Leadership+ Issue 81 June 2014

ISSUE 81 ● JUNE 2014

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

Complaint to the Ombudsman for Children’s Office – One School’s Experience

A reservoir of knowledge With all that is going on, it is very easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking and outright cynicism. There is no shortage of daily news, from television and internet sources, of all that is bad in today’s world. Retirement for principals is unfortunately often discussed in negative terms such as a ‘brain drain’, a loss of tacit knowledge and so on.

Primary Principalship: A Man’s Job in a Woman’s World?

Mainstream Schools and Article 24 of the United Nations Convention for People with Disabilities

Are you planning to retire in 2014?

If you have made the decision to retire in the coming weeks or months of 2014 we wish you every happiness and fulfilment in the future To assist the work being done by the IPPN Support Office, let us know of your impending retirement and also the name of the newly-appointed principal as soon as that decision has been made. This would be of enormous help to us and I know would be very much appreciated by the new principal.

While an exciting prospect in many respects to have new school leaders with new energy and new enthusiasm, we are sure you would agree to the importance of these principals availing of all the supports & services IPPN has to offer in their new role. Our challenge is in identifying those being appointed. We have found that the professional generosity of our network has been the most effective method of acquiring this information.

Any information that you can provide can be emailed or mailed to Jackie at the IPPN Support Office: jackie.oreilly@ippn.ie On the same vein, we recently issued a 5-minute survey to all members so if you are interested in supporting new principals, either as a current serving principal or as a retired principal, please indicate this in the relevant survey question. There are many opportunities for part-time work in supporting new principals. You can access the survey via the ippn.ie homepage.

A reservoir of knowledge

By SeĂĄn Cottrell and Brendan McCabe With all that is going on, it is very easy to fall into the trap of negative thinking and outright cynicism. There is no shortage of daily news, from television and internet sources, of all that is bad in today’s world. Retirement for principals is unfortunately often discussed in negative terms such as a ‘brain drain’, a loss of tacit knowledge and so on.

The problem with negativity is that it can spread like a virus. We hear about the ‘brain drain’, as if only those retiring had brains.

Maybe the next brain will be as good or perhaps better. It will certainly be different.

Perhaps it’s not ideal to have the same principal in place for several decades. Change is inevitable. It rarely comes at the right time but, managed properly, it can result in a positive outcome for the school by building on the foundations of the past. Changing leadership in an organisation should be seen as an opportunity and a very positive process.

In years to come it won’t be the Minister for Education, the Taoiseach or other public figures who will be remembered for their contribution to the damage being done to education. What will be remembered most will be the way in which ordinary people reacted to events going on around them.

Maybe the classic retirement gift of a clock could be replaced with a laptop and, with appropriate help, the supposed ‘brain drain’ becomes a local history project.

Six years ago, IPPN began to harness the experience, knowledge and wisdom of a cohort of recently-retired principals. The outcome of the project led to the development of ‘Ciall Ceannaithe’, the relevance of whose name you will no doubt appreciate. Ciall Ceannaithe seeks to capture the best of what principals did, and still do in schools. IPPN is

committed to providing the best support we possibly can to newly-appointed principals.

They now benefit directly from the Ciall Ceannaithe project as it offers perspectives from those who have ‘walked the talk’ in leading and managing schools. The programme focuses on the key priorities and practical hints and tips for new principals in their first day, week, month and year as a school leader. Newly-appointed principals have the comfort of knowing that they now have the skills to act effectively as a new school leader and that they can avoid many of the common pitfalls.‘Headstart’ is a one day programme for principal teachers whose appointments may have been delayed and consequently have a short lead in time before taking up their new role.

IPPN is committed to providing the best support we possibly can to newlyappointed principals.

The new principal’s first meetings - with staff, board of management and parent association are absolutely critical for a successful start in establishing their leadership role in the school.

With the assistance of a mentor, these events can be planned to make sure that they are successful encounters with positive outcomes for all.

zone’ could be pasted on the main door of the school. The positivity spin off would have an immeasurable effect on all within.

The challenge to us all is not to change others but to change ourselves. ‘We must become the change we want to see.’ OPPORTUNITIES FOR RETIRED PRINCIPALS If you believe that you have something to offer the next generation of principals and if you are planning to retire, please consider contributing to IPPN’s retired principals team, who support new principals in a variety of ways. For more information please contact Jackie O’Reilly at the Support Office - jackie.oreilly@ippn.ie.

Connecting retiring principals with their newly-appointed colleagues can turn a brain drain into a reservoir of knowledge. Amidst all the uncertainty of change in leadership, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the notice on the staff room door that read ‘this is a moan-free

Editor: Seån Cottrell Deputy Editor: Geraldine D'Arcy Assistant Editor: Brendan McCabe Comments and articles to editor@ippn.ie Advertising: Louise O’Brien louise.obrien@ippn.ie Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co Cork 1890 21 22 23 | www.ippn.ie

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

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Legal Diary

by David Ruddy BL, Principal of Talbot BNS, Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Teaching Council reluctant to hold disciplinary hearings in public Is openness and transparency in disciplinary investigations good enough for lawyers and the medical profession, but not for teachers?

with other professions will undermine the creditability of the process and, ultimately, the teaching profession.

It seems such a pity that the Teaching Council has decided against holding new ‘Fitness to Teach’ hearings in public. Teachers who consistently underperform and who are guilty of misconduct can be struck off the register. The Council ruled that the decision to hold hearings in public or private would be made on a case by case basis. The Council claim that legal advice indicates that, under the provisions of the Teaching Council Act 2001, all parties to the disciplinary hearing must agree that the hearings are held in public. In effect, this means that a teacher, the subject of the complaint, has a veto in relation to the meeting being held in public.

This anomaly can easily be rectified by the amendment of the original act.

The Irish investigation and disciplinary process bears a striking resemblance to the Scottish General Teaching Council.

This decision of the Council is against best practice. Ireland has been heir to a tradition of deeply embedded secrecy in public life, and in particular in the area of public administration. In countries such as Scotland and Wales, the hearings are heard in public unless there are special circumstances. Special circumstances would include situations where minors or vulnerable adults give testimony, or sensitive medical evidence is given.

Apparently another reason for not holding these hearings in public according to the Council is that: ‘Ireland is a small place and the fact that a teacher is up before a panel will be widely known with the potential for an impact on their reputation, even if no finding is made against them’ In my view, the default position for conducting investigations regarding teachers must be public unless there are exceptional circumstances which necessitate a private hearing.

Failure to establish transparent hearings in line

A recent case in March 2014 involving a primary teacher (which was held in public) saw her consenting to the removal of her name from the Registrer by consent. A sample of the charges against the teacher was as follows:

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PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING Curriculum ‘You failed to have appropriate and increasing knowledge and understanding of the content of the curriculum in relation to literacy and numeracy as set out in national guidance. For example, despite attending staff training, being directed to the Learning and Teaching (Scotland) website, and being provided with relevant documentation at a meeting with the school principal, you stated that you were unsure as to what the curriculum involved and were unable to provide a balanced curriculum in your class.’

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES The Principal observed the following: I ‘You delivered a lesson that shows lack of evidence of preparation in terms of matching the tasks involved to the pupils’ ability or prior learning. Pupils did not recognise the numerals, and many could not complete the task and became restless.’

I ‘A pupil required support with the completion of a worksheet.You failed to acknowledge that the pupil had his hand up and failed to provide support’ I ‘Follow up worksheets did not match up with previous learning and there was no

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obvious differentiation made for pupils that were struggling.’

‘You failed to set and mark homework which is varied in form, with clear purpose in relation to class work.’

‘You failed to ensure that tasks were devised to promote the progress of all pupils’.

‘You failed to create and sustain appropriate working relationships with other professionals’ ‘You failed to consistently use techniques to celebrate success’ ‘You failed to monitor progress of pupils and provide effective feedback to pupils’ ‘You failed to diagnose difficulties and give sound advice to pupils on ways to overcome them and make progress’

Ireland has been heir to a tradition of deeply embedded secrecy in public life, and in particular in the area of public administration. In countries such as Scotland and Wales, the hearings are heard in public unless there are special circumstances.

This extract was available as a result of the hearing and report being made public. The principal was obviously a crucial witness in the case. Whilst it is unfortunate that cases like this occur, it is essential that they are heard in public so that teachers and school principals can learn from the episode, and above all so the pupils receive the high quality education that they are entitled to under our Constitution.

The age of consent THE LAW IN IRELAND The age of majority in Ireland - when a person attains full legal responsibility - is 18 years. Pupils between the ages of 16 and 17 are legally entitled to medical treatment without their parents’ consent. This includes the prescription of the contraceptive pill.This empowerment derives from S.23 (1) of the Non Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997.

Furthermore, the Children First Bill 2014, which was recently introduced in the DĂĄil, proposes in part (3) Section (11) Sub Section (3) that:

Pupils between the ages of 16 and 17 are legally entitled to medical treatment without their parents’ consent. This includes the prescription of the contraceptive pill.

child’s evolving maturity. Doctors who consider an under 16 year old to be of sufficient maturity can prescribe the contraceptive pill. A child who is deemed ‘Gillick Competent’ is also able to prevent their parents viewing their medical records.

The Gillick Competence rule is not law in Ireland. However, the Law Reform Commission in a report entitled ‘Children and the Law - Medical Treatment’, recommended that those under 16, while not presumed competent to consent to, or refuse treatment, may in exceptional circumstances consent to or refuse treatment based on an assessment of their maturity and with the assumption that their parents or guardians will usually be involved.

The above issue regarding consent serves as a reminder of the choices and challenges that face teachers and pupils alike.

‘A mandated person (i.e. teacher) shall not be required to make a report to the Child and Family Agency (formerly HSE) under subsection (1) where (a) he or she knows or believes that (i) a child who is aged 15 years or more but less than 17 years is engaged in sexual activity and (ii) the other party to the sexual activity concerned is not more than 2 years older than the child concerned (b) he or she knows or believes that there is no material difference in capacity or maturity between the parties engaged in the sexual activity concerned (c) he or she is satisfied that subsection (2) does not apply (the child believes that he/she is not, or has not been, at risk of being harmed) (d) the child concerned has made known to the mandated person his or her view that the activity, or information relating to it, should not be disclosed to the Agency and the mandated person relied upon that view.’ Please note that the Children First Bill 2014 has not yet been enacted.

THE LAW IN ENGLAND AND WALES The practice is similar to Ireland with one exception. A Department of Health Circular authorised doctors to use their discretion in that contraception could be provided to children younger than sixteen years old without parental consent. This was litigated by Victoria Gillick who ran an active campaign against the proposal, hence the term ‘Gillick Competence’.

In essence, the House of Lords held that the authority of parents to make decisions for their minor children is not absolute, and diminishes with the PAG E 5

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The Ombudsman for Children’s Office: An independent, impartial redress mechanism for resolving complaints The Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) was established in 2004 following Emily Logan’s appointment as Ireland’s first Ombudsman for Children by President Mary McAleese in December 2003.

While a majority of complaints are made by parents on behalf of their children, the Office has seen an increase since 2004 in the number of complaints brought by professionals, with principals among those professionals most likely to make a complaint on behalf of children they are concerned about.

Underpinned by the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002, the OCO is an independent statutory body with an overall mandate to promote and monitor the rights and welfare of children up to the age of 18 living in Ireland. The Ombudsman for Children accounts directly to the Oireachtas for her statutory functions.

Among the OCO’s core statutory functions is to examine and investigate complaints made by or on behalf of children in relation to the administrative actions, or inactions, of a wide range of public bodies as well as schools and voluntary hospitals.

Offering an alternative redress mechanism to the courts, the OCO has dealt with over 10,000 complaints in the last ten years.While a majority of complaints are made by parents on behalf of their children, the Office has seen an increase since 2004 in the number of complaints brought by professionals, with principals among those professionals most likely to make a complaint on behalf of

children they are concerned about.

On average, over 40% of complaints made to the OCO annually relate to education, a figure which is not surprising given that almost 890,000 children are attending primary and post-primary schools. Among the matters frequently raised in education-related complaints are the handling of allegations of inappropriate professional conduct; the handling of bullying among children; education policies, schemes and curriculum; issues relating to expulsion, suspension and enrolment; and special education resources.

As with all complaints it receives, the Office’s approach to considering education-related complaints is guided by the 2002 Act. Key features of the OCO’s complaints procedure include the following: When examining and investigating complaints, the Office must be independent and impartial, acting neither as an advocate for the child nor as an adversary of any public body complained against.

The OCO respects local complaints procedures and promotes the local resolution of complaints. In any given year, the Office actively encourages local resolution in relation to the majority of admissible complaints it receives.

The OCO can decide not to investigate a complaint or to discontinue an investigation if it forms the view that a complainant has not taken reasonable steps to seek redress or has not been refused redress. The Office can do likewise if it becomes of the opinion that a complaint is trivial or vexatious.

The OCO will initiate an investigation where it appears that the action, or inaction, complained about has, or may have, adversely affected a child AND may be indicative of maladministration. Under the 2002 Act, an investigation by the OCO does not prevent the public body in question from taking further action to address the complaint.

Investigations are conducted otherwise than in public and focus on arriving at an in-depth

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understanding of the case. To this end, the OCO will consider all available information, will meet the complainant and representatives of the public body, and may interview other witnesses. The Office is also obliged to consider the views of the child when undertaking investigations and therefore, where appropriate, we will speak with the child about the complaint.

On average, over 40% of complaints made to the OCO annually relate to education, a figure which is not surprising given that almost 890,000 children are attending primary and post-primary schools.

Following an investigation, the Office will produce a statement, which may include recommendations. The public body concerned has an opportunity to respond to any recommendations made. In concluding an investigation, the statement is sent to the complainant and the public body. In cases where the Office determines that there is learning for other public bodies and/or that the issues raised are relevant to other children, it may publish an anonymised version of the statement.

In making recommendations, the Office aims to propose solutions that are fair and constructive. The Office finds that schools are generally receptive to its recommendations, which is in keeping with the OCO’s experience of engaging with schools in the context of fulfilling other aspects of its remit: through its rights education programme and initiatives to hear and highlight children’s views, for example, the Office understands how principals and teachers are involved in protecting children’s rights on a daily basis.

For more information, go to www.oco.ie.

Complaint to the Ombudsman for Children’s Office – One School’s Experience Submitted by the principal of a large urban school (name and details with the Editor) BACKGROUND In autumn 2012 the Board of Management (BoM) received a written complaint from parents claiming that their Child (Child A) had been continuously bullied by Child B in the school over the previous three years. Both pupils are in the same class. At its next scheduled meeting, the BoM authorised two of its members to investigate the complaint and prepare a report for the Board. Interviews were arranged with the Principal, Teaching Staff, Special Needs Assistants and the parents of both children. All related correspondence and records were examined in a process which took approximately one month to conclude.

The BoM noted that, on each occasion, staff had responded appropriately and had kept records of their investigations into the alleged incidents.

In their Agreed Report the investigators noted that a number of complaints had been made to staff by these parents over the previous year relating to alleged bullying of their child by Child B.The BoM noted that, on each occasion,staff had responded appropriately and had kept records of their investigations into the alleged incidents.

However, no evidence was found in the school to support the contention that peer bullying was taking place. The BoM noted that a number of procedures were in place to monitor interactions between the children concerned in the classroom and on the playground. The parents of both children were contacted by letter and informed of the BoM’s conclusion that the complaint against child B was not being upheld.

COMPLAINT TO THE OCO A few weeks later, the Chairperson of the BoM received a letter from the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) informing him that the parents of Child A had made a complaint about the school to the OCO on behalf of their child. Child B was not mentioned.

The OCO requested details of the school’s response to all queries in relation to alleged bullying involving Child A. They also sought copies of the school policies on Bullying Behaviour, Code of Behaviour and Yard Supervision; procedures in relation to the recording and retention of pupil data and any further information relevant to this pupil. The OCO also requested an analysis by the school of these policies and procedures, together with a review of the BoM’s handling of all complaints made by the parents of child A to the school.

The OCO stressed that its role is that of an independent arbiter and that it is neither an advocate for the complainant nor an adversary of the BoM. The OCO made it clear that it would not be concerned with the substance of the complaints, i.e. whether or not peer bullying had taken place. The focus of the OCO inquiry was to examine the relevant policies/procedures in place in the school and whether the administrative actions of the school in relation to these complaints had been detrimental to child A. All documentation would be reviewed as part of a preliminary inquiry in order to determine if a full investigation of the matters was merited.The objectives of this inquiry were substantially different from the BoM investigation, which was primarily concerned with the core issue of whether or not peer bullying was taking place.

The Chairperson of the BoM engaged immediately with the OCO and negotiated a timeframe in which to prepare a comprehensive response to the complaint. The Chairperson contacted the CPSMA and Allianz, the school’s insurance company. The Principal received valuable advice and direction from both the INTO and IPPN. A considerable amount of time (mostly out of school hours) was required to compile the BoM written response and systematically categorise associated documents.

BoM approval was sought before a considered and comprehensive response was submitted to the OCO. Included with the response was a chronological file of over forty entries where school staff and BoM members had recorded events or communications associated with the matter, each of which was supported by

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documentary material included in appendices.

The BoM response amounted to over 100 pages of indexed documentation.

OCO DECISION It is not surprising, given the amount of data submitted, that it took almost seven weeks for the OCO to adjudicate. In a four-page detailed response to the BoM, the OCO concluded that the complaint did not meet the threshold for further examination. It also noted that it found no evidence of maladministration on behalf of the school and was concluding its involvement in this matter. The OCO did offer encouragement/advice to the school which it hoped would assist in restoring relations between the school and the parents of Child A. The language used in the OCO reply contained technical and legal terminology which was difficult to access and understand. However, it was clear from the correspondence that the complaint against the school was not being upheld.

The OCO did offer encouragement/advice to the school which it hoped would assist in restoring relations between the school and the parents of Child A. CONCLUSIONS AND OBSERVATIONS From the perspective of the school the OCO fulfilled its role as an independent arbiter in relation to this inquiry. The BoM had concerns that its natural sympathies would lie with what society may see as a ‘vulnerable and aggrieved individual’ seeking restitution from an ‘unsympathetic impersonal institution’. It would appear from this case that these fears are groundless. However, the OCO examination is focused solely on the school or institution under investigation. In my opinion, it is not equitable that the motives and actions of the individual complainant and his/her role in the issue seem to remain above adjudication and beyond reproach.

ICT Tips

Latest technology not required!

By Robbie O’Leary, Principal of An Chroi Ro Naofa Senior, Killinarden, West Tallaght, Dublin

Let me introduce you to FIDI. FIDI is a soft toy: a golden retriever (purchased from the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind) for about €10. He is based in my office, but spends very little time there...most of his time is spent being brought by pupils to places of interest outside of school hours. While there, his photograph is taken, and on his return to school, the child will write a report on computer, to include one or more such photographs, of where FIDI has been, and what transpired. Needless to say, FIDI has become quite an authority on birthday parties, burger joints, cinemas, dancing competitions and football matches. He has also been to Croke Park, Disneyland Paris,Trabolgan, the Cliffs of Moher, the Costa del Sol, and he even bumped into Katie Taylor in Bray! FIDI accompanies all classes on trips out of school. At the time of writing, FIDI is on a flight to London to observe a dancing competition in which two pupils from the school are participating. As a keen Shamrock Rovers supporter, he is also looking forward to his next visit to Tallaght Stadium...

FIDI’s name is derived from the initial letters of four countries currently participating in a Comenius project, namely Finland, Italy, Denmark and Ireland. Although the children don’t know it, several different FIDIs exist around mainland Europe, and their adventures with pupils from the schools involved are published on the project’s Moodle site for all to read about. In each of the schools, the children’s

reports are displayed prominently, helping to create a print-rich environment which is both attractive and authentic to their lives.

Clearly, this is quite a simple idea, and one, I suggest, which has enormous potential to stimulate children’s writing and reading skills.

Clearly, too, the equipment needed to implement the initiative is modest: a computer with a word processor and colour printer and a digital camera. We purchased such a camera (a €100 Nikon) which is designed for children to use, with limited functionality and robust casing.This idea can very easily be adapted to suit the need of schools for a range of contexts and age groups.

FIDI’s name is derived from the initial letters of four countries currently participating in a Comenius project, namely Finland, Italy, Denmark and Ireland. .

I have chosen to describe this particular project because I believe it illustrates two fundamental points in relation to the use of technology in primary schools: firstly, the best uses of technology result when their inspiration and

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starting point is the curriculum and the learning objectives of teachers. In other words, ‘...this is what I want to achieve, how can technology help me to achieve it?’ In my experience, this approach is far more successful than the other ‘This is the technology I have, now what should I do with it?’

Secondly, teachers don’t always need the most up-to-date and trendy computer equipment. In fact, as we are all aware, there are large numbers of older computers stationed in classrooms all around the country, many of which are gathering dust. They are probably too slow to use most of the newer applications and may not have internet connectivity. Ironically, some of the most effective educational applications ever published for use in primary schools (very often on CD ROM) will not work on the newest operating systems...they will, however, work perfectly well on these older computers which the technology companies will happily tell you are no longer fit for purpose and need to be replaced.We manage to keep a number of our older computers running well established, proven CD ROMbased programmes such as Dangerous Creatures, Ancient Lands and Oceans (Microsoft), Cluefinders series, Who took the Book and Who stole Mona, Maths Circus and Maths Made Easy, among others.

It is very important to remember, I suggest, that while technology is constantly changing, effective teaching and learning changes very little.

Reflections

Breaking Good

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

Since 1971, the months of July and August have represented something of a carrot at the end of a stick for me, a prize for ten months of academic rush, push, ram and cram, occasionally punctuated by festivals, holy days and the curiously named bank holidays.

As a youngster, I can remember running down the road to play with a friend, an hour and a bowl of soup after early release for good behaviour on the school’s last day, armed and dangerous with energy and ideas for what two months could be filled with. A hoe or a bale trailer might succeed in flinging a ditch in my vision as the summer wore on, though they too, offered chances to act the goat. The light heartedness I felt that day with absolutely no burden to contend with, returns to my consciousness each subsequent school closing day as a lightning rod for what school holidays should be like and what freedom they should offer.

This summer, I urge principals and deputies to take a break, a proper one, where batteries are given a chance to recharge and families get to have fun with their principal mum or dad or both.

That freedom did course through my earliest years as a teacher when the two months regularly involved inter rail trips, copious amounts of hurling and football matches, music festivals and ‘drop of the hat’ trips to Dingle or Galway. One summer saw me return to school on Friday September 1st having worked on a London building site on August 31st. Lunch time on Thursday was a plastic sandwich and a can of coke and the conversation in the crowded tin hut focussed on Pret -a-Porter and the merits of the various under-loaded clothes hangers featured on a selection of Murdoch’s red tops. Friday’s conversation over a nice Caesar salad a teacher had brought in for the new principal’s first day centred on holiday snaps and timetables for choir and assembly.

Our new principal, Mr McCabe, who regularly appears on page 3 of this purple top, though dressed for cold weather, must have been slightly alarmed at the dusty looking savage sitting amongst the well turned-out ladies and gents of Scoil Cholmcille, before watching him

disappear into a room of 38 fifth class boys, ravenous for the flesh of an inexperienced teacher.

While July and August still have their charms, the lustre of their full moons has been dulled somewhat by principalship, bank bailouts and advancing years. School building projects, summer appointments and resource hour allocations are but a few of the concerns the average principal (if there is such a thing!) must deal with, year on year.

Where once the summer was a chance for hair blowing in the breeze, it becomes a gust cutting wrinkles into the balding brow.

Where once the summer was a chance for hair blowing in the breeze, it becomes a gust cutting wrinkles into the balding brow. In fairness to department officials, they have taken onboard many of the concerns expressed to them regarding the need for principals to get a proper break and have tried to bring some of the pressure points back into the school year. However, many remain and our efforts to ‘reclaim the summer’ get forced back with increasing paperwork and planning demands.

This summer, I urge principals and deputies to take a break, a proper one, where batteries are given a chance to recharge and families get to have fun with their principal mum or dad or both. A week on Banna Strand will not grow back the hair but it will aerate what remains of the brain below it.

I cannot wait!

While I’m at, for some colleagues the holidays will run into September and beyond. These are the happy souls who have decided to leave the stage after between 35 and 40-something years of high performance and daily drama. For Tom Daly and Esther Lambe in my own parish, the next chapter of life awaits after long and excellent careers. For Larry Fleming over the road, a former IPPN President, the time and opportunity for mischief-making will be greater. I would urge all principals to treat with caution any calls from dubious department officials and odd inspectors suggesting impending calls or seeking strange information. My great friend has form in that area. And now he’ll have time!

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Principal Advice

The 3 Rs of Summer

By Angela Lynch, Principal Advice Manager

At this time of year, in the period coming up to the summer holidays, people are tired and it is so easy for tensions to build within the school community.The ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ comes to mind and it can mean that minor conflicts escalate quickly. Being aware of this, and how you yourself deal with conflict, helps in managing more effectively the inevitable situations that arise. The coming summer months can give you a chance to reflect and develop a greater sense of self awareness.

The American businessman Thomas J. Wilson, in speaking about leadership, maintains that‘Nothing more conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.’ In leading your school community and in leading your life, change is a constant.You have to be able to read people, their strengths and their faults and in that knowledge lies the ability to get the best out of each one of them. Before you can do that, however, you have to know yourself.

Stephen R. Covey says that ‘People can’t live with change if there’s not a changeless core inside them.

The key to the ability to change is a changeless sense of who you are, what you are about and what you value.’

As you work through your own leadership journey, you build trust and credibility. Trust and credibility come with a price – investment of time in building your own self awareness.They also take time to develop. Conflict is difficult. It saps your energy and frustrates you because you put so much effort and time into managing the conflict.

In order to manage conflict, it is essential to develop personal resilience. During the coming months, invest some time in getting to know yourself. In this column I have previously spoken about my own journey towards self awareness using tools such as Myers Briggs, Enneagram and Belbin Team Profiles. You might consider exploring these and the many other personal development tools, readily available on the internet.This summer consider replacing the 3 Rs of school for the 3 Rs of summer – Rest, Reflection and Restoration.

Rest / Reflection / Restoration The temptation during the holiday period is to ‘catch up’ with work that has accumulated during the year.You plan for everything so be sure to plan for a complete period of time away from school.

If you spent the entire summer concentrating on school-related work, you still would not get to the end of it. It always seemed to me like peeling the layers off an onion. I’d think that I had got to the

end of the layers and that there were no more layers but hey – I’d end up with another onion to peel! We all need to rest, reflect and restore ourselves, both physically and emotionally, and this can only be done by taking a complete break with family and friends. You will be doing not only yourself, but also your school and your family a great service by returning in September strong and resilient.

The following is a reflection by Jim Rohn, an American businessman, author and motivational speaker, which appealed to me and may help you to reflect on your leadership journey: The challenge of leadership is I Be strong, but not rude I Be kind, but not weak I Be bold, but not bully I Be thoughtful, but not lazy I Be humble, but not timid I Be proud, but not arrogant I Have humour, but not folly.

May you have a wonderful summer in the company of your family and friends. Should you need to contact the IPPN Support Office or access the Principal Advice service during the summer months, we are here to take your call.

Publication of the Children First Bill 2014

By Gordon Jeyes, Chief Executive of Tusla – Child and Family Agency On 14 April, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgerald T.D., published long awaited legislation that will place Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011 on a statutory footing.

This legislation will be the cornerstone of child protection in Ireland and will affect every organisation, group or individual working with children.

Once the legislation is enacted, it will place a legal obligation on a range of individuals and organisation to protect children from harm.

Certain professionals and people working with children, known as ‘Mandated Persons’, will be obliged to report suspected abuse to the Child and Family Agency. While organisations or

persons working with or running activities for children will be obliged to prepare a Child Safeguarding Statement.

The Bill also provides a statutory underpinning for the Children First Interdepartmental Implementation Group. This Group will include a representative of all government departments and will be required to keep under review the implementation of the legislation and to report on an annual basis to the Minister for Children. The full text of the Bill can be accessed on the Department of Children and Youth Affairs website – www.dcya.gov.ie.

Placing Children First on a statutory footing makes child protection a concern for everyone PAG E 1 0

in society.The Bill formalises cooperation between Child and Family Agency services and Gardaí, GPs, clergy, sporting organisations, teachers and other individuals and organisations working with children to allow for early identification and intervention where a child is at risk and to prevent harm.

The legislation has not come into force yet, but the Child and Family Agency website www.tusla.ie – is a resource for every organisation or individual as they prepare to become Children First compliant.

Mainstream Schools and Article 24 of the United Nations Convention for People with Disabilities

By Cóilín Ó Coigligh, Principal of St Mary’s NS, Trim, Co Meath The following was presented by Cóilín at the NUI Galway Conference on February 22nd: ‘Article 24 UNCRPD - Is this a Brown v. Board of Education moment?’The opinions are derived from his own personal experiences, from feedback given by fellow principals on networking@ippn.ie as well as fellow teachers in St Mary’s, rather than from empirical evidence.

Article 24 UNCPRD states that all persons with all disabilities can access an inclusive education in the general education system.The full text can be read on the UN website www.un.org or at http://tinyurl.com/q7nqaw6.

Ireland is one of over 160 countries that have signed up to this convention. Over 140 countries have already ratified it and Ireland is due to ratify it later this year. Cognisant of our obligations under Section 9 of The Education Act to provide an education to all the children in our school appropriate to their needs, this will present huge challenges to our education system.

Let me start by saying that I am in favour of inclusive education. I have seen it work very successfully in our school in the last sixteen years.

Having said that, schools are struggling to cope with decreasing resources and funding while providing a much more diversified and inclusive education to a far more diversified pupil population. Some examples from St Mary’s: Resources cut: Ten years ago we had fifteen SNAs.We still have the same profile of needs but these are now being met by four SNAs. Sixteen years ago our two Speech and Language Classes had access to occupational therapy (OT) once a week, two full-time Speech and Language therapists and two full-time SNAs. Now there is occasional access (a few times a year) to OT, four days between the two classes of speech therapy and 0.66 SNAs. Funding: Capitation grants have been reduced by 15% in the last three years. Resource hours have also decreased by 15%.

happen in the past at the end of primary education and the beginning of secondary school.

Now it seems to be happening as early as year two and three in primary school.What is this telling us about funding, resources and class sizes in mainstream schools? Why are people voting with their feet?

Teaching professionals to be included at Early Intervention planning stages

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Mandatory teaching qualification and experience in a classroom for SENOs, who advise parents and schools

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To also consider the needs of all children in our schools. The current classroom reality is a huge diversity of needs - SEN, international pupils, exceptionally able, diverse curriculum…

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A reduced class size: Calls for inclusion often cite countries such as Italy where class size can be 14:1. In Ireland it is 28:1. If there is a special needs child in that class, how are the needs of all the children realistically met? A possible solution would be to give extra weighting to classes of children with special needs, e.g 5:1. This would allow for greater differentiation for children with special needs and reduces the teaching time ‘loss’ for the other children in these classes

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Parental choice to be balanced with teachers’ advice. Parents’ opinion should not be the bottom line. Teachers who work with the child may be better placed to judge what is best for the child. The importance of consultation between both parties and of placement reviews with other professionals, where necessary, will disappear with Article 24.

Why are more and more specialised units being built? Huge amounts of money are being spent on these units. Why can more money not be invested in mainstream schools to support inclusive education also?

Who is going to lead inclusion in mainstream schools when 70% of our 3,300 primary schools have teaching principals with between 14 and 22 release days per year? Where is the time and the training for principals to lead integration/inclusion initiatives and programmes?

In order to comply with Article 24, we need: I SNA cover for emotional and educational needs, not just care needs I

More access to specialised training for teachers and SNAs

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To reinstate the Special Ed. and further education allowances for teachers

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An increase in the training/educational requirement for SNAs

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An increase in capitation grants so that we can provide extras and not financially reward segregation e.g. the grant for a child with Moderate General Learning Disability Capitation in a special class is €849 while in a mainstream class it is €176!

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To reverse reductions in funding, resource hours and class size

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Dual enrolments: This would ensure that there is a greater sharing of expertise between mainstream and specialised schools.

By working in partnership, mainstream schools would be supported to maintain inclusion

Class Size: This was increased to 28:1 three years ago.

If the proof of the pie is in the eating: Why does there appear to be a ‘move back’ by children with special needs to specialised units in the last five years? This ‘move back’ used to

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Greater support for placement review from non-teaching professionals PAG E 1 1

In my opinion, the central issues are the child’s best interests and schools’ obligations under Section 9 of the Education Act. Schools need to be able to fulfil their obligations to provide an education suitable to a child’s needs. In cases where this is difficult, reviews and extra supports should happen.With the current state of funding and resources, as well as increased class sizes in mainstream schools, Article 24 is going to make this even more difficult to achieve.

Buíochas do na múinteoirí i mBunscoil Mhuire agus na príomhoide ar ‘Networking’ a chabhraigh liom an léarmheas seo a scríobh.

You can contact Cóilín by email to coilin@eircom.net.

Becoming a Primary School Principal in Ireland:

Deputy Principalship as Preparation

By Derek Grant, Principal of Kilmore Central NS, Farragh, Ballinagh, Co. Cavan ‘Becoming a Primary School Principal in Ireland: Deputy principalship as Preparation’ was the subject of my Doctorate in Education, awarded by the University of Lincoln, England.

This research involved twelve deputy principals and their current leadership roles in Irish primary schools. Limited research existed in the Irish context on educational leadership, particularly studies on school principalship and deputy principalship. This has affected our understanding of the role of the primary deputy principal and their vertical career advancement to principalship. The role of deputy principals has not come under the same close scrutiny as the role of principals or class teacher, leading to a general lack of a sound conceptual understanding of what a deputy principal is.

There is no universal role definition for a deputy principal but it is generally agreed that the deputy principalship role is vital for school success.

The role of deputy principals has not come under the same close scrutiny as the role of principals or class teacher, leading to a general lack of a sound conceptual understanding of what a deputy principal is.

Background Deputies are there to assume leadership responsibilities, yet they are often mainly engaged in assisting the principal in carrying out a range of tasks and functions needed for the day-to-day smooth operation of the school. My own findings similarly revealed that deputies’ roles were mainly (although not all) about assisting and supporting while being subordinate to and supportive of the principal. In half of the schools who participated in this research, the deputy had no clear professional role identity.

There was an acknowledgement that deputies are not functioning to capacity as a direct consequence of role under-load occurring when leaders feel they are only being given routine administrative tasks.

Many studies have attempted to relate desire for

principalship with personal motivational factors.

In many school systems, principal positions are generally filled from the ranks of deputy principals yet there has been little research into the contextual factors that influence their willingness to apply for principal posts. Deputy principals who value harmonious working relationships with their colleagues are less motivated towards principalship.

Characteristics for Principalship In looking at the willingness of deputies to progress to principalship it was necessary to explore the principalship role.The principalship has become ‘a job with very particular benefits – and very particular costs’, with educational literature advising that the principal alone should not exercise all the leadership but that it should be distributed throughout the school.

‘Few would dispute that the role of school leader is a demanding one’ and leaders today have responsibilities far beyond anything their predecessors experienced. My research found that principals were viewed as having a significantly more complex and important job, with more demanding characteristics needed when compared with the role of deputy. The characteristics necessary for successful principalship included the need to be a charismatic, energetic, strong-minded and skilled practitioner who can articulate a vision in today’s demanding accountability context.

Preparation for Principalship In spite of all the challenges and possibilities that a principalship can hold, my research firmly concluded that there is a shortage of information available on preparing deputy principals for principalship. This is unfortunate as there seems to be a broad international consensus among policy makers that the capacities of those who aspire to become a principal need to be developed.The preparation and development of school leaders cannot be left to chance.

Encouraging desire for career progression would be strengthened by adequate preparation. My research similarly found a need for a definite form of management and leadership preparation to create a principalship pipeline. The role of deputy is not enough of a training ground on its own. The gap in experiences and knowledge between deputyship and principalship is so great that energy should flow into the formation of formal, planned and structured preparation for the transition into principalship.

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Gender and Principalship Deputy principals interviewed in my research didn’t perceive gender to be a barrier to principalship. None of the female or male interviewees felt that they would be at an unfair disadvantage in applying for a prinacipalship position. When examining the aspirations of female respondents, it was concluded that their careers are influenced by their family stage and the work needs of their spouses, as well as unexpected life events. Men were found to be more likely than women to consider a path which leads to principalship.

The characteristics necessary for successful principalship included the need to be a charismatic, energetic, strong-minded and skilled practitioner who can articulate a vision in today’s demanding accountability context.

Three types of Irish Primary Deputyship A significant outcome of my research was the development of three new types of primary deputy principalship which are new and unique to the Irish context.They provide a new perspective on the role of Irish primary deputy principal, contribute to our current understanding of distributed leadership and are appropriate to Irish primary schools’ current managerial arrangements. The three types are Transactional, Prescribed and Strategic. They describe the characteristics of the deputies’ roles that emerged from the research. Each typology encompasses its own properties. The third typology ‘Strategic’ is the most pivotal in its attempt to provide the ideal deputyship. It is a model of shared school leadership, capitalising on the deputy’s expertise to help to alleviate or moderate the causes of work overload and stress often associated with principalship. Irish deputy principals can be categorised as having a Transactional, Prescribed or Strategic role. The characteristics of each typology are illustrated in the Table.

For more information about his thesis, you can contact Derek by email to kilmorecns@eircom.net

Children’s Services Committees - Effective Interagency Working

By Colma Nic Lughadha, National Co-ordinator for the Children’s Services Committees Initiative This is the second article in a short series about Children’s Services Committees (CSC). CSCs are national policy of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and bring together organisations and agencies in a county that work with and for children and young people to engage in joint planning and co-ordination of services. In this issue, I aim to provide some further detail about what effective interagency working by Children’s Services Committees looks like.

A CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S PLAN FOR THE COUNTY Each CSC is required to develop and then deliver on a three-year Children and Young People’s Plan for the county. Each plan I details how children and young people in the county are doing (a socio demographic profile) I

describes what services, supports and groups are currently available in the county for children and young people (an audit of services)

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identifies gaps and provides direction as to how the county can do better to improve services and outcomes for children and young people (a needs analysis)

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sets out what the CSC will do over a three year period to improve outcomes under the five national outcomes for children and young people (an action plan).These national outcomes are set out in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures - The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014 – 2020, DCYA.

With a comprehensive picture of the needs of children, young people and families in the county, CSCs then identify appropriate evidence-informed and /or evidence-based responses. CSC projects and initiatives have contributed to improving outcomes for children and young people under a range of themes including literacy, parenting support, consultation with children and young people and identification and assessment of the needs of children and young people, to name just a few.

Each of these themes is explained below.

LITERACY CSCs have sought to address low literacy levels

of children by developing interagency approaches to literacy development across a range of settings. An evaluated literacy programme that brought Health Services Executive (HSE) speech and language therapeutic supports into the school classroom resulted in positive impacts on children’s language and literacy attainment and also impacted positively on the professional practice of HSE staff and teachers. A family literacy project involves the County Childcare Committee working with the Education and Training Board to up-skill early childhood professionals in literacy development skills that they then integrate into their daily work with children, young people and families.

DELIVERING PARENTING SUPPORT There is growing evidence of the importance of effective parenting in generating positive outcomes for children and young people. CSCs have worked to maximise parenting support provision in their county through interagency co-ordination and collaboration. This has included delivery of evidence-based programmes such as Triple P, The Incredible Years Programme, Strengthening Families Programme, Parents Plus, Lifestart and Marte Meo. CONSULTATION WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Involving children and young people in decision-making is national policy. As part of their planning process, Children’s Services Committees consult extensively with children and young people. This includes using the national Comhairle na nÓg child and youth councils as well as consulting with ‘seldom heard’ young people such as young people in care and includes consulting with very young children such as pre-schoolers.

IDENTIFYING AND ASSESSING THEIR NEEDS CSCs have been to the forefront of ensuring that the needs of children and young people are identified and accurately assessed and that appropriate and integrated supports are put in place to meet those needs. They have worked to develop, evaluate and standardise approaches to needs assessment across multiple disciplines.This work has informed the national approach to service delivery of Tusla, the new Child and PAG E 1 3

Family Agency.

Children’s Services Committees have created exciting and effective synergies between member organisations, harnessing commitments to and strengths arising from inter-agency working for the benefit of children and young people living in their county. Their work illustrates a breadth of successful inter-agency innovations and interventions at both strategic and operational levels, with tangible positive impacts for the children and young people growing up in their county.

In the next issue of Leadership+ I will be talking with IPPN members who are members of the CSC in their county to find out what their experiences have been and why they have taken on the role of representing IPPN and the primary school sector in Children’s Services Committees.

If you would like to find out more about what’s happening in your county or for any information on Children’s Services Committees please get in touch with Colma Nic Lughadha, National Co-ordinator for Children’s Services Committees by email to csc@effectiveservices.org or by phone to +353 1 4160511.

Primary Principalship: A Man’s Job in a Woman’s World?

By Fiona Sheridan Nunan, Mainstream class teacher in Scoil Phadraic Cailíní, Donabate, Co. Dublin As a female primary teacher conducting research as part of a Masters in Education on School Leadership, I wanted to highlight the gender differences in the experiences of recently-appointed primary principals.

This gendered aspect was particularly interesting given the context of the disproportionate number of males to females in the Irish primary sector. Recent figures from the INTO (2012) highlighted that the annual salary for a female primary teacher is 93% of a male primary teacher, even though the percentage of female primary teachers has grown from 82% in 2003 to 86% in 2011.

While primary teaching is a predominantly female profession, there is clearly a disparity in numbers within management and leadership roles, echoing the unquestioned norm that women are less likely to put themselves forward for senior positions or are less likely to be successful in their applications.

Although female primary teachers do not specifically suffer a downgrading of their occupational position as a consequence of leave taken, such as maternity leave, career break or parental leave, the figures clearly suggest that opportunities for promotion are missed.

Rather, their occupational position remains static, until such a time that they are relieved of the stresses and obligations of their personal life, where they can invest themselves in their career.

The leadership structure and the onerous nature of the position of principal are a huge obstacle and deterrent for many females in the profession. The research entailed a comparative study of eight recently-appointed primary principals (four male, four female) with gender being the fundamental focus.

Trajectory to Becoming Principal It was revealed that the male participants had been teaching for fewer years than their female counterparts before they embarked on a leadership role.Three out of four male principals interviewed had less than ten years teaching experience. The female participants had undergone CPD in areas such as special needs, curriculum development, emotional intelligence, management and leadership.

All were qualified to a Masters level, with one currently undertaking a PHD. Only one out of four male participants was qualified to a Masters level with a particular focus on leadership. The remaining three were currently engaging in a Masters in leadership, but it is important to note that they were already in positions of leadership.

Aspirations to Leadership All but one of the female participants articulated definite and clear aspirations for leadership. In fact, it was the male participants who happened to haphazardly fall into their leadership role. None of the male participants had purposely engineered their career or CPD with leadership in mind. What was interesting is that the male participants mentioned the presence of a male role model who recommended that they apply for prinicpalship.

they also played to their femaleness when it came to dealing with staff, children and parents.

Three out of the four female participants had applied for previous positions before securing their current post and described these interviews as practice runs for the position they really wanted. All but one was successful in attaining their current position.

However, while the male participants also described previous interviews as practice runs, they were successful in these interviews and could therefore cherry pick which position to accept.

Impact on their Personal Lives All of the female participants were keenly aware of how their role as principal had impacted their personal lives, especially family life. The rhetoric of the male participants detailed less of an impact on their family life and more of how the role impacted their sporting and leisure commitments.

Recruiting what has gone before?

It was evident from the research that there was an implicit culture of recruiting candidates who had the ‘right profile’ or who matched the ideal of what had gone before. A background in sport (particularly GAA) seemed to be looked upon quite favourably by assessment boards. All of the female participants described how these subtle elements prevented them from accessing this male arena of the old boy’s network.

When it came to engaging in primary principal meetings or informal networking among peers, the topic of sport etc. was something that they had less access to because of domestic responsibilities.

Working the ‘Double Shift’ and Guilt The female participants viewed their home and work life balance as a double shift. Domestic responsibilities fell to them and not to their partners. They had to specifically engineer their working schedule to accommodate home life. All of them spoke of the guilt that they experienced when it came to relinquishing the care of their children to others.The male participants also mentioned this notion of guilt, but only in relation to their partners and not themselves.

Using Gender in the Role of Principalship Many of the participants were keenly aware of how their gender impacted their day to day conduct.The male participants used their attributes of maleness to deal with difficult situations where order and authority were required. When it came to dealing with aggressive or difficult situations, the female participants deliberately adopted male attributes and suited up when approaching a difficult meeting. Yet, PAG E 1 4

Domestic Support Structures All of the female participants mentioned their partners and how their support in their personal life and in the home was crucial to their success. Only one male participant mentioned how having a supportive partner was paramount to him efficiently carrying out his duties as principal.

Where to from here?

Within the primary sector there is clearly an inequality of power, where females are still very much under-represented in leadership roles. While the statistics mentioned in the article indicate a worrying trend, it seems that there is very little being done to encourage women into positions of leadership. It seems inaccessible to many and rife with patriarchal undertones.

The research showed that when it comes to primary principalship, it is evident that there are more barriers for women to overcome. Women have many more considerations than men, especially within the domestic sphere which undoubtedly will have an impact on their professional life.

You can contact Fiona by email to fesheridan@gmail.com if you have any queries.

A new Primary Language Curriculum

By Dr. Sarah FitzPatrick, Deputy CEO and Aisling Greene, Education Officer, NCCA The draft Primary Language Curriculum is for all children from Junior Infants to Second Class in English-medium and Irish-medium schools and is available for consultation until Friday July 11th at www.ncca.ie/primarylanguageconsultation and www.ncca.ie/teanganabunscoilecomhairliuchan. It was developed to respond to teachers’ feedback on ways to improve the ‘99 curriculum for English and Gaeilge and to reflect new research and development in children’s language learning.

So what’s new about the new Primary Language Curriculum?

1. It is an ‘integrated curriculum’ which uses the same curriculum structure for English and Gaeilge. Research shows that this will help children to transfer their learning across languages and will support teachers to see similarities and differences across the languages.

2. It focuses on positive dispositions as well as skills and concepts. Aistear describes dispositions as enduring habits of mind and action such as independence, curiosity, playfulness, perseverance, confidence, resilience and resourcefulness. Including dispositions in the Primary Language Curriculum along with skills and concepts recognises that supporting children to develop the will to read is as important as the skill to read.

3. It has far fewer outcomes than objectives in the ‘99 curriculum. Many of the outcomes for stage 1 (the end of Senior Infants) are shared with stage 2 (the end of Second Class).The outcomes are supported by an ‘Explanation of Concepts, Dispositions and Skills’which has information on process, strategies, skills, etc. named in the outcomes.

4. It supports teacher practice and teacher judgment. Along with outcomes, it includes real examples of children’s work with teacher comments on

the evidence of progress in terms of outcomes. It also has maps of significant milestones in children’s language learning and development. We call each map a continuum and there’s one for each of the three strands — oral language, reading and writing.

5. It will be an online curriculum.You can access videos, podcasts and online presentations on language teaching and learning with real children, teachers, parents, researchers and other education professionals in the support material (the new ‘Guidelines’). Instead of adding new parts to the curriculum over time, online publication means that you’ll see incremental improvements as needed rather than curriculum add-ons.

Feedback from the consultation will shape the final round of edits and improvements and work with schools to gather examples of children’s work and develop support material in the coming months. Please take a moment to look at the draft and to have your say by responding to the online survey at www.ncca.ie/primarylanguageconsultation and www.ncca.ie/teanganabunscoilecomhairliuchan.

You can also email your views to primarylanguage@ncca.ie or teanganabunscoile@ncca.ie with ‘Written Submission’ in the subject line.Thank you for having a look and having a say!

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WSE – Don’t Panic!

By Simon Lewis, Principal of Carlow Educate Together NS There are three letters that seem to make every principal and teacher shudder: WSE – a Whole School Evaluation. This is where a group of inspectors swoop into a school for a week and go through absolutely everything you are doing, write a report about it and then publish it on the Internet. These inspections happen to a school every 8-10 years and this year, for my first time as a principal, I received the call.

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What are the strengths of the school with regard to teaching?

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How is the well-being of pupils supported?

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How effective are leadership and management?

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What is the school’s engagement in school self-evaluation or school review to date?

I decided the best course of action was not to panic. The Department of Education have a ‘friendly’ guide to the WSE and it outlines all the things that you are supposed to have ready. (http://goo.gl/0U4b8U) This is followed by a phone call and an email from the lead inspector.

The most important thing in the email is a preevaluation questionnaire. This is your chance to say how great your school is.The questions are the following: I What are the key context factors that relate to this school?

Not coincidentally, the WSE report follows the same format.

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How well are the pupils learning?

We got a load of parent questionnaires in the post for parents. My big error was not incentivising the return of the questionnaires.

We only got about 50% of them back and this affected our final report.

With a couple of files and folders ready based on their list, there was nothing to do but to head to the IPPN conference and forget about it for a few days.

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The three days of inspection were reasonably fine.

The inspectors were very nice but made sure they got to see everything.The rumours are true: they miss absolutely nothing! Every classroom is going to be different so there’s no point outlining what all inspectors are looking for. However, evidence of good teaching and learning seems high on the agenda as one would expect.

The inspectors came back about a week after the inspection to give us all the news. I decided to approach it without being defensive. I knew there were things we were doing well and I knew there were things we hadn’t got to, being only 5 years old as a school. I’m happy to say I could nearly have written the report myself.We have a number of targets now for 2014-15 and we were affirmed for the great work we were doing.

I’ve written extensively about my WSE experience on my web site,http://www.anseo.net and am happy to help anyone going through a WSE in the future. My number one piece of advice: don’t panic!

Study Visit on Innovation and Cooperation in Early Childhood Pedagogy

By Dympna Daly, Principal of Our Lady of Mercy NS, Bantry, Co. Cork At Easter this year I was fortunate enough to go on a study visit to Sopron in Western Hungary, about 60 kms from Vienna. It was organised by Léargas which is Ireland’s national agency for the management of national, European and international cooperation programmes involving education and lifelong learning. It was a wonderful experience for me. I am sorry that I never went on one before!

Our study visit was facilitated by the University of West Hungary, Benedek Elek Faculty of Pedagogy for Kindergarten teachers. We were made to feel so welcome and were treated like royalty all week. There were ten participants on the visit: Malta, Martinique – a republic of France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, United Kingdom and I represented Ireland.There were also visiting guests from Croatia and Thailand. English was the language spoken on the visit.

It was a hectic week with a mixture of lectures and on-site visits to schools and much discussion in between. In the evenings the college organised entertainment for us – the students and lecturers all participated – Hungarian tales, songs, dances, music, poetry, puppetry and drama, not to mention the food! Hungarians are very proud of their cultural traditions – they even taught us a Hungarian dance and song: ‘Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt’.

The highlight of the study visit for me was visiting the nursery and Kindergartens.

In Hungary children can attend the state nursery from 18 months of age to three years. This is free and parents pay for food only. Children then attend Kindergarten from ages 3 to 6, again all free! The emphasis is on learning through play. In the Kindergartens there are generally 21-25 pupils of mixed age range (familial grouping from 3-6 years) in the same room with a teacher and an assistant. I was amazed to see the children preparing fruit and vegetables with sharp knives and graters! They can opt in or out of the activities. I was very impressed by all the wooden furniture and toys. The children can stay in the Kindergarten all day and get their snacks and lunch.When the children went out to play I could not believe the facilities – a playground with swings, see saws, large wooden sand pits, tricycles,

bikes, climbing frames and a field full of humps and holes - full of happy children running around.

After play the children come back in, wash and have their sleep. It was very inviting. Apparently children go out to play in all types of weather and -5 degrees is the cut-off point!

The statutory age for children to attend schools varies slightly from country to country, for example, Netherlands, UK and Malta at 5 years of age; Ireland and Belgium at 6 and Estonia and Lithuania at 7. For the majority of us, the early years’ phase of education is not obligatory; however, children are encouraged to attend kindergarten before school and in some countries the age governments would like children to attend is becoming younger. In Ireland the ‘Free Pre-School Year scheme’ was introduced in January 2010.

There were several themes and principles that were seen as important to all participants on the study visit, including the vital importance of play as the major approach to young children’s learning.

Curriculum content was also discussed and it was felt that the Hungarian teacher training had a stronger and larger focus on music, dance, puppetry and singing than some of the other EU countries. The participants from Eastern European countries appeared to have a greater emphasis on teaching their children traditional folktales, songs and dances and instilling a sense of cultural pride. All participants shared the desire to support children’s language development and their acquisition of additional languages.

In the kindergarten guidelines, many of the areas of learning were very similar - personal, social and emotional development and physical development, for example, but some countries appeared to have less prescriptive or structured guidelines than others. In the Irish context, I feel that the new curriculum framework for children from birth to six years - Aistear - needs to be implemented properly in primary schools.

The latest national and international research emphasizes childhood as the key factor in determining the life chances of an individual.

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High quality education and support for children is crucial for our futures since only happy, wellbalanced, confident, resilient and creative children are able to build a prospering and sustainable society.

If you are interested in reading more about our study visit you can read about it on the University’s website: www.bpk.nyme.hu and if you are interested in participating in a visit there is now a new programme called Erasmus plus; the information is on www.leargas.ie.

If you would like to get in touch with Dympna, you can email her to dalydympna@eircom.net.

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‘Your primary objective must be to ensure that every pupil leaves school feeling good about themselves’ Excerpts from Fr Peter McVerry’s address to the IPPN Deputy Principals’ Conference in Ballinasloe on 16th May 2014 Peter is the founder of the Peter McVerry Trust which supports those dealing with homelessness and addiction My own attempts to teach, at second level for two years, were a bit of a disaster. And those were the days when pupils said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and you did not need a qualification in crowd control. When people ask me how have I managed to work with homeless people over so many years, I always answer, ‘If I ever stopped, they might send me teaching.’

All I can do today is to share with you some of my own reflections on working with those young people who today drive you insane and make your life difficult, some of whom will in a few years time drive us insane and make our lives difficult. It is those 5% or 10% of homeless people who take up 90% of our time and effort and I am sure it is the same with you. The young homeless people I work with were once the young people you worked with, when they bothered to turn up, so there may be some connection. Many of them come from situations of multiple deprivations, and schools cannot compensate for those deprivations.

I believe our schools should be evaluated, not by the results which the best pupils achieve, but by the results which the weakest children achieve.

Just as I believe my job is to ensure that every homeless person leaves us feeling more valued and more important, so your job is to ensure, not only that they have had the educational development which is appropriate for them, but even more importantly, to ensure that they leave school feeling good about themselves. Of course these are linked; a child cannot feel good about themselves if they have fallen so far behind the others in the class that they cannot catch up.

But the converse is not true: children can be well educated and still feel a failure.

I believe our schools should be evaluated, not by the results which the best pupils achieve, but by

the results which the weakest children achieve. I cringe every year when the Leaving Certificate results come out and those young people who have achieved 9 A1s get front page media coverage. I ask myself what message is being given to those students who worked just as hard but got five passes. They may have achieved to the best of their ability, but that is not being recognised and indeed the message they may be getting is that they are a failure.

The greatest gift that you can give a young person is to enhance their self-esteem. If that is missing, then a young person’s future is very bleak, and society will suffer the consequences.

They are the young people who will end up on drugs, homeless and in and out of our prisons.

VALUE AND RESPECT Transition year students spend a week in our drop-in centre for homeless people, just talking and listening to homeless people and we bring them around some of our hostels. They are amazed at how nice the hostels are: bright, painted, pictures on the walls, most homeless people have their own room, in some of the hostels all rooms are en suite. The service you provide for homeless people sends a message to them: ‘This is how we value you, this is what we think you are worth.’ If you pack homeless people into a small room, with bunk beds, and the paint peeling off the wall, you are sending them a message.You could be giving a homeless person a bed for the night, but you are destroying their dignity and they would be better off sleeping on the street.

It is not just what we do, it’s how we do it. That applies to your work as well as mine. Most homeless people, and some of your children, feel rejected, unwanted and valueless. The greatest problem they have is not a health problem or a housing problem or a drug problem or even an education problem, but a problem of loss of dignity and respect. The most important thing I can do for them is to affirm their dignity and value by the way I treat them. Just listening to them and treating them with respect is so very important, and very much appreciated by them.

Some of the children you work with too may struggle to believe in themselves. Living in communities which are fragmented, or even non-existent, they may not experience much PAG E 1 8

sense of belonging. Parents who are stressed out may not be able to give them the care they need.

They may have fears for the future, they may feel insecure. They may need constant reassurance and may not be able to get it anywhere else, except from you. Every now and again, the suicides of young children from cyber-bullying highlights for all of us how isolated young people, even very ordinary young people, can feel in times of difficulty. Young people often doubt themselves, a doubt which can sometimes lead to tragic consequences for themselves or others.

The most important thing I can do for them is to affirm their dignity and value by the way I treat them It is interesting that when people who were living with us leave, and return a year or two later just to say hello, the first thing they ask is: ‘Is so-and-so still working here?’ The person they are asking about is not so much the great youth worker but the person whom they felt cared for them, valued them and who wasn’t judging them or condemning them. What they remember most, and value most, was a relationship in which they felt important and cared for, in which they were not being judged and condemned.

CHILDREN WITH PROBLEMS I think the most essential quality is to be nonjudgemental. The most difficult young people are the most damaged young people, and therefore the young people who need the most help. Unfortunately, they are often the young people who get the least help because nobody wants them. We cannot judge them because we do not know where they are coming from or what experiences they have had in earlier years.

So when I feel like throttling them, or walking away, I ask myself: ‘Where are they coming from?’

Today, young homeless people have much less inhibition about talking about sexual abuse but years ago nobody talked about it. The discovery, even if it takes a long time, is always revealing and sometimes harrowing. The 20-year old drug user who was, at 11 years of age, sent out

each night by his parents into prostitution and had to bring back a certain amount of money or face a beating. Of course he’s going to be angry, distrustful of adults, and he’s going to bring that with him into school. The 25-year old recidivist criminal who, from the age of 6, was frequently taken out of school to go shoplifting with his foster parents. Of course he will have little interest in learning, and may spend his time disrupting the class. The young child who used to hide from his violent mother in the dog’s kennel in the back garden. The child who used to sit in the kitchen each night watching both his parents injecting heroin.

What we call ‘problem children’ are better defined as ‘children with problems.’

We tend to define ‘problem children’ as children whose behaviour causes problems for us, as teachers or citizens. Our objective then becomes to change their behaviour, so that they are no longer a problem to us. Our criteria for success becomes the measure in which their behaviour changes. And the consequence may be that if their behaviour doesn’t change, in measureable ways as defined by us, then we may exclude them from services, judge that we have failed, give up on them and abandon our relationship with them.

Ciall Ceannaithe IPPN's online course for newly appointed and aspiring principals and experienced principals wishing to refresh their practice.

NEW! Design & Content for 2014

What we call ‘problem children’ are better defined as ‘children with problems.’

Dignity and self esteem Part of making young people feel special is giving them some sense of responsibility. Our dignity and self-esteem comes from the belief that we have something to give to someone else.

Most of us do that through our family, or our work, or community involvement, or a combination of some of those. Those more difficult young people we all work with never get the opportunity to give. In an educational setting, the emphasis is on giving them something, an education. I think our job is to provide the opportunity for young people to give, as well as to get. Even from a very early age, giving young people the sense that they are contributing to someone or something else, is essential for their self-esteem and their development.

We are teachers first and foremost by our example, much more than by our words.

We are all, you and I, in the same business of helping people to acknowledge their own inherent dignity, to appreciate their own value and to recognise the value of each person around them. We are teachers first and foremost by our example, much more than by our words.

Working with young homeless people has totally and radically changed me. It has challenged the values I had absorbed from family, social class and culture; it has revealed to me some, at least, of my prejudices; it has challenged my understanding of God and opened up the gospels to me in a new and exciting way. When I started to work with homeless people, I thought I was the one who had something to offer them; I have long since learnt that they have so much to offer me.

Ciall Ceannaithe – IPPN’s online Summer Course – has been developed to provide a greater understanding of the innovative solutions to challenges facing principals.

This course is a highly practical step-by-step course built on the collective wisdom and experience of seasoned principals.

Ciall Ceannaithe is designed to professionally support newly appointed principals through the first day, first week, first month and first year of your principalship. It is also a very suitable refresher course for experienced principals who wish to reflect on current practice.

Modules include: ● Accessing professional supports & key resources ● Getting started in your role ● What to do… what not to do! ● Scheduling priorities ● Good practice & timetabling for teaching principals

Course includes: ● 10 modules (20 hours of study) ● Fully interactive online lessons with audio/visual ● Discussion forum with expert moderators & facilitators ● Online reflective learning log ● Innovative technology-enhanced Learning

Registration: ● Course registration will be open in June with the course commencing in July ● Full details will be available on www.ippn.ie in the coming weeks ● Access to broadband is a necessity ● The DES have sanctioned 3 EPV days for participants who successfully complete the course

For further information contact Jackie O’Reilly at jackie.oreilly@ippn.ie PAG E 1 9

Teaching Principals – Leadership and Learning in Small Schools IPPN Summer Course for Teaching Principals After the success of our first 5-day summer course for Teaching Principals in 2013, IPPN will run an enhanced programme for this year’s course - ‘Teaching Principals – Leadership and Learning in Small Schools’.

Our Summer School for Teaching Principals will cater for the various cohorts in the Teaching Principal community, including dedicated content for Newly-Appointed Teaching Principals, Teaching Principals in 1 & 2 Teacher Schools and Teaching Principals of larger schools. This 5-day event will run from 7th to 11th July at the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone.

For all principals, the current demands of school leadership are challenging. For the teaching principal, those challenges are combined with the responsibilities attached to being a class teacher.

The booking fee for this event is set at €95 and places are limited. See www.ippn.ie for full event information or contact Jennifer McCarthy by email to jennifer.mccarthy@ippn.ie for further information.

The DES has sanctioned EPV approval for those who successfully complete the course.

New Horizons

By Seán Cottrell Tomás O’ Slatara is the essence of professionalism.

I can only imagine how difficult it was for him to decide to retire from a profession which has meant so much to him. No matter where or when you meet Tomás, he is upbeat and positive.

As a founding member of IPPN Tomás brought stoicism and clarity of purpose to our efforts. His attention to detail and forensic research skills were to the forefront when it came to drafting IPPN’s Constitution.Tomás was IPPN’s President from 2005 to 2007. During this time he coordinated a major research project that culminated in the report New Horizons for Smaller

Schools and Teaching Principals. Ironically, eight years later, the recommendations arising from this report, are now being discussed and considered by the Minister and senior officials in the DES. Tomás has many friends through IPPN and also through his great passion for music and Gaeilge.

Bhí clú agus cáil ar na seisiúin a d’eagraigh Tomás go minic i Citywest! Multi-talented,Tomás gives his time generously to Gaelic Games and to his local community in Grange near Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. But it is his contribution to education that makes him a giant-like figure, not just in his PAG E 2 0

community, nor in his county but nationally and internationally. Tomás demonstrated his natural leadership skills as President of IPPN, a role that he truly relished.

Comhghairdeachas, a Thomáis, go maire tú céad sa saol nua spéisiúl atá romhat amach.

Leading and Learning

By Robin Conrad Hansen, President-Elect, NAESPCo. Cork

Education leaders representing The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) from the United States recently visited Ireland to learn about the Irish education system and meet with leaders of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN).

As recognized professional associations for principals and school leaders, both NAESP and IPPN ambitiously advocate for and support the work of instructional leaders. The American elementary (primary) principals from NAESP visited with IPPN to exchange information and learn about IPPN’s visionary work.

We also visited local schools in Cork County, including Scoil Inse Ratha, Scoil Mhuire, Riverstown NS, Scoil Naisiunta an Chroi Naofa An Gleanntan, and Scoil Triest. My visit at Scoil Naisiunta an Chroi Naofa An Gleanntan with principal Damien Irwin was the highlight of my experience. Seeing the similarities and differences between our schools and education systems was enlightening—and the students were so polite and well-behaved. We were impressed with the schools and IPPN as an organization committed to supporting principal leadership. As Tammy Condren, a principal from Missouri, put it, ‘IPPN has its finger on the pulse of what is going on educationally in Ireland.’

Principals from the United States found that both our groups are working on organizational transformation to better support the profession. Both NAESP and IPPN are using global networking to generate partnerships as our schools welcome children from around the world. Both countries’ education systems are struggling to equip students with skills needed to excel in the digital age; fund schools with increased enrollments and declining infrastructure; meet physical building needs; and work with their respective boards (Boards of Management in Ireland and local school boards and districts in the U.S.).

Despite our countries’ different governance structures and our schools’ different student populations, both Irish and American principals face similar challenges in leading schools, given the many factors that influence student learning, such as poverty and high student mobility.

Both American and Irish principals share an intense focus on improving our instructional leadership to ensure that children receive a well-rounded, highquality educational experience that will prepare them socially, emotionally,

and cognitively to be productive global citizens.We all thrive on connecting, learning, and sharing ideas, as well as being student-centered educators devoted to meeting the needs of all students. ‘[This visit to] Ireland and IPPN offered me the opportunity to reflect on my practice within our organization (NAESP) and as a principal,’ said principal Raul Sanchez, Minority Representative on the NAESP Board of Directors.

The NAESP ambassadors also spent our time in Ireland working on a strategic plan for our organization. Our visits to Irish schools prompted discussions on how to best meet the educational needs of world-class learners, globalization and technology, and improving teacher and principal preparedness with equitable measures of performance. NAESP’s business trip was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of VINCI Learning with founder and CEO Dr. Dan Yang and representative Kamar Shah.

As a parting gift, IPPN leaders shared a plaque inscribed with the phrase, ‘Tacaíocht, Misneach, & Spreagadh.’ We were certainly motivated, inspired, and affirmed after this visit to Ireland, and we thank IPPN for your friendship and camaraderie.

Robyn Conrad Hansen, principal of Playa del Rey Elementary School in Gilbert, Arizona, is currently Zone 9 Director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. She was recently elected president-elect of NAESP.

NAESP Council members at the IPPN Support Office

Member Consultation Survey The IPPN members’ survey will remain open until the end of June. To date, over 800 principals and deputy principals have completed it. We encourage you to take the 10 minutes to complete it as it influences how IPPN plans and manages our work on your behalf. This survey asks your views on: I current challenges I your leadership role and preparation for the role I your interest in further leadership development I your career stage (recently appointed, approaching retirement, considering early retirement) I IPPN supports and services.

There are comment boxes to elaborate on your responses. You can access the survey via the homepage of ippn.ie.We greatly value your input and feedback.

PAG E 2 1

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.brannigan@ippn.ie.

with special educational needs, arising from a disability Board of Management ● BoM Annual Report Template

The following are the new resources available SUPPORTS Leadership+ in the different sections of the website: ● Leadership+ Issue 80 - May 2014 RESOURCES ADVOCACY School Policies Submissions ● Restrictive Practices Physical Interventions / Restraint - Good Practice ● Submission to Joint Committee for Education & Social Protection on Guidelines Priority Issues for Leadership in Schools ● Positive Handling Plan ● Incident & Minor Accident Report Press Releases Template ● 9th April 2014 - School Principals to be ● Management of Infectious Disease in Identified Earlier,Trained Better and Schools Supported by Clearer Roles for Deputy ● Garda Vetting Policy (Revised May 2014) and Assistant Principals ● 2nd April 2014 - Joint statement from DES Circulars Irish Primary Principals’ Network & 2014 National Parents’ Council – Primary Re. ● 0030/2014 - The Special Needs Assistant ‘Friends of School Committees’ (SNA) scheme to support teachers in meeting the care needs of some children

Submissions ● Submission to DES - Administration Burden in Irish Primary Schools (2014) EVENTS Deputy Principals’ Conference 2014 ● Keynote Speeches ■ Brendan McCabe ■ Fr Peter McVerry, founder of the Peter McVerry Trust ● Seminar Presentations ■ Be(com)ing a Digital School Robbie O'Leary ■ Dealing Effectively with Bullying Seán Fallon ■ Mindfulness and Wellbeing for Teachers - Ann Caulfield & Derval Dunford ■ Priorities For School Leaders - Tom McGann & Páiric Clerkin ■ Self Assessment Folders for Children Joan Keating & Siobhan Cahillane McGovern ● Education Expo ■ Company listing

Same person - new scripts

By Seán Cottrell Retirement is when you return from work one day and say, “Hi, Honey, I’m home – forever.”

It is highly unlikely that Larry Fleming will say anything like this when he retires from Ballinamere NS in Offaly this Summer. There are few people with as wide a range of interests as Larry. I first got to know Larry when he led a contingent of Offaly Principals into Kildare Education Centre on March 20th 1999 for the launch of IPPN. Larry exudes all that is best about primary education and children’s learning.

Similarly, his school at Ballinamere exudes happiness and contentment thanks to his leadership.

infectious sense of humour. Some call it wicked, I would term it ruthless! He gets more fun out of catching a colleague on April Fool’s day than any other adult I know and his practical jokes are legendary around Tullamore, Ballycumber and the IPPN Support Office.

Larry’s passion for drama involves writing original scripts which satirise everyone from Ballycumber to Bangkok. He has the most

Larry served as President of IPPN from September 2007 to August 2009, during which time he was a superb leader of IPPN, which was

Larry is the classic ‘go to’ person. If you need a contact for anyone, about anything, if you need to wisdom or clarity, Larry is always generous with his knowledge, experience and his time.

His knowledge of the education system, and in particular his commitment to mainstreaming autism units, was well ahead of his time.

PAG E 2 2

still finding its feet in what was a sometimes volatile landscape.We thank Larry for everything he has done, and will do, for principals, for IPPN and ultimately for children’s learning. He is not a man for sentiment but we will continue in the future to harness his vast range of skills and experience for the benefit of all school leaders.

And Finally…

‘

QUOTATIONS

se 'easy as Anyone who uses the phra has never taking candy from a baby' by. tried taking candy from a ba Unknown

FUNNIES Teacher: What is the opposite of misery?

Pupil: Happiness, Sir. Teacher: Good. And what is the opposite of sadness?

Pupil: Gladness.

Teacher: Excellent. And what is the opposite of woe?

Pupil: Gee up.

’

Teacher: If there are seven flies a desk and I hit one with a ruler, how many are left?

Pupil: Just the squashed one!

Teacher: In what part of the world are the people most ignorant?

Pupil: Hong Kong

Teacher: Name two pronouns?

Pupil: Who ? Me?

Teacher: Why do you say that?

Pupil: That's where the atlas says the population is most dense!

Teacher: Fred, I'm glad to see your writing has improved.

Pupil: Thank you Teacher: Now I can see how bad your spelling is though!

Teacher: Didn't you hear me call you?

Pupil: But you said not to answer you back!

‘

Realize that not all movement is progress. When stress and tension a and chaos sur round you, pause for moment and relax. The best time to take a deep breath is when you don't have time for it.

In 50 years, a lot has changed in school…

1964

QUOTATIONS

2014

Melchor Lim

On your behalf Since the last issue of Leadership+, IPPN has continued its advocacy and representative role on behalf of principals, through meetings, events and submissions in relation to the following: MAY ● National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) visit to IPPN Support Office ● Cork Special Schools Group Meeting at Support Office

’

● Deputy Principals Conference, Carlton Shearwater, Ballinasloe, Galway

● Teacher Education Section - DES and IPPN working group meeting

● Purpose Statement Consultation - Child and Family Agency

● IPPN Pre-retirement seminars in Cork and Dublin

● Meeting with Joint Managerial Body (JMB)

JUNE ● National Committee meeting

● Educational Research Centre, DEIS Research Seminar - Learning from DEIS Evaluation ● Briefing session in relation to the Children First Bill 2014 PAG E 2 3

● Executive Committee meeting.

Win an iPad We have three new iPad’s to be won To be in with a chance to win, simply buy or renew your Pupil Personal Accident Policy online before the 31st October 2014 Terms and conditions apply

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