional development of his / her peers, and contribute purposefully to the professional learning community. Those with leadership and management roles engage purposefully with the national bodies that support the development of effective management and leadership practices. WHAT ABOUT IPPN SUPPORT GROUPS? This is an extension of the support group idea, not a replacement. In support groups, there are typically eight to twelve members and there is often a broader discussion on issues. Partner Principal Meetings are focused on getting a specific piece of work done. WOULD THERE BE A RECOMMENDATION THAT SCHOOLS OF EQUAL SIZE AND SIMILAR CONTEXT WORK TOGETHER? This will be up to principals to organise as they will know which principal they might work with to achieve maximum benefit from the partnership. HOW DO TEACHING PRINCIPALS ENGAGE? Using administrative days. AT WHAT STAGE SHOULD PRINCIPALS ENGAGE IN THIS? This is for principals who have completed Misneach and the Centre for School Leadership Mentoring. IS IT INTENDED THAT THIS COLLABORATION BE SHARED WITH THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY? The Board of Management is representative of the teaching community, the school community, the parent body and the patron body and they will be informed through the aforementioned letter and through the Principal’s Report. If the relationship is successful, the principals could work together to organise meetings of
September 2018
deputy principals, assistant principals, teachers, school staff and parents e.g. School A is implementing Mata sa Rang and School B would like to. This would present an ideal opportunity to share good practice and the lessons learned from the specific project between teachers. School B has a successful Parents’ Association which has worked on a Uniform Policy. School A’s Parents’ Association is about to start the process and the principals organise a meeting between the two groups. School A want to set up a school database and School B has one – the secretary of School A visits School B to learn about the experience. Some of the testimonials explain how schools have expanded the partnership to include their full staff. WHAT NEXT? Those principals interested in proceeding should find a ‘Partner Principal’ and seek approval from their Boards of Management.
EXPERIENCES FROM THE PILOT PROJECT Martin Moloney, Clarecastle National School, Clarecastle, Co. Clare and Jim Curran, Knockanean National School, Ennis, Co. Clare Our role as school Principals has increased in complexity at an alarming rate over recent years. We, as school leaders, need to continue to seek innovative ways of supporting each other in our efforts to manage the ever increasing demands placed upon us by a myriad of agencies. When asked if we would be interested in taking part in the Partner Principals Pilot we jumped at the opportunity. The correct choice of a Partner Principal is essential to a successful and mutually-beneficial arrangement. We were fortunate as we had worked closely together on an informal basis for several years, bouncing ideas and dilemmas off each other through hurried phone calls or chance meetings. Our schools are of similar size and located close to each other. Most importantly, we have similar ideas on the provision of education for the pupils in our schools. The Partner Principals initiative afforded us the opportunity to work to an agreed agenda on a pre-arranged topic. During the pilot, we met monthly in each other’s schools and worked on a number of areas, including Child Protection, GDPR and SET allocation. A Partner Principal is a ‘critical friend’ whom you trust and respect, who
understands your school context or is willing to take time to develop this understanding. It is essential that partners provide honest and critical feedback to each other, where there is a balance between support and challenge. Trust is vital. Confidentiality is essential. Our engagement with the Pilot was hugely beneficial to us on both a personal and professional level. We found that two Principals working on the same project not only halved the pressure of the workload, but also the time it took to complete the work. Our participation in the pilot project extended to other staff members in our schools. Following on from our collaboration, we facilitated school visits to each other’s schools where teachers discussed and shared ideas and practices in areas such as SEN, STEM and Infant Education. As principals, we will continue to take time from our hectic daily schedules to engage in ongoing and purposeful exchange so we can remain alert and responsive to the changing needs of our schools. We will also continue to facilitate and promote professional interaction between the staff of our schools as an integral part of our Continuous Professional Development.
John Burns, Barefield National School, Barefield, Co. Clare and Dara Glynn, CBS, Ennis, Co. Clare We knew each other from our local IPPN Support Group, which has been meeting once a month for the past number of years. We are both administrative principals. We were immediately interested in the project as we strongly value the importance of collegiality and collaboration within our profession, at all levels - Droichead, CSL, Partner Principals etc. We approached this new initiative in the spirit of openness and transparency. In April 2018, we first met in Dara’s school where we discussed our expectations and vision for this initiative. We identified various themes in which we would like to exchange views and ideas. These themes, 12 in total, ranged from curricular to organisational to administrative - Mata sa Rang, Aistear, Droichead, Primary Language Curriculum, staff wellbeing, Aladdin, teacher absences, Active Flag Award, sports, class teaching in action etc. To commence this initiative, we agreed that our SET co-ordinators would meet the following month in John’s school, with us in attendance.
After discussing our shared opinions about the organisation of Mata sa Rang, our discussion progressed to streamlining the planning of the partnership initiative. We agreed that we would meet six times during the course of the 2018-2019 academic year. At our respective September 2018 staff meetings, we will identify topics of interest. We will then meet and identify six common themes/ topics that we can explore during the 2018-2019 school year. We agreed to actively participate in partnership to provide the best education possible for all our pupils. We consider that partnership will be of enormous benefit to both schools – through collaboration and sharing ideas for the common good, teacher professionalism and pupil learning can only be enriched and enhanced. Teaching is no longer an isolating experience but an interactive endeavour that involves teachers, parents and pupils working together. When schools hum with collaboration and teamwork, within and in partnership with other schools, we can sense and realise the professional satisfaction that derives from our pupils being enabled to reach their true potential.
Kathleen Byrne, Glencullen National School, Dublin 18 and Fergus Lyons, St Marys PS, Sandyford We have worked together over the last few years as part of the eight parish schools. As we are similarlysized schools with shared interests and school ethos, we were the perfect match for this pilot programme. We met once a month, in each other’s schools alternatively and for approx. 90 minutes. We used our time to explore a wide variety of topics, including data protection, child protection, SSE, local issues, shared concerns, underperforming teachers, recruitment issues, student behaviour, circular implementation, IT and the digital framework, and enrolment. The process helped enormously with our workload in that we shared resources, thus reducing excessive paperwork. It was wonderful to bounce ideas off each other and to hear new perspectives on common issues. We would highly recommend this initiative to all principals for its simplicity and effectiveness in having a critical friend and additional professional support. 17
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
School Visits
While touring the country delivering seminars on child protection and data protection this year, IPPN President David Ruddy took the opportunity to visit a number of schools, to meet IPPN members in a wide variety of settings.
In February, he visited Fatima NS in Cloone, Co. Leitrim, whose principal Teresa Moran had very sadly passed away a few weeks earlier, to offer support to the deputy principal Madeleine Murphy and her colleagues. He also visited St Finian’s NS, Falcarragh in Letterkenny and Murroe NS, also in Donegal, meeting with principals Caitriona Uí Cheallaigh and Noirin Ui Ghradaigh and their staff and pupils. In April, David spent time with Niall Clerkin and Catherine Fitzpatrick, principal and deputy principal of Butlersbridge NS. Co Cavan, with Maureen Gaffney of Cootehill NS Boys in Belturbet, and with IPPN National Council member Breege Flynn of Cootehill Girls’ NS.
In May, David visited Tipperary Town and visited St. Joseph’s Primary School to meet the staff and pupils. The principal of St. Joseph’s, Louise Tobin, is a member of the IPPN Board of Directors. The same day, David visited the other four primary schools in Tipperary Town and met their principals before heading to Thurles to present a seminar to a large attendance of Tipperary school leaders.
White (IPPN Deputy President) in Killeigh NS, and to National Council members, Nora Kavanagh in Scoil Bhríde in Clara and to Frank Kelly in Durrow NS.
Later in May, David visited Margaret Reilly, principal of Kinaaffe NS, Swinford, Co Mayo, a one-teacher school which is not far from David’s homeplace in Foxford. They discussed IPPN’s project on and for one-teacher schools and the ensuing report by Shay Bannon, who research the health, safety and welfare implications in these schools – summarised in Leadership+ Issue 102 in January 2018.
In every school, David discussed the various challenges facing the school leaders he met, and what IPPN is doing on behalf of principals and deputy principals in every type of school. He was struck by the nature and variety of the excellent collaborative work being done by the pupils and staff in all of the schools, and the creativity and innovation in evidence, both across curricular areas and in songs, stories, sports, music, the arts, as well as a wide range of projects, from gardening to crafts, Green Schools to musicals.
David also visited St Louis PS in Rathmines for a memorial and the dedication of a new building in honour of the late Pádraig Carney. Visits were also made in Co. Offaly to Damian
Donal Kerins of the Leadership Support Team paid a visit to Breda Ging, Acting Principal of Quay NS in Westport and her staff in the aftermath of the untimely death of their principal John Meaney.
Photos: Caitriona Kenny Photography
David Ruddy visiting St. Josephs Primary School David Ruddy with principal of St Josephs (and IPPN Board member) Louise Tobin and pupils 18
September 2018
11-Week Smartphone and Social Media Abstention TERRY O’SULLIVAN
PRINCIPAL OF ST. BRENDAN’S NATIONAL SCHOOL, BLENNERVILLE, CO. KERRY
I have been working in St. Brendan’s as Principal for the last 7 years, 6 of those as a Teaching Principal of 5th and 6th class. In recent years, issues with children’s use of smartphones, and especially social media messaging applications such as Snapchat and Instagram, were creeping into my class and directly impinging on friendships within the class. All of these issues originated at home, but inevitably found their way to my office as friendships began to deteriorate within the class. I always endeavoured to help resolve these issues to the best of my ability, but the key message given to parents was always the same. Their children were far too young to be accessing these messaging applications and using smartphone in general.
the year when my entire day would be consumed by issues which had originated via social media messaging outside of school. It would recede for a while but raise its head again, often sooner rather than later.
This year we reached the magic number for the appointment of an Administrative Principal. So, the workload was about to get more manageable, or so I thought… A 6th class with 18 pupils single stream, a dream class for any teacher. However, it turned out to be one of the most difficult years in my teaching career to date and all because of one thing…. children’s access to smartphones and social media. 15 of the children had smartphones. The remaining three had access to the social media apps via other devices, mainly iPods or iPads. As the year progressed, the class teacher had reported an undercurrent within the class, the cause of which she could not determine. The children’s concentration levels had dropped dramatically and their overall work ethic had also reduced. Parents started to bring issues to me in relation to messages been sent to their children at home by other children in the class. This started to become more and more frequent and, even more worryingly, the tension between children in the class and the friendships were becoming extremely strained. There were times during
In March, a serious incident occurred after school one day as a result of messaging between a cohort of students, which resulted in a nasty injury to one of the students. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I brought it to the attention of the Board of Management (BoM) immediately. After lengthy discussion, we wrote to all parents in the class inviting them to a meeting. The key to the success of this meeting was reliant on every family being in attendance, which motivated us to insist that it was mandatory that all parents were present. Thankfully, the parents obliged our request and every 6th class child was represented at the meeting. On the night, all staff and BoM members were present. The class teacher, the chairperson of the Board, the school chaplain and I all addressed the parents. We outlined the serious impact the use of smartphones and social media was having both on the children’s wellbeing and on the teaching and learning environment within the class. After two and a half hours of a very positive and frank discussion, we proposed an elevenweek smartphone and social media
In March, a serious incident occurred after school one day as a result of messaging between a cohort of students, which resulted in a nasty injury to one of the students. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back
‘fast’ for all children in the class. It was stressed that this would only work if we got 100% co-operation from all families. To their credit, we got a unanimous consensus from parents, that they would remove all smartphones and any device where the children had access to social media. The results were phenomenal. After the initial resistance when the phones were taken off the children, the change within the classroom was very noticeable to all. The last 11 weeks of school passed without any issue and, more importantly, strained friendships were repaired and the children’s overall engagement with their school work improved radically. The children became children again. Our vision for September is to consult with all other parents in the school, with a view to getting parents to make a pledge that they will not buy a smartphone for their child while in primary school or allow them access to social media applications. I never anticipated the reaction at both local and national level to this initiative. The feedback from both parents and principals in other schools has been extremely positive. This may not be the solution for all schools but I feel it is a start and it is something definitely worth trialling. I am strongly of the opinion that no primary school child needs a smartphone or should have access to any social media. There will be a time in their lives when they are emotionally mature enough to deal with this very dangerous, unregulated world of the internet. Finally, I fully agree that the sole responsibility of what children do outside of school lies with their parents, but when what’s happening outside is having a serious impact on the class inside, the consultation process is key to finding a resolution.
19
OnYourBehalf
Highlighted below are some examples of IPPN’s advocacy and representative work on behalf of principals and deputy principals, through meetings, events and submissions, since the last issue of Leadership+:
GDPR SEMINARS To meet the information needs of busy school leaders at a time of uncertainty in relation to the new legislation in relation to General Data Protection Regulation, IPPN designed and delivered a series of seminars across the country in May and June. High attendance numbers attested to the importance of the seminars to school leaders. We thank David Ruddy, Mairéad O’Flynn and Donal Kerins for delivering 15 seminars in 14 counties Mayo, Offaly, Cork, Meath, Tipperary, Waterford, Monaghan, Kerry, Cavan, Wexford, Kildare, Limerick, Kilkenny, Dublin (twice). We also sincerely thank the education centre directors and staff for hosting the events; and Jennifer McCarthy for all the logistical arrangements. ONE-TEACHER SCHOOLS Last year, IPPN commissioned Shay Bannon to undertake research into the health, safety and welfare of oneteacher schools. The draft report was forwarded earlier this year to all principals who participated in the survey and school visits. The report has now been finalised, ratified by the Board of Directors, and forwarded to Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Geoffrey Shannon for his review. IPPN president David Ruddy and past presidents Virginia O’Mahony and Tomás Ó Slatara conducted follow-up school visits with the principals of these schools in May and June, to hear at first hand their feedback on the report’s findings and recommendations, and to discuss the best ways in which the report can be used locally and nationally, as well as discussing any other ways that IPPN can support these principals within their leadership role. We appreciate and acknowledge the significant work done to support and engage with principals of one-teacher schools, including Claire O’Donovan, Shay Bannon, Tomás Ó Slatara and Virginia O’Mahony. There has been a significant decrease in the number of one-teacher schools in existence since the IPPN Membership Engagement project for one-teacher schools commenced in May 2016, with 33 one-
20
teacher schools. October 2016 saw the announcement of improvements for some one-teacher schools as part of Budget 2017. All one-teacher Island schools were automatically allocated a second teacher and those one-teacher schools with 15 pupils or more across six or more class groups also received a second teacher. Many schools have grown to exceed 19 pupils, securing a second teacher, while some amalgamations and school closures have also taken place. There are currently 12 one-teacher schools, the majority located across the west coast of Ireland.
MEETING REPORTS PDST Technology in Education – 18th May We discussed how both organisations can support each other in supporting school leaders. For example, sharing key PDST resources via E-scéal, PDST ICT support in answering queries, and collaboration on developing practical supports to meet school leaders’ needs – e.g. developing a resource bundle to help schools manage the digital framework strategy. We also discussed potential topics for the Professional Briefing Day as well as in-service for the digital school strategy. NCCA – 4th May, Dublin The purpose of the meeting was to get an update and feedback on current work. This included: n Overview of the Plan of Work for NCCA for 2018 n Early Childhood Education incl. Aistear, and pre-school to primary school transition n Primary developments including Mathematics and Language curricula n Planning: whole-school & classroom, Education about Religious beliefs & Ethics. n Review and redevelopment of the primary school curriculum – current phase is consultation n Coding in primary schools – this will feed into the redevelopment of the primary curriculum n RSE – review will likely include 3 strands n Research
NCCA working on how they consult n Effective communications with schools. n
EDUCATE TOGETHER - Dublin, 30th April Topics discussed included: n IPPN key priorities, particularly workload n School patronage/divestment n Professional development for school administrators/secretaries n The role of Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal n School accommodation in Educate Together schools. OTHER MEETINGS/CONFERENCES ATTENDED/HOSTED May/June/July n Dr. Michael Hallissy, DCU, re the Digital Schools of Distinction project n DES and DCYA - ECCE Programme Overage Consultation Open Policy Debate, Dublin n Dublin Education Secretariat, Drumcondra n Wellbeing for Teachers and Learners Group, Dublin n Healthy City - Healthy School Event, Cork n FSSU - PAYE Modernisation Maynooth, Co. Kildare n NPC re. Teacher Training – Dublin n IPPN Board of Directors meeting, Citywest, Dublin n PDST Leadership Team meeting, n NAPD – annual review and planning n Ontario Principals’ Council visit to the IPPN Support Office n Misneach 1 held in conjunction with IPPN Headstart, Athlone. FORTHCOMING EVENTS IPPN Board of Directors meeting, Citywest, Dublin, 14th September n IPPN National Council meeting, Citywest, Dublin, Portlaoise, 17th November n IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference, Citywest, Dublin – 24th – 25th January 2019 n IPPN Annual Deputy Principals’ Conference, Citywest, Dublin – date/venue to be confirmed. n
September 2018
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:
n
RESOURCES
n
SCHOOL POLICIES Curriculum & School Planning n Gaelic Sunday Lesson Plan GDPR Data Protection Resource Bundle n Consent n Data Access Request Form n Data Audit n Data Retention Periods n Draft CCTV Policy n Draft Privacy Impact Statement n Draft School Data Protection Policy n Draft Third Party Service Agreement n Draft Website Privacy Statement n Fair Processing n National Breach Notification Form n Practical Steps for GDPR Compliance n Privacy Notice n The 8 Rules of Data Protection n Website Privacy Statement n Your Rights as a Data Subject. n
CHILD PROTECTION Gaeilge Resources n Mí-úsáid Leanaí: Cineálacha, Comharthaí agus Tairseacha Imní Réasúnta – (Drochúsáid Ghnéasach) n Mí-úsáid Leanaí: Cineálacha, Comharthaí agus Tairseacha Imní Réasúnta n Measúnacht Priacail um Chumhdach Leanaí n Forais Réasúnta Imní/Tairseach Díobhála n Fógra maidir le hAthbhreithniú an Bhoird Bhainistíochta ar an Ráiteas um Chumhdach Leanaí n Cúinsí a spreagfadh imní faoi mhíúsáid leanaí n Achoimre ar Riachtanais Choimeád Taifead n Tuairisc An Phríomhoide Chuig An BB
n n n n
Achoimre ar na Nósanna Imeachta um Thuairisciú Teimpléad don Mheasúnacht Priacail um Chumhdach Leanaí Teimpléad den Ráiteas um Chumhdach Leanaí Seicliosta don Athbhreithniú ar an Ráiteas um Chumhdach Leanaí Nuair a dhéanann Leanbh Nochtadh Nósanna Imeachta chun déileáil le nochtadh eolais ó bhall d’fhoireann na scoile.
RESOURCE BUNDLES n Beart Acmhainní um Chosaint Leanaí n Data Protection Resource Bundle n Assistant Principal – Appointments. STAFF MANAGEMENT API & APII Posts n Sample Interview Question Areas n Guide to Interviews - APs n POR1 Form n Sample Annual Report by AP to Principal and BoM n Sample Letter - Report of Selection Board to BOM n Sequence of Activity for AP Recruitment and Appointment. Deputy Principal Post n Noticeboard - Appointment & Appeal Process n Letter - Call to Interview n Noticeboard – Advert. DES Circulars The DES published a number of Circulars on 21st December in relation to Salary Increases from 1st January 2018 – relevant to SNA’s, Primary, Post Primary and third level: n 0040/2018 - Release Time for Principal Teachers in Primary Schools n 0039/2019 - Update on Primary Language Curriculum, Primary Mathematics Curriculum and Notice of Additional School Closure 2018/19 n 0038/2018 - Use of Smart Phones and tablet devices in schools n 0034/2018 - Recruitment of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) n 0032/2018 - Information in relation to Standardised Testing
and Other Matters Academic Year 2017/18 and Subsequent Years. 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 E-scéal.
SUPPORTS
E-SCÉALS A new E-scéal is uploaded each week to this section, outlining key information that is relevant to school leaders – deadlines, decisions, planning prompts, research etc. This section will act as an online archive of E-scéals.
ADVOCACY
PRESS RELEASES n 30th May - IPPN welcomes recent review of Special Needs Assistant Scheme. POSITION PAPERS Position Paper on Droichead – revised June 2018.
n
SUBMISSIONS Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education & Skills in relation to Teaching Principals – 7th August 2018
n
ABOUT US
NATIONAL COUNCIL REPORTS MEETING UPDATES 17/18 Updates n June 16th 2018.
Get involved in IPPN at your Autumn County Network committee elections – see enclosed flyer
21
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Earning, Demonstrating and Manifesting
TRUST
PAUL O’CALLAGHAN DEPUTY PRINCIPAL, LUCAN COMMUNITY NATIONAL SCHOOL
Trust is synonymous with feelings of safety and assuredness: a solid mechanism through which meaningful relationships can be built. High-trust facilitates ease of communication, assists conflict-resolution and promotes the efficacy of the stakeholders involved. Without trust, relationships can be fraught, false or conflict-ridden. Trust is borne out of choice and action. A staff chooses to trust school management based on their previous performance and actions. The ability to foster trust is a vital interpersonal skill. To succeed in trusting others, leaders must be confident in their own convictions, and self-aware and assured enough to know that they need to distribute and disseminate responsibility meaningfully.
Without trust, relationships can be fraught, false or conflict-ridden. Trust is borne out of choice and action. A staff chooses to trust school management based on their previous performance and actions. The ability to foster trust is a vital interpersonal skill. HOW IS TRUST EARNED? Gardner (2006) delineates trust as something that must be earned, it is not something that can be ‘faked in the long-run, and it must be periodically confirmed’ (p. xv). Trust can be earned by leaders showing respect, personal regard, competence in core responsibilities and honesty. These align well with the four ethical values
22
in the Teacher’s Code of Professional Conduct: respect, care, integrity and trust. RESPECT By demonstrating a high level of respect for staff on a professional level, a school leader is denoting trust in their capacity to work autonomously, which can be a motivating factor for staff members. Respect is a prerequisite for trusting and functional professional relationships. PERSONAL REGARD It is of pivotal importance for management to recognise each staff member as an individual and to remember the humanity of everyone who works in a school. School leaders have the capacity to show high personal regard for all individuals in the school community by being approachable and by employing an open-door policy. COMPETENCE IN CORE ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES Leader organisation and proficiency is tantamount to earning trust. If a member of in-school management displays incompetence or a lack of ability to complete their core role responsibilities, staff will lose confidence in his or her suitability and credibility in the school leader role. Personal Integrity (Honesty) The intention behind the actions performed by a member of school management is commensurate with the trust that the leader earns or loses with each action. If the school community determines that the school leader is acting with integrity and for the general betterment of the pupils in the school, then this will surely promote compliance. HOW IS TRUST DEMONSTRATED? Effective communication is a mode through which respect, personal regard and integrity can be lived.
Trust-promoting leaders should communicate with people not just respectfully, but warmly, being mindful of individual difference. Most importantly, school management should not just talk ‘at’ others, but should welcome their input and feedback. Managers show trust in staff members by distributing leadership meaningfully and not micromanaging. Without this trust in others’ abilities and motives, Harris (2013) warns that Distributed Leadership can become a practice of delegation.
Effective communication is a mode through |which respect, personal regard and integrity can be lived. The importance of sharing a common vision and expressing the clarity of roles allows workers to understand their function within an organisation and feel more secure within it. It is easier to build trust when respect, personal regard, competency in core responsibilities and integrity are to the fore in leadership, but it is also easier said than done to live these characteristics on a day-to-day basis. Nobody is perfect. The stronger the effort to cultivate and maintain trust, the more manifestations and benefits of trust that will be apparent. The more a staff observes the genuine hard-work and integrity of school leadership, the more they aspire to emulate the behaviour of the leaders and trust in their intention. And finally, the more trusting a school environment, the happier the management team and the more fulfilled they are in their role. Paul is undertaking a Masters in Leadership and Management in Education in Trinity College Dublin. The extract above is from an essay written as part of the Masters. The full essay can be viewed at www.ippn.ie.
September 2018
RESOURCE BUNDLES
Topic Specific Guidance & Best Practice DONAL KERINS LEADERSHIP SUPPORT TEAM The concept of the Resource Bundle is to provide a readily-accessible, concise compendium of information and resources on a particular topic for busy school leaders. The format is that of a succinct one-stop-shop, combining basic information with hyperlinks to additional information and relevant resources. A further enhancement of this format has been the introduction of the PAM (Principal Aide Memoire). The PAMs are one or two-page documents covering all relevant information on a subtopic of the Resource Bundle. They can be printed off, laminated, used as reference cards, and also for staff training. The production of new Resource Bundles and the updating of existing ones is the responsibility of the Leadership Support Team within IPPN. New topics are chosen by analysing member queries and feedback, or in response to imperative issues which arise throughout the school year e.g. Child Protection. The past school year was a busy one, with the production of new Resource Bundles on Child Protection, GDPR and the Appointment of Assistant Principals and Deputy Principals (Internal Appointment). The Resource Bundle on the Appointment of Teachers was updated. Foilsíodh an chéad Bheart Achmhannaí as Gaeilge i rith na bliana freisin – “Beart Achmhainní um Chosaint Leanaí”. Tá foireann ceapaithe ag IPPN anois chun gach Beart Achmhainní a aistriú ó Bhéarla go Gaeilge comh luath is a mbeidh ceann nua críochnaithe nó sean-cheann nuashonraithe. All of these were published in a new e-publication format, using Issuu publishing software, also introduced this year. Thirteen interactive, user-friendly Resource Bundles are currently available on www.ippn.ie.
The production of new Resource Bundles and the updating of existing ones is the responsibility of the Leadership Support Team within IPPN. n
Absences & Leave – reference point for all DES-approved teacher absences and leave
n
Beart Achmhainní um Chosaint Leanaí – cur síos ar na freagrachtaí reachtúil a chuireann Achta um Thús Áite do Leanaí 2015 ar scoileanna
n
Child Protection – outlines the statutory requirements for schools in light of the full commencement of the Children First Act 2015
n
Communication - considers the use of effective communication in managing relationships, handling complaints and dealing with conflict
n
Data Protection - outlines the statutory requirements for schools in light of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
n
Deputy Principal Appointment Process - Examines the supporting leadership role of the deputy principal, including the sequential process of appointment to the role
n
Parental Separation - Implications for the School – Clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the school and how to manage the expectations of parents
n
POR Appointments – logical sequence of activities for appointing a teacher to the post of Assistant Principal I, Assistant Principal II
or Deputy Principal (Internal Appointment) n
Recruitment & Appointment logical sequence of activities for recruiting and appointing teachers
n
SEN – a compendium of policies, circulars and other resources related to SEN provision
n
SNA Absences & Leave - reference point for all DES-approved SNA absences and leave
n
Supervision & Duty of Care - provides best practice and advice to determine acceptable levels of supervision and defines the school’s duty of care
n
School Self Evaluation (SSE) – Provides practical assistance and best practice advice in relation to SSE.
In addition to revising existing Resource Bundles, an Admissions to School Resource Bundle is planned for the 2018/2019 school year. Details of its publication will be issued in your weekly Thursday E-scéal. Resource Bundles may be accessed through the home page of www.ippn. ie either through the widget on the left of the screen or via the ‘Resources’ tab on the menu tool bar.
23
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Pupil Personal Insurance makes life easier for School Leaders PAT GOFF IPPN DEPUTY CEO We are at that time of the year when the book bills for the coming year are being collected. Many schools include the Pupil Personal Accident Insurance as a mandatory item along with book rental charges, photocopying and art & craft supplies. The reason why so many principals and boards of management want the whole-school population covered by the pupil personal accident insurance scheme is that it makes life a lot easier in the event of an accident where there is no liability on behalf of the school. Indeed, boards often use the extra money saved by using the online facility to include those who may not be in a position to pay. It is important to highlight to parents the main reason why taking out pupil insurance, and preferably the 24-hour policy, is essential. If a child has an accident in school, their medical and dental expenses will only be covered by the ordinary school insurance policy if there is negligence on the part of the school. Thankfully, this is rare enough now as most schools have carried out risk assessments, or in many cases just applied common sense. The manhole covers are fixed, the broken parts of the yard are resurfaced, protective padding is fitted around the basketball posts, the moveable goalposts are as
24
fixed as they can be.... The school has done their best and the accident still happens but is no one’s fault – in this case the parent will have to pay the expenses that arise. Most of us know the next scenario. A visit from the parent wondering what is the school’s position. An explanation that there was no negligence on the part of the school so the school insurance would not pay anything. If your school has only pupil insurance for those that paid, your first question is usually ‘does your son/daughter have pupil insurance?’ Yes, life is certainly a lot easier when you can take out one of the claim forms, fill out the school section and give it to the parent. As principal, I used to give them a stamped addressed envelope. End of matter usually. The parent can claim the medical or dental expenses regardless of who is to blame. The vast majority of the parents will thank you and are happy that they will not be out of pocket because of the accident. I also find they are unlikely to take legal action against the school in these cases. We use the Allianz Pupil Personal Accident Insurance Policy, not only because we found them very supportive over the years, but they don’t have time limits for the follow-on
expenses that may occur because of an insured accident. This is crucial, especially if there is follow-up dental work needed. They also separate the medical and dental expenses, which gives double the cover. Schools do their best in providing a safe environment. We try to get the ‘proper’ level of supervision suitable for our school and our pupils, although I haven’t seen it written down anywhere what this is officially! This is where the common sense comes in. There are times where the pupils could nearly supervise themselves, there would be so few problems, at other times God himself would have great difficulty if he was on supervision duty. Accidents will happen – that is why we pay insurance. The Pupil Personal Accident Insurance is great value for money and makes life easier for the schools, especially the principal and deputy principal. Put it on the book bill, or better still, do as many schools do, and get the Parents’ Association to promote and operate the scheme. As published in 2011 in Issue 63. Some things never change – the need for PPA is probably greater than ever!
September 2018
Opting Out SIMON LEWIS PRINCIPAL OF CARLOW EDUCATE TOGETHER
The amended school’s admissions bill was published in the middle of last year, and was met with much fanfare in the media. In effect, the bill essentially prohibits Catholic schools from prioritising admission for Catholic children. It does not affect minority faith schools, which can continue to use a child’s faith as a criteria for admission. Whatever people’s opinions on the rights or wrongs of it, one item of the bill that interested me greatly was an insertion into the Education Act, where, amongst other changes, an admissions policy will now have to ‘provide details of the school’s arrangements for students who do not wish to attend religious instruction.’ This is more commonly known as ‘opting out.’ I am from a minority faith and I speak to hundreds of parents about their experiences of being of a minority or of no faith in denominational schools, many of whom opt out of faith formation. I decided to gather up all the questions that have been asked by these families and could be answered simply by any school. I created a website, http://www.optingout.ie, which lets schools outline exactly what they do to accommodate children who opt out. I know that this form is yet another thing for principals to do so I have made sure that it takes less than 2
minutes to fill out and it provides all the information required by the bill. It will save all schools the bother of creating yet another policy.nIt can then easily be inserted on the school’s website. Given that this bill does not affect my school, the natural question is, why have I done this? From my own experience and reading the hundreds of stories from other parents, I know that opting out isn’t straightforward. There are dozens of ways this works in schools and it can vary from classroom to classroom. As a principal, I have spoken to some of my colleagues who find it increasingly difficult to accommodate parents’ needs and demands, especially when there is not necessarily consistency between teachers, never mind schools! Not only does www.OptingOut.ie give schools the opportunity to comply with the legislation, it can help schools see what practices are happening in other schools and give opportunities to update practices and learn from each other. It also gives families like mine, and thousands of others, clear black and white guidelines as to what to expect should they wish to attend a particular school. Given that schools aren’t going to be provided with any resources to accommodate pupils who wish to opt out, it would seem to me to be a win-win situation.
I am also very interested in the role that faith formation plays in primary schools. There are so many stories out there, both positive and negative, all anecdotal, and conclusions are being drawn, which may be coloured by perception rather than fact. I am interested in what is actually going on. By registering on the site, we will all be able to see the different practices happening around the country. For example, we could find out things like: what percentage of schools allow children who opt out not attend church services and what happens at this time? How many schools have a religious symbol on their crest? How many schools allow teachers not to teach faith formation? The biggest question that I am initially asking is, how many of the 3,200 denominational primary schools will sign up to showcase the work they do. I’d like to think that all schools will see the benefit of taking part. Personally, I was disappointed that anecdotal evidence, rather than facts, resulted in the new Schools’ Admissions Bill and it hasn’t even touched on children who wish to opt out of faith formation once they enter the building. One can be sure that, unless we have the evidence, the rules will continue to change, with no consideration for schools, and principals will be left to work it all out.
25
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
PDST
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMMES & SUPPORTS
NUALA TAAFFE TEAM LEADER, PDST LEADERSHIP TEAM This article outlines the programmes and supports provided by PDST for primary school leaders at all stages of the leadership continuum. PDST School Leadership, previously Leadership Development for Schools (LDS), has been providing professional learning opportunities for practicing and aspiring school leaders - principals and deputy principals since 2002. The Leadership Team has designed, developed and facilitated a suite of programmes at both primary and post primary level. These programmes have supported leaders as they lead, manage and innovate in schools, enabling improved teaching and learning for students. Emphasis is placed, throughout our programmes, on enabling models of distributed leadership and developing school leadership capacity. This enhances the ability of school leadership and management teams to plan for school self-evaluation (SSE) in a way that will really lead to improved learning outcomes for all. Embedding digital technologies is another key feature across our programmes, with inputs to leaders from our PDST Digital Learning Team. We coordinate our work with all teams across the PDST, thereby empowering the development of teacher leaders and middle leaders and building on their expertise across all subject areas. Our programmes have evolved in response to changing demands in the education system and are currently being reviewed in accordance with the DESâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Action Plan for Education 2018 and Looking at Our School 2016 - A Quality Framework for Primary Schools, which informs our priorities for future development. The vision for our programmes is derived from the five core principles of school leadership: n n n n n
Moral Purpose - the improvement of learning for every child Courage to Act Modelling of Good Practice Sustainability - through empowering others to develop leadership skills Situational Awareness - knowledge and consideration of school context.
These five core principles underpin good practice in school leadership. They are clearly evident in all of the modules in our programmes and emerge strongly across all areas of content. Our programmes empower leaders at all stages to develop their understanding of these aspects of school leadership. Opportunities are created to reflect upon oneself, the person, as leader; leading the organisation; leading people; leading the community; and leading change.
26
Sustainability
Courage
Moral Purpose
Modelling
Situational Awareness
Our programmes are underpinned by recognised research findings which identify key leadership competencies, focused on the imperative to ensure quality student outcomes for every student and to promote ongoing school improvement, equity and effectiveness. A further key tenet is the use of evidence to inform practice, reflecting the international movement towards a research-based culture. We foster the creation and maintenance of professional learning communities, which promote highly effective networking and collaborative peer supports. Leaders learn about the benefits of engaging in reflective practice, which creates self-awareness and empathy. This serves to challenge and change practice, empowering a commitment to action and towards achieving goals. In the context of staff, it promotes a culture of ongoing learning and innovation in schools. MISNEACH Misneach is a two-year personal and professional development programme for Newly Appointed Principals (NAPs). This programme seeks to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and qualities of beginning school leaders, empowering them to respond effectively to the realities of managing and leading in the Irish school context. Misneach helps NAPs develop the confidence to translate principle into practice. Through working collaboratively and engaging with the language of leadership, the NAPs develop a map for their professional lives. All good
September 2018
leadership induction programmes should have a mentoring component and we are delighted to collaborate with our colleagues in the Centre for School Leadership (CSL) to provide a mentor for every Misneach participant. This mentoring relationship with an experienced school principal proves an invaluable source of support on the initial leadership journey. FORBAIRT Forbairt is a programme for experienced school leaders, aiming to assist the principal and deputy principal to develop professionally in their leadership roles. The programme, based on an action learning process, enables professionals to learn and develop through engaging and reflecting on their experience in the company of peers as they seek to address real-life problems in their own organisations. It generates learning from human interactions arising from solution-focused approaches to realtime, real-world work problems. Supports are provided throughout the year as participants undertake, reflect on and gain feedback on the implementation of a school initiative. A key feature of this programme is the input from Professor John WestBurnham, an international consultant in education leadership. It is worth noting that samples of our Forbairt Leadership Initiatives (Projects) are drawn upon by Professor WestBurnham to share with other school leaders internationally as examples of best practice. TÁNAISTE Tánaiste is a leadership course designed specifically for deputy principals and acting deputy principals. It provides opportunities for deputy principals to explore their leadership role with the objective of leading high quality teaching and learning in their schools. It provides an opportunity to learn from facilitators and colleagues in similar roles, using materials and resources designed or adapted to reflect the deputy principal role. The course places an emphasis on effective communication and conflict management strategies, on the principal and deputy principal as a leadership partnership, exploring distributed leadership as well as leading change and positively impacting on the school’s learning culture. MEITHEAL Meitheal is a participant-led leadership development programme that is
responsive to the individual professional needs of experienced school principals. It draws upon the skills and techniques associated with coaching. A skilled facilitator works collaboratively with small groups, using a developmental model to enhance leadership skills. Mutual trust and confidentiality form the basis of the programme. The programme is underpinned by literature and research in social network theory, professional learning communities and communities of practice. A key kernel of the programme is a commitment to action on the serious challenges faced by school leaders. A further central learning intention is the development of a coaching mind-set and associated skills. SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION (SSE) Our SSE seminars are designed for all principals seeking support in their re-engagement and continuing work with the SSE process in their schools. A number of seminars are provided as Gaeilge to Irish-medium schools. These seminars explore the revised SSE Guidelines 2016-2020 and Looking at our School 2016 A Quality Framework for Primary Schools, which guide schools with the SSE process. They provide principals with opportunities to explore the SSE process using practical examples and enable opportunities to share practice with other school leaders in the context of relevant policy. ONE-DAY SEMINARS These are one-day events run nationwide to address current issues as highlighted by recent circulars and in feedback from school leaders. The themes address an expressed need for professional development in management and administrative areas for newly-appointed and experienced school leaders. Current and recent roll-outs have included topics such as An Plean Scoile, Challenging Conversations, Leading the LearningCentred School, and Leading and Managing School Priorities. These seminars are made available as Gaeilge also. OTHER SUPPORTS In addition to the above core programmes, our experienced PDST School Leadership Team offers personalised support to principals as professional challenges arise in their own school context or in the areas of staff development and performance issues. Assistance is also provided to promote school development
planning, with particular reference to organisational policies. Through our sustained school support system, our advisors are available to provide contextualised support to principals and deputies on issues related to their leadership role.
Our SSE seminars are designed for all principals seeking support in their re-engagement and continuing work with the SSE process in their schools. INTO THE FUTURE School leadership in Ireland is going through an exciting transformative phase. With the new leadership and management framework now in place and the advent of leadership and management as part of the school self-evaluation process, providing appropriate supports to school leaders will be crucial in assisting them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. As the principal provider of continuous professional development (CPD) for school leaders, PDST Leadership will continue to play an essential role in equipping our leaders to construct and sustain educational environments and cultures that promote high quality teaching and learning and improved student outcomes. The sustainability of the role will be largely dependent on achieving manageability through distributed leadership structures. To this end, PDST Leadership will be piloting Middle Leader and Teacher Leader programmes during the coming years. The overarching aim of developing such programmes will be to create capacity and ensure sustainability for school teams, which will bolster school leadership structures in our schools. It is widely accepted from research that school leadership is second only to quality of teaching as an indicator of student outcomes. Therefore, appropriate government investment in our school leaders and the provision of effective CPD will be essential in ensuring that the ultimate impact of our school leadership structures will be to improve student outcomes. PDST will continue its pivotal role in providing high quality CPD to ensure that this central moral purpose is achieved and sustained into the future. 27
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
MORE THAN JUST TEST SCORES
Some findings from TIMSS 2015 AIDAN CLERKIN, EEMER EIVERS, AND RACHEL PERKINS EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE
December 2017 saw the launch of the ERC’s new Research Series, providing short accessible reports on a particular theme. Two reports were released, examining findings from TIMSS 2015 (the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), which assesses Fourth Class and Second Year students around the world. The two reports (Shaping Schools: What TIMSS tells us about education systems and Inside the primary classroom: What happens in Fourth Class?) are free to download from www.erc.ie/timss. Here, we summarise two aspects of the reports of interest to IPPN members: the teaching of science at primary level, and characteristics of the Irish system that are unusual in international terms. TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS One benefit to taking part in TIMSS is that it provides valuable nationallygeneralisable information about the teaching and learning of science in primary schools, information not available from other studies. For example, the TIMSS data show that Fourth Class pupils in Ireland spend less time learning science than their peers in any of the other 46 countries that took part in 2015. We can also see, by examining trends going back to TIMSS 2011, that the time spent teaching science in Fourth Class has halved (from 63 hours per annum to
28
32 hours) since 2011. By contrast, the time devoted to teaching maths has increased (from 157 to 165 hours). When Irish teachers were asked about their preparation and confidence when teaching their pupils, they reported much lower confidence in teaching science lessons than in teaching maths. They also noted that participation in science-related professional development in the two years leading up to the survey was relatively rare, both when compared to their participation in maths-related CPD and to the international average for science CPD. This suggests that there may be scope for additional support for teachers on this front.’ Structural characteristics of the Irish education system Unusual features of the Irish education system include the relatively large number of very small, rural primary schools, private denominational schools, and multi-grade classes. Class sizes in Ireland are slightly larger than the TIMSS international average at primary level, and smaller than the international average at post-primary level. Also, Ireland is one of only a small number of countries where class size tends to be smaller at Second Year than at Fourth Class. In most countries, the opposite applies. Ability grouping was more common, internationally, for maths than for science lessons. Irish primary schools were less likely to ability group
than was the case internationally. In contrast, Irish post-primary schools were more likely than the international average to ability group for maths lessons, but less likely to do so for science lessons. Perhaps contrary to popular belief, there is no clear link between individual-level or countrylevel performance and the extent to which ability grouping is used. Another unusual feature of our education system is the imbalance in time allocated to maths and science in primary school. Across TIMSS countries as a whole, maths received twice as much instructional time as science at primary level – whereas, in Ireland, five times as much time was spent on maths as science. Forthcoming reports The third in the Research Series Inside the post-primary classroom: What happens in Second Year? – will shortly be published. Future reports will address student attitudes and engagement, and characteristics of the home environment that are related to educational achievement. In 2019, Ireland will again take part in TIMSS, providing a third round of data which we can use to examine trends in achievement and contextual factors through from 2011 and 2015 to 2019. Please see www.erc.ie/TIMSS for more information.
September 2018
PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND THE CHARITIES REGULATOR JAMES KEATING FINANCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES UNIT
In the FSSU, we often get asked; “Why should my school register with the Charities Regulator?” The simple answer is it is the law and all schools are obliged to register. All schools fall within the terms of the Charites Act 2009. The Charites Regulator is the statutory regulatory agency for all charitable organisations it has the power to bring legal proceedings against individuals who do not comply with the Act. If your school has not registered with the Regulator, the FSSU encourages you to submit your school’s application as soon as possible. The registration process for primary schools is straightforward. The application is made via an on-line system, which has some pre-populated information on your school. Your school will be able to create a charity account which will have a unique login username and password. The Regulator will require the names and addresses of all Board of Management members for registration. However, only the names of the board members will be publicly available on the Regulator’s website. Should there be any changes to the board members, the school’s charity account should be updated. Once your school is registered, you will receive a unique Registered Charity Number (RCN). The RCN should be displayed on school letterhead. The benefits of registration with the Charites Regulator are: n It demonstrates your school operates to the highest standards of governance and administration n
n
n
It highlights your school’s commitment to transparency and accountability Your school is in a better position to retain and attract state funding Your school can attract funding from the corporate sector
n
It provides a sound basis for donors and volunteers to support your school
n
Your school will require an RCN number when applying for a permit for any on-street collections from An Gardai Síochána.
n
n
To apply for Revenue’s Charitable Tax-Exempt status and associated benefits it is a prerequisite that your school has an RCN It allows your school to play its part in building trust and confidence in the charities sector
As part of their duties, the Charites Regulator will require all charities to report to them on their financial activities. In the case of primary schools, the FSSU will assist the Regulator in collecting this information once a school has made its annual submission. The first submission to the FSSU is due on the 28th February 2020 and will relate to the school’s financial year 1st September 2018 to 31st August 2019. The Charites Regulator has an important role in promoting transparency in the charities sector. In accordance with the Act, schools are obliged to comply with the Regulator. The first step in compliance is registration. So, if your school has not yet registered with the Regulator, please do so now - it demonstrates to your community that the highest standards of governance and administration are being met. The Charites Regulator’s customer service team can be contacted as follows: Email reg@charitiesregulator.ie Helpline (01) 633 1500 - available Monday – Friday from 12:30pm – 5pm Website www.charitiesregulatoryauthority.ie For further information on the Financial Support Services Unit and our services to primary schools please visit www.
fssu.ie or call our Support Line at (01) 910 4020. The Financial Support Services Unit (FSSU) is a support mechanism for primary school management. Established under Department of Education & Skills Circular 60/2017, the FSSU assists school management in complying with the Education Act 1998 in terms of transparency, accountability and financial responsibility for state and other funding. James Keating is a qualified accountant and tax advisor working with the FSSU. The Department has worked in partnership with the Charities Regulatory Authority for the purposes of making the requirements of the Charities Act 2009 less onerous on Schools. This included an exemption for schools to provide annual accounts to the Charities Regulatory Authority and other practical measures such as the pre loading of school details on to the register of charities. As part of this partnership, the Charities Regulator has also published user guides for schools to help to reduce the administrative burden on schools and to simplify the registration process. Any future changes to the role of Board of Management members in managing schools, including having regard to their responsibilities as Trustees under the Charities Act 2009 will be discussed with Education Partners and as appropriate the Charities Regulator as part of normal ongoing engagements with the Department.
29
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Will Joining the Charity Sector Impact the Governance of Primary Schools in Ireland? AINE LYNCH CEO, NATIONAL PARENTS COUNCIL (PRIMARY) In 2017, as part fulfilment of a Master’s Degree, I conducted research using semi-structured expert interviews, document analysis and benchmarking methodologies to examine the governance in primary schools in Ireland and the impact that schools becoming registered charities may have. As the CEO of one of the partners in education, I see how strong and positive governance and leadership in schools is crucial to how children navigate their time at school, not just educationally but physically, emotionally and morally too. My organisation has a role to play in shaping the education system and I hope that this research will help us to make a better contribution in the areas of school governance and leadership. I was really interested in conducting the interviews to hear the views of expert senior leaders in the school, charity and legal sectors. I was humbled at the frank, honest and open engagement each of the interviewees brought to our exchange, without which the findings would not have had the rich data that it did. I was surprised from the interviews that there was a general understanding and acceptance by all that changes were needed in primary school governance. I am hoping that the findings and recommendations from this research may provide a starting point for some of the work that needs to be done. In conducting the research, it became clear that governance has evolved in primary schools over many years and a lot of progress has been made, however the historical backdrop to the development of the primary education system still dominates how governance is structured today, with particular powers remaining invested in the Patron. The findings highlight the difference between the responsibilities as set out for Board members currently in the Education Act (1998) and the Trustee
30
responsibilities as set out in the Charities Act (2009). As schools are now required to be registered charities, Board members are now considered Trustees of the Charity. The interview data findings indicate that this is a significant development as the Trustee responsibilities are deemed to be significantly greater than the situation heretofore. The interview findings also indicate that these responsibilities are not known or understood by many Board members in the primary school sector. The interview findings also raise a possible conflict with the Trustee responsibilities as set out in the Charities Act and the powers of a Board as set out in the Education Act. This conflict arises within the context of the actual control that a school Board has in governing the school. The findings suggest that the Board is legally responsible for the management of the school but the findings are also clear that they must take direction from the Patron and the Department of Education. This external control on Board decisions does present an uncertainty in how the Trustees’ responsibilities play out within this environment.
The dominant role of the Principal as both the manager of the school but also within the Board can cause concerns regarding division of duties, accountability and conflicts of interests. The interviews also showed that there was significant complexity and confusion regarding the governance and management roles within the school. The dominant role of the Principal as both the manager of the school but also within the Board can cause concerns regarding division of
duties, accountability and conflicts of interests. Charity governance views a clear distinction between management and governance and does not allow paid employees to also be Board members in that organisation. The expert interviews, as well as raising the concerns regarding the division of responsibilities etc, also raised concerns that the current situation gave significant responsibilities perhaps inappropriately to Principals as the ‘CEO’ of the school and a Board member. The research explores the current structure of school Boards of Management and how the membership reflects some of the stakeholders in the school. The ‘Stakeholder Board’ is one that is common in other organisations and other jurisdictions and is the subject of many studies. The stakeholder Board in primary schools is certainly a construct that brings benefits that are valued greatly within the expert interviews, however it also appears to bring even greater challenges. The governance system in schools recognises the key importance of stakeholders, however this research strongly indicates that this is a construct that should be reviewed and assessed to determine whether the current structure is the best approach for school governance and also the best approach for stakeholders. A review may also be timely, not just to address governance issues but also given the current context of the increasing difficulty in accessing suitable volunteers to fill school Board positions. This research also recommends that any review should examine the missing voice of a key stakeholder; the child in the school. The lack of opportunity for the child’s voice to be heard within the governance structure of schools to date may be a contributory factor to the lack of focus by Boards that was identified in the expert interviews, explicitly on the outcomes for children.
September 2018
EXAMINATION OF HOW THE PRIMARY SCHOOL GOVERNANCE MODEL FITS WITH THE CHARITY SECTOR GOVERNANCE MODEL In conducting a benchmarking exercise between the Charities Act (2009) and the DES Governance Manual for Primary Schools, it was identified clearly that there are significant areas of difference. The urgency in addressing these differences seems to vary between different stakeholders in both sectors. Whilst initial work is underway regarding reporting requirements and streamlining the administration of this between the Department of Education and the Charity Regulator, no work has yet been initiated on either the responsibilities for school Trustees or the conflict on the issue of paid employees as Trustees. Both the Charity Regulator and the Department of Education seem able to tolerate these anomalies at present and school Boards seem currently unaware of the dilemma or the possible implications. Reconciling the areas of difference between the two sectors that schools now operate within, rather than waiting for the possibility that the issues will be forced into focus through an investigation from the Charity Regulator into a school, initiated by a complaint made to his office would appear to make better sense and lead to better outcomes.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RESEARCH Timing is as much part of the recommendations as what is being recommended. There is an opportunity for the education sector to begin the process of reviewing the governance in primary schools, which is clearly indicated as needed within this research, regardless of the new requirements of the Charities Act (2009). This review should be cognisant of the requirements on schools arising from the charity legislation. If this review is initiated by the education sector rather than by the Charity Regulator, it will give an opportunity for schools to view school governance through a wide lens and make decisions based on improving and enhancing school governance for the benefit of children, rather than in a response to the need to comply which presents a much narrower lens. The research indicates that the areas that should be included in the review are: 1. Examination of the legislation visà-vis the duties under the Charities Act (2009) of school Trustees and the role of the Department of Education and the Patron 2. A review of the membership of the Board of Management in view of the skills needed in the current governance environment 3. Development of procedures and protocols to clearly define the governance and management roles/ functions in the school. Reviewing
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
the name of the governance structure in the school should also be considered. A structure to hear the child’s voice in governance matters within the school should be developed Procedures for the Board supervising and supporting the Principal should be developed Consideration should be given to developing a sub-committee structure for the Boards in the areas of audit and governance Continuation of the work regarding the reporting and compliance procedures between schools, the Department of Education and the Charity Regulator A national information initiative to inform and support school Trustees on their new duties and responsibilities as stated in the Charities Act (2009) A working group should be established with membership from the education stakeholders and the Charity Regulator to consider the resolution to the employee Trustee legislative position.
This work could commence the process of addressing the ongoing challenges to the governance issues within the primary school sector and do it with the knowledge of the requirements of the charity legislation, ensuring that any new governance model for schools will be developed with better outcomes for children clearly at its focus.
Have you Downloaded the TextaParent App? n
No Set-up Fee or Subscription Fee - Pay for What You Use
n
Instant Communication with Parents
n
Huge Savings
n
No Missed Messages
n
Message will Default to Text if App is Not Downloaded
n
View Important Events through the App Calendar
If you have any queries, or would like to try TextaParent.ie for yourself, please contact info@textaparent.ie or 1890 401 501
Irish Primary Principals’ Network Líonra Phríomhoidí Bunscoile Éireann
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
Congratulations and Best Wishes member of a wide range of national and international academic and professional committees. Teresa was appointed a Commissioner at the State Examinations Commission in 2015 and is an invited expert member of the NCCA Early Childhood and Primary Committee since 2008. IPPN sends sincere congratulations to the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) on the occasion of its 150th anniversary. Not many organisations can celebrate such a long and dynamic history in the advancement of primary education. IPPN offers our sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of past president of INTO, Tom Gilmore, who passed away recently. Tom made a significant contribution to primary education over the years, not least as Principal of Mourne Road Boys’ School, Drimnagh.
Nessa Doyle and Michael Moriarty
We congratulate Michael Moriarty on his successful tenure as general secretary of Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) and wish him all the very best in his retirement.
Prof. Eugene Wall
We offer our congratulations to Professor Eugene Wall who was appointed President, Mary Immaculate College in May 2018, having been the Acting President of MIC since January 2017.
We congratulate his successor Nessa Doyle on her appointment and look forward to working with her in the coming years. Prior to her appointment in a competitive selection process, Nessa was the Change Programme Manager in ETBI. She is a native of Bunclody, Co Wexford and has extensive experience in human resources, change and project management, having served with Wexford VEC and the HSE.
Among his many qualifications is a degree in psychology, a research MA in developmental psycholinguistics, a BEd from Froebel College and a PhD in Education from UCD. Dr Anne O’Gara
Prof. Teresa O’Doherty
Marino Institute of Education has appointed a new president. Prof. Teresa O’Doherty has succeeded Dr. Anne O’Gara, who led the college in exemplary manner. We congratulate Teresa on her appointment and look forward to working with her. We wish both Teresa and Anne all the very best in their respective endeavours. Prior to her appointment, Professor O’Doherty was Dean of Education at Mary Immaculate College. She is a 32
As well as extensive lecturing positions in MIC and UL, Dr Wall served for 21 years on the Council of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and was a member of several of its sub-committees, including the committee which oversaw the development of the 1999 primary school curriculum. He chaired the Council’s Primary Assessment Advisory Group. Eugene is co-author of the MICRA-T and the SIGMA-T, the two most widely used standardised tests in Irish primary schools.
Did you know your weekly IPPN E-scéal is the place to keep abreast of all the key information in the sector on a week-byweek basis?
And Finally…
‘
QUOTATIONS
Change is easy to propose, hard to implement, and especially hard to sustain. Professor Andy Hargreaves
’
FLOWERS ARE RED The little boy went first day of school. He got some crayons and started to draw. He put colors all over the paper. For colors was what he saw. And the teacher said.. What you doin’ young man? I’m paintin’ flowers, he said. She said, It’s not the time for art young man. And anyway, flowers are green and red. There’s a time for everything young man. And a way it should be done. You’ve got to show concern for everyone else. For you’re not the only one. And she said ‘Flowers are red young man Green leaves are green. There’s no need to see flowers any other way, Than the way they always have been seen.’ But the little boy said: ‘There are so many colors in the rainbow. So many colors in the morning sun. So many colors in the flower and I see every one. ‘Well’, the teacher said, ‘You’re sassy. There’s ways that things should be. And you’ll paint flowers the way they are. So repeat after me.’ And she said: ‘Flowers are red young man, Green leaves are green, There’s no need to see flowers any other way, Than the way they always have been seen,’ ‘But’ the little boy said ‘There are so many colors in the rainbow. So many colors in the morning sun. So many colors in the flower and I see every one.’ The teacher put him in a corner. She said ‘It’s for your own good. And you won’t come out ’til you get it right. And all responding like you should. Well, finally he got lonely. Frightened thoughts filled his head. And he went up to the teacher. And this is what he said, and he said. ‘Flowers are red, green leaves are green. There’s no need to see flowers any other way, Than the way they always have been seen.’ Time went by like it always does. And they moved to another town. And the little boy went to another school. And this is what he found. The teacher there was smilin’. She said ‘Painting should be fun. And there are so many colors in a flower. So let’s use every one.’ But that little boy painted flowers in neat rows of green and red. And when the teacher asked him why, this is what he said. And he said: ‘Flowers are red, green leaves are green. There’s no need to see flowers any other way. Than the way they always have been seen’. (Harry Chapin)
‘
QUOTATIONS
’
A leader leads by example, ends to or not. whether he int Unknown
BOOK NOW
SPECIAL OFFERS AT CITYWEST HOTEL... l
Romantic Breaks from €70.00 pp
l
Kildare Shopping Package from €80.00 pp
l
l
One Night Play & Stay break from €119.50 per person sharing Family Breaks from €179.00 for a family of 4
BOOK NOW on www.citywesthotel.com T: +353 1 401 0500 E: info@citywesthotel.com citywesthotel.com