IPPN 2020 - Strategic Plan 2016-2020

IPPN 2020 Empowered Leaders; Inspired Learners

If a principal is to really lead learning in their school, there is a need to re-focus on priorities either by means of delegation or by de-prioritisation. from Priorities for Principal Teachers - In Clear Focus

MARIA DOYLE IPPN President

PAT GOFF IPPN Deputy CEO

DAVID RUDDY BL IPPN Deputy President

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Our Vision Empowered Leaders; Inspired Learners

Our Mission Message from our CEO We all like to know where we’re going, not just in our personal lives but also in our work. I believe that school leaders are hard core optimists. It is with this sense of optimism that we look to the future. Developing and sharing a vision of the future is critically important as it sets our overall direction. But vision alone is not sufficient. Our preferred future won’t materialise without a clear strategy and a plan of action. As a wise man once said: Vision without action is merely a dream.

Action without vision just passes the time.

Vision with action can change the world.

IPPN set about reviewing our vision and strategic goals for the next four years and developed a plan to deliver on those goals.

IPPN 2020 is the culmination of that work.

I would like to thank our Board of Directors, National Council, our Support Office staff and our many ‘critical friends’, who contributed to this Strategic Plan. I believe that the goals and objectives as set out here are highly ambitious but also grounded in reality and compatible with those of our fellow Education Partners.

We look forward to working with all stakeholders in achieving our collective goals.

Is mise le meas

Seán Cottrell

Our mission is to support and advocate for exemplary school leadership - Tacaíocht, Misneach & Spreagadh

Our Values Our values define us as an organisation:

Respect Trust Professionalism

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IPPN - the Organisation School leadership is both professionally challenging and personally rewarding. The Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) was established in 1999 to address school leaders’ professional needs.

PROFESSIONAL BODY IPPN is the professional body for the leaders of Irish primary schools. It is an independent, notfor-profit voluntary association with a local, regional and national presence.

Recognised by the Minister for Education as an official Education Partner, IPPN works with the Department of Education and Skills (DES), the National Parents’ Council, management bodies, unions, education agencies, academic institutions and children’s charities towards the advancement of primary education. IPPN articulates the collective knowledge and professional experience of over 6,400 Principals and Deputy Principals who lead Ireland’s 3,200+ primary schools.

STRUCTURE IPPN’s key focus from the beginning has been to support principals and deputy principals at local and county level and to represent their views nationally. Principals and Deputy Principals participate in local professional support groups.

IPPN facilitates 26 County Networks, which elect two members to form IPPN’s National Council.

The Council elects a President, and officers who form the Board of Directors.

In 2015, IPPN collaborated with the DES and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) to found and oversee the Centre for School Leadership, which is responsible for the development of CPD programmes for current and aspiring school leaders.

IPPN is a member of the International Confederation of Principals (ICP) and works closely with NAPD and the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC). These links play an important role in our research and pursuit of best international practice.

As a registered charity, IPPN complies with the requirements of the Charities Act 2009.

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Education Act 1998 There are several Acts of Legislation that drive compliance in our schools and how they are run.

Part V of The Education Act 1998 outlines the function and critical role of the school principal.

IPPN’s work is focused on ensuring that school leaders are fully supported and enabled to carry out these leadership and management functions effectively.

PART V The Principal and Teachers Functions of Principal and teachers.

22.— (1) The Principal of a recognised school and the teachers in a recognised school, under the direction of the Principal, shall have responsibility, in accordance with this Act, for the instruction provided to students in the school and shall contribute, generally, to the education and personal development of students in that school.

(2) Without prejudice to subsection (1), the Principal and teachers shall— (a) encourage and foster learning in students, (b) regularly evaluate students and periodically report the results of the evaluation to the students and their parents, (c) collectively promote co-operation between the school and the community which it serves, and (d) subject to the terms of any applicable collective agreement and their contract of employment, carry out those duties that— (i) in the case of teachers, are assigned to them by or at the direction of the Principal, and (ii) in the case of the Principal, are assigned to him or her by the board.

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Organisational Goals The following goals underpin all of the work of IPPN, now and in the future, to achieve our stated mission ‘to support and advocate for exemplary school leadership’ and, ultimately, to achieve our vision of ‘Empowered Leaders; Inspired Learners’: 1. To provide a continuum of personal and professional development 2. To offer professional guidance and networking opportunities 3. To be a trusted voice for children’s welfare and learning 4. To positively influence education policy 5. To provide leadership to all school leaders 6. To secure independent and sustainable funding to enable ongoing delivery of the supports & services required by school leaders.

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Four-Year Strategic Plan 2016-2020 In addition to the overarching organisational goals set out on page 6, the following four strategic objectives will help us achieve our vision and mission in the short to medium term.

OBJECTIVE 3: To ensure IPPN’s supports and services are enhanced to reflect the needs of today’s school leaders

OBJECTIVE 1: To strengthen our network by harnessing the capacity and capability of school leaders

Actions: 3.1 Undertake an inventory and evaluation of all S&S incl. Continuous Professional Development 3.2 Develop a clear understanding of the professional development needs of the various cohorts among school leaders 3.3 Examine current provision in relation to identified needs 3.4 Expand the continuum of Continuous Professional Development available to school leaders to reflect their specific needs 3.5 Develop a distributed model of leadership to harness the leadership capacity of all staff in schools 3.6 Develop a leadership pipeline to identify, support and appropriately prepare those with leadership capacity.

Actions: 1.1 Develop the capacity and involvement of our exemplar leader cohort 1.2 Develop our local networks to maximise the growth and strength of our network nationally 1.3 Strengthen the Network by ensuring the right people are at the table 1.4 Develop the leadership capacity of IPPN Support Office staff and members of the Board of Directors 1.5 Communicate the value of IPPN to our members.

OBJECTIVE 2: To maximise IPPN's impact and ensure that school leaders' experience is central to education policy by continuing to build collaborative relationships with key stakeholders Actions: 2.1 Define the 'impact' we want to achieve 2.2 Reflect school leaders' experience 2.3 Determine education policy goals that we want to influence 2.4 Strengthen the collaborative relationships with key stakeholders 2.5 Nurture and support the emotional wellbeing of teachers and learners 2.6 Empower school leaders to be visionary 2.7 Advocate for the positive aspects of school leadership 2.8 Encourage and support student-teacher leadership.

OBJECTIVE 4: To continue the ongoing work in achieving our primary organisational goals Actions: 4.1 Put appropriate Key Performance Indicators/measures in place so that we can determine the impact of our work & review annually 4.2 Provide practical supports to school leaders 4.3 Ensure financial independence 4.4 Maintain & develop our infrastructure 4.5 Advocate for exemplary school leadership 4.6 Planning and management.

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Reflecting the views of School Leaders Since IPPN was founded in 1999, we have heard and highlighted the concerns and views of thousands of school leaders – principals and deputy principals – in an effort to strengthen and improve the education system to benefit children. We are committed to continuing these efforts in the coming years.

The issues and concerns of school leaders are many and varied. They lead schools of all shapes, sizes and configurations, from tiny island and hospital schools, to large urban schools, and everything in between. We have consulted with school leaders through focus groups, surveys and polls as well as with specific cohorts such as school leaders of small schools, Special Schools and those with Autism Units, for example. Over the next four years, we will continue to refine how we engage with school leaders to ensure that our work is relevant, beneficial to school leaders and school communities, particularly to the children whose learning they lead.

We advocate for better supports and services in schools, aimed at improving the system for children. We work to develop school leaders’ professional and personal competencies to strengthen their skills and abilities as leaders of learning. For this reason, IPPN partnered with the DES and NAPD to set up the Centre for School Leadership in 2015 to support the professional development of current and aspiring school leaders.

We encourage and support those in decisionmaking roles to develop legislation, policy and procedures that promote best practices, provide for the wellbeing of teachers and learners, and to focus on a system that develops citizens for tomorrow. In doing so, we seek to ensure that change is managed more effectively, with the necessary supports to embed change in schools, and also to ensure that school leaders’ views and experiences are taken into account.

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Contact us We are keen to hear from school leaders and any other stakeholders who share our vision for primary education.

You can contact us through one of the media below GENERAL ENQUIRIES +353 21 4824070 info@ippn.ie www.ippn.ie @IPPN_Education IPPN National Support Office Glounthaune Co. Cork More information about IPPN and the supports and services we offer to school leaders is available on our website www.ippn.ie.

CHARITABLE STATUS IPPN is a registered charity with CHY number 17221.

The principal is the nerve centre of school improvement.

When principal leadership is strong even the most challenged schools thrive. When it is weak schools fail or badly underperform.

Not only are principals crucial for school-wide improvement, they are the key to system improvement.

The main mark of a principal at the end of their tenure is not just the impact on student achievement, but also how many good leaders they have nurtured. from Quality Leadership <=>Quality Learning