Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS/124ISSUEOCTOBER2022 + Turning the Tide
Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th November INEC Killarney Where? Croke Park Events Centre • When? 9th & 10th February 2023 See your E-scéal and www.ippn.ie for registration details EDUCATION EXPO DEPUTY PRINCIPALS’ CONFERENCE 2023 A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY! Education Expo is Ireland’s largest trade event for schools attended by companies supplying a full range of products and services for teachers and schools. It offers a unique opportunity to research products, secure better deals, and check out new and innovative products and services. Our Passport Giveaway will be open to all attendees, prizes include travel and hotel vouchers, iPads, TVs among many others. We would like to thank our sponsors Allianz, Wonde, Freshtoday, Clevertouch Technologies/AVIO, School Accounting, Educationstore.ie, The Safeguarding Company and Select. A full list of exhibiting companies can be viewed at conference.ippn.ie. Find out more at conference.ippn.ie Book your place on www.ippn.ie IPPN Annual Principals’ CONFERENCE 2022 IPPNEVENTS MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL 2022/2023 Schools will have received their membership renewal form along with the IPPN 2022/23 Wall Calendar and Autumn meeting schedule. We ask that schools return the form using the ‘Freepost’ envelope included in the pack. If you do not renew your membership, you will miss out on key supports and services - Leadership Support, mailing lists, Leadership+, weekly Escéal, CPD... If you are unable to locate your renewal form - you can find one on www.ippn.ie under About Us – Join IPPN.
Simon Lewis sets out the case for systematic changes to encourage diversity Is our SystemEducationPrimaryRacist +Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS Signposts ISSUE 124 / OCTOBER 2022 Maeve O’Mahony gives an overview of a major new development EducationPostson IPPN’s Budget 2023 submission has four key priorities, all directly relating to andLeadershipSustainableforprincipalsdeputyprincipalsPAGE82023Budget Amanda Rowland outlines her research conclusions recommendationsand PAGENetworksLearninginParticipationProfessional PAGE Ronan Farrell on the procedures for purchasing and offers the support of the Schools Procurement Unit PAGE 10 Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co. Cork • 1800 21 22 23 • www.ippn.ie n Editor: Geraldine D’Arcy n Editorial Team: Geraldine D’Arcy, Páiric Clerkin and Brian O’Doherty n Comments to: editor@ippn.ie n Advertising: adverts@ippn.ie n ISSN: 1649-5888 n Design: Brosna Press The opinions expressed in Leadership+ do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of IPPN Buying-in SupportProcurementto 21 20 PAGE 14 andtimesinSense-makingandforofcrisischangeEducationPosts.ieOnlineRecruitmentProcessPAGE 18 Gavin Murphy and Dympna Devine explore principals’primarysense-makingduringthepandemic
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At the risk of using an oxymoron, it’s fair to say that 2022/23 is a redletter year for IPPN and for school leadership. Two important projects are nearing completion. The first is the Governance review project, which has the potential to better ensure that the voice of members is shaping and influencing the work of IPPN. The second is the Sustainable Leadership project, which has the potential to have a profound impact on the practice and lived experience of school leadership. Both are central to the work we will do this year and are in keeping with our strategic objectives.
Brian.ODoherty@ippn.ie
NATIONAL COUNCIL EXPANSION
SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP
TurningIPPN the Tide
IPPN takes this responsibility seriously and is committed, not just to the publication of the report, but also to ensuring action on the implementation of the recommendations contained within it. We are in this for the long haul as we know that change and reform happens slowly, but it won’t happen at all if we don’t ensure that it remains at the top of the agenda for all stakeholders. It’s time to turn the tide.
is to complete the process of review of IPPN’s governance structures in the coming months with further proposals and recommendations issuing for the consideration of the Board, and the newly formed Council in December. We will keep you posted of progress and developments.
BRIAN O’DOHERTY IPPN PRESIDENT
We very much hope that this new expanded Council will encourage those of you who may have an interest in becoming more involved in IPPN and its work, to do so.
We very much hope that this new expanded Council will encourage those of you who may have an interest in becoming more involved in IPPN and its work, to do so. Ideally, we would love to get a balance of teaching, administrative and deputy principals on our Council as it is vitally important that those individual perspectives inform our work. We are very encouraged by the response we have received to date and are delighted to welcome so many new faces to the Council. However, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the enormous contribution and the unwavering commitment that our outgoing National Council reps have given. You have served your counties and IPPN so selflessly and deserve our deep appreciation and sincerest
but in Cork, Galway and Dublin we are creating networks in each of the local authority areas. In Cork and Galway there will be two networks and in Dublin there will be four. We will be seeking to elect three National Council representatives in each of these areas in the coming weeks. In total, across the country, we will have 31 City/ County Networks with a potential 93 National Council representatives.
Our objective is to ensure that the report is as impactful as possible so that the education stakeholders will realise the urgent need to address and implement system change to enable and support sustainable leadership into the future. At the very least, we have a responsibility to ensure that existing and future school leaders are afforded the opportunity to be as effective as they can be in their roles, as we know the consequential impact of that on school effectiveness and outcomes for children.
THE PRESIDENT’S PEN
Those of you who have attended the meetings will know that we are expanding our National Council by seeking nominations for three National Council Reps for every city/county network. Each of those National Council reps will serve on one of the three committees of the Council that are being formed, to ensure their direct impact on the work of IPPN. The focus of those committees is on: advocacy &
October 20223
Imminent also is the publication of our Sustainable Leadership report, which has been informed and greatly enhanced by your contributions to our online consultation meetings and by your participation in our recent member survey. The data we have garnered from your responses has shaped the penultimate draft of the report, which has now been shared with some ‘critical friends’. We have asked those critical friends to review the report to ensure that our analysis is considered, balanced and objective. We are inviting them to challenge our thinking and to interrogate both our consideration of the key issues and the recommendations we have made.
As this issue of Leadership+ arrives on your desk, we are halfway through our autumn meetings, which are being conducted in-person for the first time in three years. It has been wonderful to get around the country and have the opportunity of engaging with you and providing you with updates and information.
Nothingcapacityinvolved,gethasThesub-seeker,e-servicessupport,leadershipprofessionalpublications,(submissions,communicationspositionpapers,etc.)learningfor(CPD,leadershipetc.)(website,networking,educationposts.ie,etc.)City/CountyNetworkstructurebeenintroducedtoensurethatwegreaternumbersofschoolleadersinordertodeveloptheofthenetworkasawhole.willchangefor23counties,
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LEADERSHIP+ EDITORIAL TEAM EDITORIAL
has been problematic and frustrating for many, with few applications received for posts and even fewer candidates actually turning up for interview. While the retention of the expanded supply panels is welcome, they will prove to be of little value to schools if there are no teachers to staff them.
We trust that the return to school has gone as smoothly as possible for you all. September brings an energy and excitement in schools but we are acutely aware of the challenges you have faced, and are facing, in leading your
Simon Lewis asks ‘Is our primary education system racist?’ and Amanda Rowland summarises the conclusions
IN THIS ISSUE
Return to the Fray
The withdrawal of DP release days is another bone of contention. These were introduced as a Covid measure in schools where there was an Administrative Principal, and their impact was profound. They allowed for a meaningful sharing of leadership in those schools and would have been of benefit to all schools. You cannot espouse a shared leadership approach as a policy imperative and then not give school leaders the time and space to be in the same place at the same time to plan and collaborate.
RETURN TO SCHOOL
On a related matter, the removal of substitute cover for the first day of absence and for one EPV day is a retrograde step and is likely to cause difficulty in ensuring continuity of provision to children. Those difficulties will be exacerbated if we have a further Covid wave and we do not have the facility to split classes. Schools will have little choice but to redeploy SETs to mainstream classes once more, with our children with additional needs being disadvantaged yet again.
Recruitmentschools.
4
of her Masters Dissertation on Participation in Professional Learning Networks.
Is sinne le Leadership+meas,Editorial Team
As always, we sincerely thank all contributors, advertisers and everyone involved in bringing you this issue. We hope you enjoy the issue.
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals Receive up to €22,000 annually per 200 supporters We do all the work In schools nationwide
The staff of Carrig NS pay tribute to their principal Mairéad O’Halloran, RIP. Elsewhere, we look at school policies, behaviours of concern, the upcoming EducationPosts. ie recruitment portal, an overview of IPPN’s Headstart programme, among many other topics.
In the President’s Pen, Brian O’Doherty describes the expansion of the IPPN National Council and provides an update regarding the Sustainable Leadership project. The Legal Diary looks at ‘reasonable accommodation’. Ronan Farrell of the DE discusses school procurement ; Gavin Murphy of TCD and Dympna Devine of UCD describe Sense-making in times of crisis , findings from the Children’s School Lives longitudinal research, and Déirdre Kirwan outlines a plurilingual approach to language education
All of these issues feature as priorities in the budget submission we have made and we will continue to lobby the DE and the education spokespersons in that respect. We will keep you updated of progress.
Note: All legislation available at www.irishstatutebook.ie. The various management bodies provide training for Boards of Management related to many of the areas above. Contact your management body for further details.
If there are no formal policies, then organisation staff at any level would have no guidance on how to make consistent decisions. Imagine, a parent approaches a teacher, and requests to view her child’s answer script. If the school has no proper policy on Assessments, the choice on whether to show the answer paper might depend upon which teacher she spoke to, or
In general, all schools have the same management structure i.e. they have a patron, board of management and a principal teacher. The patron is the body that establishes and operates the school and is responsible for the school’s characteristic spirit and ethos. The patron appoints the Board of Management of the school.
is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, including providing guidance and direction to the teachers and other staff of the school and is accountable for that management.
5
School policy can be defined as the set of established expectations for specific behaviours and norms within a school community setting. School policies are put in place to guide the day-to-day functioning of the school, as well as to make it a safe and effective place for learning to occur.
Jack.Durkan@ippn.ie
JACK DURKAN IPPN SUPPORTS & SERVICES MANAGER
POLICY
As described by Dr Sami Ulla in his essay on the Importance of Policies in School Education Ecosystem, policy is generally an intent, a set of rules and principles, adopted for ease of governance within an organisation. It is fundamentally important for organisations to have implementable policies, as it forms a link between school management, staff, students, parents and the rule of law. An organisation without policy is an organisation without control.
The Board of Management of each school has overall responsibility for school policies. There are a range of different school policies that boards
Not everyone understands why policies exist – people sometimes view them as being bureaucratic and overbearing. In reality, as the school management cannot be everywhere all the time to ensure staff carry out their tasks correctly and responsibly, policies provide useful and necessary
whether the teacher she speaks to is having a bad day. In short, an absence of policy leads to inconsistency of decision making.
of management will, from time to time, be involved in (notExamplesasandimplementingdeveloping,reviewingappropriate.include:exhaustive)CodeofBehaviourAdmissions/Enrolment
The Board of Management manages the school on behalf of the patron and is accountable to the patron and the TheMinister.principal
October 2022
& Participation
School Policies –What and Why!
Schools are highly complex and create standards of quality for learning and safety, as well as expectations and accountability. Without these, schools would lack the structure and function necessary to provide for the educational needs of students. Some policies will be common throughout all schools, whilst others will be designed specifically for each individual school.
What is a policy in a school?
Schools must have clear policies and procedures that guide day-today processes. These policies cover everything from attendance, to student discipline, to emergency procedures, and the curriculum. The policies written by schools should be written in clear, plain language and definition of terms in order to function effectively.
Anti-Bullying Information for parents and students
Child
SUPPORTLEADERSHIP RELEASE DAYS There are no Deputy Principal Release Days for 2022/2023 school year. See DE Circular26/2022 for details on Principal Release Dates.
Besides,assistance.policies
are also important because they help a school establish good operating procedures and create standards of quality for learning and safety, as well as expectations and accountability. Without these, schools would lack the structure and function necessary to provide the educational needs of students. Essentially, policies are key for the success of a school, and provides many other privileges provided they are written well and kept up to date.
SchoolHealthProtectedAccessSchoolEqualityDisciplinaryParentalSafeguardingProtection/ChildinschoolsComplaintsprocedures&Grievanceprocedures&Anti-HarassmentPlantoRecords/DataProtectionDisclosuresandSafetyattendancestrategy
This case involved a small primary school where the only resource teacher had a serious medical condition. Her medical advice was to restrict contact with pupils as much as possible to minimise the risk of infection. She would not make herself available to do certain supervision tasks, including the taking of mainstream classes when other teachers were absent, and no substitutes were available.
those measures would impose a disproportionate burden on the BoM. Appropriate measures may include the adaptation of the premises and equipment, working time patterns, the provision of training, or most importantly in this case the distribution of tasks. The Court stated that, while not mandatory, ‘a wise employer will provide meaningful participation’ not only with the person seeking reasonable accommodation but also with other staff in relation to the role i.e. an expectation of reasonable consultation. The issue was remitted by the Supreme Court with this guidance back to the Labour Court for consideration. The Labour Court had originally awarded €75,000 against the school on the grounds of failing to provide reasonable accommodation. The school had successfully argued that it was not feasible to redistribute the 7 tasks that the SNA was unable to perform.
This decision was made following an assessment by an occupational therapist (OT) and two separate risk assessments relating to the SNA’s working environment. The OT assessment determined that she could perform 9 of the 16 tasks required of her and based on this assessment the school concluded that the SNA was no longer fit to perform her role. The school further decided that there were no appropriate measures of reasonable accommodation that could be put in place to facilitate her return to that role.
The Employment Equality Acts require a Board of Management (BoM) to take appropriate measures to facilitate persons with disabilities in accessing and participating in school unless
The BoM deemed that this was highly unsatisfactory on health and safety grounds. The BoM attempted to accommodate the teacher (who wished to remain in a resource capacity) by appointing her to a new shared position with another school.
When does demand for becomeaccommodationreasonableunreasonable?
FACTS
This case concerned a Special Needs Assistant (SNA). After suffering very serious injury from a road traffic accident in 2010, the staff member underwent a period of rehabilitation and then engaged with the school about her return to her SNA role. The school ultimately refused permission for her to return to work in 2011.
A TEACHER V A SCHOOL WORKPLACE RELATIONS COMMISSION 2022
FACTS
THE LAW
The school principal assumed the resource post based in the school and had the flexibility to take mainstream classes when substitute teachers were unavailable. Often the staff member would be rostered to do alternative supervision inside the school building.
School leaders and Boards of Management (BoM) have requests on occasion from staff for accommodations due to different factors. A typical example would be a pregnant staff member requesting that they be excused from yard duty on health and safety grounds. Often the staff member would be rostered to do alternative supervision inside the school building.
LEGAL DIARY
THE NANO NAGLE CASE SUPREME COURT 2019
Two recent legal decisions illustrate that there is a limit as to what is reasonable.
DAVID RUDDY BL
The teacher was unhappy with the new arrangement and requested a return to her original resource post based fully in the school. In order to accommodate this request, the principal would have had to move to a mainstream class and a mainstream teacher would have had to move to the shared post.
THE LAW
We look forward to working with Harold’s successor in the coming years, to progress IPPN’s key priorities, particularly those relating to sustainable leadership.
The outgoing Chief Inspector, Dr Harold Hislop, leaves the Inspectorate this Autumn after twelve years at the helm. He leaves a tremendous legacy of positive change, albeit some members might say a little too much change! We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Harold for his thought leadership and the openness with which he approached his work with education stakeholders and the school leaders he has encountered along the way.
A highly respected figure on the world stage in the education sector, Harold has represented the Irish education system with consummate professionalism, skill and flair, and he has leveraged his network of international contacts to ensure that proposals put forward by the Inspectorate are substantiated with robust research. School leaders, through IPPN, INTO and other organisations, are always given the opportunity to review and give feedback on proposed changes to guidelines, procedures and other proposals. Occasionally, IPPN has had to address some challenging
Take Away
The teacher took a claim against the school to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on the grounds that she was not afforded reasonable Theaccommodation.schoolstatedthat they endeavoured to create a second full-time resource position based in the school, but their application was unsuccessful. The adjudication officer held in favour of the school on the grounds that having to offer the teacher the only full-time resource post based in the school would place a disproportionate burden on the BoM. The BoM had stated that the health and safety of pupils was of paramount importance. The adjudication officer rejected the idea that an independent risk assessment should have been commissioned by the school, stating that the BoM had the capability through its membership to judge whether there was a health and safety risk or not.
issues with the Chief Inspector, and these have always been dealt with professionally and openly. Harold has never shied away from a difficult issue, as evidenced by his speech earlier this year when he stated that primary school leadership was becoming ‘unsustainable’.
October 2022 In a Local Support Group for Principals or DPs? No? Contact support@ippnie and get connected IPPN Organises and oversees Group Mentoring for all principals in their second year of leadership. For further information, email Jackie jackie.oreilly@ippn.ieat 7
BoMs are not required to undertake a disproportionate burden in order to satisfy such a request!
FAREWELL TO CHIEF INSPECTOR, DR HAROLD HISLOP
David Ruddy works with Mason, Hayes, & Curran LLP as an advisor and training consultant. If you have any queries about this article, you can contact David at: druddy@mhc.ie
Last month, IPPN was delighted to issue the annual members’ report for the past school year. It highlights a considerable number of key achievements, and showcases the work done with, for and on behalf of members in terms of supports and services, advocacy and communications, and the infrastructure and resources required to deliver them. You can access the report at www.ippn.ie under Advocacy/Publications.
Do engage with any staff member seeking what they consider to be reasonable accommodation!
IPPN 2021/2022Members’AnnualReport
Originally from Co. Cavan, Harold trained as a primary teacher in the Church of Ireland College of Education (CICE). He taught in Whitechurch NS in Rathfarnham, where he later became principal. He gained a Ph.D. from Trinity College, Dublin (UCD) and in the mid-1990’s was seconded to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). In 1998, he joined the Inspectorate and was appointed Chief Inspector in April 2010, succeeding Eamonn Stack.
IPPN strongly appreciates the deeply critical and progressive thinking that underpins the Inspectorate’s work on School Improvement Planning, School Self-Evaluation, Circular 63/2017 on distributed leadership, as well as the value placed on leadership in Looking at Our Schools and its Quality Framework. These are just three of the seminal programmes introduced during Harold’s leadership and will, over time, have a profound and positive impact on outcomes for children, and for teaching staff in primary schools.
Collaborate with particular organisations to ideally agree a common or joint statement
How IPPN goes about drafting pre-budget submissions each year:
OTHER RECENT SUBMISSIONS
DE – key points for consideration re. Review of Governance Manual for Primary Schools – June 2022
Issue Budget Submission to Ministers for Finance, Education
DE Inspectorate – Looking at our Schools (LAOS) and the next steps for SSE – June 2022
See www.ippn.ie – Advocacy/ Submissions for all submission documents.
Request members to lobby TDs and senators re. key priorities –links to listings, template email/ letter
JOC – Mental Health Supports in Schools – August 2022
2023
NCCA – Review of Aistear – May DE2022Inspectorate – Review of Code of Practice, Guide for Inspection and Procedures for Review – April DE2022– Creative Youth Plan 20232027 – April 2022.
Our Budget 2023 submission, which outlines four key priorities, was presented to the National Council in June and sent in mid-July to the Ministers for Education, Finance and Public Sector and Reform, as well as to the Secretary General.
GERALDINE D’ARCY IPPN ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
8
Include costings where possible (Parliamentary Questions a key source)
Meet with key stakeholders well in advance – DE officials, minister, opposition spokespersons, education correspondents
BUDGET 2023
Identify key priorities (Strategic Plan 2021-2025) and items mooted the previous year
3. Address the funding crisis relating to soaring inflation and spiralling energy costs by: a. retaining COVID supports until the pandemic ends b. bringing grant funding into line with post-primary schools c. providing temporary alleviation of cost burden relating to inflation and energy crisis.
a. extending and expanding teacher supply panels b. creating and rolling out a national process for appointing substitute SNAs
Refine into draft submission report
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals Leadership‘Sustainable– Part 1’ – the objective of which is to identify and highlight evidencebased supports that will enhance sustainabilitytheof school leadership into the future. SUBSTITUTE LEAVE UPDATE 2022/2023 DE Circular Information38/2022NoteTC0007/2022 LINK
and Public Expenditure and Reform, IPPN members, Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education
4. Fully resourcing supports for children with additional needs by: a. adequately resourcing SEN supports in schools.
Four key priorities for 2023
follow-upcorrespondentsspokespersons),(educationeducationandrequestmeetingsPreparestatementsto
The Process
Seek input from members through Autumn meetings, surveys; Board, National Council
Budget and other Submissionsrecent
Start planning for the next Budget submission!
1. Sharing leadership – developing a culture of shared leadership and increasing leadership capacity by: a. retaining leadership and management days for deputy principals (DPs) in schools with administrative principals and expanding the measure to include DPs in all schools b. deducing the threshold for appointment of administrative principals and deputy principals c. extending CSL coaching and mentoring to DPs, all new principals and those new to DEIS.
c. developing a process for the vetting of substitute SNAs who work across schools.
The focus of IPPN’s budget submission this year is to build on the achievements and to drive ‘Sustainable Leadership – Part 1’ – the objective of which is to identify and highlight evidencebased supports that will enhance the sustainability of school leadership into the future. The Sustainable Leadership report (and the recommendations for each of the six themes therein), when finalised, will inform future budget submissions for 2024, 2025 and beyond.
2. Ensuring the continuity of provision to children by:
respond to Budget announcements, media Userequestssubmission in advocacy work through the year
Capture any progress regarding the submission priorities
4. Address underdeveloped skills that are at the root of a child’s inability to behave appropriately. Teaching the pupil underdeveloped skills eventually eliminates the need for the replacement behaviour. For example, the fist-banging pupil may need to work on reading skills, perhaps with additional support.
WORKING WITH PARENTS
1. Manage antecedents
As the pupil demonstrates small attempts at self-regulation or the use of prosocial skills, the teacher will reinforce and reward her. Many teachers use the strategy of ‘catching a pupil being good’ and highlighting that rather than commenting on negative behaviour.
The goal must be to change inappropriate behaviour to appropriate behaviour for the long term, rather than, for example, simply ‘managing the behaviour’ until the end of the year. Achieving this type of change, requires teachers to take five basic steps that use the fundamental concepts discussed earlier.
A fuller account of the work of Rappaport and Minihan, and suggestions for dealing with behaviours of concern among pupils, can be found in their book The Behaviour ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-268-7Code,:
Donal.Kerins@ippn.ie
This article is the third in a series of three, based on the work of Nancy Rappaport and Jessica Minahan.
The more intensely the pupil is taught the underdeveloped skills, and the more the environment is changed to encourage appropriate behaviour, the faster the pupil’s behaviour is likely to change.
2. Reinforce desired behaviour
Reading and Responding to ofBehavioursConcernPart III
The key to lasting change is to taking time and making the effort to understand what drives behaviour and to respond thoughtfully and appropriately – e.g. the FAIR Plan.
DONAL KERINS IPPN LEADERSHIP SUPPORT TEAM
If a pupil can’t tolerate classroom demands without an outburst, the teacher might start by asking her to do only 10 minutes of work, reinforce her, and over time build up the pupil’s tolerance.
Accommodations – addressing environmental triggers
Part I described how: Misbehaviour is a symptom of an underdeveloped skill Behaviour is communication Behaviour has function Behaviour occurs in patterns Behaviour has bookends – ABCs Behaviour can be changed.
Interaction Strategies – to overcome pupil anxiety, failure or relationship issues
Response Strategies – consideration of the best teacher response to overcome the pupil behaviours of concern.
CHANGE THAT LASTS
This means minimising or accommodating behaviours/ events/objects in the environment which set off incidences of inappropriate behaviour. For many pupils this may be within themselves e.g. social or other anxiety issues and fear/ embarrassment from possible failure etc. By managing antecedents, teachers can effectively intervene and create a supportive and proactive classroom environment.
Pupils may need to be taught an appropriate behaviour that serves the same function as the inappropriate behaviour, while building the skills needed to behave appropriately without accommodations. For example, instead of banging her fists on the desk when she finds
reading frustrating, she might be encouraged to ask politely, ‘Can I have a break, please?’.
5. Respond to a pupil’s inappropriate behaviour in a way that deters it. The teachers’ response to behaviours of concern is always critical – it must be carefully calibrated to reinforce the pupil’s desired behaviour and avoid accidentally reinforcing the undesired behaviour.
October 2022
Part II described the ‘FAIR’ Plan to deal with Behaviours of Concern: Functional Hypothesis – analysis of the root cause(s) of the behaviour
The teachers’ response ... must be carefully calibrated to reinforce the pupil’s desired behaviour and avoid behaviour..reinforcingaccidentallytheundesired
QUICK RECAP
LINK
3. Teach a replacement behaviour
9 SUPPORTLEADERSHIP
Children spend 12.5% of the year in primary school and 87.5% in the care of their parents/guardians. While not always easily done, establishing and maintaining a good and productive relationship with the parents of children with behaviours of concern is vital to supplement positive behaviour work in school. See the IPPN Resource Bundle on Behaviours of Concern for more on this topic.
Formal tender documentation must be drawn up and advertised on http://www.etenders.gov.ie/. This activity is complex and should not be undertaken without consulting the SPU in the first instance.
To conclude, there is no discretionary spend when it comes to sourcing goods and services, and so a school must undertake a competitive procurement process in all instances. Where central arrangements exist, seek to use them. Where they don’t, the SPU is available to advise, assist and support.
For further information, see the SPU website at www.spu.ie, email the team orprocurementsupport@spu.ie,atcall(01)2035899
For goods/services contracts between €5,000 and €24,999 in value:
supply and natural gas are offering considerable savings to schools in the current volatile marketplace.
Buying-in SupportProcurementto
Where no central arrangements are available, applying some strategic thinking to the approach for sourcing goods and services formalises the planning process for purchasing. Through gathering and interpreting past consumption information, and plotting future needs, a school positions itself to exploit its potential purchasing power, through seeking to bundle together (aggregating) identified future needs in order to find the best possible value for money in the marketplace. This approach should also keep unplanned or ‘once-off’ ad hoc purchasing to a minimum, though it is recognised that it is next to impossible to eradicate this activity completely. Reducing unplanned purchasing also means reducing the time and effort expended on such activities, thereby freeing up time for core school business.
Select the lowest price and/or the most suitable.
Public procurement processes, procedures and regulations can appear nebulous to non-practitioners, and a particular challenge for busy principals who don’t always have spare time trying to figure out what they are obliged to do when sourcing necessary goods and services on behalf of their school. This short article will hopefully clear some of that fog.
RONAN FARRELL DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS PROCUREMENT UNIT, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Send a brief specification of the requirements electronically (by email or other available system) to a minimum of three (preferably more) suppliers seeking a price quotation
It is perhaps worthwhile to set out the procedures for ‘low’ value purchasing:
For goods/services contracts up to €5,000 in value:
Send a brief specification of the requirements electronically (by email or other available system) to a minimum of three (preferably more) suppliers, seeking proposals. You must inform the suppliers of the criteria that will determine to whom the contract will be awarded (cost/ quality considerations, weighted by percentage).
For goods/services contracts greater than €25,000 in value:
The Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) delivers a free professional advice and practical support service to almost 3,800 primary and post-primary schools, helping them practicesprocurementimprovementsachieveintheirprocesses,andoutcomes.
The Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) delivers a free professional advice and practical support service to almost 3,800 primary and postprimary schools, helping them achieve improvements in their procurement processes, practices and outcomes. Fundamental to the role played by the SPU, is improving access for schools to central contracts and frameworks establish centrally by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). The stated ambition is to evolve the behaviour at school level from sourcing – i.e. undertaking procurement activities – to ordering their requirements from available central arrangements. This should reduce the administrative burden at individual school level, de-risk sourcing, deliver value for money, and hopefully free up the principal’s time to undertake core activities. However, it remains clear that a considerable amount of procurement activity and effort is still taking place at the level of individual schools, and the full spectrum of schools’ requirements are not yet covered by central arrangements. That said, there is a considerable range of central arrangements available to schools currently, details of which can be found on the OGP ‘buyerzone’ website, for which registration is required. Among the arrangements listed are a range of IT devices (PCs/ Laptops/Hybrids/Apple) specified for school use, white goods and small appliances, stationery supplies, school payment solutions, bulk fuels and utilities. Particularly, the current OGP school contracts for both electricity
10 LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
11 www.dryadeducation.ie - 091 768 809 - office@dryadeducation.ie PRIMARY ARTS & CRAFTS BUDGET BEATING COLOUR PENSSCISSORS CRAYONS GLUE STICKS READYMIX BRUSHES • FREE DELIVERY ON ALL ORDERS • OVER 28,000 PRODUCTS • comprehensive primary range • FREE SAMPLES CALL TODAY Irish Primary Principals’ Network Líonra Phríomhoidí Bunscoile Éireann If you have any queries, or would like to try TextaParent.ie for yourself, please contact info@textaparent.ie School communication system All revenue generated through TextaParent.ie is reinvested to provide core IPPN member services including… n Leadership Support call-back service n networking@ippn.ie mailing list n Fully GDPR compliant n Instant communication with parents n Free parent to school card payment facility n No set-up fee or subscription fee n Message will default to SMS if App not available n Free real time school calendar
Kick Start your schools academic year and register for the School Milk Scheme
Good nutrition is not only essential for a child’s growth and development but is also important in keeping them adequately fuelled for the long school day. Whether starting school for the first time or returning to a familiar routine; this transition is a busy time for all. As part of a balanced diet, three daily servings from the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese group’ are recommended for 5-8 year olds and five daily servings are recommended for 9-18 year olds.Schools that register for the scheme receive free fridges to ensure that milk is served chilled and fresh, as well as access to education resources and competitions. This school year we are thrilled to offer all registered schools free milk in June 2023. If you would like your school to avail of School Milk please email The National Dairy Council at schoolmilk@ndc.ie or visit www.moocrew.ie to register your interest.
The School Milk Scheme is managed by The National Dairy Council and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with the support of the European Union.
These are key messages in terms of sustainability. School leaders manage the work and also lead the people. It is not a question of ‘either/or’, but of finding the balance between both. Initially as a newly appointed school leader, the focus will inevitably be on tasks, managing the work and becoming familiar with protocols, policies and procedures. Headstart will deliver resources and professional guidance to make these particular challenges less onerous and help to deliver better outcomes for the children and school community.
Headstart is facilitated by a dedicated team of experienced principals
complex role. The sustainability of the school leader’s role is a major focus for IPPN’s work. Becoming overwhelmed with workload is common among school leaders. In this situation, there is
Angela.Lynch@ippn.ie
You cannot do it all
You can do this job
13 October 2022
You cannot do it on your own.
Originally, Headstart was the name given to a one-day event, delivered by IPPN in mid-August for principals beginning their new role in September. Its aim was to equip them with the necessary resources to manage and lead the school community during their first month. Since that time, much has changed for newly appointed principals. Increasingly principals may be appointed and begin their role anytime during the school year. There has also been a noticeable increase in the number of Acting Principals, both in short- and long-term positions. In collaboration with PDST, IPPN now introduces newly appointed principals to its supports and services at Misneach 1 in August each year.
Schooljackie.oreilly@ippn.ie.leadershipisa
multi-faceted,
You cannot know everything, do everything or solve every problem. You do the best you can, evaluate any failures or mistakes, learn from them and move forward.
Courage is required by the school leader but, in the words of Babe Ruth, ‘Never let the fear of striking out get in your way’.
Engagement with Headstart will ... help IPPN identify the particular needs of newly appointed school leaders and help the team in further enhancing our supports and services as we work together through the year.
ANGELA LYNCH IPPN LEADERSHIP SUPPORT TEAM
Engagement with Headstart will also help IPPN identify the particular needs of newly appointed school leaders and help the team in further enhancing our supports and services as we work together through the year. Ar scáth a chéile a mhairimid.
Headstart is specifically for newly appointed and acting principals – to bring IPPN’s supports and services directly to them for the busy year ahead. In conjunction with Misneach, CSL’s 1-to-1 mentoring and Headstart, these school leaders can be reassured that the induction process will equip and prepare them to undertake the role of leading the school community they serve. For the coming year, Phase 1 of Headstart will engage with the newly appointed and acting principal from the time they are appointed until they engage with Misneach and CSL 1-to-1 mentoring, to ensure ready and easy access to all of IPPN’s supports and services. In Phase 2, IPPN will continue to support PDST’s Misneach and CSL’s mentoring programmes through its E-scéal, Networking, Leadership Support Team, digital supports, resource bundles and CPD events.
no time to develop capacity – to grow others. It has often been said that this job is undoable. If you are to sustain yourself as a school leader, you must believe that:
and is supported by members of the Support Office and Leadership Support Teams. An email address has been specifically set up to provide a means of direct access for these school leaders to members of the Leadership Support Team. The email is used to communicate throughout the year, information relevant to the sustainability of the school leader’s role. Communication is a two-way process and school leaders are encouraged to email regularly in respect of their own need for information, or when they need professional guidance. The first point of contact with IPPN for any new school leader has, for many years, been and will continue to be Jackie O’Reilly. Newly appointed or acting school leaders who have not received an email from the Headstart team are asked to please contact Jackie by email at
Giving LeadersSchoola Head Start
diversity within our profession, with 99.7% of primary school teachers claiming to be white, Irish; and over 95% claiming to be of a Christian persuasion (2018 NUIG research). Currently, outside of special schools, there are no known principals from ethnic minorities, except me.
We have a massive issue in terms of diversity within our profession, with 99.7% of primary school teachers claiming to be white, Irish; and over 95% claiming to be of a Christian persuasion (2018 NUIG research).
A discussion followed about my face, and how it had an Eastern European ghetto look, along with other antiSemitic tropes. Much like anyone from a minoritised background, being on the receiving end of racism isn’t new or surprising, but because I don’t stereotypically ‘look’ like a minority, I get it less often, at least overtly.
SIMON LEWIS PRINCIPAL OF CARLOW EDUCATE TOGETHER
‘religious, educational or medical institution which is under the direction or control of a body established for religious purposes or whose objectives include the provision of services in an environment which promotes certain religious values shall not be taken to discriminate against a person if – takes action which is reasonably necessary to prevent an employee or a prospective employee from undermining the religious ethos of the institution.’
When one is expected to teach children prayers, lead sacramental preparation, and ensure that the classroom is a place where the religious spirit should ‘inform and vivify the whole work of the school,’ it is very easy to be accused of undermining the ethos if that isn’t something one can do.
Is our racist?educationprimarysystem
However, when I thought about it, I realised that my entire career in primary education has been restricted because I am from a minoritised background. Despite the overt racism, these Tweeters haven’t stopped me from working in over 96% of schools. They haven’t coerced me into pretending to be a particular religion in order to get a job and one where, in effect, if I didn’t become a missionary for the patron, legally I could be fired.
Many people argue that it is too early to expect diversity in primary teaching as migration is a recent phenomenon. They point to the Irish language or that ‘certain cultures’ do not value teaching as a profession. Interestingly, research
Percentage distribution of religious populations 1881–2016
The statistics speak for themselves. We have a massive issue in terms of
14 LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
The reason is the Employment Equality Act, which states that a:
Last year I woke to find a photograph of me on Twitter labelled with a caption of ‘This anti-Catholic bigot has an interesting face… and wants to destroy your children’s education. These people are scum.’
Small Schools Action Research Project – Finbarr Hurley NCCA Early Childhood and Primary Board - Catriona O’ Reilly Anti-bullying working group –Kathryn Corbett An Coiste Comhairleach um Polasaí
IPPN ANNUAL MEMBERS REPORT 2021/2022 The IPPN MembersAnnualReport2021/2022wasissuedtomembersbyemailon1stSeptember.Itsetsouttheachievementsandhighlightsofthepastschoolyear,withaparticularfocusontheworkdonewithandformembers.
relating to the following:
Listed below are some of the projects and advocacyrelated engagements that were progressed since the last issue of Leadership+
IPPNMEETINGS/EVENTSparticipatedin meetings/events
OnYourBehalf
NTRIS Pilot Oversight Committee MeetingMeetings with IACP (Irish Association for Counselling and Physiotherapy) to progress a pilot support programme for primary schoolsBriefing on the New Education Bill 2022 relating to provision in respect of children with special educational needsUkraine Stakeholder Briefings, which outlined the DE arrangements and supports for Ukrainian families.
don Oideachas Gaeltachta –Breideen InternationalMcGuiganConfederation of Principals – Maria Doyle, European Representative.
See www.ippn.ie – Advocacy/Submissions for all submission documents.
There’s a famous scene in James Joyce’s Ulysses where Mr Deasy asks why Ireland has ‘the honour of being the only country which never persecuted the Jews’ answering his own question: ‘Because she never let them in.’ While Twitter can be a cesspit of vulgarity, littered with overt xenophobia and racism, could it be argued that our education system is doing the same albeit in a more covert, systematic and institutionalised way?
27th June – Places for Children with Special Needs - Response to Minister Madigan – Morning Ireland –Páiric Clerkin
STAY UPDATED
IPPN representatives undertook the following interviews with national media over the summer on topics of interest to members:28thJuly – Increase in age of children starting school – Newstalk –Linda Dennehy
See Brian O’Doherty’s report in the Presidents Pen on page 3.
SUBMISSIONS
Time alone will not fix this issue. We need systematic changes to encourage diversity. The Church of Ireland has a rolling agreement with DCU through the CAO to study primary teaching; similarly, there are schemes for Irish speakers and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Should we have the same for minoritised
WORKING GROUPS
IPPN is represented on the following working groups/representative bodies:
In 2022, at the Development and Intercultural Education (DICE) conference, people of colour spoke about the actual barriers they faced. Over and over again, participants stated that the biggest barrier was visibility. ‘There was nobody at the top of the classroom that looked like me,’ was a common response.
We will provide key updates from these representatives as the work progresses.
IPPN made the following submissions over the past few months: to the Joint Oireachtas Committee re. Mental Health Supports in Schools – August 2022 to the Ministers for Education, Finance, Public Sector & Reform and the SDE Secretary General re. Budget 2023 priorities – July 2022 to the DE re. key points for consideration re. Review of Governance Manual for Primary Schools - June 2022 to the DE Inspectorate on Looking at our Schools (LAOS) and the next steps for SSE – June 2022
27th June – Places for Children with Special Needs - Drivetime – Páiric 25thClerkinJune – Ukrainian Children in Schools – The Irish Times – Louise Tobin.
Primary Education Forum
LINK LINK
PUBLIC RELATIONS
See also www.ippn.ie Advocacy/On Your Behalf for up-to-date information about key activities relating to IPPN’s advocacy and communication on behalf of members.
SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP PROJECT
ethnicities, and if we did, would they be able to get through the other barriers, namely upholding the ethos?
See also Budget 2023 and Other Submissions on page 8.
29th June - Reopening of school –Financial Pressure on parents – The Journal – Kathryn Corbett
If you would like to contact Simon in relation to this article, you can email him at simon@carloweducatetogether.ie. You can hear more of Simon’s thoughts on racism in primary education on his podcast ‘Thank you, Racists’ LINK
October 202215
shows these reasons are either minimal or non-existent. Diversity in Ireland is not a new concept certainly in the last 50 years.
email staff directly. Email provides a route for someone to instantly unload frustration or annoyance but the recipient, increasingly often a teacher, may receive notice of incoming missiles late into the evening when their phone pings. WhatsApp groups are excellent for sharing information but can be toxic when opinions are shared. Information is wonderful but misinformation is destructive.
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As we embark on another year at the wheel, let’s use our wisdom well and think a while on those who shared theirs. If you are setting sail on your maiden voyage, fair sailing and don’t be afraid to seek assistance when waters get choppy. We’ll only pass on what we have learned from Damian.White@scoilshinchill.comothers.
As we hope to resume a new year at least tinged with normality, perhaps some conversation should centre on the ‘new normal’. Talk with parents’ associations about communication and agree protocols on communicating with staff. Spend some time discussing with staff how to deal with communications received outside of regular working hours. Figure out ways in which staff can meet more regularly in a social situation. Plan for a staff social occasion before Christmas if possible.
Wisdom is often reached by considering what a wise person we know might do. For me, that lighthouse was Vincent Ryan, an excellent school principal who was married to my aunt Blaise, herself a wonderful teacher. We laid Vincent to rest a few days ago, and from the tributes paid, he kept many ships clear of the rocks over a long and generous career as a principal in Walsh Island and in Durrow.
Post-Covid, at least hopefully so, there are changes which are mostly good but need careful monitoring to ensure fair sailing for the school and school leaders. Many schools have retained split breaks on the basis that yard duty is less stressful with reduced numbers. The downside is the effect on staff morale, where some staff never meet over a cuppa anymore. Many issues don’t come through the office anymore because since Covid, parents can
DAMIAN WHITE IPPN PAST PRESIDENT AND PRINCIPAL OF SCOIL SHINCHILL, KILLEIGH, CO. OFFALY
They say a great teacher learns something new every day. My learnings over the years have been more sporadic, though you do accumulate some wisdom, shortcuts and insights, which sustain you as energy begins to wane. My uncle, an extraordinarily fresh and well parish priest, who in 366 days will be in his late 80s, recently told me of going to a fair in the local town as a youngster with his father – my grandfather –and expressing his amazement as to why the older man would hand over money to a clearly inebriated man
The reading of, and response to the real human situations we encounter every day, and what we learn, are the keys to our success as school leaders.
REFLECTIONS
Setting Sail –CourseMaintaining
begging on the street. ‘Son, I hope in your lifetime you never experience the thirst that person is suffering right now’ my grandfather retorted. Such wisdom and depth of understanding of a very human situation is not untypical of the type of insight gained over a long career in a caring profession. Courses, manuals, policies and circulars all play a significant role in keeping us professionally ’between the ditches’, so to speak. The reading of, and response to the real human situations we encounter every day, and what we learn, are the keys to our success as school leaders. There may be standard actions to be taken if work is continuously haphazard, tardiness is regular, or tensions exist amongst pupils, staff or parents. However, an empathetic and human approach to solving most school problems may just be the difference between surviving and thriving for school leaders. An email may seem the appropriate response to a query, but a quick phone chat instead may prevent the need for subsequent to-ing and fro-ing as the issue grows with each electronic exchange. A frazzled parent firing off an email in the evening after school will in all likelihood be in a different place when getting a call in the morning, where tone and context help to ease or remove tensions. The conversation may also reveal other contributory factors as to why the situation arose in the first place.
Occasionally, when the mind wanders, and as one gets older, it increasingly does, I find myself doing mental maths questions, working out odd conundrums of little value to anyone else, or to myself for that matter. Having turned 56 recently for example, I figured that in only 366 days, I had gone from being in my early 50s to now being in my late 50s. I also figured out that, having become a principal two weeks after our wedding, and a week before Offaly beat Limerick in the 1994 AllIreland Hurling final, I began my first day as a school principal, with more keys than clues as to how it might go. That was 28 years, or half my lifetime ago. It also occurred to me that, for as long as I remain in the job, the fraction of my life spent as principal will only increase. It’s all a bit daunting, even before I consider the subsequent divergent paths of Limerick and Offaly’s hurling fortunes.
www.ippn.ie Latest resources The following are the latest resources uploaded to the different sections of the website since the last issue of Leadership+: 17 RESOURCERESOURCESBUNDLES n Recruitment & Appointing SNA - Supporting SEN TeachersRECRUITMENT n Appendix 1: Sequence of Activity for Teacher Recruitment and Appointment n Appendix 2: IPPN Guide to Teacher Appointment Interviews PLANNING PROMPTS A new prompt is uploaded each week to this section, and each one is relevant to the time of year. 2021/22LEADERSHIP+SUPPORTS n Leadership+ Issue 123 – June 2022 E-SCÉALS A new E-scéal is uploaded each week to this section. SUBMISSIONSADVOCACY n Submission to the JOC – Mental Health Supports in Schools –August 2022 n Submission to the DE, Department of Finance and Department of Public Expenditure & Reform –Pre-Budget Submission for 2023 –July 2022 n Submission to the DE re. key points for consideration re. Review of Governance Manual for Primary Schools – June 2022 n Submission to the DE Inspectorate on Looking at our Schools (LAOS) and the next steps for SSE – June 2022 n Submission to the NCCA re. Review of Aistear – May 2022 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 KEY DATES SEPTEMBER • Covid Grant Payment • Action DE Circular 36/2022 - Revision of Salaries and Annual Leave arrangements for School Secretaries • 23 SEPTEMBER Send NCSE Form 6 to SENO • 30 SEPTEMBER Statistical Returns OCTOBER/NOVEMBER • Monday 31 October 2022 - Friday November 2022 inclusive - Mid-Term Break LINK
DR GAVIN MURPHY TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN PROF. DYMPNA DEVINE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
Irish primary school principals and the Covid-19 pandemic
system. Importantly, this included organic school self-evaluation efforts to establish leadership impact, which in turn informed the principal and leadership team’s sensemaking, adaptive leadership and professional development.
they sought beyond the Department of Education, including neighbouring schools, principal professional networks, professional development support services, and the educational infrastructure that supported principals and teachers to network with each other. Evident also were the infrastructural and pedagogical challenges that arose arising from the shift to remote technologies for principals. Finally, the study confirms the emotional intensity of this period and its negative impact on principal wellbeing, with potential serious implications for principal burnout and retention. In sum, leading such drastic, complex and high-stakes organisational change in schools at a time of public health crisis, the situation demanded significant sense-making and sense-giving by local school leaders as linchpins – or as middle leaders –between the system and their local school community’s context.
The notion of principals as middle leaders merits more research, especially in the highly centralised Irish education system. Furthermore, supporting principals in fostering this identity and systemically valuing them as middle leaders in this way – both aspiring and appointed – may help in reattuning leaders to the professional purpose that sustains principals in a role that many have commented has become even less clear and more expansive owed to the intensity of the pandemic. It may also assist policymakers with coproduction of policies.
As one participant shared: ‘you were doing things and trying to anticipate a time you had never experienced before, so the newness of that, and how best to serve the children...so you’re having to pull on things that you’ve never used before really, because everything was so new’.
Symonds, J. E., Devine, D., Sloan, S., Crean, M., Moore, B., Martinez Sainz, G., Farrell, E., Davies, A., Farrell, J., & Blue, T. (2020). Experiences of Remote Teaching and Learning in Ireland during the Covid-19 Pandemic (March – May 2020). University College Dublin.
18 LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
3. the emotional intensity of leading during crisis and its implications for individual and collective wellbeing in schools, and
The Children’s School Lives study is led by Professor Dympna Devine, Associate Professor Jennifer Symonds, Assistant Professor Seaneen Sloan and Assistant Professor Gabriela MartinezSainz, UCD School of Education. www.cslstudy.ie
2. the systemic and school-related challenges and supports for pedagogical and curriculum leadership
Much of the international research on Covid-19 and education has focused on, but not been exclusively limited to: remote/distance schooling social and emotional learning/ parent/guardianstudentwellbeingengagementperceptions and learninginvolvement‘loss’ and gaps digital/online teaching and learning challenges(in)equity and supports for teachers and school leaders, including their experience of crisis, change and transformation during the pandemic, and considerations of system implications as a result of the disruption caused by the pandemic for the future.
While the CSL study provides rich information on these issues, distinct is the holistic framing of principal perspectives that enabled us to also explore the guidance and support
Our analysis confirms how principal leadership during the pandemic required skills in translating and adapting government guidance on distance learning to local school community needs and priorities, which evolved over time and could vary significantly from school to school. Principal agency and their role as middle leaders navigating between the system and school context was especially brought to the fore.
The Children’s School Lives (CSL) study is a seven-year national longitudinal study of primary schooling in the Republic of Ireland. This study follows two age cohorts (Junior Infants and Second Class) of over 4,000 children across five years transitioning into and out of primary school, as well as their families, teachers, and school principals. Funded by the NCCA, the study provides a unique opportunity to inform practice from multiple perspectives across various school contexts nationally. Focusing on the principals’ voices allows us to learn first-hand from their practice and to inform systemic reform. Based on a series of sub study case studies conducted during the Covid-19 lockdown, we sought to explore indepth primary school principals’ sense-making during the pandemic in the Republic of Ireland.
4. the value and role of collaborative practices both within the school and between the school and
Sense-making in and for times of crisis and change:
Major interconnected findings include:
1. the centrality of relationships and communication between school principals, teachers and the wider school community
‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that their participation in a PLN contributes to their professional 89%developmentofquestionnaire respondents
My research consisted of a comprehensive Literature Review on the topic of PLNs, to understand the rationale for participation and the benefits that participants may derive from such participation. I then designed a questionnaire that was sent to the school leaders of approximately fifty primary schools in counties Louth and Meath, with a request for them to disseminate the questionnaire to their staff. I subsequently interviewed eight primary school leaders who had kindly volunteered their time to participate in an in-depth discussion on the topic of PLNs.
• No opportunity to participate in a PLN (27%)
This article provides an overview of the findings and recommendations from a study of participation in Professional Learning Networks by primary school leaders and teachers in counties Louth and Meath.
• No reason to join one (9%) Effects of participation in a PLN –multiple answers allowed:
‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ that
As most respondents were those in a leadership position who already participated in a PLN, further research is required to understand the extent of participation by those outside of formal leadership roles in PLNs in Ireland, due to the low uptake of teachers in this research project. This may help to establish the benefits to teachers and to encourage increased participation in PLNs.
AMANDA ROWLAND TEACHING PRINCIPAL, ST. KEVIN’S N.S., PHILIPSTOWN, DUNLEER, CO. LOUTH
• Greater understanding of educational matters (74%)
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During the first two years of undertaking a Masters in Education with Specialism in Leadership and Management with Ulster University, I had not really given much thought to the topic of a dissertation. However, the topic of Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) had arisen on several occasions. As a newly appointed principal, I was aware of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) but beyond that, I was not aware to what extent networking takes place between teachers or school leaders in Ireland, so I decided to explore the extent of participation in PLNs by primary school leaders and teachers. Having recently been invited to participate in the Louth/Meath IPPN network, it made sense to focus my research on teachers and leaders within this geographical area.
• Professional collaboration (85%)
LearninginParticipationProfessionalNetworks
• Professional growth/ development (78%)
their participation in a PLN benefits the school in which they work.
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
71.8% of those who responded to the questionnaire were in a leadership position
73.9% of respondents were participating in a PLN at the time of completing the questionnaire. Reasons for not participating in a
The main findings of my research are summarised below:
• Greater understanding of educational policies, processes 91%(67%)ofquestionnaire respondents
Based on the findings of the questionnaire and subsequent interviews, it was clear that those who participate in a PLN viewed their participation positively. The following recommendations were made: There is a need for those outside of formal leadership positions and with less teaching experience to develop an understanding of the potential benefits of collaboration via PLNs, to encourage increased participation among this cohort Schools should be encouraged to explore participation in PLNs to achieve more collaborative and focused development,professionalwiththeaim of
• No need to participate in a PLN (18%)
• Sharing of knowledge, ideas, etc. (100%)
•PLN:Lack of knowledge about PLNs (45%)
school improvement (e.g. via new cycle of School Self-Evaluation)
School leaders must encourage and facilitate their staff to participate in PLNs that are relevant to Opportunitiesthemexist for school leaders in local geographic areas to establish PLNs between their schools, with the aim of fostering collaboration for those outside of formal leadership positions.
Opportunities exist for school leaders in local geographic areas to establish PLNs between their schools, with the aim of leadershipoutsidecollaborationfosteringforthoseofformalpositions.
If you would like to contact Amanda in relation to this article, you can email her at amandajrowland@gmail.com.
October 2022
As the new features are opt-in per advert, advertisers can continue to create adverts without using the new system, if
Once the closing date has passed for an online vacancy, emails will be sent to the nominated Selection Board and advertiser with a summary of the applicants (for posts with applicants), prompting the advertiser to schedule the shortlisting meeting.
Whenpreferred. anadvertiser
Major updates to EducationPosts.ie Online Recruitment Process
To do this, access your school EducationPosts.ie account, select ‘SUB SEEKER’, select ‘Register for Sub Seeker’ and follow the workflow.
Don’t forget to Register your school on SUB SEEKER for access to Teaching Council registered substitute teachers.
proceeds to ‘Use the Online Application Facilities with this Post’, the system will guide the advertiser through the recruitment process. The system supports two different online application forms: Standard Application Forms – versions of Standard Application Form for Teaching Posts and Application Form for Primary Principalship and Deputy Principalship (Open Competition) integrated into the system
IPPN, with the development team and expert consultants, is in the process of creating a new online recruitment portal within EducationPosts.ie. This portal has been designed to reduce the significant administrative burden borne by school leaders arising from the recruitment process. This is in keeping with the focus of our Sustainable Leadership project, which is one of our strategic objectives.
21
MAEVE O’MAHONY EDUCATIONPOSTS.IE
When an advert is created using the new process, the advertiser cannot request candidate applications by email, post or other methods for that advert. Applicants can only apply for the position using the online application process for that advert.
On the new system, a notification will be displayed when an advertiser creates an eligible advert. The availability of the online application process is currently restricted to primary and post-primary levels, with vacancy categories of Principal / Principal Teacher, Deputy Principal, and Teacher / Mainstream Class Teacher.
Once the advert is wactivated, eligible job seekers will receive email alerts as normal. When applying for a vacancy advertised using the new process, applicants must log in to their EducationPosts.ie account and select the ‘Apply for this Post’ button on the relevant advert to begin the application. Depending on the vacancy level and category, the applicant will either complete an online application form, or upload a CV directly on the website.
The new system, when it goes live towards the end of this year, will facilitate the acceptance of candidate applications online and streamline communication between candidates and school staff throughout the recruitment process. Advertisers can also schedule shortlisting meetings and interviews using the integrated calendar feature and view an audit trail history for each advert.
Testing will begin shortly on the online recruitment portal and is expected to take a number of weeks.
SUB SEEKER
Custom Application Forms – custom application forms created and uploaded by the advertiser
Keep up to date on these developments via E-scéal, IPPN Networking emails, and EducationPosts.ie social media channels.
Thisassociations.hasimplications
… active collaboration between teachers of different languages is a precondition for successful implementation, as is collaboration between language teachers and teachers of other subjects … teacher educators and teachers’ professional
Includedsocieties.inthe
Explanatory Memorandum that accompanies the Recommendation is the recognition Implementationthat:of plurilingual and intercultural education ‘depends crucially on teachers’ as the ‘agents of Approacheschange’ to teaching and learning that fail to assign a central role to spontaneous use of the language/s being learnt, must be challenged Individuals’ home languages are the starting point for all learning Plurilingual repertoires comprising languages that the individual can use here and now, should begin from the earliest stages of learning Teacher education should challenge received attitudes, beliefs and preconceptions, making teachers aware of the realities of linguistic and cultural diversity, the complexities of individual andguardianspolicies…contextworldseducationPlurilingualidentityandinterculturalrepeatedlyimplicatesbeyondtheimmediateofteachingandlearningwhole-school/institution-wideshouldincludeparents/(inthecaseofschools)thewidercommunity
LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals 22
Language and Languages in the Primary School: Some guidelines for teachers (two hardcopies delivered to all primary schools in 2021) provides a rationale and practical examples from Junior Infants to Sixth Class on how to implement a tried and tested integrated plurilingual approach at primary level. It is free to access or download from the Post-Primary Languages Ireland website www.ppli.ie – search for Primary Intercultural Guidelines.
While conscious of the different contexts within which education is delivered, it is recommended that the governments of memberEncouragestates:school principals to implement whole-school policies and practices that welcome and valorise linguistic and cultural diversity, promote language learning and the development of plurilingual Requestrepertoiresinstitutions responsible for the initial and further education of teachers to focus on pedagogies that foster inclusive plurilingual and intercultural education and enable student teachers and teachers to implement them across the Invitecurriculumhigher education institutions to ensure that their graduates are equipped with the linguistic and cultural resources needed to participate in the democratic processes of Europe’s diverse
DÉIRDRE KIRWAN PHD, FORMER PRINCIPAL OF SCOIL BHRÍDE BLANCHARDSTOWN,(CAILÍNÍ),D15
The importance of Plurilingual forInterculturalandeducationdemocraticculture
If you would like to contact Déirdre in relation to this article, you can email her to kirwandm@tcd.ie.
European Union language policy requires that young Europeans should master two other languages in addition to their mother tongue, a necessary prerequisite for mutual understanding and demographic change.
for all the languages that are learned/taught/used in our primary schools. The Recommendation assigns a central role to the spontaneous use of language to enable communication. The integrated, child-centred Primary School Curriculum (PSC) states that learning is built on the child’s existing knowledge and experience (inclusion of home languages benefits all pupils).
The Council of Europe (CoE) protects and promotes human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. Upholding the right to education of every citizen, it recognises that the efficient functioning of democracies depends on social inclusion and societal integration, which in turn depend on an understanding of, respect for, and engagement with linguistic and cultural diversity. In February 2022, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted CM/Rec (2022)1. This Recommendation provides welcome support for language learners, teachers and school communities who are already engaged in promoting the use of learners’ plurilingual repertoires in their classrooms.
Achieving the individual’s full potential is a central aim of the PSC, thus making it compatible with CM/Rec (2022)1.
2022 saw the inclusion of the Irish language as an official language of the European Union. This status requires that directives and decisions of the European Parliament and of the Council, in addition to judgements from the European Court of Justice be drafted in the Irish language thus creating the need for Irish-speaking interpreters and translators.
The Council of Europe ... recognises that the efficient functioning of democracies depends on social inclusion and societal integration, which in turn depend on an understanding of, respect for, and engagement with linguistic and cultural diversity.
But, in these three years, add Covid surprise, worry, loss, sickness, quarantine, regulations, and more to the mix. Remoteness, both physical and emotional, staff shortages, air quality, social distancing, masks, Zoom teleconferencing,and also required faster running. And were that all not enough, an influx of refugees from inhumane conditions, retirements and the personal stress all of this has caused are additional loads to carry.
as it sometimes is, take pride in the role you have had and continue to have in honouring and defending childhood, of celebrating professional teaching, of modelling collaboration, concern and courage. And my inclusion of ‘courage’ is most deliberate. I extend all the best wishes to you in this school year. I hope that the summer gave you time to breathe, to sleep longer, to spend quality time with family and friends, to appreciate and embrace the beauty around you.
‘Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast’.
After these past three years, the quote could use an update in terms of pace. I think it applies to ‘normal times’, if anyone remembers those. But, in these three years, add Covid surprise, worry, loss, sickness, quarantine, regulations, and more to the mix. Remoteness, both physical and emotional, staff shortages, air quality, social distancing, masks, Zoom and teleconferencing, also required faster running. And
Fortunately, you belong to an association that has always recognised this and has striven to provide avenues for release, support and collegiality. The constant challenge most principals face is feeling you can carve out enough time for personal support and health.
October 202223
Asnormality.difficult
If Carroll were writing today, he would have to say that you need to run at least twice as fast to just keep in the same place. Running at Usain Bolt speed might get you somewhere else. While I believe that occasional jogging is good for heart health, sprinting at this speed every day isn’t good for your soul, your psyche or your overall health.
If you would like to get in touch with Rich in relation to this article, you can email him richburchill6@gmail.com.at
were that all not enough, an influx of refugees from inhumane conditions, retirements and the personal stress all of this has caused are additional loads to carry.
‘Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast.’
which is hard on everyone. Kids, parents, staff AND you have been navigating uncharted waters. I would wager that your presence and leadership have provided some measure of relief and
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
I recently came across an article I had saved about how school leaders are the critical factor in school improvement. I have always believed that. Your work stabilises communities in times like this. In the past, for most of us, challenges have had a defined duration. You have all been dealing with the undefined,
You live and work in a country that stands out for compassion, openness, equity and common humanity.
It has occurred to me that Lewis Carroll captured the, at least occasional, essence of being a school principal. Of course, there is much else in Alice in Wonderland, which could be a metaphor for our work that would require a much longer piece and a better writer.
RICH BURCHILL RETIRED MASSACHUSETTS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
A View From Across the Pond Running to stand still
The Staff of Carrig NS, Ballycommon, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary
In 2006 Mairéad answered the call to lead when she became the Principal of Carrig NS. She was a
24 LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals
RIP MairéadO’Halloran
PRINCIPAL OF CARRIG NS, BALLYCOMMON, NENAGH, CO. TIPPERARY
Mairéad played a unique and special role in all our lives in Carrig NS. It
D’éalaigh Mairéad uainn ar an lá suntasach sin, Nollaig na mBan. B’shin lá a thóg na mná sos ón obair, agus b’shin an lá a roghnaigh Dia do Mhairéad sos a thógaint agus an saol seo a Mairéadfhágaint.graduated
Príomhoide with a strong presence and a heart that embraced her staff, her pupils and their parents. She cared deeply about everyone and worked tirelessly to make our school a welcoming and inclusive place for all. Mairéad was a passionate leader in the classroom, in the staffroom and on the pitch. She completed her duties with integrity and boundless energy. She worked tirelessly for children with special needs, she embraced technology and welcomed new methods of teaching with fervour. Bhí grá ar leith aici don Ghaeilge agus bhain sí úsáid aisti go laethúil. Ghlac Mairéad páirt i Scoil Samhraidh an Ghaeilge, Cumarsáid, Comhluadar agus Craic go bliantiúil.
was a privilege to work with such an exceptional lady. We miss her presence in our school, her warmth, her sense of humour, her vitality, her motivation, her friendship and most of all her beautiful smile.
In Memory of
The community of Carrig NS is deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved Principal, colleague and friend, Mrs. O’Halloran.
A Mhairéad, a chroí, ní bheidh do leithéid ann arís ach mairfidh do spiorad inár gcroíthe agus inár gcuimhne. Suaimhneas síoraí dod’ anam álainn uasal.
from Mary Immaculate College in 1988. She began her teaching career in her native County Clare, before joining the staff in Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan in 1994.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband Ted, her children Áine, Tadhg, Aisling and Kaitlin and the extended Daly and O’Halloran families at this very difficult time.
And Finally… Those who cannot change their cannotmindschangeanything. George Bernard QUOTATIONSShaw‘ ’ Life is 10% of whathappens to us and90% how we reactto itCharles R Swindoll, evangelical pastor,author, educator High culturesorganizationsperforminghaveofcreativityandrisk.Theyencourageworkerstoinnovateandplay. Professor Andy Hargreaves QUOTATIONS QUOTATIONS ‘ ‘ ’ ’
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