Leadership+ Issue 111 November 2019

ISSUE 111 / NOVEMBER 2019

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS

The Truth

and versions of it

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INSURANCE

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Damian White discusses the need to change to a slower, more sustainable rhythm

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Principal in Profile

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Louise Tobin tells us what it is like to run a Non-DEIS disadvantaged school

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We need to talk about Homework

Dr. Joan Kiely on the thorny topic of homework and what is the best approach to help aid learning

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David Ruddy discusses the recently published Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019

School Leadership in Ireland

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The President’s Pen

Legal Diary

Anna Mai Rooney provides a brief overview of the Fitzpatrick Associates evaluation report of the Centre for School Leadership

Leadership Support

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THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS

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+ Leadership

Angela Lynch discusses ways to calm your inner critic

Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co. Cork • 1890 21 22 23 • www.ippn.ie Editor: Geraldine D’Arcy Editorial Team: Geraldine D’Arcy, Páiric Clerkin and Damian White n Comments to: editor@ippn.ie n Advertising: Sinéad Coakley sinead.coakley@ippn.ie n ISSN: 1649-5888 n Design: Brosna Press n n

The opinions expressed in Leadership+ do not necessarily reflect the official policy or views of IPPN

Signposts ISSUE 111 / NOVEMBER 2019

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Circular 0052/2019 on Exemptions from the Study of Irish is Flawed

PROFESSOR PÁDRAIG Ó DUIBHIR DEPUTY DEAN, DCU INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION AND DIRECTOR OF SEALBHÚ, THE DCU RESEARCH CENTRE FOR THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF IRISH School principals will be aware that the Department of Education and Skills (DES) issued a new circular, 0052/2019, in September, with revised arrangements for the exemption of pupils from the study of Irish. Many will welcome the greater clarity which this circular brings, and the fact that psychological assessments and cognitive ability scores no longer form part of the criteria.

International research evidence reassures us that there is no such thing as a foreign or second language learning disability. Children with a range of special education needs can successfully learn a second language.

Circular 0052/2019 states that it “aims to support schools in addressing a wide diversity of needs” while “providing a differentiated learning experience for pupils in an inclusive school environment”. My interpretation of an inclusive approach to teaching Irish is that all children would have access to the curriculum in keeping with their individual ability. When a child has a specific reading difficulty such as dyslexia, for example, then s/he should be enabled to acquire the language mainly through listening and speaking.

International research evidence reassures us that there is no such thing as a foreign or second language learning disability. Children with a range of special education needs can successfully learn a second language.

The fact that 67% of students with an exemption from the study of Irish in 2017 successfully studied another language for their Junior Certificate is evidence of this. Further evidence is the fact that, while over 9% of children attending all-Irish primary 2

schools have special education needs, most commonly dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism spectrum disorder, the clear majority successfully learn all curriculum subjects through Irish.

will require Irish under proposed legislation), European Commission, Irish-language media and more will be denied to students who leave school without a basic competence in Irish.

In keeping with this inclusive approach to teaching Irish and other languages, exemptions from the study of Irish should only be granted in exceptional cases. Circular 0052/2019 attempts to reassure us that this will be the case under the new criteria. However, if we look closely at the criteria, it sets a standardised score on a discrete test in either Word Reading, Reading Comprehension or Spelling at or below the 10th percentile as the cut-off to qualify for an exemption. As percentile is a norm-referenced score, this means that 10% of all children will be identified at or below this score. A criterionreferenced score would be more suitable. In my view, exemptions in Irish for 10% of the school population can hardly be considered ‘exceptional’. In setting a cut-off point, the impression is created that there is scientific evidence to support the notion that these children cannot learn a second language. Nothing could be further from the truth. Learning Irish as a second language helps children learn another language at post-primary or third level. In setting the cut-off so high, children who are capable of learning Irish will be denied the opportunity.

DES has provided no guidance as to which tests (standardised for an Irish population) are to be utilised in this flawed process. Without adequate supports, principals will struggle to manage the applications.

The granting of an exemption based on a spelling test score at or below the 10th percentile is in my view extremely worrying and damaging to the integrity of our curriculum. I anticipate that the new criteria will lead parents to mistakenly believe that Irish cannot be taught to certain students. This will in turn lead to pressure from parents on principals to grant exemptions.

Principals will be tasked with advising parents and students of the consequences of not studying Irish. Career opportunities in primary teaching, an Garda Síochána, civil service (up to 20% of new entrants

Career opportunities in primary teaching, an Garda Síochána, civil service, European Commission, Irishlanguage media and more will be denied to students who leave school without a basic competence in Irish.

I have called on the Minister for Education and Skills to withdraw Circular 0053/2019 and to put a system in place that is in keeping with current research and the inclusive approach to education the DES espouses elsewhere.

If you’d like to contact Pádraig about this article, you can email him to padraig.oduibhir@dcu.ie.

November 2019

The Truth

EDITORIAL

and versions of it Alastair Campbell, a master of spin and choreographer of ‘Blairspeak’ is hardly the person you’d expect to highlight the beginning of the ‘post truth’ age.

However, as one of those seeking a second British referendum on Brexit, he speaks of the exasperation in dealing with leaders for whom convenient truths are used to fuel the narrative they wish to flog, while other facts to the case are conveniently ignored or upturned.

For Irish school leaders, the word ‘Brexit’ became a pseudonym for lack of movement on key priorities. Only one extra administrative day per year was deeply disappointing for teaching principals, while no move at all was made on the issue of restoration of posts.

While Mr. Campbell is taking the helicopter view of the collapse of the truth, he could look to the Irish education scene for some supportive evidence. Some recent announcements are more notable for their one-sided, hence imbalanced representation of the facts.

In an ideal world, school-friendly homes would support home-friendly schools.

While our world is far from ideal, this statement is true for the majority of Irish schools and homes. Generally, parents engaging with schools meet with courtesy and respect, while schools find great support, appreciation and empathy amongst parents and guardians. The recent ‘Student and Parent Charter’ however, reads coldly and legalistically, and is unreflective of the good relationships and practice in place across the country. The undisputed truth is that there is an interdependency between home and school to provide the best opportunities to learn and to grow for those central to the relationship - the children. The charter reads as a one-sided document, and has caused distress amongst teachers and others reading it. With rights come responsibilities. Perhaps a ‘School Communities Charter’ might have been more reflective of the rights of all parties. School staff have an obligation to engage with parents but also have the right not to be subjected to vexatious complaints and various forms of abuse.

PÁIRIC CLERKIN AND DAMIAN WHITE Dr Joyce Epstein of John Hopkin’s University believes that schools should not be just encouraging parental involvement, but working in equal partnership with parents, teachers and the wider school community to improve outcomes for children. Partnership Schools Ireland reflects her thinking and is a joint initiative by National Parents Council Primary (NPC), IPPN and the Department of Education and Skills. Better outcomes for children are the main objectives of a ‘Partnership School’, achieved by the whole school community planning and working together on agreed activities. There are currently 35 Irish schools fully trained.

A further 31 have expressed an interest in the training, with the hope that the number will grow substantially.

The reporting of difficulties recently experienced by children seeking places in the Dublin 15 area is an example of seeing one side of the story. Many schools with excellent programmes for the promotion of inclusivity felt upset and annoyed at the portrayal in the media of an issue not of the schools making. Enrolment applications for all pupils should be to their local school and full engagement with the process by parents will ensure that applications for necessary resources can be made in advance of the new school year.

In the Dublin 15 case, up to 90 children living in the area applied for placement through the NCSE, mostly without applying at all to their local school. If schools don’t have applications for enrolment, they cannot process them.

If they don’t have addresses, they won’t know if these children meet their enrolment criteria.

Half-the-story could also apply to the reporting of the reduced hours debate.

Every child is entitled to come to school for a recognised number of hours per day. However, an initial reduction of hours may be what is required for a particular child to adapt to new surroundings and help them settle in to school life. For medical reasons, a reduced day may be necessary, or attendance with specialist support.

Decisions on reduced days are only taken with the co-operation of parents and with the child’s needs as the central focus. If that’s not the case, school leaders certainly couldn’t justify it.

‘The pressures to get the story first, if wrong, are greater sometimes than the pressures to get the story right, if late.’

We’ll leave Alastair Campbell with the last word.

Bespoke Expertise We are pleased to announce the appointment of David Ruddy BL as an Associate and Training Consultant.

David will offer individual schools a bespoke training package, including staff training. A review of compliance policies can also be provided.

For more information about this package, please contact: David Ruddy BL 01 614 7763 druddy@mhc.ie

3 1229 MHC IIPN Advert 55mm x 134.5mm Nov 2019.indd 1 13/11/2019 12:14:52

DAVID RUDDY BL

EDUCATION (STUDENT AND PARENT CHARTER) BILL 2019 The Department of Education and Skills (DES) recently published the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019.

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How will this charter strengthen the rights of students and parents alike?

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Do we need our schools communicate differently?

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The Bill will undergo a wide consultation process as it charts its way through the Oireachtas. The grievance procedures, as currently provided for by S.28 of the Education act 1998 but not commenced, will be addressed. The need for this was noted by the judge in the recent High Court judgement of Dillion V Board of Management of Catholic University School 2019. The Bill, when enacted, will require boards of management to prepare, publish and implement a charter for students and parents. The Act will enable the Minister for Education and Skills to give directions to boards of management in relation to the charter. Consultation with the patron, principal, students, staff, parents, parents’ associations, and student councils will be required by the board.

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The Charter guidelines will encompass the following: 4

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Procedures for consulting with students and parents Information on school plans, activities and policies (other than the admission policy) Procedures for informing parents and students about the operation of the school Information on the structures and systems for the management of the school Information regarding voluntary contributions and expenditure of these monies by the school School closures and timetables Procedures relating to grievances by students and parents Anonymised data regarding the number of grievances concerning students and parents dealt with by the school.

The Minister may give directions to a board where the Minister is of the opinion that the board has failed or is failing in regard to the preparation and publication of a charter in accordance with the published guidelines. The Minister may give reasons for such opinion to the patron and the board, and the remedial action to be taken by the board. This will be published on the DES website. When the Minister is satisfied that the direction is compiled with by the board, such compliance

will be notified to the board and patron and published on the DES website.

The thrust of the legislation is to provide better outcomes for students, parents, and staff to enhance partnership. The legislation aims to ensure grievances are dealt with fairly, efficiently, effectively in an informal manner.

Student with knife in school fails in appeal against expulsion R.V. (a minor suing by his mother and ‘next friend’) - Applicant and Secretary General of the Department of Education & Skills (DES) & the Section 29 Committee Respondents (High Court) Noonan J. FACTS A second year student, who wielded a knife in school as part of a demonstration of support towards another pupil involved in a fight, and who claimed he would use it if another student produced one, has failed in his High Court challenge against his expulsion. This was subsequent to a Section 29 appeal, which was also

LEGAL DIARY

unsuccessful. The boy admitted his behaviour and expressed remorse for it. A key issue in the High Court appeal was the approach of a representative of the boy’s mother who accompanied her to the hearing and who spoke on her behalf. The representative described himself as a consulting engineer and a representative of an entity known as the Federation of Catholic Secondary Schools Parent Association. The evidence from the Appeals Committee was that such a hearing would typically last from 1 to 2 hours. However, the representative sought 3 days for the hearing. He engaged in very lengthy, voluminous and protracted correspondence. He submitted some 78 page of requests, demands and submissions. A schedule of 244 items was prepared.

In one email alone he submitted what was described as ‘preliminary Issues’ which comprised 44 items, with item 44 being broken down into 12 subcategories. In particular, he sought ‘background’ information concerning the members of the Appeals Committee. The DES informed him that one member of the committee was a school inspector and the other two were former school principals.

The case against the Appeals Committee was that the right to fair procedures was breached by the failure of the DES to furnish the representative with the requisite backgrounds of the committee members. He also alleged bias on the part of the chairperson on the basis of his perceived ‘outrageous, abusive

APPRECIATION

IPPN would like to thank David Ruddy sincerely for his voluntary work as Legal Advisor to IPPN and as an ‘ex-oficio’ member of the Board of Directors since its inception in 2000. His expertise and guidance have been invaluable to the Board and the National Council and we are very much indebted to him. David recently resigned from the Board.

DabbledooMusic IPPN Ad 2019.pdf

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and highly prejudicial behaviour’ towards him. He further argued that the chairperson had 55 years previously attended the school at the centre of the proceedings. The DES protocol is that any ‘personal connection’ with the parties should be disclosed. What ‘personal connection’ means is vague and undefined and whether being a past pupil in the distant past is a personal connection is impossible to determine. In this instance it would have to give rise to bias. This assertion was rejected by the Court.

If you’d like to contact David about this article, you can email him to druddy@ mhc.ie.

We also thank David for his continued support to school leaders in the Legal Diary. He has been writing the Diary since Issue 3 of Leadership+ back in November 2000, and it has consistently been one of the most popular elements of the publication. Since his retirement as principal of Talbot SNS, Bawnogue, Clondalkin, David has taken up a position with Mason Hayes Curran solicitors as an advisor and training consultant. We wish David all the very best in this new endeavour.

DABBLEDOOMUSIC The full primary school music curriculum

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Visit us at Stall B11 at the IPPN Education Expo 2020 5

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

DES Small Schools Symposium June 2019 IPPN Presentation/Submisson Part II

GERALDINE D’ARCY IPPN ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER In the last issue of Leadership+, we looked at the definition of small schools, potential solutions across all types of small school, as well as clustering models. In this issue we look at the challenges faced by specific types of small school. We will seek further opportunities to engage with the Department in relation to these issues during this school year.

KEY CHALLENGES BY SCHOOL TYPE Challenges

Potential Solutions

FOUNDING PRINCIPALSHIP – START-UP SCHOOLS Complexity of bureaucracy, significant work around admissions and policy development

Full-time administration support required - from the point of appointment of the principal

Lack of support, training and resources

Specific CPD / resource bundle to be developed

Duplication of effort – each principal has to start a school without a template - frustration, common pitfalls

Support Groups of founding principals; CPD

Usually inexperienced school leaders take on the role owing to leadership allowance

Incentivise experienced school leaders to lead start-up schools, similar to post-primary

Difficulty in forming a Board of Management Challenges of managing significant increase in enrolments

Enhanced supports by Patron bodies Admin status for principals of rapidly expanding schools

DEVELOPING SCHOOLS Significant increases in pupil numbers, resources lag by a year

Enhanced developing school status

ONE-TEACHER SCHOOLS Considerable concerns around child protection and the risks for the principal

DES has provided funding for a second adult to be present in one-teacher schools, a very welcome initiative.

No opportunities for collaboration/professional learning within the school day

DES/management bodies/Patrons to promote opportunities for clustering

Difficulty in attending high priority professional development events, case study meetings or to avail of leadership and management days. Substitute teacher is effectively responsible for the school in the principal’s absence

Need access to a substitute panel of teachers - with expertise in multi-grade teaching and willingness to be the person responsible in the school during the principal’s absence.

Social/ interpersonal implications for staff and pupils

Promote opportunities for clustering with local schools

No panel rights – no facility to step down from leadership role.

These principals need to be able to access the redeployment panel if they wish to step down from leadership.

Where enrolments are decreasing, morale issues and parental/community pressure to keep the school open

The focus needs to be on what’s best for the children rather than the parents, community or staff

Ideally, the DES would facilitate the setting up of teaching posts for clusters of schools for these purposes.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS Very complex physical and mental health issues

Nursing and other supports where needed; Funding for staff training

Extreme challenging behaviours

Guidance re. physical interventions; Increased funding for specialist staff training

Managing high number of non-teaching staff

All special school principals should be administrative.

Lower the threshold for administrative deputy principals

Infrastructure and maintenance issues

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Increased funding to address the additional equipment and maintenance needed in these schools

November 2019

Challenges

Potential Solutions

HOSPITAL SCHOOLS Managing primary and post primary curricula

Individualised teaching

Role isolation – few in the role

Support groups – funding

Pupil turnover SUSTAINABILITY OF THE ROLE OF TEACHING PRINCIPAL More than half of all primary schools are led by principals who teach full-time – it is not an anomaly Special schools a definite anomaly Poor resourcing – teaching principals have the least support, capitation and ancillary services grants inadequate to provide skilled administration as well as cleaning/caretaking

Appropriate supports need to be put in place to enable leaders to focus on their core role – to lead teaching and learning Initiate a review of the staffing structure and related allowances to address the in-built anomalies Full-time skilled administrative support should be available to all schools, either directly or in a cluster model. Larger schools need additional support.

Remote support has been piloted in small schools and it does work.

Formal CPD for school secretaries is essential to transform the role into that of a ‘school administrator’

Difficulties in leading learning

Provide a minimum of one day per week for all teaching principals specifically for leadership and management Clusters sharing a full-time substitute teacher would ensure availability Look at ways in which schools can help each other e.g. larger schools supporting smaller schools Look at introducing ‘Baker Days’ as are available in Northern Ireland, which provide 5 additional days in the school year to allow time for staff to meet and plan c.f. Towards a Better Future Chapters 10 and 11

Special classes particularly challenging to manage when the principal teaches full-time

Additional leadership and management days for each special class

Special classes – some types of class, e.g. hearing impairment, are not recognised

Recognise all special classes as such, they require significant additional management and leadership

Burnout, low morale, impact on personal health and wellbeing

Step-down facility must be available to principals, and access to the redeployment panel

Increasing accountability

Shared responsibility with Board of Management; Clarity around roles and responsibilities of Board members; Increased mandatory training for Boards

Increasing expectations

IPPN PIEW Model to manage priorities and system change

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN VERY SMALL SCHOOLS Complexity of multi-grade teaching

Specific CPD to be developed to support all principals and teachers with multi-grade classes

Role isolation

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Low staff turnover Lack of exposure to other teachers’ skills and experience

Create incentives and opportunities for collaboration and professional learning across schools e.g. through clustering models outlined below n Partner Principals, Professional Learning Communities and Leadership Clusters could help with these issues

Limited opportunities to upskill

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Challenges

Potential Solutions

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES Some Boards are not fit for purpose, too much is left to the principal

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Significant difficulty in forming Boards of Management across multiple small schools in a community

See clustering models outlined in Leadership+ Issue 110

Lack of clarity in relation to the roles of Board members and the principal

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Board members not undertaking training relevant to their important governance role

Mandatory training for Boards

Most work left to the principal – potential lack of oversight, but also role overload

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Clarity around roles and responsibilities of Board members so it is clear what is expected of every member of the Board n As stated above, increased mandatory training for Boards n Review of governance structures, relevant circular dates to 1973

Clarity around roles and responsibilities of Board members; Increased mandatory training for Boards

Shared responsibility with Board of Management; Clarity around roles and responsibilities of Board members; Increased mandatory training for Boards

PATRONAGE MODELS Inconsistent resourcing and support across models

National or regional supports to be available to all schools regardless of Patron – HR, Finance, IT, Legal and Building Projects See clustering models below.

Pressure to remain open as a focal point in a community / parental choice

Clarify the options and the processes around amalgamations, change of patronage etc.

Maintaining the ethos in denominational schools with the focus on pluralism

Provide support to schools who may be considering amalgamating with local school(s), including support in relation to a potential change of patronage and the relating implications

ISLAND SCHOOLS Physical isolation

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Substitute cover almost impossible

Introduce incentives for teachers to take up these positions e.g. travel and accommodation allowances, increased teaching allowances, and CPD in relation to multi-grade teaching

Pressure to remain open

Support as outlined above re. patronage model/maintaining ethos

Adequate broadband is a must Facilitate remote CPD

Please refer to the full submission on www.ippn.ie Advocacy/Submissions.

LINK

Mentoring Programme for

NEWLY-APPOINTED

PRINCIPALS JACKIE O’REILLY IPPN SUPPORTS & SERVICES

One-to-one and group mentoring is available to newly-appointed principals who take part in Misneach.

When a newly-appointed principal applies to participate in Misneach, their application form is automatically shared with CSL. On completion of Misneach 1, the newly-appointed principal is then contacted with the details of their one-to-one mentor.

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This is a formal mentoring relationship, which commences in September and continues until June of the following year. One-to-one mentoring consists of a two-hour meeting with a mentor once a month as well as a brief fortnightly contact.

On completion of one-to-one mentoring, IPPN will provide these principals with the opportunity to engage in group mentoring for their second year in the role. Group

mentoring meetings take place approximately four to five times a year and consist of groups of usually four to eight principals in their second year of leadership. These meeting are facilitated by specially-trained group mentors who themselves are experienced school leaders.

For further information on availing of a one-to-one or group mentoring, please email jackie.oreilly@ippn.ie 8

THE PRESIDENT’S PEN

Slowing the Rhythm DAMIAN WHITE IPPN PRESIDENT Dandruff-sharing Smokie fans from the late 80s/early 90s will recall waiting patiently while the hirsute trio performed their back-catalogue of schmaltzy hair-dryer rock ballads, knowing they must wait for the encore before ‘Living next door to Alice’ got an airing. It was all the stranger when those fans, many of whom are principals today, began chanting raucously that they didn’t know who Alice was! The poor, forlorn lad in the song could never have foreseen the day when he probably would have had her mobile number, and if Mrs Avery had a heart, she might have passed on her daughter’s PPS number, postcode, email address, Twitter handle or Instagram thingy, most of which would have allowed him the chance to tell her how he was feeling.

It was popular because the story resonated with so many shy lads and ladies and explained why they stuck around to the end of concerts during Smokie’s endless Irish tours and sent them home happy, if not sure still how to overcome their reluctance around matters of the heart.

I was reminded of Smokie’s old trick a week into our IPPN Autumn meeting season, when we visit each county for their local meeting. The PIEW model, which we explained at each gathering, was proving a hit. One principal said it was worth driving the 40 miles just to hear how it operated. It was carefully placed at the end of our presentation as a good and practical solution to initiative and work overload. Principals took photos of the slides and realised what the 4 big letters above boxes on their new IPPN wall calendar were for. The interesting conversations it generated meant we had a ‘hit’ on our hands. There was only one problem though - the audience were not happygo-lucky, time-rich late teens with nothing in mind other than a soggy bag of chips to round off the night. They were principals, with a limited window in otherwise frenetic days to grab the vital bits and race home to begin the second part of already overcrowded days.

Many simply had to leave before the end, citing child-minding issues, dinner to prepare for teenagers, training, Irish dancing, ballet or piano lesson runs and, in one case, a whispered ‘cows to milk’. After one week, I called the tour manager. ‘I’m changing the set-list‘, I hissed, with barely contained artistic temperament. ‘PIEW is coming forward to the beginning of the presentation.

Otherwise, people will not hear what we have to offer on dealing with the stresses of initiative overload.’

For the next two weeks, PIEW appeared early and was seen and discussed by everyone present. Other important issues were identified in local areas or across many counties, which will be addressed throughout the coming months. What I learned most was that, for principals, an hour is a long time, more than many can afford with the daily juggle of priorities between school and home. School leaders try and combine such meetings as ours with other school-related issues such as trips to the bank, SENO’s office, architect or school supplies shop. Our meeting also came at the beginning of a process which would see school leaders oversee the formation of new Boards of Management, a process that, for

many, involved enthusing and cajoling excellent and supportive volunteers to remain in place or to convince new people to take on a role with increasingly complex responsibilities.

Support in this area also had to be fitted into this hour, as well as information on Partner Principals and other methods of reducing the burden on leaders.

Before the end of each meeting, invariably someone had to leave politely, before racing off to the next priority.

For me, I DO know why they’re leaving, and where they’re ‘gonna’ go.

I know they’ve got their reasons, from living it I know.

Driving home from one county meeting, John Creedon on Radio 1 played ‘Alice’, for ‘those of a certain generation’. For those of us who left the dance floor ‘sweaty but happy, deaf from the sound of our own air-guitar’, we are approaching our own work swansong.

For the next generation of school leaders, the music needs to change to a slower and more sustainable rhythm.

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

School Leadership in Ireland and the Centre for School Leadership Research and Evaluation Report ANNA MAI ROONEY DIRECTOR PRIMARY, CSL

Fitzpatrick Associates completed an evaluation report of the Centre for School Leadership (CSL) in February 2018. This article provides a brief overview of the report.

School Leadership: International Best Practice According to the report, the main challenges in school leadership internationally include: ■■ The pace of change ■■ Overload of information and initiatives ■■ New and sometimes controversial legislation ■■ Safeguarding and protection ■■ Student and parental demands ■■ Legal compliance ■■ Administrative requirements ■■ People management ■■ Technology ■■ Greater autonomy and accountability ■■ An emphasis on outcomes and evaluation ■■ An aging population of school leaders ■■ Making the job attractive for the next generation.

The report looks at the many different contexts of school leadership. Although leadership tasks may vary according to context, the model of leadership used and the professional learning accessed are similar. The development of a common vision for the professional learning of school leaders at various stages of their career is emerging. A key concern is the balance between leadership development and leadership training for operational need. Attaining this balance requires an adequate picture of the needs of school leaders.

For newly-appointed leaders, this support internationally is generally mentoring, coaching and addressing isolation. For the more experienced and established leaders, the support is generally in the form of networking events, but there is also an emerging awareness of the importance of leaders choosing their own forms of professional learning, and sharing their experience and leadership with others as champions, fellows and system leaders.

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Professional Learning Internationally The report argues that the following are essential to leadership development: ■■ Peer support ■■ Professional excellence ■■ Access to professional learning ■■ A research rich environment ■■ A research literate workforce ■■ Evidence-led practice.

International educational systems have no shortage of formal courses for educational qualifications, in addition to informal courses and activities, accessible research, tool-kits and selfassessment tools. A consistent support is networking, which appears exclusive, due to the leadership profile within it, and acts as a strong incentive for others to join. An emerging theme is the use of sectors outside of education as a learning space for leadership skills.

A clear message from the research is that jurisdictions which have a national centre for leadership support focus attention on the topic of school leadership, and thereby, enhance the development of supports for leadership in the system.

Evaluation and Quality Assurance Internationally, both evaluation and quality assurance are seen as largely the remit of providers. The report argues that quality assurance is always best ‘baked in’ (Fitzpatrick Report, 2018, p.

19) to programme design and delivery.

Evaluations now focus on possible improvements, the impact on practice, and the reflection opportunities offered.

A picture is forming of professional learning being offered over a career, usually beginning pre-appointment and addressing the various learning needs of the leader as they become more established. Not surprisingly, the report claims that there is a clear focus on both distributed leadership and instructional leadership, with the importance of leading teaching and learning effectively coming to the fore.

The Professional Development Needs of School Leaders An online survey in 2017 asked principals and deputy principals what

they perceived as their main learning needs; 503 responded - 71% female and 29% male; 65% primary and 35% post-primary; representing all school contexts, patronages and sizes.

Just under 69% reported that they had attained further relevant qualifications in leadership, with 14 completing studies at doctoral level, 225 at Masters level and 219 at post-graduate diploma level, with a further 72 at post-graduate certificate level.

To assist in ascertaining their own perceptions of their professional learning needs, 52 distinct competencies, capabilities and skills were listed under the four domains of leadership and management adopted from LAOS (2016). Each domain was frequently identified by participants.

Irish school leaders identified professional learning in the following areas as critical (p. 36): 1. Conflict management resolution (358%) 2. Managing challenging behaviours (32%) 3. Distributing leadership roles and responsibilities (31%) 4. Curriculum development and planning (30%) 5. Leader personal development and wellbeing (30%) 6. Technology-enhanced learning (30%).

The results are not surprising considering the demands of the modern classroom and what is expected of school leaders. 24 respondents stated that ‘the workload involved is becoming increasingly difficult’ (p. 50).

A number of focus groups were also organised in 2017, bringing together primary and post-primary principals.

Salient points include the following: ■■ Expectations of those now entering the profession are vastly different from the past ■■ Conflict resolution is particularly challenging for newly-appointed principals ■■ Teacher training must include a focus on leadership to develop teacher leadership

November 2019

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Distributed leadership needs support and development School leaders could benefit from learning in contexts outside of education Informal learning from networks, clusters and peer learning needs more acknowledgement, in addition to blogs, helplines and online information CPD is best delivered in schools The assistance and support of retired colleagues is not sufficiently leveraged A better way to identify those aspiring to leadership is needed Leadership learning needs to be linked to the Teaching Council’s Cosán Framework (2016) Leaders need support to avoid being overwhelmed by everyday firefighting More leadership learning needs to be mandatory.

CSL Mentors 200 formally-trained CSL Mentors were asked to participate in a survey, to which 88 (44%) responded; 60% were female, 80% between the ages of 45 and 60.

■■ 98% wished to support newlyappointed principals ■■ 66% wished to enhance their own learning and experience ■■ 50% wished to network and meet new colleagues.

■■ Satisfaction levels across both primary and post-primary mentors were high, ranging from 73% to 90% at primary level expressing their levels at ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ (p.

61), and from 50% to 80% at postprimary level ■■ Finding time to be a mentor was less satisfactory across both sectors - only 25% rated their experience as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’, a further 26% rated it as either ‘poor’ or ‘fair’ (P. 61)

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90% regarded mentoring as a ‘critical’ support for newlyappointed school leaders (p.62)

Mentees 73 mentees responded to a survey in June 2017; 70% female, 30% male; 30% post-primary,70% primary;70% were aged between 35 and 54.

■■ 60% became principals to improve outcomes for young people ■■ 51% wanted to broaden their own experience ■■ 47% wanted to improve school performance and management ■■ 43% wished to progress their own careers ■■ Only 14% mentioned an increase in salary as a reason and 10% mentioned a change in location.

The Mentoring Experience Respondents expressed a high level of satisfaction with mentoring, with the percentage rating for ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ ranging from 67% for the duration of the mentoring relationship to 86% for trustworthiness. Like the mentors, 24% raised the issue of finding time for the mentoring relationship. (p.65).

Generally, the rate of satisfaction from the mentees in relation to the support from mentors was reported as 45%‘extremely valuable’, 23% ‘very valuable’ with 11% reporting it as ‘not very valuable’ (p.66).

Regarding the future of mentoring, 73% stated it was ‘critical’ (p.68).

Coaching of School Leaders 138 principals responded to the coaching survey, just over 50% of those attending coaching in November 2017; 70% female, 30% male; 80% primary, 20% post-primary. The following are the salient points: ■■ 80% were happy with initial contact with the coaching companies

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70% reported the first meeting or ‘chemistry check’ as being extremely helpful (p. 73) Interestingly, 50% of respondents reported a challenge in finding time to avail of coaching while the other 50% reported it to be ‘extremely easy’ or ‘quite easy’ (p.74) Most significantly, 60% of respondents found the coaching support to be extremely helpful to them 50% of respondents felt the noneducational background of the coaches was a positive 84% reported that the time and space to reflect was the key benefit to them 65% reported its usefulness in people management 80% claimed coaching was critical.

Recommendations The report concludes with ten main recommendations for CSL including: 1. CSL should remain and be further developed 2. Its long-term vision is as a centre of excellence for best practice in school leadership 3. The next phase of CSL will be entitled the Operational and Delivery Phase to fulfil its long-term mandate.

Fitzpatrick Associates will provide a second evaluation of the work of CSL in September 2020.

References School Leadership in Ireland and the Centre for School Leadership: Research and Evaluation Fitzpatrick Associates (2018).

LINK TO REPORT

Cosán - Framework for Teachers’ Learning, The Teaching Council (2016).

LINK TO REPORT

Newly-appointed Deputy Principals and Principals?

JACKIE O’REILLY IPPN SUPPORTS & SERVICES

Congratulations to the newlyappointed deputy principals and those deputies who have stepped up to the role of principal/acting principal this school year. Likewise, if you have made the decision to retire or step back from leadership in 2019/2020, we wish you every happiness and fulfilment in the future.

We are sure you would agree to the importance of any new deputy principal/principal availing of all the supports & services IPPN has to offer in their 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.

To assist, please let us know of any new appointments to deputy principal or principal. This would be of enormous help to us and I know would be very much appreciated by the new deputy/ principal.

Please email any information you can provide to Jackie at the IPPN Support Office to jackie.oreilly@ippn.ie.

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PRINCIPAL IN PROFILE

Non-DEIS Disadvantaged School

LOUISE TOBIN PRINCIPAL OF ST JOSEPH’S PRIMARY, TIPPERARY TOWN My school serves a disadvantage community with levels of disadvantage averaging -14 in Census 2011, rising to -18 in 2016, with many pockets in the town with disadvantage levels of up to -25.

Tipperary Town was designated as a RAPID town in 2005 – ‘Revitalising Areas through Planning, Investment and Development’. The DES programme to address educational disadvantage –Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS), wasn’t offered to primary schools in the town in the initial roll-out of DEIS in 2005, nor in the subsequent roll-out in 2017.

The Education Act 1998 defines educational disadvantage as ‘the impediments to education arising from social or economic disadvantage which prevent students from deriving appropriate benefit from education in schools’. It is demonstrated in many ways, most often in poor levels of participation and achievement in the formal education system.

It was over the ensuing few years of extreme hardship in the job that I began to question our ability as educators to deliver quality teaching and learning to pupils in our school who were described as disadvantaged in the Census reports but were not given the corresponding resources.

I wondered about the pupils with behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties and the many needy parents and why many couldn’t afford the book rental and voluntary contribution.

I saw the educational disadvantage in our pupils in many ways. Our Junior Infants lacked fundamental oral language skills, basic vocabulary and pre-reading skills. Their expressive language was under-developed, leading to frustrated and sometimes troublesome behaviour. Others presented as withdrawn and struggled at school. As a staff, we had huge

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issues to try and bridge the gaps in these skills and manage the behaviours arising from these deficits.

outdoor and indoor projects which have greatly enhanced our school and raised morale.

Many older pupils couldn’t see the value in their education - often due to a lack of working role models in their lives. Other families struggled financially and couldn’t pay for books, swimming, school tours etc. Many parents had poor experiences of education themselves, some weren’t literate. We also had pupils with lunches of little or no nutritional value and some coming to school without a breakfast.

Our pupils actively engaged in sports and music and have excelled in recent years. These activities all added to the positivity of life in St. Josephs.

Tipperary Town is an unemployment blackspot, with many of our working parents travelling long distances to work in Clonmel, Limerick and further afield. The unemployment rates in the town are alarming - 39% of males and 29% of females, while the national average is 4.4%.

As principal, how did I manage this?

How did we as a school staff deal with the daily challenges of teaching and learning without adequate resources to cater for the pupils if front of us?

Firstly, over the years we created a very positive, caring culture in our school, where everyone was valued and included. We worked hard at ensuring our pupils had a happy experience in school and formed good relationships. Once happy, secure and confident, they could engage in their education.

We accepted many volunteers into our school who greatly helped teachers to give extra time to pupils with additional needs. Nearly all of these volunteers have secured work in the educational sector.

I applied for every grant available and, due to the levels of disadvantage in the town, there were many grants on offer from local authorities. We got County Council grant aid for numerous

I continued to campaign for our school to be included in any future roll-out of DEIS. We secured meetings with Education Ministers and department officials and links were forged with local TD Deputy Michael Lowry. We featured strongly at local marches.

These efforts eventually led to the DES and Minister McHugh issuing a letter this Summer acknowledging the unique situation of Tipperary Town very high levels of disadvantage but no DEIS primary schools. He outlined the interim measures the DES would offer to try to alleviate the daily challenges we face in our schools.

Things are starting to improve for the primary school pupils of our town, with supports in situ since September 2019 to help with EAL and other marginalised pupils, and the promise of literacy supports and access to the Schools Excellence Fund.

As principal, I am very lucky to have a wonderful staff who do their very best for the pupils in our care, both educationally and emotionally, nurturing them through any tough times they may be experiencing through difficulties in their lives.

Managing educational disadvantage in a non-DEIS school is a huge challenge.

Staying positive and hopeful that right will win out is the only option.

Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow.

– Seth Godin

LEADERSHIP SUPPORT

The Tyranny of the

Inner Critic

Managing Expectations Part 1 ANGELA LYNCH IPPN LEADERSHIP SUPPORT MANAGER

Before you can manage others, you have to be able to manage yourself. It seems like the most obvious thing in the world to say. However, the greatest challenge facing school leaders has been identified - by themselves - as being able to manage themselves.

After years of telling people that they need to show kindness and compassion to themselves, I find myself still grappling at times with a powerful tyrant – my own inner critic.

In this the first of a two-part reflection on managing expectations, I explore not only how to silence this tyrant but also how use this inner dialogue to propel yourself into a more positive space.

Inner dialogue is that little voice in your head that makes comments on your life, what is going on all around you, what you are thinking both consciously and unconsciously, runs all of the time and can relentlessly affect your self-confidence, mood and selfworth. It goes something like this – “I’ll be happy when things change. Life is so unfair. Why should this happen to

me? Why am I such a pushover? I’m supposed to solve every problem on my own. I didn’t resolve it. I’ve failed.”

I refer to it as “beating yourself up”.

Unless the voice is challenged and stopped in its tracks, it can easily spiral into a downward cycle of depression.

Do you recognise some of this? I have so many more examples. Are you your own worst critic? I know I am.

Continuing to berate and beat myself up for what the inner critic tells me I am. Pay attention to your own inner critic, dialogue and expectations, as these create, more than anything else, your reality. We need to be careful about the expectations we harbour, as unreasonable ones can make life unnecessarily difficult.

Become aware of it. At this particular time, are your thoughts happy or unhappy? Are they negative or positive? Are they more in the past, the present or the future? Are you seeking perfection? Now catch that critic. Give it a nickname. I couldn’t possibly tell you mine as some people

might recognise the reasons why!

Put strict limits on ‘nickname’. I often either whisper or shout out to “her” (if I’m alone!) “Stop. Not now. I’ll deal with you when I have time.” Be grateful for all you have got. Live in the present.

Think an opposite positive thought for the one you hear now. Smile - this actually works!

I’ll leave you with the thoughts of two wise but very different people: “Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about” - Marilyn Monroe “You have power over your mind – not outside events – realise this and you will find strength”. - Marcus Aurelius www.databizsolutions.ie info@databizsolutions.ie (091) 556 755

An Irish Company Providing Software Solutions to Hundreds of Schools Nationwide

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(091) 556 755

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Ag sárú na ndúshlán: Ag casadh na taoide don oideachas Gaeltachta tríd an Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta

DR TREASA KIRK PRÍOMHCHIGIRE CÚNTA/CEANNASAÍ AR AN AONAD UM OIDEACHAS GAELTACHTA, AN ROINN OIDEACHAIS AGUS SCILEANNA

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Forbraíodh an Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta (Scéim) mar chuid den Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta 20172022, chun raon de thacaíochtaí spriocdhírithe a chur ar fáil do na scoileanna rannpháirteacha chun oideachas lán-Ghaeilge ar ardchaighdeán a chur ar fáil d’aos óg na Gaeltachta.

Straitéis il-shnáitheach, nuálach atá sa Scéim a dhíríonn ar oideachas lán-Ghaeilge a neartú agus úsáid na Gaeilge sna scoileanna Gaeltachta a mhéadú chun aitheantas a ghnóthú mar scoil Ghaeltachta.

Tá sainchritéir theanga-bhunaithe leagtha amach do scoileanna sa Scéim chun an tumoideachas a threisiú ionas gur féidir aitheantas a fháil mar scoil Ghaeltachta, laistigh de thréimhse cúig bliana.

Tá sí mar aidhm ag an Scéim freisin naisc theangeolaíocha bheoga a chruthú idir na naíonraí,

na scoileanna agus a bpobail chun tacú le húsáid na Gaeilge. n

Bunaíodh an Coiste Comhairleach um Polasaí Oideachas Gaeltachta in 2017, le hionadaithe ó heagraíochtaí Gaeilge agus gníomhaireachtaí oideachasúla, chun comhairle agus aischothú a sholáthar d’fheidhmiú an Pholasaí agus na Scéime.

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Tá thart ar €8m caite ar chur i bhfeidhm ghníomhartha an Pholasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta ó bunaíodh an tAonad um Oideachas Gaeltachta in 2017.

Tá acmhainní breise saindírithe á soláthar do scoileanna agus do chláir oideachais múinteoirí nua trí mheán na Gaeilge á gcur ar fáil.

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Glacadh mórchéimeanna chun feabhas a chur ar an soláthar múinteoirí ar ardcháilíocht a bhfuil na scileanna is gá acu le teagasc i scoileanna lánGhaeilge: l Chuir Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál tús le Máistreacht Oideachais

(M.Oid.) foghlama cumaisc pháirtaimseartha san Oideachas Lán-Ghaeilge agus Gaeltachta do mhúinteoirí bunscoile agus iar-bhunscoile, príomhoidí san áireamh, i Meán Fómhair 2018. l Chuir Institiúid Oideachais Marino tús leis an B.Oid. lán-Ghaeilge do mhúinteoirí bunscoile i Meán Fómhair 2019. Tá suas le 60 áit nua ar fáil gach bliain idir an dá chlár oideachais múinteoirí seo. l Tá méadú suntasach tagtha ar líon na gcéimithe ón Máistir Gairimiúil san Oideachas (MGO) in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh de bharr na dtacaíochtaí breise a soláthraíodh. n

Tá an taoide ag casadh, tá níos mó daltaí ag foghlaim trí Ghaeilge, tá níos mó ábhair á dteagasc trí Ghaeilge, agus beidh scoileanna a ghnóthaíonn stádas mar Scoil Ghaeltachta ina n-eiseamláirí sármhaitheasa don oideachas lánGhaeilge.

November 2019

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Léiríonn An Tuarascáil Ilchodach ar Chuairteanna Comhairleacha na Cigireachta (2018) rath na Scéime go dtí seo, mar shampla: l rátaí arda rannpháirtíochta ó phobail na scoileanna – bunscoileanna (80%) agus iarbhunscoileanna (100%) l feidhmiú an luaththumoideachais i ranganna na naíonán i ngach bunscoil atá páirteach l feabhsú ar úsáid na Gaeilge i gcaidrimh shóisialta i measc na ndaltaí l méadú ar ghníomhaíochtaí saibhrithe Gaeilge do dhaltaí l úsáid na Gaeilge treisithe mar mheán teagaisc agus cumarsáide sna scoileanna l meon níos dearfaí ag tuismitheoirí i leith an tumoideachais l úsáid rathúil ag scoileanna ar an bpróiseas féinmheastóireachta scoile chun spriocanna feabhsúcháin a rianadh agus monatóireacht a dhéanamh orthu l forbairt modheolaíochtaí nuálacha tríd an bhfoghlaim dhigiteach Ríomh-Mhoil chun cur ar chumas iarbhunscoileanna beaga rogha níos leithne ábhar trí Ghaeilge a sholáthar do scoláirí. Tá cúrsa Fisice á teagasc tríd an RíomhMhol digiteach.

Bronnadh ról lárnach d’fheidhmiú an Pholasaí ar an gComhairle

um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG). Ó 2017, tá acmhainní breise curtha ar fáil do COGG chun an ról seo a chomhlíonadh. Tá clár leathan sa bhforbairt ghairmiúil leanúnach do mhúinteoirí á sholáthar ag oifigigh COGG. n

Rinneadh Táscairí Dea-chleachtais don Tumoideachas (2018) a fhorbairt do bhunscoileanna agus d’iar-bhunscoileanna i gcomhpháirt le COGG. Tá na foilseacháin seo mar thaca do na scoileanna ina gcuid iarrachtaí leis na critéir theanga-bhunaithe don tumoideachas, atá lárnach sa Scéim, a bhaint amach.

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Cinnteoidh an Staidéar Taighde agus Meastóireachta trí bliana de chuid an Fhorais Taighde ar Oideachas agus na Cigireachta atá idir lámha, go rachaidh an t-oideachas Gaeltachta ó neart go neart. Thosaigh an taighde seo in 2019 agus leanfaidh sí ar aghaidh go 2022.

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Beidh deis eile ag na bunscoileanna nach bhfuil rannpháirteach go dtí seo páirt a ghlacadh sa Scéim in Earrach 2020 nuair a eiseofar an chéad Imlitir eile don scoilbhliain 2020/21.

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Cuirfidh an Scéim le hathnuachan na Gaeilge, na féiniúlachta agus an chultúir Ghaelaigh sa Ghaeltacht.

Tá Imlitir 0009/2019 (bunscoileanna) Imlitir 0010 /2019 (iar-bhunscoileanna) agus tuilleadh eolais faoin Scéim Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta ar fáil ag an nasc seo - www.education.ie LINK

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

NEW!

EducationPosts.ie Sub Seeker Service After 17 years of service, TextaSub is being retired! It is being replaced by Sub Seeker - a comprehensive short-term substitute teacher service, providing the latest features in an easy-to-use format. It is available for primary and postprimary schools and teachers.

Both schools and job seekers access the Sub Seeker portal through their EducationPosts.ie Dashboard. Schools select the dates they need a sub and the county in which they are based – post-primary schools also select the subjects required. Job seekers register their profile with Sub Seeker and provide information on qualifications, experience, availability, the county/counties in which they wish to teach, and any other relevant information they wish to provide to schools. Sub Seeker finds subs who are available to teach in the specified county/counties.

School Searches for a Sub:

List of available subs:

Sub Seeker automatically prioritises teachers based on the best match with the school’s criteria – Teaching Council registration (primary, post-primary, FET, Other/SET), availability and subject(s) – subjects are relevant to postprimary substitute positions only. Schools scroll through the list of available subs, looking at the teachers’ profiles to find the teacher who best suits the school’s needs and sends an offer to that sub via the portal. This generates an email and connects directly with the sub within a few minutes. The sub accepts or declines the offer via Sub Seeker, which informs the school in a matter of minutes – via the portal as well as via email - whether they have a sub.

Sub Seeker retains a ‘history’ of all searches for subs by schools, including up-to-date status regarding whether the teacher has viewed an offer, accepted or declined an offer, as well as those searches which ended in ‘No Sub Available’.

It also retains a history of experience gained by substitute teachers. Schools and job seekers can delete any data they don’t wish to keep.

SUPPORT User Guides for schools and for job-seekers are available now on EducationPosts.ie in the Resources section. Support is provided by email only to subs@educationposts.ie during business hours 09:00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday.

KEY FEATURES Schools ■■ Available on www.EducationPosts.ie ■■ Immediate sub vacancies over the next 7 days ■■ Automatic registration for schools that have advertised on EducationPosts.ie ■■ Free service to all DES schools – primary & post-primary ■■ Mobile compatible ■■ Validation of Teaching Council Registration Number ■■ View profile of available subs – availability, experience & qualifications ■■ Send offers and receive responses via the portal – emails created automatically.

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Job-Seekers ■■ Free service to teachers ■■ Profile to include your qualifications and experience ■■ Calendar view to update availability for the next 7 days ■■ Sub selects up to 6 counties they are willing to sub in ■■ Teachers can sub in primary and post-primary schools ■■ Teachers receive sub offers directly on the site and via email.

Job Seeker Availability:

LINK

November 2019

Quality Induction for Every Teacher MARY O’CALLAGHAN NIPT NATIONAL COORDINATOR The National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT) /An Clár Náisiúnta Ionduchtaithe do Mhúinteoirí (CNIM) supports the induction of primary and post-primary Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) into the teaching profession in line with DES requirements and the policies of the Teaching Council on induction and the continuum of teacher education, including Droichead: The Integrated Professional Induction Framework, March 2017.

Since 2013, NIPT has been responsible for the training of Professional Support Teams (PSTs) in schools offering Droichead. Over 6,000 PST members have been trained to date and, currently, over 2,200 Irish schools, including more than 1600 at primary level, have registered with NIPT to offer Droichead as a route of induction.

In 2018/2019, 2,749 NQTs applied for Droichead across both the primary and post-primary sectors.

What is Droichead?

Droichead is a non-evaluative, integrated professional induction framework which supports the professional learning of NQTs and consists of two strands: school-based support and additional professional learning activities.

Droichead is now national policy and has entered year four of a five-year growth phase: In 2019/2020, Droichead is the route

of induction for NQTs with a contract/ offer of employment of 60 consecutive days or more in all primary schools with an administrative principal and for all teachers in SEN settings.

Further details, including the Teaching Council’s Post-qualification Professional Practice Conditions Transitionary Arrangements 2019/2020 are available at on LINK www.teachingcouncil.ie and www.teacherinduction.ie.

LINK What is involved in the Droichead process?

At the beginning of the process, the PST agrees an indicative timeframe with the NQT. During the process, the NQT meets with the PST to engage in professional conversations. The NQT will be afforded opportunities to observe classroom practice and to be observed by members of the PST. S/he will also attend peer cluster meetings, identify professional learning opportunities and maintain a Taisce to support reflective practice. At the end of the process, a joint declaration is signed by the NQT and PST confirming that they have engaged in a ‘quality teaching and learning process’.

It is recommended that a NQT undertakes Droichead for the duration of the time that they are in the position recognised for the process. Droichead may be completed in a minimum period of 60 consecutive days if it is decided that such a timeframe is appropriate.

What is a Professional Support Team (PST)?

A PST is a team of experienced, fullyregistered, practising teachers that works collaboratively to support and guide a NQT through his/her Droichead process. A principal may choose to establish a PST using a combination of the school’s own staff and one external PST member. Further details are available at www.teacherinduction.ie.

What training and supports are available for schools?

Each PST member receives 4 days training from NIPT with substitute cover available. Training is based on the principles of mentoring and designed to equip PST members with the skills and knowledge required to guide a NQT through the Droichead process. Depending on the number of NQTs, between 4 and 7 days of substitute cover is available to schools, post training, to support the process.

NIPT also provide advisory visits, support and professional development for trained PST members.

What are the benefits?

Schools have commented that it is not only a positive experience for NQTs but has whole-school benefits, such as structured support for NQTs, enhanced teaching and learning, de-privatisation of practice, promotion of professional conversations and reflective practice.

Through ongoing support from and interaction with PST members, challenges are addressed if and when they arise.

How can schools register to offer Droichead?

Schools interested in registering to offer Droichead 2019/2020 can do so on www.teacherinduction.ie.

LINK NIPT’s vision is “Quality Induction for Every Teacher”. Through your engagement with Droichead, we hope that you will help us to achieve it.

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

We need to talk about

HOMEWORK

DR. JOAN KIELY DEAN OF EDUCATION AT MARINO INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION, DUBLIN Homework is a central focus of an Irish research study called Parental involvement, engagement and partnership in their children’s learning during the primary school years.

Led by a team at Marino Institute of Education (Kiely, O’ Toole, Haals Brosnan, O’ Brien, O’Keeffe & Dunne, 2019), the research was commissioned by the National Parents’ Council (NPC) and funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). It was completed in April 2019.

There is a strong case to be made for a more playful approach to homework and a decision not to assign homework in the infant classes.

The study found divergent opinions on homework amongst children, parents, teachers and school principals.

International studies on homework demonstrate similar contradictory viewpoints; the literature is replete with discussions on the benefits of homework as well as its potentially deleterious effects. What emerges from this data however, is that the type of homework assigned and giving choices around its timing has a positive effect on children’s experience of homework and on the quality of families’ lives. There is a strong case to be made for a more playful approach to homework and a decision not to assign homework in the infant classes.

Data also reveals that homework is only mildly problematic for children and families who experience success in school and is more problematic for children who struggle in school. The Matthew Effect applies; those who already experience success in school benefit from homework and those who already struggle in school find that homework compounds their struggle with schoolwork and reinforces a sense of failure.

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In schools surveyed for the study, some enlightened homework practices were in place. One school has a homework opt-out facility managed by the school principal, another has no homework in June when the weather is good.

Other practices include Mindfulness Mondays, the use of project-based homework, physical homework during the Active Schools Programme, Teddy Bear homework (Bring Teddy home and recount Teddy’s home adventures to classmates), giving choices on the content and timing of homework, differentiated homework, singlesubject homework nightly instead of multiple subjects and reading-forpleasure homework. One of the less enlightened practices identified in the study was the tendency of some teachers to ignore guidelines in their own school homework policies.

Experimental homework was assigned to children over a two-week period as part of this research study. This consisted of story-reading and oral language games and activities designed to achieve some of the outcomes of the new Primary Language Curriculum.

Children and parents enjoyed the experimental homework and, although in some cases it actually lengthened the amount of time spent on these homework activities, the playfulness of the activities made engagement attractive to children and their parents and they were not experienced as burdensome.

Messages from international literature on homework echo the findings of this Irish report on homework: Interactive assignments (such as shared reading, interviewing a relative or neighbour, reviewing a book or TV programme, giving a weather report, playing a board game) are more suited to children than pedestrian repetitive tasks; homework needs to coincide with the child’s own interests; ‘real-life’ assignments work better for students who struggle with traditional homework. A metacognitive approach to homework,

whereby children can monitor their own progress can be empowering for children. So too can the practice of allowing children to create their own homework assignments. Homework should be more experiential, more collaborative and more oriented to opportunities offered by families, communities and environments. This should make it more enriching for all involved.

There is a large amount of commentary in the media currently on the topic of homework, including articles in national newspapers. A common thread running through these articles is that homework is a negative experience for families and colonises family time.

There is a large amount of commentary in the media currently on the topic of homework, including articles in national newspapers. A common thread running through these articles is that homework is a negative experience for families and colonises family time. It is hoped that offering children choices around homework and the introduction of more playful approaches to homework will make homework a more valuable and effective learning experience for families.

Joan is responsible for the management of the B.Ed the B.Sc programmes in Early Childhood Education. If you’d like to contact Joan about this article, you can email her to Joan.Kiely@mie.ie.

November 2019

The role of collaboration in

managing special education needs JAN O SULLIVAN DEPUTY PRINCIPAL OF CORPUS CHRISTI PRIMARY SCHOOL, MOYROSS, LIMERICK

‘Children are the priority. Change is the reality. Collaboration is the strategy.’ Judith Billings In Corpus Christi, we value and nurture every child and believe in their potential. We believe in showing kindness, care and empathy. We have high, yet realistic, aspirations for the children in our care and we encourage and empower them on a daily basis to reach their full potential and be the best versions of themselves that they can be. We believe strongly in a holistic approach that addresses both the academic and the social and emotional needs of the children. This positive school ethos and the positive attitudes among staff are factors that contribute significantly to the success of inclusion in the school.

The current single allocation model allows a school to provide additional teaching support for all pupils who require support. Schools have the freedom to deploy resources based on each child’s individual learning needs. Prior to the single allocation model, varying levels of resource hours were allocated to schools to support individual pupils who had been assessed and deemed to have special educational needs. At this time, we were very aware that a large number of the children attending Corpus Christi School faced many challenges and deserved extra support to enable them to fully access the curriculum. Private funding was sourced and a number of children were assessed. Following C these assessments, the number of M children who needed additional support increased significantly, as did the Y number of resource teachers. It was at CM this time that the current structure to MY address special education provision was devised and first put in place. In order CYto ensure every child received additional CMY support, the school was divided into K four zones and resource teachers were allocated to each zone. The children with resource hours were allocated a resource teacher who had the overall responsibility to organise additional support, liaise with parents and outside agencies and devise an IEP. Additional support included a number of different approaches. These included whole class

support/station teaching, withdrawal of small groups and individual support.

This collaborative structure has now been tweaked to include all children who may need support, not just those who have been assessed, and the teaching strategies used include lead and support, complementary, parallel and team teaching. Formal zonal meetings are held once a month, where the needs of the child are central to all decision-making. Class teachers work collaboratively with the SETs to decide where support is needed and how it is delivered. Collaboration is an integral part of the provsion for children with SEN. Class teachers and SETs work collaboratively on a daily basis to provide the best education for all the children in the school. This collaborative whole-school approach has advanced the concept of support, and broadened the sense of responsibility for delivering support.

was needed from the more instructive teacher-led methods to a more student-centred approach. This notion had to be encouraged and sold to staff.

The ‘one size fits all’ approach had to be abandoned for a more responsive approach that catered for the diverse needs of the students. It was important to lead by example and provide and facilitate access to CPD for staff.

Currently there is a well-established system in place to ensure children with special educational needs receive additional support and are included in all aspects of school life. This system has evolved and developed over a number of years and is tweaked and amended when necessary to ensure the needs of children are being met. One of my main roles as deputy principal is the coordination, oversight and management of this system to ensure that it provides the additional support for the children who need it.

My role as a Deputy Principal is to If you’d like to contact Jan about oversee iCard_Leadership_Advert.pdf and facilitate this whole 1 17/10/2019 14:43:13 this article, you can email her to process. Initially, a shift in emphasis janhannon6@gmail.com.

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OnYourBehalf

Highlighted below are a few examples of IPPN’s advocacy and representative work on behalf of principals and deputy principals, through meetings, events and submissions, since the last issue of Leadership+:

MEETING WITH DES SECRETARY GENERAL SEÁN Ó FOGHLÚ Among the items discussed were: ■■ IPPN Budget Submission ■■ The focus and priorities of the Primary Education Forum ■■ Sustainable Leadership – collaboration with education partners/ research priorities ■■ Sub Seeker portal for substitute teacher vacancies SPECIAL SCHOOLS NABMSE and IPPN collaborated on a joint project to deliver Behaviour Training, in three centres -Gormonston, Charleville and Athlone. These were open to both Special and Mainstream schools.

INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF PRINCIPALS COUNCIL & CONVENTION Following the hosting of a hugely successful ICP Council meeting in Killarney in August 2018, IPPN was represented at ICP Convention 2019 in Shanghai, China in October. As one of the original 10 founding members of ICP, IPPN is a highly respected association globally and contributions at both Council and Convention from IPPN are considered to be high quality and relevant.

The theme of this year’s convention was ‘Connecting Leaders, Creating the Future’ with keynote speakers including Jack Ma, Michelle Gibbings (Finding your Leadership Edge), Steve Munby (Principled, Invitational and Imperfect Leadership), Yuan Zhenguo (The Future has Arrived: Education is Experiencing a Great Revolution), Vicki Phillips (Uncommon Leadership: Catalysing Innovation), Andreas Schleicher (OECD) and Yong Zhao (Time to invent a new Paradigm of Education: The trap of Global Borrowing in Education).

Past president of IPPN Maria Doyle was elected to the Executive Committee of ICP in 2018 and played a key role in organising the very successful Council meeting and Convention in Shanghai.

We wish Maria and ICP the very best in their endeavours and look forward to further opportunities to collaborate.

NCCA IPPN is represented on the Council by former Board of Directors’ member, 20

Pat Connaghan. Recently, the focus has been the launch of the New Language Curriculum and the commissioned research paper on parental involvement, engagement and partnership in their children’s learning during the primary school years. The focus is now on the draft primary curriculum framework, preparing for the next phase of work in the review and development of the curriculum. Areas included in the draft are pedagogy, integration, key competencies and curriculum planning.

Workshops are taking place at Board meetings to tease out these areas and to give everyone a chance to present suggestions, ideas or concerns. The Board has a new Chairperson, Dr. Deirbhile Nic Craith.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY Peter Coakley represents IPPN on the Digital Schools of Distinction group and attends ICT-related briefings.

The NCTE collated information on the schools who registered an expression of interest in the pilot project for technical support in schools, including school size, technology in the school, expertise/skills available on the staff, etc. PDST have contacted all of the schools interested in joining a cluster.

As heir needs vary considerably, PDST will need to support each of them individually to match them with appropriate technical support.

As primary schools are increasingly engaging with Google Suite and Google Classroom, Peter attended the Google EDU day on September 26th. He engaged with their education specialists and outlined his views on the dearth of training available for schools in G-Suite/Classroom and suggested that this was something Google could address.

DUBLIN 15 - SPECIAL CLASSES A meeting with 30 principals from the Dublin 15 area took place on the 18th of September. The main item discussed was the fact that the Minister and the NCSE had invoked the recent legislation on the Admissions Act, enabling them to designate schools for special classes. Among the concerns raised were the timing of letters, the tone of the communication from NCSE and the DES with the affected schools, and the lack of planning - bypassing

schools’ admission policies in terms of designating schools to enrol specific children whose parents had never engaged with the schools’ admissions processes. IPPN raised these issues with the DES and NCSE, with a view to better planning for the future.

THE TEACHING COUNCIL CONSULTATION ON REVISED DRAFT OF CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES FOR ITE PROGRAMMES All programmes of initial teacher education (ITE) in Ireland that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. In advance of the next review and accreditation cycle of programmes of ITE, the Teaching Council is currently revising its publication entitled Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers.

This document sets out the standards and requirements that programmes of ITE must meet in order to gain professional accreditation.

To that end, the Teaching Council invited a range of stakeholders to attend one of two consultation sessions in October 2019 to allow for observations and feedback on proposed changes to this document.

IPPN President Damian White attended their consultation session in The Athlone Springs Hotel on Wednesday 2nd October. Other stakeholders present included NAPD, Creative Ireland, 3rd level Colleges providing ITE training at both primary and second level and The Teaching Council.

Many areas were discussed, including ITE programmes design and balance, The immersive Educational experience in Gaeilge, The school placement experience, and Learning outcomes for student teachers. There was a lot of discussion around Tréimhse Foghlama sa Ghaeltacht.

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SCHOOL AWARDS HOSTED BY JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT IRELAND On 10th October, IPPN president Damian White attended The Entrepreneurial School Awards (TESA) Summit, which recognised the commitment to entrepreneurship education of 94 primary and second-level schools nationwide.

Professor Tom Cooney, Professor in Entrepreneurship at Technological University Dublin, Damian White, IPPN and Helen Raftery, JAI, were pictured with the winning primary schools (see below).

School Visits Over the past few months, IPPN President Damian White visited the following schools and school leaders.

■■ Paul Corcoran, principal of Bailieborough NS, Co. Cavan ■■ Denis Courtney, principal of St. Brigid’s NS Castleknock, Dublin 15 ■■ Enda McGorman, principal of Mary Mother of Hope NS, Littlepace, Dublin 15 ■■ Siubhán Ferry, principal of Scoil Roisín, Carrigart, Co. Donegal ■■ Bernadette Uí Bheoilaín, principal and Brídín Nic Eiteagáin, deputy principal of Scoil Cholmcille, Carraig Airt, Letterkenny, Donegal ■■ Ann O’Kelly-Lynch, principal of Scoil Chaitriona Naofa, Oristown, Co. Meath ■■ Morag McGowan, principal of St Pauls NS, Ratoath, Co. Meath ■■ Mary Carroll, Scoil Cholmcille, Kells, Co. Meath ■■ Kathleen McNamee, principal of Scoil Chroi Naofa, Rochfortbridge, Co. Westmeath

another to the Working Group of the Joint Oireachtas Committee regarding Oireachtas Procedures.

OTHER MEETINGS, CONFERENCES OR EVENTS ATTENDED OR HOSTED September ■■ IPPN Autumn meetings in Offaly, Kildare, Leitrim, Louth, Carlow, Westmeath, Laois, Longford, Kerry, Roscommon, Galway, Cork, Donegal, Cavan, Meath, Wexford, Sligo, Monaghan, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and Waterford ■■ Primary Education Forum ■■ NCSE Council Meeting at The Mullingar Hotel ■■ DES Assistant Secretary General Martin Hanevy’s retirement function at the DES offices in Athlone ■■ ETBI Annual Conference ■■ INTO Principals & Deputy Principals Conference at the Tullamore Court Hotel ■■ Teaching Council Féilte conference.

In addition, we made a submission to HIQA in relation to their consultation on children’s social services and

October PDST Technology in Education ■■ IPPN Autumn meetings in Dublin and Wicklow ■■ 2nd National Literacy and Numeracy Forum – Farmleigh House ■■ Retirement function for Deputy Director of the Teaching Council, Mr Brendan O Dea ■■ CSL Stakeholder Collaborative Forum, Athlone ■■ Parentline Conference - Páiric Clerkin addressed the conference ■■ Oireachtas Briefing: Dyslexia Association of Ireland ■■ The Entrepreneurial School Awards (TESA) Summit ■■ NABMSE Annual Conference ■■ Exploring Teacher Effectiveness, Farmleigh House

Derek Middleton accepts the best-in-class award for primary school with enrolment of less than 100 for Darley National School, Co. Cavan

Aoife Ní Bhreacháin accepts the best-in-class award for primary school with enrolment of less than 300 for Our Lady of Consolation National School, Dublin 5

Submissions See also separate articles on page 29 in relation to IPPN’s Budget 2020 Submission and on page 6 in relation to part II of IPPN’s presentation on Small Schools in June to the Ministers for Education & Skills and Rural & Community Development.

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CSL Leadership Clusters Meeting, DES Athlone National Literacy and Numeracy Forum Exploring Teacher Effectiveness – Hibernia College NAPD Conference ICP Convention, Shanghai Primary Education Forum – The Clock Tower Ombudsman for Children ATECI (Education Centre directors), Waterford Teacher Centre CSL Research Group NCSE Council Meeting – Trim

November IPPN Deputy Principals’ Conference 2019, Citywest ■■ CSL Implementation Group Meeting, Athlone ■■ Tusla - Educational Welfare Service event and launch of attendance campaign ‘Every School Day Counts’ - 5th November ■■ DES Inspectorate re. strategic planning ■■ Misneach, Athlone ■■ NTRIS Pilot Oversight Group Meeting, DES Athlone ■■ SL PDSL Monitoring Group Meeting ■■ Primary Principal Wellbeing event at Laois Education Centre ■■ Primary Education Forum ■■ PDA Conference ■■ IPPN Board Meeting ■■ IPPN Council Meeting ■■ CSL Steering Committee Meeting, DES Athlone ■■ PDST, Portlaoise ■■ Initial Teacher Education Consultative Forum, Athlone.

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Forthcoming Events/Meetings IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference 2020 – 23rd and 24th January, Citywest.

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Maria Doyle addressing ICP Convention 2019, Shanghai on 24th October 21

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Towards a Better Future

NAPD PRINCIPALS AND DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

A Review of the Irish School System DR. JOHN COOLAHAN (RIP), DR. SHEELAGH DRUDY, DR. PÁDRAIG HOGAN, DR. ÁINE HYLAND, DR. SÉAMUS McGUINNESS

CHAPTER 4: Assessment – Part II

This is the sixth in a series of excerpts from the IPPN/NAPD-commissioned research publication. In this issue, we present excerpts from the latter half of Chapter 4 – Assessment: Primary and Junior Cycle. In the interests of brevity, we have focused here on excerpts relating to the primary sector only. (a)

Standardised Assessment at Primary Level (a1) Reading Literacy Attainments at Primary Level The National Assessment conducted in 2014 reported improved outcomes in Second Class compared with the previous assessment in 2009.

Significant improvements were reported in reading vocabulary and reading comprehension, while improvements were also noted at both Proficiency Level 1 and at Levels 3 & 4. A similar pattern emerged at Sixth Class - improvements were noted across all proficiency levels and content areas, with the exception of the ‘examine and exclude’ subscale.

Significant improvements were also reported in DEIS schools, but no reduction in the gap between these schools and other schools. A large number of struggling readers was noted in DEIS urban schools, with 44% in Second Class and 47% in Sixth Class performing at or below Level 1.

The PIRLS 2011 assessment of reading in Sixth Class showed Ireland performing very well, with a mean score significantly above the international average and in 10th place overall. While Ireland’s score was only marginally lower the four countries immediately above it, it was significantly lower than the top five countries. Ireland also performed well on the benchmarks, with more than half reaching the higher benchmark and a lower percentage falling below the lower benchmark.

As in the national assessment, girls outperformed boys. (a2) Mathematics Attainments at Primary Level In the 2014 National Assessment, 22

performances at both Second and Sixth Classes were higher than in 2009. Significant increases at Second Class were found on three of the four main content areas and all five process areas. No significant improvement was found on the ‘data content’ area.

Improvements were also noted across all proficiency levels. Significant increases at Sixth Class level were noted across all content areas and all proficiency levels. In the case of DEIS schools, while improvements were noted, especially in Second Class in Band 2 schools, improvements have only kept pace with those of pupils in other schools.

In the most recent TIMSS survey conducted in 2015, Fourth Class primary pupils achieved significantly above the centre point average, and ranked ninth among 49 countries. This was a significantly higher score than in 1995 or in 2011, when the ranking was 17th out of 50 countries. Improvement in performance has also been made across the three assessment cycles among the ‘below-average’ and the ‘above-average’ range, with much of the improvement appearing to have occurred since 2011 and among the ‘lowest-achieving’ pupils.

Relative strengths were noted in the content area of Number and relative weaknesses in Geometric Shape and Measures.

In the cognitive domain, strengths in Knowing and Weaknesses in Reasoning were recorded. No significant gender differences were noted. (a3) Science Attainments at Primary Level Attainment significantly above the centre point average was recorded in the 2015 TIMSS survey, and ranked Ireland’s pupils 19th out of 47 countries, significantly higher than

reported in 1995 and 2011. Substantial improvement was found among the ‘lowest-achieving’ group and a small dis-improvement among the ‘highestachieving’ pupils. Earth Science was a particular strength in the ‘content’ area, and Physical Science a weakness, while broadly similar performances were found across the three cognitive domains of ‘knowing, applying and reasoning’. No significant gender differences were noted.

Considerable emphasis is now being placed on linking instruction, learning and assessment policy into a coherent process.

LOOKING AHEAD Debate and reform of assessment policy and practice has become increasingly common across education systems.

Considerable emphasis is now being placed on linking instruction, learning and assessment policy into a coherent process. This forms an important dimension in the formation of school planning policies.

Certain basic principles, supported by developments in the theory and practice of assessment, emerge from these reforms and should be borne in mind when developing assessment policy and practices. In the first instance and most importantly, every effort should be made to assess that which we really value in our students rather than that which can be more easily measured. Assessment policy and practices should be congruent with the subject/curriculum aims and objectives. Assessment should

November 2019

serve the curriculum, not dominate it. Assessment findings are defined in time, in that they provide an estimate of performance at a particular juncture and in a specific context. This does not define the achievement beyond the particular time the test has been taken and should not be deemed as a final judgement on the ability and potential of the learner.

The two most important considerations in framing policy in this area are validity and reliability. Achieving absolute values in these variables is neither realistic nor possible. Yet, every effort should be made to achieve the highest measures in both cases. Of the two, validity is the more important, for a test that has poor validity, in that it does not adequately sample the content and objectives of a subject, has no relevance and its findings should be dismissed. On the other hand, a test that has poor reliability should also be discarded, as performance will fluctuate over repeated administrations of the test and thus fail to provide a reliable estimate of performance. A combination of modes, each designed to test specific outcomes, is necessary in order to match learning experiences with appropriate assessment techniques.

Conducting assessments should not be seen as an end in itself. The most important benefits derive from the decisions that are made on the basis of the findings. Assessment findings should be seen first and foremost as a service for the learner and should be communicated to the learner to indicate strengths and weaknesses and help direct future learning.

A significant number of the primary school classes inspected have deficiencies in the implementation of assessment policy, and it is shown that, in over three quarters of these classes, unsatisfactory pupil outcomes were also noted. This vividly illustrates the interrelationship between teaching, learning and assessment so that where one component is found to be unsatisfactory, the probability is that all three are problematic. We are informed that these deficiencies have now been rectified. We are, however, largely dependent on inspectors’ reports on the functioning of assessment policy in schools. There is a notable dearth of more extended long-range, detailed investigations into the practices engaged by teachers in schools. Such research can provide examples of good practice that can be shared more widely, as well as issues surrounding implementation. The need for continuous upgrading of teachers’ skills on conducting assessments is also essential in order to ensure that the teachers are adequately supported in this crucial area of curriculum development and implementation.

Credibility also depends on the competence and commitment of those charged with conducting assessment.

To a certain degree, the reluctance of teachers to accept responsibility for assessing the work of their own students for certification purposes is understandable, if account is taken of the inadequate preparation of teachers, until recently, both at preservice and in-service levels, on all aspects of assessment policy and practice. Appropriate development opportunities in this area can give teachers the expertise, the experience and, equally important, the confidence Towards a BETT to play a more significant role in ER the FUTURE assessment of their own pupils, up A Review of the Irish School System to and including certificate level. It About the Authors can also give them the confidence to share the outcomes with other groups and, where appropriate, to defend, as befits their professional status, the judgements they make.

teacher education programmes offers additional opportunities to provide student teachers with the appropriate skills in assessment theory and practice, while the extended period of school experience will also enable them to observe and to contribute to the formulation and application of school policies in this area. Elsewhere, institutes of teacher education, education centres and subject associations are all well placed to make a substantial contribution to the provision of appropriate in-service programmes for teachers already in the system. The introduction of an appropriate system of moderation, together with adequate in-service support, should also enable teachers to gain the competence and confidence required to undertake a more central role in the examining process. It is important that a range of research initiatives, both small- and large-scale, be planned in order to monitor on a regular basis the implementation and impact of assessment policies across the system.

While current proposals for the introduction of the new assessment system are very modest, they at least represent an important first stage in the reform process. Hopefully, as experience of the new forms of assessment grows, this will lead to the full implementation as outlined in the Department’s initial reform proposals in 2012, albeit with the addition of adequate external moderation. This will finally bring into play an assessment system that can better serve the aims of the curriculum and the needs of the students.

To download an electronic version of the publication, go to www.ippn.ie – Advocacy – Publications. To purchase a hard copy, go to www.otb.ie and put ‘towards a better future’ in the search box.

Towards a Better Future -A

Dr. John Coolahan is Emeritus Professor of Education at the National University of Ireland Maynoot h.

Dr. Sheelagh Drudy is Emeritus Professor of Education and former Head of the School of Education at UCD.

Review of the Irish School

The involvement of teachers in the assessment of their own pupils is widely confirmed and accepted - based on the belief that the classroom teacher is best placed to observe and record the achievements of their students over an extended period of time and in their natural settings. An important advantage of teacher-led assessment is its closeness to the teaching/learning activity and thereby the opportunity to offer immediate feedback so that, where necessary, corrective action can be taken and the next phase of learning planned.

teachers. In addition, reports by the Inspectorate provide valuable data on the implementation of policy across the system.

Dr. Pádraig Hogan is Senior Lecturer in Education at the National University of Ireland, Maynoot h.

For this reason, it is important that appropriate and regular development opportunities be made available for the teachers on all aspects of assessment theory and practice, as well on the application to specific subject areas. The extension of initial

Dr Áine Hyland is Emeritus Professor of Educatio n and former Vice-President of University College Cork, Ireland.

System

Dr. Séamus McGuinn ess is a former Senior Lecturer in the School of Educatio n, Trinity College, Dublin.

PRINCIPALS AND D EPUTY PRINCIPALS

ISBN 978-0-9555050-5-8

NAPD

Various inspectors’ reports indicate that the majority of primary schools have good assessment systems in place. Both the NCCA and the INTO have provided a range of excellent publications on assessment for

Towards a

BETTER FUTURE A Review of the Irish School System

John Coolahan | Sheela gh Drudy Pádraig Hogan | Áine Hyland Séamus McGuinness

Published by the Irish Primary Principals’ Network National Association and the of Principals and Deputy Principals

NAPD PRINCIPALS AND D EPUTY PRINCIPALS

LINK

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Sustainable Leadership Part 2 – How to Prioritise

FINBARR HURLEY PRIMARY CO-ORDINATOR AT THE CENTRE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

In the last issue of Leadership+, I described the aims of P I E W model in supporting sustainable school leadership. In this issue, I explore how to prioritise and the steps to implementing it in practice.

HOW DO I PRIORITISE?

The most important tasks in a school context will be those which progress Teaching and Learning - the raison d’être of the school. Prioritising allows you identify the most important tasks at any moment - the tasks most deserving of attention, energy, and time. It allows you to spend more time on the right things. Prioritisation aids in planning and minimising stress.

There are many starting points from where a school can begin to prioritise their workload including:

The most important tasks in a school context will be those which progress Teaching and Learning the raison d’être of the school.

SIP The SIP will identify the important projects to be undertaken by the school in order to improve the quality of Teaching and Learning for the pupils Inspectorate The DES will often make helpful suggestions in the course of their visits to schools. Many of these are issues which the school will be in a position to address immediately while others may be considered as initiatives which would require school wide planning and implementation Good Ideas In addition, there will be a plethora of “Good Ideas” which various people and bodies will recommend to the school as being of immense value to the pupils. Examples of this include n Ideas which School Leaders and Teachers bring back from attending courses or from talking 24

n n

to other professionals Initiatives run by Patron Bodies Promotions by groups such as those offering flags or other recognition of the school for pursuing their policies

THE P I E W MODEL IN PRACTICE

P: Pilot Phase – Years 1 & 2 In this phase, the school takes a project or area of improvement (this is dependent on the school’s capacity and usually defined by the SSE process and resulting SIP or by one of the starting points mentioned above) and pilots it for 2 years. During this phase those teachers and pupils involved will come to grips with the project and tweak it to suit the school’s particular needs and culture.

I: Implementation Phase – Years 3 & 4 During this phase, the school is ready to implement the project/area of improvement throughout the school.

It will by now have been adapted to suit the school. Careful monitoring is still required in this phase E: Embedding Phase – Years 5 & 6 In this phase, the school begins the process of embedding the project into the ‘DNA’ of the school. By the end of year 6, the project has become part of the school’s standard operating procedure Exceptional Imperatives Exceptional Imperatives are initiatives of a magnitude which places them on a par with items on the School Plan.

They are outside of our control, arise unexpectedly and have to be given precedence. They will therefore have an immediate impact on the capacity of the school to deliver on its School Plan.

Exceptional Imperatives normally arise as a result of Government policy

/ legislation which is often, though not always, mediated through the DES. Examples in the 2017 / 2018 school year were Child Protection and GDPR. In impelemtning P I E W it is necessary to take a step back and audit what is already going on in the school especailly in the area of Teaching and Learning. A few easy steps to do this would include:

Exceptional Imperatives are initiatives of a magnitude which places them on a par with items on the School Plan. They are outside of our control, arise unexpectedly and have to be given precedence.

Step 1: List the current initiatives The first step is to make a list of these initiatives and put them on the Grid. This gives everyone a clear perspective on the range and scope of curricular based initiatives which are already in place in the school Step 2: Celebrate Take time to celebrate with the Staff the work that is already being done in the school and thank them for it.

The BoM might be encouraged to recognise and show appreciation also Step 3: Populate the Waiting List The Waiting List will be populated in the first instance from suggestions from the Teaching Staff and then from the various sources as listed above. A number of key questions should be asked of any initiative which seeks to be included in the Waiting List. These include:-

November 2019

PILOT PROJECTS

WAIT LIST PROJECTS

Years 1 & 2

IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS

EXCEPTIONAL IMPERATIVES

YEARS 3 & 4

Unforeseen

EMBEDDING PROJECTS

Years 5 & 6

n n n n n n

n

Awaiting a Vacancy

Why should the school undertake this initiative?

How does this initiative contribute towards or enhance the Teaching and Learning in this school?

How does this initiative give expression to an item in the Quality Framework?

Is this initiative rooted in the curriculum?

Why is this initiative more important, at this time, than the other initiatives on the Waiting List?

Are we as a School Staff prepared to undertake this initiative for a period of 6 years and see it through the Pilot, Implementation and Embedding Phases?

Have we got the capacity to undertake this initiative properly?

Step 4 : Being the Process Choose what you have prioritised from your planning and begin the journey of piloting, implementing and embedding it in school culture. When this has been achieved, only then will the school look at the Wait List and choose from it an initiative or project that is in line with what has been prioritised for that school year.

Sometimes the simplest protocols are the most effective.

The P I E W Model developed and advocated by IPPN will assist school leadership in taking control and prioritising their Teaching and Learning intiatives in school; give the school community a clear vision and focus and aid in one facet of sustaining the leadership in our schools.

More information regarding P I E W is available on www. ippn.ie under Resource Bundles.

LINK

NEW RESOURCE BUNDLE! PIEW: Empowering School Leaders through Prioritising n

Big Rocks

n

Prioritising – Why, What and How

n

Templates and Exemplars

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Embedding computational thinking in a primary school

SEÁN GALLAGHER FORMER PRINCIPAL, ATTYMASS NATIONAL SCHOOL, CO. MAYO Dialogue and assisting discovery At the heart of the teaching and learning process in schools is a magical two-way teacher-student dialogue seen in the glinting eyes of comprehension and creativity. This article outlines steps that can be taken to create a vision for teaching and learning using digital technologies and how we ‘assist discovery’ as we develop computational thinking.

The drive to have coding in schools should not be fuelled by a need to create a generation of programmers. That is losing sight of the fact that we are equipping pupils to be problem solvers, experimenters, testers, collaborators, creators, and they can be programmers if they want.

Some core computational thinking skills include: Abstraction ■■ Algorithmic Thinking ■■ Decomposition ■■ Pattern Recognition.

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Creating our vision for the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning The Digital Learning Framework (DLF) is the main planning tool for Irish primary schools when considering how technology can be embedded in teaching and learning.

LINK

EU level, the SELFIE tool was developed so that any school can gather and collate the views of school leaders, teachers and students and generate a confidential report of a school‘s strengths and weaknesses in the use of digital technologies for learning. LINK After prioritising aspects of the DLF and SELFIE report, we appreciated the importance of considering the student voice and to focus on technology in teaching and learning rather than purchasing/ infrastructural decisions. As a result, one of our priorities was developing ‘computational thinking’ throughout the school.

Developing computational thinking in our school The report ‘Developing Computational Thinking in Compulsory Education - Implications for policy and practice’ was of great assistance. The foundations for Computer Science (now a Senior Cycle subject) are not confined to coding - addressed in computational thinking (CT) whereby ‘... CT is a problem-solving methodology that expands the realm of computer science into all disciplines, providing a distinct means of analysing and developing solutions to problems that can be solved computationally….’ (p. 6).

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Conclusion Rather than seeing computers as being the conduit through which information can be ‘consumed’, we would rather they use technology to be creators of new knowledge.

The challenge for us as teachers is to have a shared understanding of CT and it is not confined to any one subject area. The production of policy frameworks must be backed up with meaningful classroom-based supports for schools/ teachers. At no point can we ignore the student voice or lose sight of the art of teaching - ‘The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.’ Mark Van Doren.

Seán is the Director of Incorporation at St. Angela’s College, Sligo. From 2012 to 2017, he was seconded to the role of Deputy Director of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), with responsibility for the provision of supports to schools as to how digital technologies can be integrated into teaching, learning and assessment. He has contributed to the work of the Joint Research Centre in Seville on a variety of projects and was the national coordinator in Ireland for the SELFIE pilot project. He has written for a number of teacher publications in Ireland and has been a regular speaker/ workshop facilitator at education conferences focussing on the use of digital technologies in education.

November 2019

In Memory of

RIP

Rosemary

Fahey

St. Ultan’s Special School, Navan 1993 – 2017 School Principal 2010 -2017 A TRIBUTE FROM THE STAFF OF ST. ULTAN’S AND RETIRED PRINCIPAL CARMEL BRADWELL The year was 1993 and not a permanent job was to be found in the country when Rosemary arrived in St. Ultan’s, happy to take a temporary position. She was just off the plane from Australia, all six foot of her, with her head of black curly hair and a suntan. She filled the tiny space that served as the principal’s office not just with her physical presence but with her magnetic smile and warm personality.

She had a baptism of fire as she took charge of her class of Infants, in the days before we had SNA support.

Exhausted by the end of each day, she often complained that she hadn’t got the energy to drive back to Trim. She took to Special Education like a duck to water and she stayed in St. Ultan’s for 24 long years, despite the many offers she had from other educational establishments.

She upskilled herself at every opportunity. She completed the Special Education Course in St. Pat’s in 1997 and the Masters’ in Special Education in 2005. When Rosemary took on a job, she gave it 100%. Education was her life. She

used her voice on many committees to promote fairness for teachers, especially those in Special Education, and to ensure that issues that related to Special Education remained to the fore. Rosemary served as Branch Secretary and Chairperson of Navan INTO. She twice served as President of IATSE – the Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education. She also served as Membership Secretary and Treasurer. She worked at various times with the NCCA, St. Patrick’s College (DCU), Trinity College, UCD and numerous other institutions. Her name is synonymous with excellence and creativity in Special Education provision.

It wasn’t ‘all work and no play’ for Rosemary. She loved to travel and each summer she headed towards the sun and countries anew. She loved the outdoors and healthy living and was passionate about swimming. Galway was her home and her heart never left the county. Croke Park was her second home. Her last most enjoyable day was spent there to see Galway lift Liam McCarthy in 2017. It was with great difficulty that she made it to that game.

To say her passing was premature is an understatement. Right to the end she was hugely committed to her job as Principal of St. Ultan’s. No one could ever question her absolute commitment to providing high quality learning experiences and outcomes for the pupils of St. Ultan’s and her kindness shown to parents.

To those of us who were blessed to know Rosemary, there was fun, charisma and always a listening ear at the end of a phone. Rosemary was an example to us all on how to meet life’s trials ‘head-on’. Our memories of Rosemary will always be of her resilience in the face of professional challenges and her utter strength of spirit and bravery in her final days.

Thank you for the memories, Rosemary, and may you now rest in peace and continue to look after us from above.

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine

27

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

www.ippn.ie

Latest resources If your school has a policy or plan that is not available on ippn. ie, or which would supplement available resources, we would appreciate if you would submit it for review by email to rachel. hallahan@ippn.ie. The following are the new resources available in the different sections of the website:

RESOURCES

DES CIRCULARS n 0059/2019 - Primary Schools Supply Panel Pilot Scheme for the 2019/2020 School Year n 0057/2019 - Election of new Boards of Management of Primary Schools n 0056/2019 - Home Tuition Grant Scheme for children without a school place for reasons other than special educational needs and medical grounds. n 054/2019 - Leave Schemes for Registered Teachers employed in Recognised Primary and Post Primary Schools n 0052/2019 - Exemptions from the study of Irish – Primary n 0045/2019 - Primary Language Curriculum - Stages 1–4 (junior infants to sixth class) - Support and Implementation.

RESOURCE BUNDLES Cuntas Míosúil - incorporating new language curriculum PIEW l A1 PIEW Overview l A2 PIEW Sample Grid l A3 PIEW Blank Grid SSE Resources l SSE - Science Checklist l SSE - Geography Checklist l SSE - History Checklist

IPPN EVENTS IPPN Deputy Principals’ Conference 2019 Materials from the conference are now available at www.ippn.ie under CPD/Events/Deputy Principals’ Conference/ Deputy Principals’ Conference 2019, including presentations on: n n n n n n

n

IPPN Principals’ Conference 2020 YEAR! RLIER THIS A E K E E W A th January 23rd and 24 ention Centre nv Citywest Co

n

RESOURCE BUNDLES n Revised! - Recruiting and Appointing Deputy Principal Open Competition n PIEW PLANNING PROMPTS A new prompt is uploaded each week to this section.

SUPPORTS

E-SCÉALS A new E-scéal is uploaded each week to this section.

LEADERSHIP+ n Issue 110 - Sep 2019

ADVOCACY

SUBMISSIONS n Submission to HIQA on Draft National Standards For Children’s Social Services (Sep 2019) n Submission to the Departments of Finance and DES Pre-Budget Submission for 2020 (Sep 2019) n Submission to the JOC - Oireachtas Procedures (Sep 2019).

ABOUT US

NATIONAL COUNCIL REPORTS Meeting Updates 18/19 Meeting Reports n 15th June 2019 ABOUT IPPN Learn More n IPPN CLG Constitution – as ratified by IPPN National Council on 15th June 2019 28

Dr Joan Kiely – Homework Curriculum leadership – Bernard McHale, PDST Intercultural Inclusion - Déirdre Kirwan Wellbeing - Áine Fitzpatrick, Anne Tansey and Angela Lynch ICT in Primary Schools - Dr Eemer Eivers Working towards a model of Sustainable School Leadership: The PIEW model – Finbarr Hurley and Maria Tully Managing stress and building resilience - looking after your wellbeing – Karen Belshaw

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS include n n

Dr Karen Edge, Sustainable Leadership Viv Grant – Leadership Matters

SEMINARS

Leadership Pathways A wide range of leadership and management-related seminars, including: n Legal Issues in Primary Schools - David Ruddy BL n Working Towards a Model of Sustainable School Leadership: The PIEW model - Finbarr Hurley, Maria Tully n Principalmeet 2020 n Prevention and Responding to Challenging Behaviour - NCSE n Nurturing Schools - Susan Gibney n Middle Leadership - Bernard McHale (PDST) n Oral Language & Vocabulary Development - Julieanne Devlin n Engaging parents in primary schools - a collaborative strengths-based approach – John Sharry n Communication and the Principal - John White, former Inspector n Engage with nature month by month - Dr Paddy Madden n Coping with grief and loss in the Irish classroom Carmelita McGloughlin, MIE tutor n Working with pupils with high functioning Autism in the primary school - Dr Michele Dunleavy, MIC n ICT Infrastructure & Technical Support - PDST Technology in Education n The future direction of the curriculum incorporating the Primary Language Curriculum - NCCA, Patrick Sullivan and Arlene Forster. n Engaging parents – a collaborative approach – John Sharry, Parents Plus

Keep an eye on ippn.ie and your E-scéal for notification of event registration

November 2019

BUDGET 2020 A bitter disappointment It is now an established fact that the quality of leadership in schools impacts directly on the quality of learning of pupils. There is also evidence that lack of time and inadequate administrative supports to deal effectively with workload are barriers that prevent teaching principals from spending ‘quality time’ on their leadership function and that this is having a particularly negative effect on the health of more than half of primary school leaders. This situation is not sustainable.

The Statements of Practice outlined in the DES publication ‘Looking at our Schools 2016 – A Quality Framework for Primary Schools’ need to be achievable by every school, and by every school leader. Increasing leadership and management days for teaching principals would significantly improve their capacity to fulfil their responsibilities, which will ultimately lead to the improvement in education outcomes for all children. Introducing a minimum of one leadership and management day per week would help ease the burden on teaching principals and would signal serious intent on the part of the Department to address the significant problems highlighted for many years by IPPN, and by other education partners.

middle leadership capacity to deliver quality teaching and learning, as well as to meet the myriad requirements of the education system.

The moratorium on middle leadership posts meant that many schools lost their entire management team, with the exception of the deputy principal post.

We were therefore deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointment at the provision for the education sector in Budget 2020. One additional day per , a minor improvement in class sizes in small schools and no restoration of middle leadership posts. Minister McHugh’s expressed aim to “find every possible way of helping [small] schools to move from surviving to thriving” now sounds very hollow. The positive talk

about supporting small schools has not been followed up with any real action.

And this was the last chance for the minister to take such action before a general election is called.

IPPN president Damian White commented ‘Providing one leadership and management day per week for teaching principals to alleviate their workload would have cost less than €8m, a paltry sum representing 0.073% of an €11bn education budget. The Department’s progressive circulars on leadership and management simply cannot be fulfilled without adequate time and capacity to lead and manage our schools. This budget is bitterly disappointing.’

IPPN Budget 2020 Submission LINK

IPPN Reaction to Budget 2020 LINK

The moratorium on middle leadership posts meant that many schools lost their entire management team, with the exception of the deputy principal post. Middle leadership has a significant role in school selfevaluation and school improvement planning, the management of special educational needs, mentoring of new staff and, in larger schools, managing communication. Middle leadership also provides a very necessary support for principals, as acknowledged in DES circulars 63/2017 and 44/2019. IPPN welcomed the partial restoration of middle leadership posts in Budget 2018. Larger schools have significant leadership and management challenges also, and they also require sufficient 29

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Left to their own devices Trends in ICT at primary school level DR EEMER EIVERS In this issue, we look at the two background chapters in the report, covering policies and funding. Future issues of Leadership+ will summarise the report’s findings and recommendations.

INTRODUCTION Left to their own devices collates research on the availability and use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Irish primary schools in recent years. It is based on data from successive cycles of three major studies (Ireland’s National Assessments, Progress in International Reading Literacy Study [PIRLS], and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS]. These studies were selected because they provide trend data, allow international comparison, and comparison of access to and use of ICT in the school, classroom, and home.

The report focuses on access and use, rather than on any potential relationship between ICT and pupil achievement (e.g. performance on tests). There are two reasons for this. First, the relationship between achievement and availability of ICT is complex.

Availability alone is not sufficient. What matters is how teachers use the tools available, and how pupils engage with them. Pupil age and interests, teacher confidence and in-school supports are all important factors (e.g., Maor, Currie, & Drewry, 2011; Wenglinsky, 2006).

Second, technology is an inescapable aspect of modern life. Children need an understanding of, and familiarity with, ICT. If technology does not feature in school life, school does not equip children adequately for life.

POLICIES Although the original primary curriculum had little emphasis on ICT, numerous policy documents since then have attempted to address technological developments (see Table).

For example, the NCCA provided supplementary policy documents and curriculum guidelines in 2004 and 2007. These focussed on the integration of ICT in teaching 30

and learning, effective use of ICT, and embedding ICT across the curriculum, and well as providing exemplars of classroom strategies.

Between 2008 and 2009, we saw the publication of two major policy documents and a comprehensive review of ICT usage by the Inspectorate,

whose key recommendations included: a computer, data projector, and adequate broadband internet in each classroom ■■ a pupil-to-computer ratio of 5:1 or less ■■ a national ICT technical support system.

■■

Key policy/review documents related to ICT in primary schools Year Document

Author

2004 Information and Communications Technology

(ICT) in the Primary School Curriculum Guidelines for Teachers

NCCA

and

Curriculum, Assessment and ICT in the Irish Context: A Discussion Paper

NCCA

2007 ICT Framework: A Structured Approach to

ICT in Curriculum and Assessment: Revised Framework

NCCA

2008 Investing Effectively in Information and

Communications Technology in Schools

2008 – 2013

Minister’s Strategy Group

and

and

Evaluation of ICT usage in primary and post-primary schools

Inspectorate

2009 Smart Schools = Smart Economy

Joint Advisory Group to Minister for Education and Science

2011

Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers

Teaching Council

Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education

Teaching Council

2015

Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020

DES

2017a Digital Learning Framework for Primary Schools

DES

and

Digital Strategy: Action Plan 2017

DES

2018

Digital Learning Planning Guidelines for Primary Schools

DES

November 2019

More or less concurrently, the Minister’s Strategy Group (2008) identified a number of investment priorities, including a national framework for ICT-related CPD, access to quality software and digital content, supply and replacement of ICT equipment, high-speed school broadband access, and, provision of centrally organised technical support and maintenance. They also recommended that ICT be an integral part of ITE. The Smart Schools = Smart Economy report, published shortly after, proposed recommendations around five key themes: classroom infrastructure; professional development; planning and multi-annual budgeting; digital content growth; and, enhanced broadband access. To support the recommendations, the report proposed: ■■ initial investment of €150m to address infrastructure deficits.

■■ annual allocation of €30m for support, replacement and enhancement.

■■ increased centralisation of ICT expenditure, including technical support and maintenance costs in procurement.

Reflecting the recommendations of reports such as the Minister’s Strategy Group, the Teaching Council’s 2011 review of ITE programmes proposed ICT in teaching as a mandatory area of study in ITE programmes. Then, in 2015 came the Digital Strategy for Schools, followed by the Digital Learning Framework and Action Plan in 2017 and Planning Guidelines in 2018. The Strategy was informed by the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, consultation with stakeholders, and international best practice. It addresses ICT under four themes: ■■ teaching, learning and assessment ■■ teacher professional learning ■■ leadership, research and policy ■■ infrastructure.

ICT resources. ICT-related funding mainly concentrated on broadband provision and infrastructure (the ongoing Schools Broadband Access Programme).

Primary schools were typically unable to access funds to purchase ICT resources until the Digital Strategy ICT infrastructure grants.

Thus, almost all equipment purchased under the 2010 grant was obsolete (using DES criteria) by the later studies in Left to their own devices. Also, while the HighSpeed Broadband Programme was rolled out between 20122014, it was to post-primary schools only.

In contrast, the recent grants associated with the Digital Strategy provide €210m over a five-year period, of which €105m has been allocated (up to 2018/19). However, again, funds must only be used to purchase ICT equipment or infrastructure, not technical support.

You can access the full publication on www.ippn.ie/ Advocacy/Publications. LINK Eemer is currently on secondment from the Educational Research Centre, where she is Research Fellow. This report was written in a personal capacity for IPPN. ■■

■■

FUNDING The period from 1999 to 2005 saw investment in ICT as part of Schools IT2000 and the Blueprint for the Future of ICT in Irish Education initiatives, which aimed to invest in infrastructure, ICT teacher training and development, and curriculum support. From 2005 to 2009 – ignoring grants available only to DEIS schools – the Schools Broadband Programme was the only significant investment in ICT. It allocated €34.4m for the provision of broadband to primary and post-primary schools, although it is unclear what proportion of the funds was allocated to primary level.

Then, in 2009, the ICT in Schools Programme was created in response to recommendations in the ICT Strategy and in Smart Schools. In total, €92m was distributed to schools between 2009 and 2010, divided evenly between primary and post-primary level. At that time, primary schools held almost 60% of the total school population and comprised approximately 80% of all schools (DES, 2012). The €92m was well short of the initial €150m and annual €30m thereafter proposed in Smart Schools = Smart Economy, perhaps influenced by the economic crisis at that time.

Reflecting one of the Inspectorate’s recommendations, funds were to be spent providing each classroom teacher with a computer and digital projector. Any surplus could be spent on additional equipment (but not technical support) of the school’s choosing.

Between 2010 and 2016/17, there was no significant tranche of funds accessible for use by schools to purchase

■■

DES [Department of Education and Skills]. (2012).

Education Statistics 2010/11. Dublin: DES Statistics Section.

Maor, D., Currie, J., & Drewry, R. (2011). The effectiveness of assistive technologies for children with special needs: A review of research-based studies.

European Journal of Special Needs Education, 26(3), 283–298.

Wenglinsky, H. (2006). Technology and achievement: The bottom line. Educational Leadership, 63(4).

REVISED RESOURCE BUNDLE! Recruiting and Appointing Deputy Principals - Open Competition – Standard Application form for DP, open competition is now available and compliant with recent DES Circular 44/2019 31

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Changes at the helm

IPPN Board of Directors

Outgoing Board Member Mairéad O’Flynn Mairéad O’Flynn retired from Scoil Mhuire NS, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare in August 2017, having served as principal for 24 years. She is a practising barrister in the area of civil law and her areas of interest are Data Protection, family law, child law advocacy and education law. Mairéad completed the Advanced Diploma in Data Protection Law at the King’s Inns, Dublin. She participates as a “Cara” on the CSL Mentoring programme and was a member of the IPPN Board of Directors since November 2016. Mairéad is contactable by email to mairead.oflynn@ lawlibrary.ie.

IPPN thanks Mairéad sincerely for her voluntary work on the Board over the past three years, and for her support to school leaders over many years.

Maria Tully, originally from Galway, is Deputy Principal of Scoil Phádraig BNS, Clane, Co Kildare. She began teaching there in 1999 and was appointed Assistant Principal 11 in 2005.

Having graduated from St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra in 1991, Maria began her teaching career in St Brigid’s JNS, Brookfield, Tallaght, Dublin 24, where she was also a member of the In-School Management Team. Maria’s experience as a young teacher under exemplary school leaders has greatly influenced her own style of leadership.

Dedicated to the importance of CPD and lifelong learning,

New Board Member Maria Tully she completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Leadership in NUIM in 2016 to prepare for the journey into senior leadership.

Maria is interested in further developing the role of the Deputy Principal within IPPN and establishing support groups in each county to develop a community of support for the leadership role of the Deputy Principal.

Maria represented Kildare on IPPN’s National Council in 2018/19 and was co-opted to the Board of Directors in June 2019.

Maria is interested in further developing the role of the Deputy Principal within IPPN and establishing support groups in each county to develop a community of support for the leadership role of the Deputy Principal.

She has a very keen interest in managing the workload in schools. She has worked closely with IPPN in trialling the implementation of the PIEW model. Maria will deliver a seminar at the Deputy Principals’ Conference in November 2019 on the merits of the PIEW model as a measure for addressing priority needs in Irish primary schools.

At the time of going to print, the Annual General Meeting of the National Council had just taken place, and we can let you know that the election of Board members resulted in the following appointments: n Íde Ní Dhubháin, principal of Gaelscoil Mhachan, Mahon, Cork, was reappointed to the Board, having served since 2016 n Deirdre Kelly, teaching principal St Michaels NS, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo.

We congratulate Íde and Deirdre on their election and wish them all the very best in their governance role. A profile of the new members will be provided in the January issue of Leadership+.

32

And Finally…

‘

NS

QUOTATIO

f my o t i m i l e h T the s n a e m e languag world y m f o t i lim Ludwig Wittgenstein

’

Children’s “educational performance from nine years onwards is consistently related to the level of the mother’s education” GUI, 2016:11

Watch your to ngue – remem ber it is in a wet pla ce and likely to slip.

Anonymous “By age three, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from poor families. By school entry the gap is even greater. The consequences are catastrophic.”

Hart & Risley, 2003

Great minds d iscuss ideas.

Average mind s discuss even ts.

Small minds discuss people Eleanor Roosevelt

A teacher affects eternity; no-one can tell where their influence stops.

Henry Adams

‘

QUOTATIONS

Confidence is the feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.

Woody Allen

’

Getting started with payment in schools Convenient

Flexible

Secure

The future of payments How consumers pay has fundamentally changed with the introduction of new technologies, like mobile and contactless payments. The scale of change over the next ten years will be even more dramatic due to developments in areas like biometrics and the Internet of Things, which mean that customers could pay for a coffee with their fingerprint or for their petrol from the dashboard of their car, without even stepping foot in-store.

Benefits of accepting electronic payments Offering parents the option to pay by card can improve their payment experience and can benefit schools and colleges significantly. Benefits include improved reporting and visibility, and the reduction in resource involved in managing cash payments enabling schools to redeploy valuable teaching and administration time.

BOIPA offers transparent pricing, exceptional service and a free and simple set-up. We’ve teamed up with Way2Pay to provide a cashless payment solution for schools allowing parents to ‘pay by text’ with just a few clicks. www.BOIPA.com/Way2Pay

As the world’s largest processor and payments advocate, Worldpay can provide the innovation and technology you need. Worldpay delivers the reach, revenue and responsiveness to take payments into the future. www.worldpay.com

With more than 750 schools across Ireland currently processing with us, Elavon is the market leader in payment solutions in the education sector. We’re proud to partner with Aladdin, the software behind great schools. www.elavon.ie

Here to help For more information go to visa.ie or contact the payment providers who would be happy to discuss solutions to meet your needs.

At AIBMS we know that one size does not fit all. That’s why we can tailor a payment solution for your school.

Our customers include 200 schools using Easy Payments Plus, Way2Pay and Aladdin solutions. We process over 150,000 school payments each year. www.aibms.com