Leadership+ Issue 03 November 2000

I. .P.N. National Director: The Interim National Executive Committee of I.P.P.N. is delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Sean Cottrell as National Director of I.P.P.N. Sean's appointment was sanctioned at a National Committee meeting in Portlaoise on July 3rd, 2000 following a public open competition held during the months of May and June 2000.

This is a very important milestone in the development of I.P.P.N. and for Primary Principals throughout Ireland "In granting I.P.P.N. sanction to second a Director to enable us to develop this National Network we ocknowledge that the Minister for Education and Science, has taken the first step in the process of co­ ordinating Professional Development nationally for Principals" (Quote from the speech of Jim Hayes, President I.P.P.N. at the official launch of I.P.P.N. in Dublin Castle on February 10th 2,000).

The funding and support given to I.P.P.N. by the Department of Education and Science through the In-Career

Development Unit is greatly appreciated.

Sean officially started as National Director on October 1st and in conjunction with the National Committee

is setting about taking the next steps to fulfiling the primary aim of I.P.P.N.

"To promote the initial and continuing professional and personal development of Primary Principals so that

we will, with the support of all the partners in Education provide the best possible education for our primary

school children." (I.P.P.N. Interim Constitution).

Is dushlan mhor do Sheain don Choiste Naisiunta agus do Phriornhoidi Bunscoile ar fud no tire. Guimid

gach roth ar an obair chreidiunach.

e

Profile - Sean CoHrell

alional D·rector I.P.P.N.

Sean lives in Cork with his wife Brid and children Raisin and Deirdre.

He

is a

graduate or.

• He is also DES part-time Facilitator of School Development

• SI. Patricks College of Education, Drumcondra which he attended between 1979 and 1982.

Planning.

He has worked with the INTO as an in-service facilitator in the

Sean has

areas of:

0

diploma:

• Remedial Education - Department of Education/Cape Foundation 1987 • Development Education - U.c.c. 1993

• Life skills for Teaching and Learning and Classroom Management.

• He also worked for the National Centre for Techndogy in Education NCTE as a facilitator of resources for PrincipalTeachers

He taught for: • 10 years (1982-1992) as a classroom teacher at SI. Joseph's BNS

• Sean was also a member of the INTO's ICT Advisory Committee.

Cobh, Co. Cork.

• 3 years (1992 -1995) as Teaching Principal at Churchtown South N.S., Cloyne, Co. Cork.

• 2 years (1995-1997) as Teaching Principal at Little Island N.S., Little Island Co. Cork.

• 3 years (1997-2000) as Administrative Principal at Glounthaune N.S., Glounthaune, Co. Cork.

Sean has been actively involved in: • Principal Support Groups and networks at local, regional and national level.

in Scoilnel.

• Sean has been involved as a part-time facilitator with the Stay Safe Programme since 1994.

Sean has a particular interest in Overseas Development work: • This year he has been invited by "Save the Children Fund UK (SCF) to act as a consultant on the design and delivery of an in-service training module for Principal Teachers in Tajikistan, Central Asia • In 1994 he was recruited by the Department of Foreign Affairs to be a member of their 12 person Irish Observer Mission to South Africa's first all-race elections.

• Founding member of bath the Cork Primary Principals' Network (CPPN-1995) and the Irish Primary Principals' Network (I.PP.N­ 1999)

• Sean worked with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) from 1990­ 92 in Bhutan, South East Asia as an in-school trainer and mentor

• Member of organising committee Conference, Cork - 1996 and 1997

• He also worked with U NHCR for one year (1985-1986) as Teacher of Mathematics and English to Ethiopian Refugees in the

of National

Principals'

• Chaired home groups workshop at National Conference Cork 1994 and Malahide 1999.

Principals'

• Co. presented an orol submission to the Des Inspectorate on Whole School Evaluation on behalf of C.PP.N • Member of C.P.P.N. sub-committee on primary to post-primary transition.

• Sean has served as Membership Secretory and joint PRO for C.P.P.N.

to Teachers and Head Teachers.

Republic af Djibouti, East Africa.

S en', comrnifmen! ond ex,oerten('" III he area of Professional uevel Jpmenf bolli '.'1 Ireluncl Gnd Il1ff'i"OlfO"(J/I~' w"l e of g'<,ol bent'!11 to I r P1\1 ry, Ire begi!' ills IJr'W ,r;/f c}., No/iollol Dlfee!er With 1111'7 SIJPfJol c! If, I" Interim Nollor,ol Commlt/e,_, Jll1~1Cl'Y PrlnClpols ihrolJgllou! llie ccuflI,y ond all our f'Orln r\ II! EducQI/on, he w,li succeed We Wish him

WE

II

Director's Message A Chomh Phriomhoidi, Cuirim Failte's fiche rom hat chuig an triG nuacht lilir 6 Lionra Phriomhoidi Bunscoile Eireann. Following my appointment as National Director of IPPN, I ~ave received numerous messages of goodwill and support from colleagues allover Ireland and for these, I wish to express my sincere appreciation.

I feel extremely privileged, honoured and indeed humbled to be given the responsibility which accompanies the position of Director. In the history of Irish Primary Education, this is the first full time position, which is dedicated to the professional development of Principal Teachers. 'It is a milestone in the evolution of our profession and hopefully will be the beginning of a chapter, which raises the professional status of Principal, through a culture of networking, support and solidarity.

What i. the rol. of the Director?

In the coming year, a number of key tasks will be addressed: • Facili~ating reques~s ~o establish Local; Principals' Support Groups in each county.

• Resourcing existing Support Groups through the establishment of county Regional Networks, e.g. IPPN-Monaghan: IPPN­ Limerick e~c.

• Representing Principal Teachers at national level on various par~nership/policy-making committees.

• Co-ordinating the organisation of the 1st Irish Primary Principals Network National Conference, Galway, February 2001.

• Establishing an administrative office and support structure for ~he IPPN Na~ional Committee.

• Developing a web-site as a specific resource to assist Principals.

How to contact me?

I would be delighted to hear from Principal Teachers nationwide in

relation to any of ~he above tasks. Suggestions, questions,

comments or requests to IPPN will be most welcome at the

following points of contact:

Tel: Fax: E-mail: Address:

189021 2223

021 4510147

sea ncottrell@scoil-glean 1'1 ta n. ie.

Sean Cottrell, Director, IPPN, Johnstown,

Glounthaune, Co. Cork.

Taim ag tnuth bualadh Ie Priomhoidi timpeall na tire { rith na bliana.

IPPH REGIONAL INFORMATION MEETINGS

The Following is the proposed timetable For meetings: Tuesday 7th November... ...Cavan . ...Hotel Kilmare .7.30pm Wednesday 8th November Galway Ardilaun Halel .7.30pm Monday 13th November Kerry Brandon Tralee.. ..

7.30pm Tuesday 14th November Cahir .

Cahir House... . .7.30pm Wednesday 15th November Enniscorthy Riverside Park Hotel 8.00pm Tuesday 21 st November Blackrock. .. Educational Centre .7.30pm Thursday 23rd November. ..Ennis Educational Centre .7.30pm Tuesday 28th November. .

Casllebar Mayo Ed. Cenlre 7.00pm Wednesday 29th November 5Iigo Town 5Ii90 Ed. Centre. .. .. .7.30pm Tuesday 5th December Dungorvan Park Hotel. .. ......... .7.30pm

All meetings are confirmed.

Our new National Director will attend and address as many

meetings as possible.

Meetings will be organised for other counties was soon as is

practicable.

We encourage all Principals to attend and inform themselves of the aims and benefits of membership of IPPN. We also need to hear your views. Your attendance will be a vote of confidence in progress made so far. Dean do dhicheall teacht agus cuidiu linn.

'PPN Conference 2001 The 7th annual Principals Conference will take place from the 15th to the 17th of February 2001, in the Corrib Southern Hotel, Galway. This years conference theme is Tacaiocht, Misneach agus Spreagadh; The Health and Safety of the Pr,incipal Teacher. Whiils~ this is the 7th conference organised by Principal Networks, it is the first to be held officially under the auspices of the Irish Primary Principals Network. Application forms will be mailed to each Principal in December. Early application is advisable as delegate numbers are limited to 360. It is planned to have a short opening cermony on Thursday night February 15th. Substitute cover willi be granted by the DES for Friday only.

Principals Support Groups

Wexford Principals' Support Group: Meets on the first Tuesday of each month in Whitford House Hotel, Wexford at 4pm. There are 14 Principals in this group.

Most of the PrinCipals are in schools ,in the Wexford area.

The role of facilitator/organiser is rotated. Topics discussed were: Revised Curriculum, School Planning, School and ~he Law, School Policies on certain matters, Report on the role of the Principal and the Irish Primary Principals' Network.

Mr. Pat Kavanagh, Our Lady of Fatima N.S., Barntown.

Enniscorthy 1 Principals' Support Group: Le dea ghuithe, Sean Cottrell

Director

The Enniscorthy Principals' Networking group has been meeting on a monthly bas'is for almost three years. The group provides an opportunity for Principals to meet outside of school and exchange educa~ionailly related information, share resources and prov,ide encouragement. In some ways it provides a safety net giving Principals involved peace of mind in knowing that one of the many circulars or surveys from the Department of Education and Science has not crept past them unnoticed I Once or twice during the year the group invites a speaker to talk on a ~opic of relevance e.g. recently a speaker outlined her school's experience of Whole School Evaluation. We invite all the Principals' Networking groups in the county to attend these talks.

Ms. Paula Carolan, Scoil REdta na Mara, Kilmore.

Waterford Primary Principals' Support Group: This group owes its existence to the vision

of Grainne

O'Neachtain

the first permanent director of Waterford Teachers' Centre way back in

1990. Following this, subsequent directors,

Niamh

Crowley and presently Harry Knox, ably assisted by the secretary Breda Hailley, continued to provide a very valuable support service to the Primary Principals

of

this catchment area. We meet

once a month. My function is to inform the Teacher's Centre of our next meeting. A circular is then issued to all Primary School Principals. Our Group has a core membership of eight, depending on current issues/topics. We decide on a topic for discussion

beforehand, upon which one of the group will then make a presentation. This is followed by an open forum. When this is finished the discussion is open to anyone who wishes to raise an issue that is currently concerning him or her. We then try to assist our colleague by sharing our own experiences. Topics that have

IPPN Research and Development Sub-committee at work.

From Left: Eileen Flynn, Dublin, Pat Maher, Tipperary, Damien

White, Tipperary, Damien White, Offaly, Susan Doody, Dublin.

been covered:

• How fo deal with conflict - Workshop organised with Personnel Deparrment of Bausch & Lomb.

Galway Principals' Support Group:

• Discipline.

Almost four years ago, eleven Galway Principals from schools of

• Health and Safety.

different sizes and backgrounds invited Jim Hayes, now President

• R.S.E. - How to Formulate a School Policy

of I.P.P.N., to outline for us the concept and the advantages of

• School Plan - Mathematics.

forming a professional support group. Since then our monthly

• Role of the Principal - Guest Speaker Don Herron, Director of

meetings have become a focal point for all of us in our professional

Dublin West Teacher Centre.

lives. In a friendly, relaxed and often fun-filled atmosphere,

• 1.1 - How to formulate a policy

we share and tease out our problems concerns demands

• The Law and the School.

and difficulties. A great bond of friendship and openness has

• Post of Responsibilities.

grown between us as we seek to enrich, by our interaction, the

• Assaults in School.

professional

• Addressing Special Needs in Our School.

performance

and

development of

each

member. Outside speakers address us occasionally and our

• School Review with reference to W.S.E.

comfortable venue is arranged by Bernard Kirk of the Galway

• School Planning.

Teachers Centre. We socialise together for special occasions and

• Resources.

the annual conference has provided a further dimension for

• Educational Change.

support and development.

Virginia 0' Mahoney, Scoil Chaitriona Senior, Renmore, Galway.

it is important to note the following from "Simplicity" by Richard

A South County Dublin Principals' Support Group: At last year's excellent IPPN Conference in Malahide over Coffee (some of them Irish), the idea of forming a new Princi'pals' Suppor; Group was mooted. Many of those around the table had been involved previously in support groups which had been based on either a

geographic region

or on

school

status such

as

disadvantage. While these groups were of admirable benefit to the participants, it was felt that a group based on size of school and status might serve the needs of the coffee drinker better. Seven schools formed the core group, which met for the first time in March 1999. All schools have an administrative Principal and at least

16 classroom teachers, with learning support teachers;

resource teachers and some have resource teachers for travellers.

The group will be extended to 10 this term. While the meetings

are as informal as possible, an agenda is circulated in advance and a different member of the group acts as co-ordinator for each meeting. We meet about five times a year in al local hostelry. Each meeting begins with a working lunch at 2.00p.m. and finishes at 3.45p.m.

Some of the issues that have been on the agenda were intake policies, the Education Act, tackling the revised Curriculum, Relationships with parents and parents bodies, Special Duties posts and the role of the Deputy Principal. Being involved with fellow professionals at this level has been a most enjoyable and very worthwhile

experience

and

I highly recommend

colleagues. And by the way, I am drinking less coffee l Jimmy O'Dwyer, Bishop Gavlin, N.S. Templeogue.

it to

We try to offer professional and personal support but as a group

all

Rohr "lets face it, there is no support group, therapy,

theology, or mystic ceremony that is going to take all the pain away". We endeavour to facilitate the professional and personal growth of our colleagues. It is up to each individual to grasp the opportunity for themselves.

Garrett O'Hanlon, Kill NS, Co Waterford.

Monaghan Support Groups: The IPPN was formally launched in Monaghan last month with the visit of Mr. Sean Cottrell and Mr. Damien White to a forty strong group of Principals in the Four Seasons Hotell. A Principals Support Group had been operating effectively during the past year. This group has now cloned a second group in the southern half of the county. The northern group meet in the Four Seasons Hotel on the third Monday of each month while the southern group is based in the Glencarn Hotel, Castleblayney on the second Monday of the month. Already the extra administrative demands associated with schools employing

non-teaching staff are causing concern, while in the northern part of the county Principals are expressing reservations

about the effect of the pupils transfer system to second level on the indiv,idual child. All principals in Monaghan are most welcome to ,join these groups. Full details may be had from Carmel at the Education Centre. (047 82521) or by contacting Paddy

Flood at paddyflood@eircom,net.

Legal Update

"Celebrating DIHerence " in Clogheon N.S.

The following are short submissions by IPPN Legal Advisor David

Clogheen in Co. Tipperary was very much in the headlines in recent months in relation to the acceptance of asylum seekers into their community. We asked the local Principal Margaret Quirke to write about her experience of integrating five such children into her school.

Ruddy Barrister·at-Law and Principol of Talbot N.S. Bawnogue, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 . We hope to make this a regular item in our newsletters to keep principdls up to date.

JULY 2000 "A child's sense of happiness and security at school is, I believe a Education Welfare Act 2000 enacted

pre-requisite to learning. A sense of belonging is essential for self­

• The purpose of this Act is: • To ensure that every child in the state receives a certain minimum

esteem, confidence and one's ability to perform". How does one reconcile these beliefs with upheaval, fear of the unknown, misinformation, fear of change?

education.

• Establishment of a National Educational Welfare Board.

• The identification of causes of non-attendance and the adoption

This was the task facing the staff of St. Mary's N.S. with the arrival of five asylum see'kers of school going age, to Clogheen, Co.

of measures for its prevention

Tipperary in August.

(In the next edition of the IPPN Newsletter the implications of

The initial contact with our newest students was the international

this act for Principals will be discussed)

language of smiles and gestures. Information regarding names, dates of birth, country of origin and proficiency in English had to

Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998

This Act has two main aims:

be collected so that an application for grant aid of £5,000 could be submitted to the D.E.S. The number of years at school in their homelands wos important information for classroom organisation and management.

• "To provide protection from civil liability to persons who report child abuse reasonably and in good faith to designated officials

It was felt that if the children visited the school, and bought uniform,

of health boards or any member of the Gardai."

bag, tracksuit etc. that a sense of anticipation of a new start, and a feeling of being welcomed and wanted might in some way help

• The creation of a new offense of false reporting of child abuse.

them to settle into their new home. Contact was made with the

A person found guilty of this offense could be fined up to

Social Services to ensure that money and transport were provided

£ 15,000 and/or 3 years imprisonment.

for a successful shopping trip.

New Guidelines for reporting suspicions of child abuse in schools: "Children First" the National Policy on child abuse published in

The worries and fears of the local parents had to be assuaged through answering questions at public meetings, impromptu meetings on the street, and in an extreme case of misinformation, through an interview on local radio.

1999 will be followed up by revised Department of Education guidelines for schools shortly regarding the reporting of suspicions

The onerous task of choosing a teacher to teach English to children

of child abuse.

with few words was a huge concern. We needed a committed experienced teacher willing to work a few hours at a time when the

One major change in the new guidelines is expected to be the appointment of a "designated Liaison Officer" either a Teacher or Principal who will be responsible for referring allegations of child abuse to Health Boards. At present this

demand for teachers is huge. A tall order. I contacted a retired teacher who had previously given excellent ·service to the school and we decided on a job sharing initiative. Two retired teachers, in turn, work for 11/2 hours a day. They constantly liose with the class

responsibility falls on the Chairperson of a school's Board of

teachers. It has been decided to plan, assess and review, on a

Management.

monthly basis.

GCTGDIR 2000

"Celebrate difference" "provide a welcoming caring environment" "Encourage acceptance of diversity" "Provide a s~imulating

"Primary School Abuse Victims are not included in New

learning environment": -All snippets from our Plean Scoile now

Compensation Tribunal promised by the Department of Education" .

being put into practice. Smiling faces, children holding hands with their new friends and little voices announcing that "The press is

The new compensation tribunal is for children who suffered sexual,

prize, and also a tangible sense of achievement shows that beliefs

physical, emotional abuse or neglect while in institutional care.

and aspirations have indeed become a living reality in our school.

brown" "I can skip", with the pride of someone accepting a Nobel

Department of Education thinking is that children in residential institutions were removed from the normal protection of their families and put in care supervised by the state. Thus the State had a special duty of care to protect them while resident in such institutions. However, the Commission on child abuse which is hearing evidence of abuse and inquiring into it includes those abused in ordinary primary schools.

Forward planning and a philosophy of education shared, and worked on, by a dedicated staff ensures that change can be an experience lived through and enjoyed by all.

Opening Address at Malahlde Conference

Professional development for teachers will be required on a sustained basis. When you create the possibility for teachers and

liThe following are extracts from the opening address given by Ms. Susan Doody, Chairperson of the Eastern Region PPN Conference Organising Committee, at the Primary Principals Network Conference in Malahide last February. The Minister for Education and Science Dr. Michael Woods was present. Susan is Principal of the Presentation Primary School, Terenure, Dublin, and is a very active member of the Interim National Committee of I.P.P.N. The theme of the conference was "Learning to lead, Leading the learning."

school communities to have confidence in themselves, and foster their self-esteem, their potential flourishes."

"It is not an overstatement to say that as Principals we have been, are now and will be in the future, the key agents in the change process. Together with our staffs we are the ultimate reformers. The implementation of change also places leadership and learning uppermost in our consciousness and affords us a unique opportunity to question and to challenge everyday practices in a constructive collaborative and informed way."

"Good morning fellow Principals. It is my very great pleasure to extend a heartfelt warm welcome to all 400 of you present here in

"The attendance here today of 400 Primary Principals gives

Malahide this morning. It is indeed an historic occasion that finds

testimony to the total commitment of Principals to the restructuring

Primary Principals gathered together in Mala!lide at the start of the

of Primary education and to leading change in curriculum

21 st century and the mere infancy of the third millennium."

innovation in this new millennium. determinotion to be the best.

Minister we have the

We have the potience and the

"Yes historic, because of the events which took place post

breadth of vision, the leadership skills, the ability to take the long

conference last year. At your request we redefined our mission

term view, the humility, the openness and the compassion to lead

from that of being conference organisers, to taking on board the wider remit of building and expanding the network, from its largely regional base into a national network. in one brief year

the learning and to learn while leading."

Special Maeda Sominar

the vision, commitment and hard work of the steering committee has been achieved".

On October 16th last a one day seminar was organised by IPPN Cork on the management of children with special education needs

"It was with a particular sense of the moment and taking great

in mainstream Primary Schools.

pride in our achievements to date that I attended the launch of IP.P.N in Dublin Castle on February 11 th, where the Minister for

Two hundred and nine Principals attended Silver Springs Hotel

Education & Science, Doctor Michael Woods, not only graciously

Conference Centre to hear presentations on the Theme form Mr.

accepted our invitation to launch the network but also outlined the

Peadar McCann, Roinn Cigire, DES, Mr. Paud McGee, Director,

financial and human resources which would be made available to

Special Education St Patricks, College, Drumcondra, Mr. Michael

sus~ain it. I wish the network great success in all its endeavours. It

Sheehan, Assistant Dli recto r, National Education Psychological

is my desire to see the I.P.P.N. become a structure that is a refuge

Service, and Mrs. Brrd Ni Dhomhnaill, parent of two children with

of collegial and professional support, a sheltering sky that protects

Special Needs.

from corrosive and toxic self doubt, a safe haven for the open and vulnerable mind where we empower others by being person

In addition to the four excellent presentations, a plenary session

centred not role centred; value led not value driven; askers not

allowed for a lively question and answer session involving the four

tellers; pullers not pushers; and learners not knowers."

presenters.

The main areas of concern to Principals attending were: liThe genesis for all that has taken place over the last six years resided in the vision of the Cork Principals, whose work organising conferences and providing professional development for Principals was animated by ideals of solidarity and collegial support. We can all feel very proud of their achievements."

"The Interim National committee was made up of at least 30

Principals who at the close of last year's conference expressed their desire and interest in being actively involved in setting up a national organisation. To all the unaffiliated individuals who by a superhuman effort and at great personal sacrifice travelled up and down the length and breadth

of the country to

attend meetings

after a hard day in school, whether in the office or classroom or indeed in both, I would like to quote a very brief extract from one of Theodore Roosevelt's speeches where he expresses the view that there is no change without effort. liThe law of worthy life is

fundamentally the law of strife. It is only through labour and painful effort, by grim energy and absolute courage, that we move on to better things."

Susan then goes on to discuss the theme of the Conference "Learning to lead, leading the learning" in relation to the many challenges posed by current educational changes and reforms.

"We look to our partners to give effect to these desirable changes.

• Resource teachers being sanctioned to schools with inadequate grant aid and no appropriate training for Resource Teachers.

• A chronic shortage of experienced or indeed qualified teachers to fill the Resource Teacher vacancies.

• Continued ambiguity on the complimentary/separate roles

of

Resource Teacher and Learning Support (Remedial) Teachers.

• The danger of further fragmentation of services to smaller schools where both Resource and Learning SLJpport Teachers are appointed to school clusters. This can often led to time wastage, resource inefficiency and accommodation problems.

• No time allocated to Teaching Principals for the consultative process required to address the complexities of integrated Special Education.

• The lack of an implementable plan to address the various issues in sufficient detail.

• The perception that the" problem" has 'been" passed on" from the courts and the DES to the Principal Teacher.

• The need to 'Iink mainstream and special schools.

• The lack

of

trained Ancillary Personal in mainstream schools.

• The high level of expertise needed in developing, monitoring and educating those with special needs and in providing appropriate IEP' s.

T.V. License Payment

LeHers/E-malis to editor

• This is a matter for the Board of Management and any concerns

We would welcome letters or e-mails from Principals and/or

on the matter should be voiced and acted on through your

Support Groups in response to our newsletter and to the

Board of Management.

development of IPPN in general.

• IPPN supports the seeking of an amendment to broadcasting legislation to exempt school's from liability far paying television license fees.

Some of these may be used in future newsletters and will help greatly to ensure the newsletter is of interest and relevance to Primary Principals.

• Televisions are used primarily for educational purposes in

Correspondence should be sen' to:

schools and this fact is surely worthy of special consideration. In

6

many cases schools use them solely as an accessory to show

Tomas

educational videos.

S.N. na Grains!,

Slatara, (IPPN)

C1uain Meola, • There is an interesting precedent in operation at present in that

Co. Thiobraid Arann.

schools designated as disadvantaged are allowed to claim back the cost of the TV License fee from the DES.

Could this

e-mail: garma.ias@eircom.net.

generous gesture be extended to all schools?

Membership Release time 'or Teaching Principals Circular 13/2000 This is a welcome initiative to help the Teaching Principal cope with the difficulty of fulfiling his/her roles and responsibilities as both teacher and administrator. It is not an easy task as many guilt ridden and frustrated Teaching Principals can verify.

Principals wishing to join I.PP.N should contact our Membership Secretary: Una Mc Namara, St. Vincent de Paul GN.S., Griffth Ave, Dublin 9.

Ph No Ph No

01 8334697 School 01 8367841 Home

If we wish to further the aims of IPPN we must have a strong and active members hip throughout the country. Seol an fhorim iarratais

IPP.N. hopes that this challenge experienced by

79% of Primary

chuig Una agus bi mar bhall de L10ma Phriomhoidi Bunscoile Eireann (LPB.E)

Principals daily will continue to be recognised, allowed for and solved by the Department of Education and Science, INTO. and the other partners in education.

REMINDER: The membership fee for IPPN is an allowable expense for Boards of Managements (See DES letter to CP.SM.A as printed in our 2nd Newsletter).

I.P.P.N. advises Principals:

An Information booklet will be posted out to members during

1. To avail fully of this opportunity for administration days in a professional and confident manner.

Limerick Regional Meeting - 19.10'00

2 To seek permission from the Board of Management for the administration days at the earliest opportunity. The attention of the Board should be drawn to the many duties of the Principal Teacher as out lined in the Board handbook, Circular

November. Apologies for the delay

of

Management members'

16/73, Education Act, and the advantage

of

such administration days for fulfiling these duties. The Principal should state to the Board "I am performing duties consistent with Circular 16/73 and the Education Act". The

A very successful IPPN launch meeting was held in Limerick recently. Over

30 Principals attended a meeting at which new

National Director Sean Cottrell outlined the way IPPN can facilitate Principals helping themselves Four new support groups were formed on the night. Everybody left the meeting with the sense of support group membership being an enhancement Limerick. Exciting Times Ahead! II

Calm Cregan, Limerick

Board should also be made aware that substitute cover is available for these days

3. The Chairperson should be notified as a matter of courtesy, when the Principal has decided which days to take.

4. It would also be important to inform Parents' Council and parents in general that these days are officially sanctioned and allowed for by the Department. This can be done through the Parents' Representatives on the Board of Management and/or in one of the school newsletters to parents.

There are some relevant questions, which I. P P N is seeking to clarify with the Department of Education and CP.S.MA • Does the Principal have the option of working from home if there is not a suitable room available in the school2 • Can the Principal be compensated for the use of his/her own phone or computer and any other costs incurred?

of their

role as Principal. The meeting ended with the launch of IPPN-

L to R. Peter Long, Margaret O'Brien and Sean Cottrell Director IPPN