ISSUE 50 ● APRIL 2009
+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS
A Vision of Social Justice for Irish Society A Round-up of Education from the Nineties to the Noughties
Self Care for Principals – Yes, you can! Constantly giving of yourself is a major drain on you personally and your emotional well-being. It is probably true to say that you will be of little use to those whom you are leading and caring for if, in the course of your work, you neglect to care for yourself.
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Self Care for Principals – Yes, you can! by Seán Cottrell, IPPN Director and Larry Fleming, IPPN President
This school year will be forever remembered as the year Irish education took a devastating blow that saw the progress of an entire decade wiped out in one fell swoop. At the same time the personal finances of teachers and Principals were severely hit with various levies and tax increases. The nightmare that began to unfold at the end of 2008 and continues to haunt us all, has added inordinately to your role as if it weren’t already challenging enough. As Principal and leader of your school, everyone turns to you for answers.You cannot predict the future any more than anyone else. Yet, inevitably colleagues seek your support and advice. All this amounts to increasing time and energy given to the pastoral care of the children and staff in your school. Constantly giving of yourself is a major drain on you personally and your emotional well-being. It is probably true to say that you will be of little use to those whom you are leading and caring for if, in the course of your work, you neglect to care for yourself. Regrettably, it is so often true that Principals put themselves last in the long line of people’s needs, particularly in times of recession. The end of the school year for most people involves looking forward to the enjoyment of a summer break. This year Principals are faced with a multiplicity of new challenges and pressure points. The loss of teaching and SNA posts, withdrawal of grants, suppression of Special Classes and Language Support, all combined, make planning for September more difficult than ever. When you add in the existing end-of-year frenzy of activities and deadlines, is it any wonder that the end of the school year is so stressful for Principals? Is it absolutely essential that so many aspects of school business are ‘wedged’ into a common deadline? Is there any other line of business that would arrange staff recruitment, stock-taking, financial year end, refurbishment, annual maintenance, professional reporting and administrative deadlines, all to happen at more or less the same time – when everyone is on official holidays and communication with key contacts is often impossible? Needless to say, you as Principal cannot walk away from school on June 30th if the school is to be ready to re-open on September 1st. It is not your fault that others cannot complete their planning on time.Will the world stop revolving if you don’t meet unreasonable deadlines set for the convenience of others? The main risk arises from the frenetic pace of school life in the last fortnight of June. You as Principal are constantly responding to everyone else’s needs based on their desire for ‘closure’ by June 30th. In order to effectively address these needs, you feel forced to give every minute of your time to the ever-growing queue of requests, consequently postponing many of your own priorities which inevitably back-up and remain on your list until July 1st.That’s when you get the mixed feelings of relief, because the external pressure has been released, followed quickly by the feeling of exasperation in knowing that you have so much to do and are alone in getting it done. Bearing all this in mind, you can prevent a lot of this holiday-time overload by proactively and strategically planning the workload arising from the management needs of the school. In order to achieve this, you must Director: Seán Cottrell director@ippn.ie T: 353 21 452 4925 F: 353 21 435 5648 The opinions expressed in Leadership + do not President: Larry Fleming president@ippn.ie necessarily reflect the official policy or views of the Editor: Damian White editor@ippn.ie Irish Primary Principals’ Network Assistant Editor: Brendan McCabe ISSN: 1649 -5888 Assistant Director:Virginia O’Mahony Advertising: marketing@ippn.ie Design and print: Brosna Press • 090 Irish Primary Principals’ Network, 6454327 • info@brosnapress.ie Glounthaune, Co Cork PAG E 3
acknowledge two facts – first, you the Principal are not responsible for carrying out the function of the BoM/ISM team, and second, the longer you continue to compensate for the unavailability, unwillingness or inability of others to fulfill their management responsibilities, the more you perpetuate and ‘normalise’ the practice whereby the Principal is expected to carry out the work of others with management responsibility. Many Principals say that ‘it’s easier to do it myself ’ and ‘if I don’t do it, no one else will’ but the longterm consequences of this are disastrous! So how do you start? The Ten Self Care Commandments for Principals below, first printed in 2005, provide an approach to scheduling and managing not just your workload, but also the workload which must be undertaken by members of the BoM & ISM team. On reading these, it is likely that you may think ‘I could never do that in this school!’. Why not? There is a first time for everything. Unless you can assert your right to distribute leadership and delegate management responsibilities, you are consigned to perpetual martyrdom 365 days a year. Is sinne le meas Larry Fleming, Seán Cottrell
10 SELF-CARE COMMANDMENTS FOR PRINCIPALS 1. Before the end of term, arrange a meeting with your BoM Chairperson and Deputy Principal to make a collective list of the main outstanding tasks for the months ahead 2. Collectively prioritise key tasks and decide which items can wait until September. Plan your response based on what you consider to be a reasonable time frame, taking into account the suggested deadline. 3. Examine each of the prioritised tasks and decide who should take responsibility for them 4. Delegate as much as possible to individual BoM members and the In-School Management team 5. Where certain key functions such as recruitment must be scheduled, make a plan for July and August which facilitates the Chairperson, a Deputy Chairperson, Principal and Deputy Principal, to provide cover for each other whilst also being able to plan a family holiday 6. Arrange that the school secretary handles all mail during the holiday period. If you do not have a school secretary, delegate it as a task to a member of the ISM or BoM. 7. Purchase a telephone answering machine. The voice message should advise parents why the telephone is not answered, where books and uniforms can be purchased, the date of school reopening, how to apply for late enrolments etc. 8. Delegate the responsibility to manage keys and alarm codes for summer camps, maintenance work, staff access and other unplanned events, e.g. burglary, vandalism 9. Take a complete break from school by organising a holiday which physically prevents you from being available 10. Remember that although you are the Principal you are not indispensable.Turn off your mobile phone and take a decent holiday.
IPPN Conference 2009
Delivering Quality Outcomes …Speech by the Minister for Education and Science (Abridged) Batt O’Keeffe TD, Friday, 30th January I very much recognise the commitment, dedication, and hard work given by you as Principals in schools across the country and the crucial importance of your leadership role in our primary education system. The theme of your conference is ‘Education- who pays?’. A critical consideration is, within any given level of resources, the impact on the future prospects of our children and indeed on the general wellbeing of our people. Those resources are not utilised to the fullest, in an optimum manner that delivers quality outcomes. We face acute difficulties in our public finances. The Government has been working on a set of measures intended to deal with those problems and is currently engaged with the social partners with a view to securing the greatest level of consensus possible about how we as a people work our way through the difficulties and challenges that we face. I want to thank the Social Partners for their constructive approach to the current discussions.
I know that IPPN, as an organisation, is outward looking, examining best practice in other countries and always looking for new ideas I want to focus today on areas where I believe we have common purpose and where progress and improvement can be made regardless of resource levels and where what is important is that all of the education partners working together have as a common purpose an agenda of improvement in educational outcomes for children. I know that IPPN, as an organisation, is outward looking, examining best practice in other countries and always looking for new ideas and that you do so driven by a belief that we should never rest on our oars. In the years since you formed, your leadership has always demonstrated a strong desire and agenda for change and I commend you for that.
I know that you, as Principals, have a strong culture of working in a co-professional way with teachers and other school staff. This approach recognises that it is through influencing teachers that you can best have an impact on the quality of student learning. You are also able to constructively get strong messages across to school staffs and school boards about things that can be done better. INFORMATION FOR PARENTS I have also spoken about my strong belief in the importance of parents and local communities having good quality information about their schools. The publication of school inspection reports represents a very significant development in the public discourse on education. A brief glance at any provincial paper clearly demonstrates how reports are helping to raise the public's awareness of the significant work that is being done by schools to ensure good educational outcomes and the factors that drive good performance External inspection reports are not the only development needed in this area. They can be but a point in time evaluation of where a school is at. I would like, in my term as Minister, to work with the education partners to improve the range and scope of the information schools make available to parents. I want to see a situation where it is commonplace for schools to share with the school community their own analysis based on self-evaluation. Many schools are good at making policies on various aspects of school life available to parents. The challenge ahead is to go further and ensure that parents have more information about their school's real progress in its programmes and activities and that this occurs regularly. I believe we need schools to share information about the school's achievements and performance, its priorities for development and its strategic plans for improvement. UNDERPERFORMANCE OF INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS We have a proud legacy of excellence in teaching in this country. The great majority our teachers are capable, confident and committed professionals, who help their pupils PAG E 4
to succeed in learning, develop their pupils' individual talents and who care about their pupils' personal and social development. But when teaching goes seriously wrong (and it can go wrong), pupils suffer. Here I am talking about very few teachers who may experience, at one time or another, significant professional competence difficulties.
I have also spoken about my strong belief in the importance of parents and local communities having good quality information about their schools. During 2009, I am taking the very significant step of bringing forward newly-agreed procedures to enable school authorities to address the issue of serious under-performance by individual teachers, in a fair and consistent manner. A critical breakthrough was made before Christmas within the Teachers Conciliation Council where agreement was reached on new procedures under Section 24 of the Education Act. The procedures recognise that teachers who require assistance should have access to relevant professional development services. The Department will play its part and the procedures provide that a board of management may seek the advice of the Chief Inspector which will mean that the Inspectorate will have an appropriate involvement in certain circumstances. This external review of a teacher's work will be an important source of expert advice; but the decision-making will rest, quite properly, with the school authorities and fully respect and reflect the role of the Board as employer. Having the correct processes in place, to deal effectively with underperformance, will be an important pillar in the delivery of a learnercentred education in our system in the future. For school principals willing to deal with underperformance, I believe the new agreement provides much improved structures and processes to support their efforts compared to the frustration that may have been experienced under past procedures.
IN-SCHOOL MANAGEMENT The school development planning process also provides a useful context for the determination of the schools management needs and I know that many of you are anxiously awaiting the outcome of the review of in-school management practices at national level which is being finalised under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council. IPPN made a valuable contribution in advancing this work as a member of an initial working (group) outside of the Teachers Conciliation Council. Your leadership has expressed to my officials a sense of frustration that the work had not been
During 2009, I am taking the very significant step of bringing forward newlyagreed procedures to enable school authorities to address the issue of serious under-performance by individual teachers finalised yet. However, where the terms and conditions of teachers are concerned, the Teachers Conciliation Council is the forum in which change is agreed. The process of achieving consensus within the education
partnership and agreement in an industrial relations context can be slow but it is consensus that enables final agreed arrangements to be effectively implemented and critically that allows stakeholders to take ownership of the new arrangements.
discretion that they afford you. Principals however already have some discretion even under the existing staffing schedule and many do decide to make a particular class, perhaps infants, smaller, accepting that this means that some other classes must be larger.
THE PRINCIPAL AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION I am pleased that in a very difficult year that I was able to provide an increase of about 12% for primary capitation grant funding. I made clear that I favoured a simplification of our grant systems for both primary and second level schools and that I see one capitation grant as the way forward. I believe that this has the merit not only of allowing schools to use funding in a manner that reflects the school's priorities and plans but also reduces the burden of administration for you and indeed for my own Department.
I made clear that I favoured a simplification of our grant systems for both primary and second level schools and that I see one capitation grant as the way forward.
Work is also progressing in my Department on setting up a payroll service for part-time learning support and resource teachers. It is due to commence in September 2009. This and other developments like the Online Claims System will help ease some of the administrative workload on schools. I do not rule out looking at our staffing allocation mechanisms and the amount of
CONCLUSION In conclusion, I acknowledge that as a Government we will have to make tough and difficult decisions to stabilise the public finances over the next few years, but these are an essential first step in securing future economic progress and ultimately the capacity to deliver services. I congratulate IPPN on your excellent work and continuing your focus on the need for positive change within our education system, under the excellent leadership of Larry Fleming and Seรกn Cottrell - Offaly and Cork couldn't but be a successful combination!
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A Round-up of Education from the Nineties to the Noughties by John Walshe, Education Correspondent, Irish Independent For our 50th edition of Leadership+ we invited one of Ireland’s foremost education correspondents to contribute an article reviewing developments in Irish education since IPPN was founded. The nineties saw an intense round of consultations and legislation. This decade should have been a period of consolidation when changes heralded in successive Acts of the Oireachtas were implemented. But has it worked out that way? Before attempting to answer that question, it is worthwhile reminding ourselves of the hectic years in policy development before the turn of the century. A team from the OECD reported in 1991, which set off a major consultative process about educational reform. A Green Paper (Education for a Changing World) was published a year later to be followed in 1994 by a National Convention on Education and the process culminated in the publication of a White Paper (Charting our Educational Future) in 1995. It is interesting to look at that chart now and ask what are we to make of the noughties.
Over the years IPPN and others have highlighted the need to provide English language classes for the huge number of newcomer children in our schools. Educational developments, of course, cannot be discussed in isolation from the society around them as the OECD noted when it said ‘to understand contemporary Ireland, it is necessary to recognise how much its remote as well as more recent history still affects public values and attitudes and offers a key to understanding its institutions, not least its system of education’. But so much has happened in the past few years, we have hardly have had time to draw breath and review what has occurred. Many people seemed to become self-centred and obsessed with accumulating more and more. The boom in the economy did allow more money for schools – it’s never enough, naturally, but significant strides were made.
Although we rightly complain about class sizes, the fact is we now have 30,000 primary teachers teaching roughly the same number of pupils as there were a decade ago when there were 20,000 teachers in the system. Many of the demands made then by the INTO, and later by IPPN when it was up and running, have also been met, including: ● the introduction of the revised curriculum on a phased basis ● more in-service training days ● reduced points for appointment of Administrative Principals ● more caretakers and secretaries ● release time for Principals ● integration of special needs pupils in mainstream schools. And who would have thought that the demand for a lunchtime free of supervision duties, which was laughed at a decade ago when first mooted, would actually be conceded with teachers having the option of taking the break or getting paid for it. Over the years, IPPN and others have highlighted the need to provide English language classes for the huge number of newcomer children in our schools. A large number of such teachers have been appointed but their numbers will be reduced as the Celtic Tiger slinks away to be replaced by a skinny cat. Some of the other advances will also be eroded but by no means reversed entirely. A powerful Principals’ organisation, a powerful union and a powerful national parents’ group combine to make it more difficult for hard-pressed governments to cut much more from the education budget, despite the dire state of the economy. That same economy, however, makes it difficult, if not impossible to continue increasing the numbers employed in the education system or to allow for middle management promotions which are needed. Equally worrying is the effect on the Government’s ICT programme for schools which is effectively on hold. The OECD has shown how our ICT provision is behind that of other countries which is a bit of a nonsense when put alongside our Government’s plans for the Knowledge Economy. We have the ridiculous situation of massive funding at third level to bring PAG E 6
in top researchers who will help drive that economy but primary and second level schools starved of basic ICT resources.
The past few years have also seen greater demands for accountability from schools with the publication of whole school evaluation reports and a growing movement towards a new public management culture The changing economy is also affecting implementation of some important sections of the EPSEN Act after so much effort was made to make up for years of disgraceful neglect of our special needs students. And there are worrying signs that the numbers of special needs assistants, which have grown to around 18,000 full-time and part-time, will be reduced significantly. The past few years have also seen greater demands for accountability from schools with the publication of whole school evaluation reports and a growing movement towards a new public management culture which is beginning to impact on Irish education. That could develop apace as schools become scapegoats and are accused of ‘not doing enough’ to further our competitiveness. However, before we rush too fast into an inputoutput approach, which inevitably leads to a league table culture, it would be well to heed the warning of Dr Kathleen Lynch who commented that ‘In education not everything that counts can be counted and not everything that can be counted counts’. John Walshe is Education Editor of the Irish Independent and a well known commentator on educational issues. A graduate of NUI Galway and UCC, he is a three times winner of national media awards for outstanding work in journalism. He was a consultant to the OECD on four major educational reports and is the author of A New Partnership in Education which was published by the Institute of Public Administration.
by Clare Ryan & Kevin Haugh, Leadership Development for Schools This workshop examined two core aspects critical to either developing an initial code of behaviour or indeed reinforcing an existing code, employing the framework as outlined by the NEWB Guidelines for Schools. Firstly, we endeavoured to explore the range and breadth of behaviours in order to refine our understanding of cause, consequence and possible preventive/ interventive actions. Secondly, having established an appropriate foundation, we examined the NEWB Guidelines for Schools, with a specific emphasis on the role and responsibilities of the Principal and Board of Management.
The workshop emphasised the pivotal role of relationships and how learning, behaviour and relationships are inextricably linked. Having been a member of the Expert Group appointed to assist the NEWB in formulating the guidelines, the facilitator is ideally placed to both clarify the processes involved, as well as support workshop participants to assume their legal responsibilities in progressing work on the code. From the outset, the emphasis was on identifying good practice as outlined in the Guidelines in order that the code would become a living breathing document which, in expressing the school’s mission and vision, would allow the school community to ‘…. translate the expectations of staff, parents and students into practical arrangements that will help to ensure continuity of instruction to all students’. In terms of deepening our understanding of behaviour, the workshop emphasised the pivotal role of relationships and how learning, behaviour and relationships are inextricably linked. Page 27 of the Guidelines clearly articulates this and offers school communities an ideal commencement point for formulating a sustainable
Conference Workshop
Developing a Sustainable Code of Behaviour
code of behaviour: ● Behaviour has meaning. It is not random. It serves a purpose and has goals, though these goals may not be easy to recognise ● Behaviour can be learned. This means it can change ● Behaviour takes place within a particular context and in relation to other people; understanding the context is central to understanding the behaviour ● What teachers, other adults and other students do in response to a student’s behaviour is critical in influencing the choices students make about how they behave ● Effective teaching and learning are closely linked to good behaviour ● Positive acknowledgement is a very effective way of influencing and promoting good learning behaviour ● The quality of relationships affects behaviour. Exploring the quality of relationships allows schools to affirm excellent practice and use this as the basis for formulating a comprehensive code of conduct for all, based upon clear standards and expectations. This is far preferable to devoting significant energies on devising sets of rules. If the process of consultation and collaboration is honoured, the results will be both enduring and collectively owned. Discourse and discussion centred on a range of topics including: ● Auditing the current code ● The principles underpinning an effective code ● Teaching the code ● Sanctions & rewards ● Developing a whole-school response ● Establishing standards of behaviour ● Procedures, protocols and practice relating to suspension and expulsion. The workshops were exceptionally wellattended, interactive and hopefully informative. The response was extremely positive.
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High Court Quashes Decision of Section 29 Appeals Committee in Landmark Decision concerning the refusal of a school to enrol 2 students St Mologa’s National School, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. V The Department of Education and Science & Kevin Meehan, Maura Ni Mhartin, Paddy Hogan (The Section 29 Appeal Committee) Judge Mary Irvine (The High Court) 17th of February 2009 THE BACKGROUND This was a judicial review hearing brought by the above named school, aimed at overturning a direction from the Department of Education and Science (DES) requiring it to enrol two pupils. The refusals were justified on the grounds of a lack of accommodation. The school rejected an application by the mother of two girls, on the grounds it had already turned down applications from 41 other prospective pupils. The mother claimed that there were no places available in other schools in the locality and sought a Section 29 Appeal Hearing.The Appeal Committee held a hearing and recommended that the school should take the girls. It claimed that the school had capacity. The School was directed by the Secretary General of the DES to comply with the decision of the Section 29 Committee. The Board of Management (BoM) of the school took these proceedings by way of judicial review in the High Court on the basis that the decision of the Appeals Committee was irrational and wrong in law. The decision of the Committee was described as ‘an extraordinary development’ because it changed the traditional situation where BoMs decided the basis on which pupils were enrolled. The BoM argued that there was a danger that, unless the matter was clarified by the Court, it would allow for chaos in future years. The BoM stated that accommodation was so tight hat the Principal had to operate from a table in a corridor in order to free up his room. While the school had
16 teachers and was entitled to 17 teachers, it simply had no accommodation for another class. The school has expanded rapidly in the last 10 years and was willing to expand to a 24 teacher school if permanent accomm-odation was made available. As in all judicial review hearings, the proceedings involved the reading of sworn affidavits from relevant parties. Barristers then put forward their views on what the law was, albeit coming from different directions. There was no oral evidence or the cross-examination of witnesses.The school wanted a declaration that the decision of the Appeals Committee had no legal effect, and that it was in breach of justice and/or rationality in holding that it had capacity to accommodate the children.
The school rejected an application by the mother of two girls on the grounds it had already turned down applications from 41 other prospective pupils. The school’s case as presented to the Section 29 Committee by the School Principal, Mr Bill O’Toole was as follows: 1. The school’s main responsibility was to those students who were already in the school.The school needed to run to a standard, which could not be achieved if the numbers of students were not curtailed in accordance with the decision of the BoM to confine enrolment in the school to students coming from the Junior School St Peter and Paul’s. 2. The physical condition of the school and in particular its use of prefabricated classrooms was not satisfactory for the long-term education of students. PAG E 8
3. The school had only 15 classrooms out of which it had to operate 16 mainstream classes. In addition, it had no classroom to deal with non-teaching needs such as the psychological evaluation of students. Health checks were carried out in public areas, disrupting other activities of school life including PE. 4. Repeated requests for assistance from the DES to provide additional permanent accommodation had been rejected in spite of the fact that there was a population explosion in Balbriggan. 5. The BoM had to have regard to the physical and psychological welfare of students and teachers alike and for this reason the BoM needed to curtail numbers. 6. The BoM had already rejected 41 students prior to rejecting the two students involved in these proceedings on the basis that the school was full. 7. The school had applied its enrolment policy and there was nothing repugnant or unlawful about that policy. 8. The BoM was concerned over health and safety issues.A fire had occurred as a result of the overloading of the ESB supply as a consequence of the demands generated by the large number of prefabricated buildings. 9. The school was entitled to a 17th mainstream teacher but had not availed of this option on the grounds that there was no classroom in which the proposed new teacher could operate. 10. The BoM further sought to validate its decision to refuse to enrol the two particular pupils on the basis that DES circular 0020/2007 directed schools to endeavour to ‘ensure’ that it would maintain its average class size to 27 students. Circular 09/99 also
advised in relation to student numbers, that all special needs children should be counted for the purposes of determining the size of mainstream classes. However, even if this circular was not adhered to by the school, the numbers would still be over the level deemed acceptable by the DES. 11. The Appeals Committee was invited to inspect the school premises and to examine a file in relation to the school’s efforts to obtain funding for additional facilities.
capacity to enrol the students. The Committee took its decision on the basis of the following considerations: 1. The oral and written presentations of both parties. 2. St Mologa’s was the school of choice of the parents of the students who now reside in the parish of Balbriggan. 3. St Mologa’s National School was the nearest school to the family home.
St. Mologa’s National School Enrolment Policy The enrolment policy gave priority to students seeking admission to St. Mologa’s in the following order: 1. Pupils enrolled in second class in St Peter and Paul’s Junior National School on the last day of the school year, who are seeking enrolment into third class at the beginning of the next school year.
4. The concern of the parents of both girls regarding their future education.
2. Brothers and sisters of children in the school.
7. Difficulties of the school in maintaining the ESB supply within an increased number of prefabricated buildings.
5. The expressed willingness of St Mologa’s national school to facilitate all pupils who apply for enrolment should the school have sufficient permanent accommodation to do so. 6. The BoMs desire to procure permanent accommodation for a 24 teacher school.
have been intended to second guess a decision of the BoM as to a school’s capacity. The Appeals Committee argued that they were not bound by the terms of a school’s particular enrolment policy. In other words the Committee say that they had a right to conduct a full inquiry into any decision made by a Board of Management.They claimed that the Act gives parents, for the very first time, a right to challenge a school’s decision not to enrol their child irrespective of whether or not the decision was made by the lawful application of a valid enrolment policy. JUDGEMENT 1. The Appeals committee acted ultra vires in that it exceeded its jurisdiction under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 in purporting to conduct the type of wide ranging investigation that was carried out. It would take very clear language in Section 29 of the Act to convince the Court that it was the intention of the legislature to establish a Committee that would have the right or power to reverse a management decision made by a BoM.
3. Catholic children of the parish. 4. Catholic children who live outside the parish. 5. All the children who live within the parish boundaries but are not Catholic applying for a placement are entitled to a place if there are vacancies after the groups from 14 have been allocated. 6. All children who apply to the school and are not Catholic and are not residents within the parish boundaries are entitled to a place in the school if there are vacancies in the school after the groups from 1-5 have been allocated places. (This policy appears to be of the standard type that the CPSMA has distributed to BoMs in the past number of years.) The Decision of the Section 29 Appeals Committee The Appeals Committee allowed the appeal on behalf of the two girls who were refused admission on the basis that the school had the
8. The school’s implementation of Circular 9/99 with regard to the integration of pupils from the dyslexia units.
The Appeals Committee argued that they were not bound by the terms of a school’s particular enrolment policy. The Power of the Appeals Committee under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 The school argued in Court that the power of the Appeals Committee was limited to a review of the lawfulness of its decision to refuse enrolment. The Committee had no jurisdiction to interfere with a management decision made in accordance with a valid management policy. The school further argued that such a management decision was one for the BoM alone, and was beyond the remit of the Minister, the DES and even the school Patron. It was inconceivable that an ad hoc Committee could PAG E 9
2. Even if the Appeals Committee had the power it claimed to have in being able to conduct the wide ranging investigation which it carried out, its decision should in any event be quashed by reason of the fact that: a. It took into account matters which were irrelevant to the issue which it had to decide b. It failed to take into account in its considerations matters which were material to its decision c. Its decision was irrational in all the circumstances. 3. The Section 29 Committee is something akin to a regulator who would have the right to review complaints made against BoMs regarding their refusal to enrol so as to ensure that it had acted lawfully in accordance with a valid enrolment policy, that it had not acted in a discriminatory or invidious manner and that its decision in all the circumstances was not irrational. Otherwise, the issue as to the school’s capacity could be continually altered by
2009 ONLINE SUMMER COURSES Building on the success of our 2008 summer programme of professional development, we are delighted to announce our 2009 Department of Education & Science approved series of comprehensive summer courses. These four courses have been developed to provide a greater understanding of and innovative solutions to the many challenges facing Principals. 1. Bullying – Prevention & Counteraction
2. Challenging Behaviour
A practical and engaging course to assist Principals and staff to foster an open and respectful school culture preventing bullying behavior. The course focuses on enhancing your school policy with information, insights and hands on documents and resources.
A course to enable Principals to prepare for and deal with all types of challenging behavior regardless of sourceand foster a positive and respectful culture amongst Principals, teachers, staff, parents and pupils. Modules include:
Modules include: ● Introduction & mission statement ● Incidence & dynamics of bullying ● Documenting & reporting
● Building a bully-free environment ● Bullying intervention strategies ● Cyber-bullying
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Reflection on leadership Challenging behaviour Challenging situations Indicators of growing challenge ● Team building ● Listening skills
● Personal reactions to challenge ● Influencing style ● Mediation ● Life skills for leaders ● Goals and goal setting ● Time management
3. Ciall Ceannaithe for Newly Appointed Principals
4. Managing Special Needs Assistants – Promoting Best Practice
A highly practical step-by-step course built on the collective wisdom and experience of seasoned Principals including video/audio interviews and advice on what to do & when to do it. An essential course for NAP’s and indeed all Principals.
Want to get the most positive outcomes for your special needs pupils? This course presents best practice across a wide range of areas in leading SNA’s as part of your whole school team.
Modules include: ● General advice on getting ● Factual information about started your school ● Scheduling priorities for ● Professional supports Year 1 available to Principals ● Good practice for Teaching ● In addition Newly Principals Appointed Principals will ● Timetabling for Teaching be furnished with access to Principals a number of key resources
Modules include: ● Procedures for appointing, ● Responding to care needs ● Organising effective guidelines for selecting training at school and SNA ● Define the role of the SNA wider levels with special emphasis on ● Evaluation and selfthe whole school evaluation of the work of ● Developing best practice the SNA
Each course includes:
Registration:
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5 modules (20 hours of study) Fully interactive online lessons with audio/visual Discussion forum moderated by expert facilitator Online reflective learning log to record progress Dedicated support team contactable by phone & email Innovative technology-enhanced learning 3 EPV Days (approved by the DES) subject to terms and conditions
To enrol, visit www.ippn.ie Fee is €95 per course Early booking is advised Courses can be completed within an 8 week period (1st July to 22nd August 2009) • Last date for Course Commencement is August 15th 2009
ongoing decisions of various appeals committees. 4. A decision made as to a school’s capacity is a sophisticated decision and is not one which is amenable to scrutiny by reference simply to any mathematical formula, numbers exercise or an examination of the physical dimensions of school classrooms. Such decisions must involve the consideration of a wide range of issues which include the BoM’s obligations regarding both the extent and the standard of education to be delivered, the requirements of the DES regarding the curriculum as well as the physical and emotional welfare of its students. 5. A BoM could spend its entire time defending such appeals in a scenario where one Appeals Committee on one day could decide that a school had no capacity to enrol a particular student only for the same or a different committee to come to an alternative conclusion the following day in relation to a different student thus rendering it impossible for a BoM to manage its school on a day to day basis or plan for its future.
The Court rejected the view that the Committee was entitled to take into account the academic ability of any student refused enrolment. 6. The Court rejected the view that the Committee was entitled to take into account the academic ability of any student refused enrolment. If it had such a right, the system of enrolment would be rendered invidious and/or discriminatory.The Court views the Appeals Committee reliance upon academic ability as being entirely misplaced, and of no value in circumstances where the Committee had no knowledge of the abilities or disabilities of the children in the school into which the two children had sought admission.Therefore the Committee could not have been in a position to assess whether or not additional children placed into those classes, irrespective of their academic ability, would prove an unacceptable burden on the teaching staff or interfere with their ability to deliver the type of education required to meet the needs of those students already in those classes. 7. The Court understood that the Appeal Committee was well-motivated. It clearly sympathised with the notice parties who had decided to move to Balbriggan in the knowledge that they would have difficulty enrolling their children in schools in that locality and who had been unsuccessful in this regard. However, it is not the function
or role of a Section 29 Committee to sort out a problem which is one of a shortage of school places in an expanding community. That problem is one to be addressed in accordance with Section 27 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, by the National Educational Welfare Board.
If the High Court was to accept the submission of the Section 29 Appeal Committee it could force a BOM that had no right of appeal to enrol more students than it considered safe. SUMMARY This case is a landmark decision in that, for the first time since the enactment of the Education Act 1998, a school Board of Management challenged a decision of a Section 29 Appeals Committee to force it to enrol pupils that it does not wish to accept.The school won its case in a comprehensive fashion on all the grounds that it argued. The High Court held that an Appeals Committee is an ad hoc Committee. The Committee can only review decisions of BoMs so as to ensure that they had acted lawfully in accordance with a valid enrolment policy and that it had not acted in a discriminatory or invidious manner and that its decisions in all the circumstances was not irrational. It cannot embark on a general enquiry or ‘fishing expedition’. If the High Court was to accept the submission of the Section 29 Appeal Committee it could force a BoM that had no right of appeal to enrol more students than it considered safe. In turn this would expose the BoM to litigation in respect of which the Committee would undoubtedly contend that it had no liability. OBSERVATION IPPN welcomes this High Court decision. In particular it congratulates the school principal Mr Bill O’Toole and his BoM for their courage in mounting this High Court challenge. Litigation is time-consuming and comes with all sorts of risks. The concept behind the establishment of Section 29 appeals was to allow parents easy access to a mechanism where they could challenge decisions of school BoMs in relation to refusal of admissions, suspension in excess of 20 days and expulsions. Prior to the Education Act 1998, the only remedy for parents was to seek a High Court review of a BoM’s decision. This was expensive and fraught with difficulties whilst the new procedure was free. The new appeal mechanism was a novel and creative solution from parents’ perspective.
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Twelve hundred appeals were initiated over the last 8 years. Of a total of 634 schools, 314 were judged not to have valid enrolment policies or to have not acted in accordance with them. Another 316 schools were deemed to have acted in such a manner as to justify refusal of admission. Another 600 appeals were either withdrawn or were resolved through facilitation. Some Committees lost the run of themselves and moved away from their remit. They sought to actively involve themselves in the task of finding places for children, and in effect sought to manage schools at a hands length basis. This case illustrates the lengths to which an Appeals Committee would go to place a student. Health and safety concerns were acknowledged but ignored, the DES Circulars in relation to class size were interpreted and computated in a manner that did not impress the Court.The last straw was in relation to an attempt by the Committee to justify the enrolment of the students concerned on the basis of their academic ability. Schools can now move forward knowing that if they have a valid enrolment policy and that any refusals are justifiable and can be referenced to that policy, that they will have nothing to fear from a Section 29 Appeal. Equally some Appeals Committees will have to row back on their liberal interpretation of the powers conferred on them and take due notice of this landmark decision.
Schools can now move forward knowing that if they have a valid enrolment policy and that any refusals are justifiable and can be referenced to that policy, that they will have nothing to fear from a Section 29 appeal. A number of other High Court judgements are due. I will alert you to them as soon as they come to hand. A settlement in terms most favourable to Scoil Mhuire Primary School in Coolcotts, Co Wexford was made last month. The facts of their case were almost identical to those of St Mologa’s. Congratulations to Mr Pat Goff, School Principal and Deputy President of IPPN, who was instrumental in leading that particular High Court challenge against a decision of a Section 29 Appeals Committee compelling his school to accept students who were lower on the waiting list than other students. The facts of this case are published in the Legal Diary in issue 48 of Leadership+ ’.
IPPN Conference 2009
A Vision of Social Justice for Irish Society by Sr Stanislaus Kennedy Today practically all conversations, discussions and debate are punctuated with concerns for our economy and the gloom of the recession, and it is right and proper that we should be concerned and that we all take our responsibility of trying to put it right. However, today, we must do more than that. This is a time for leadership and for envisioning a new future and planning for a fair and just and equal society. If we don’t plan for it now, we will not have it in the future. We have never developed in Ireland a Social Policy to go side by side with the Economic Policy and so we have never developed a fair and equal society. This evening, I want to envision a new Ireland, a socially just Irish society.
The most blatant manifestation of social injustice is poverty, and we will never have social justice while we have people living in poverty in this country. When I think about the kind of Ireland I would like to see, I try to envisage a place where any child could grow up safe and well and take their place as a responsible and participating citizen. Let’s imagine a child, then, born into the ideal new socially just Ireland. It might be born into a struggling inner-city family or into a middle-class suburban family, into an immigrant family or a Traveller family, in a town or a city or in rural Ireland; it might be a girl or a boy; it might be born into a twoparent family or the child of a single mother; it might be a healthy child, or a child born with HIV or with a disability; it might be born into poverty or into comfort; it might be a little Muslim or a little Catholic or the child of secular parents; its mother-tongue might be English or Irish, Polish or French or Arabic. Whatever its family background, genetic heritage, cultural identity or health status, it is easy to recognise and natural to want to
respond to the vulnerability and myriad needs of a new baby: the need for love and security, safety and warmth, food and shelter. Nor is it hard to extend this thinking and to agree that all our children should be able to grow up free of violence, oppression and addiction, to be safe from trafficking, slavery and exploitation, and to have their health, housing, educational and economic needs met, as of right. Needs-based housing, health and education provision as a right is the cornerstone of social justice and the least we should expect of a society that calls itself Christian, humane, modern and democratic. In theory, we already subscribe to that ideal, but recent developments in our country have made it very clear how far we are from realising it. The most blatant manifestation of social injustice is poverty, and we will never have social justice while we have people living in poverty in this country. Even at the height of the recent economic boom, we had the problem of what social scientists call ‘consistent poverty’ – what we might think of as ‘dire poverty’. In essence, this means not having enough money to feed one’s family and keep them warm. We did have a national plan to eradicate consistent poverty by the year 2010, but recent events have put paid to that plan. We now have no plan to eradicate consistent poverty as each day, more and more people are joining the dole queues and experiencing consistent poverty. But if poverty itself is a serious barrier to social justice, the refusal by the well-off to believe in the existence of poverty is perhaps an even more serious barrier – and I include most government and authority figures here too. Worse again than a refusal to accept that we have poverty in our country is a grudging acknowledgement of its existence accompanied by a ‘blame’ mentality that says poor people are poor because they are lazy or stupid or drink too much. Lots of rich people are lazy or stupid or drink too much, but nobody ever suggests that that is why they are rich. The myth that people choose poverty or somehow deserve their poverty is the most insidious
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myth in our society. People are poor by and large because they are born poor, just as people are generally rich because they are born rich or they are born into a family with sufficient means to allow them to become rich. People can sometimes acquire funds and status through a combination of talent, hard work and good luck over time and generations, but really poor people rarely become really rich. One reason for this is that being really poor is a full-time job in itself; but it is also because poverty, though it is defined largely in economic terms, has complex effects in every area of the life of the poor that make it almost impossible for them to move out of their poverty effects like social exclusion, high educational drop-out rates and poor mental and physical health.
We need to change our thinking as a society and acknowledge that poverty cannot be measured in absolute terms For this reason, it is up not to the individual but to society to choose to eradicate poverty and give people of every income level the opportunity to participate fully in civic life. We need to change our thinking as a society and acknowledge that poverty cannot be measured in absolute terms; nor can a notional amount of money be identified as sufficient. What people need is not some arbitrary income. What they need is enough to live on. In other words, if we are to eradicate the grinding effects of poverty, we have to start by meeting people’s actual needs. As long as we do not see the meeting of people’s needs as the basis for an equitable civic society, we will continue to have babies who at birth are already severely disadvantaged by their family circumstances.Their parents could be ill or impoverished, addicted or separated from family members by immigration restrictions, or
they may just be struggling to meet their financial commitments. Babies born into families in certain areas of our major cities are very likely to grow up with an array of problems which will prescribe a life of multiple deprivation, early school-leaving, unemployment and possibly crime, prostitution and imprisonment as surely as a child born on the other side of town into a privileged family is likely to get a leaving certificate, possibly a degree and a well paid job. My vision for the Ireland of tomorrow is that it should be a place where such predictions cannot so confidently be made about a child as it comes into the world. Rather it should be a place where any parents of a newborn baby can be sure that the needs of their child will be met. Ideally, any baby born in our country should have equal and unquestioned access to the services and help that it needs: access to suitable housing in a safe environment with appropriate facilities; quick and easy access to the level of health care that it needs, regardless of its parents’ income. Imagine now that our national baby, so to speak, born into a new more socially just Ireland, is growing up. He or she ideally lives with their family in a warm and adequately spacious home in a healthy environment and a safe neighbourhood that is free of guns, drugs and crime, with green spaces and places to play, well served by local shops and facilities and good public transport. Ideally the child’s parents are supported by grandparents and extended family, and the child grows up in a mixed community and forms good and safe relationships with family members, older people, family friends and other children.
Cutting access to schoolbooks for our very poorest childrens an appalling response to economic problems, All our children need to grow up with a clear idea of both their rights and their responsibilities. As they grow to adulthood, they need to develop the ability to engage freely and critically with society. And so, when the time comes for our imagined child to go to preschool and later to primary school, he or she needs to have a place that is suitable to his or her needs, preferably at a local school that is adequately resourced to meet the needs of all the community’s children, including those with physical or intellectual disabilities, psychological or emotional problems or learning difficulties. In order to meet the needs of all the children they serve, schools need to be properly funded by the state, both for capital and current costs.
Of course there are budgetary constraints, and we all recognise that, but swingeing cuts at primary level are bound to have serious repercussions on the most vulnerable children. Cutting access to schoolbooks for our very poorest children, for example, is an appalling response to economic problems, and an indication that government thinking about education is badly skewed. Children from the most vulnerable families, including children from poor families, Traveller children and the children of immigrants, whether or not they live in officially designated disadvantaged areas, need access to books, special support and small classes, but the way our society works, it is the children from better-off families, those who can afford to pay fees and extra tuition, who get these supports, not the children who most need them. Reducing the access to resources of primary schools will have sad consequences for our society – not just in terms of a less literate and capable workforce into the future, but in terms of our commitment to equity and equality of opportunity for all our children. All children should get a physical, artistic, moral and spiritual as well as academic education. Our society needs our children to experience a curriculum that makes space for creativity and reflection, for music, art, drama, sport, dance, poetry and storytelling. I would also want to see children learning to be still and to meditate, to reflect and to become socially aware and socially responsible and to develop their sense of compassion – for unless our children are brought up to be thoughtful and responsible and compassionate, we will not be able to sustain a society that is thoughtful and caring into the future, a society that goes on caring for all its people and meeting the needs of future generations with an open heart. All our children, including children of migrants and minority groups, need to grow up learning the language of the society in which they live, as well as the language of their home. Without special supports in schools to ensure that this happens, the children of immigrant families, who are already disadvantaged by their family circumstances and possibly also by racism and bullying, will be at a further disadvantage as they struggle with a new language without adequate help. Children need to grow to adulthood with a sense of their own identity, whether that is as part of the majority or as part of any of the ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious minorities that we have in this country. Children from transnational or culturally and racially diverse families also need to have their multiple identities respected, while at the same time they should have every opportunity to integrate into the life of their school and community and learn to be Irish in new and different ways. Their parents too, especially first-generation immigrants, need to be secure in their PAG E 1 3
employment and need to be able to get permanent residency rights in this country, so that they can start to take their place as voting, active citizens with a voice to be heard and a contribution to make. At second level, I would hope that all young people in a future Ireland would continue to enjoy school, seeing it as a haven of creativity and a hub of intellectual excitement. Instead of forcing young people through an examoriented programme, I wish schools could open youngsters up to their own wonderful possibilities and that their teachers would lead them in exploring and developing their talents and, through treating them with respect and debating issues sensitively with them, would help them to develop a moral compass by which to make responsible personal and social decisions. Education is highly valued in our society, but it is often thought of as an economic rather than a social and a moral good, and it is sad to hear the current debate about educational resources being reduced to discussion about whether or not a particular pupil-teacher ratio is consistent with ‘Celtic-tiger’ style economic achievement. In a future socially just Ireland, education would be valued for its own sake as well as for the economic benefits that it can bring to society and the individual.
Our society needs our children to experience a curriculum that makes space for creativity and reflection, for music, art, drama, sport, dance, poetry and storytelling. I want the young people of Ireland to grow up with the intellectual and moral equipment to be able to resist the blandishments of the market culture with which they are constantly bombarded and able to make good choices for themselves and their society, free from consumerist pressures. I believe that young people, given the right kind of support and respect from their parents and teachers, can and will make those good decisions, but it will not happen in a school system that is all about competitive examinations, whose ultimate if unspoken goal is to exclude some students from third level, from employment and from civic life itself. As our imaginary child emerges from adolescence and starts to think about taking his or her place in the adult world, their needs will change again.The young person needs the kind of route into adult life that best suits his or her talents and abilities, whether that is a place in a college or university or an appropriate job that
allows the young person to use their skills and talents. Not everyone can have a job that is glamorous and thrilling, but everyone’s workplace should be a place where they are respected and where they can respect themselves as contributing to society, where they can earn a decent living wage and where their talents and skills are valued. Adults’ needs also change over time, and at some point everyone needs to avail of services such as housing, continuing education and medical or psychiatric treatment, counselling and support in the face of difficulties such as bereavement, addiction, mental illness, financial difficulty or family breakdown, so that the person is constantly supported to live the best life they can as far as possible as part of a community and in the company of family and friends. We need to see mental health as part of general health and to make provision for good mental health in the same way that we try to provide for good physical health; the stigmatisation of mental illness probably explains our society’s poor provision in the area of psychiatric health. Lack of services for mental health is at the root of many of our social problems, including family breakdown, addiction and homelessness, and provision of such services is crucial to the creation of infrastructures that support a socially just society. All citizens should also have access to sports and the arts, as participants or spectators, to community and civic life and to social discourse, public debate and political participation. As middle age settles on our imaginary citizen of the new, socially just Ireland, he or she should be able to continue to work for as long as he or she is willing and able to do so, to look after his or her dependants, who may now be older family members rather than children, and to plan for his or her own retirement and old age. As our citizen gets older, a socially just society would allow him or her to age at their own pace. There is much unease in Ireland today about the increasing lifespan, which may mean a very high dependency ratio in the future, with young people in the workforce having to support more and more older people. These anxieties are understandable, but with proper planning and creative use of resources such as technology, we can integrate and support our aging population. Technology is rapidly developing and we can hardly imagine what its future impacts will be.Technology, moreover, is socially neutral and used correctly and distributed fairly, technological goods may immeasurably improve all our lives, especially the lives of older people and people with disabilities.
A society built on social justice and responsive to the needs of its citizens would provide a variety of options for older people and a continuum of care, depending on the person’s developing needs. People should be able to work full-time for as long as they are able and willing to work, perhaps with the option to withdraw gradually from the workplace, working part-time maybe for many years, and gradually reducing their commitment as their circumstances change. Likewise, elderly people should be supported to live independently for as long as that is their wish, with appropriate household help or nursing or medical services as necessary; with easy access to sheltered or supportive housing as they become more dependent, and access also to hospital and nursing care if they become ill or frail and are no longer able to care for themselves.
social justice is about meeting everyone’s needs as a right, providing for everyone not according to their income level or their social status, their gender or their skin colour If we can agree that every child born into our society deserves what it needs, in childhood, youth, adulthood, middle age and old age, then we are signing up to the idea of social justice, because that is in essence what social justice is about: it is about meeting everyone’s needs as a right, providing for everyone not according to their income level or their social status, their gender or their skin colour or their cultural identity, but according to their needs and circumstances. As a society, however, we are rather muddled about what it is that we are prepared to provide to our citizens, and about how social goods are to be distributed, and we seem increasingly to be opting for a market model of provision, in housing, in health and even in education. But the values of the marketplace are limited to the marketplace, and the market cannot and must not be entrusted with providing social goods, for the marketplace has no conscience. Divesting ourselves of negative values such as greed, selfishness, fear, contempt, feelings of superiority and replacing them with values of justice, equity, inclusion and collectivism may seem impossible. But if we are prepared to envision a different way of living, and to articulate that vision and reiterate it over and over again, we can win hearts and minds. It is possible to persuade people to change. Look at the enormous changes there have been in gender politics over the last hundred years, since women got the vote. And on a smaller PAG E 1 4
scale, look how we have changed our attitudes to smoking and drink-driving, over quite a short period of time. As new ideas are discussed and publicly debated, social attitudes gradually change. And social change comes because people want change, they see the value of change and they make a collective decision to accept and to implement change. I believe that my vision of a socially just future for Ireland is not an impossible dream. It is up to us all to think about it, talk about it and come up with the mechanisms for bringing about what amounts to a social revolution. Social justice is not some sort of plateau that we can reach and from which point it will sustain itself: social justice is a constantly evolving process, and we can only bring it about by making a commitment to it, and by continuing to plan for it into the future. Planning has never been our strong point in this country. This is our biggest challenge in this new century, the challenge of changing our way of thinking so that we are not constantly responding to immediate circumstances but have a long-term view and a long-term goal and a plan for how we are to achieve those long-term aims. The time has come in our development as a nation to think long and hard about what it is that we want for our society, how we are going to achieve what it is that we want, and how we are going to put in place the mechanisms for change. And through it all, we need to keep this vision steadily in view, the vision of social justice – the ideal that all our citizens are provided for according to their needs, and that opportunities in life are equally available to all regardless of social circumstances. If this vision is discussed an debated enough, I am convinced that Irish people will want to embrace and implement it. We have known what it is to be poor, in this country, and we have known what it is to be rich. Our economy is taking a severe knocking at the moment, but we are well placed to see money and the marketplace, consumerism and property, greed and competition and ambition for what they are and especially to see their limitations. For much longer than we have been a rich society, we have been a thoughtful society, a soulful society, a resourceful society and a society that values family life, learning and social networking. It is time to pool those values now and re-vision our nation as a socially just society, where all our children are cherished equally, not just by the constitution, but by the nation, the state, the community and all our national structures and institutions, in fact as well as in theory, so that all our children can seize their opportunities and go forward to play their role and achieve their potential for the good of us all.
ICT Tips Choosing Special Needs Software for Your School by Seaghan Moriarty Teachers of children with diverse disabilities make use of special educational needs software on a daily basis to enhance the learning process and help make the curriculum more accessible for their pupils. Because there is such a range of learning difficulties, including those caused by cognitive, emotional and physical disabilities, it is often difficult to find software that will meet the needs of all children. However, while there may be diverse disabilities, the following are general guidelines which should be adhered to when purchasing special needs software. Teachers can use these guidelines as a means of evaluating the worth and suitability of any piece of software that they are considering for use with special needs pupils in their care. 1. Consistency There should be consistent user interface (the ‘look’ or layout of what appears on the screen). This allows pupils to focus on core content because the learning environment is always familiar and supportive for them. 2. Self-pacing All good special needs software should have this feature. If the software has individualised instruction built in, then this allows weaker pupils to take extra time on their activity and more advanced pupils to move ahead. 3. Progress Tracking This feature can help pupils keep track of their last activity or assignment.When they start an activity, the software remembers where they last finished. Many software titles also allow teachers to print out reports which can form part of formal progress reports and IEP planning. 4. Feedback and hints This feature provides instant feedback to the child’s responses. Good software will provide hints and prompts when the child makes an error or enters an incorrect response, helping them to achieve a greater level of accuracy. 5. Progressive levels of difficulty This approach can help the teacher adjust the lessons so they adequately challenge the student. Many companies produce software that individualises instructions and allows pupils to work on mastering basic skills at their own pace. Many programs enable teachers to set the mastery level for each student, thus ensuring that the children are engaging in activities suited to their overall abilities.
The above broad criteria will help in ensuring that you source quality software at all times which will meet the needs of your special needs pupils. Other features to keep in mind might include: ● Manuals with diagrams and illustrations ● On-screen instructions ● Help windows and instructional prompts ● Auditory cues in the form of prompts and instructions ● Other cues, perhaps written, verbal or animated. Thankfully, more and more quality multimedia programs are becoming available for special needs children. It is important to remember that the best of these programs show where the pupil is learning well, where they are having difficulty, track progress and offer individualised attention. Keeping these features in mind when you explore and review software will help to fulfil your child's specific special needs. SOFTWARE CATEGORIES Many teachers look for a list of the names of software programs suitable for pupils with different types of disabilities.This however, is not usually the most beneficial approach. It is important to first identify the needs of the pupils, the environment where the software will be used, and the tasks that could possibly be addressed through the use of ICT. We must remember that there are different categories of software, each of which can be used for different purposes. The following describes some of the main categories of software and may help you in matching software with specific pupil needs: 1. Reinforcement (Drill & Practice Software) is used to reinforce basic skills through repetition and practice. This type of software covers many curriculum areas, but special needs teachers most commonly use it to develop and reinforce basic reading and mathematical skills. 2. Interactive Books (Talking Stories)are electronic books which bring stories to life and cater for a range of levels (non-readers to older pupils with reading difficulties). Common features include: ● Lively animations ● Story can be read aloud ● Individual words can be spoken ● Clicking and exploring options. PAG E 1 5
3. Content-free Software allows teachers and pupils to enter their own content (e.g. text and graphics) and is used to enhance learning in many different areas of the curriculum. 4. Exploratory Software puts pupils in real-life settings using a combination of graphics, videos, soundtracks and digitised speech. Simulations require the user to face challenges, make decisions, and solve problems in order to overcome obstacles. 5. Reference Software is designed to present a wide range of information in a multimedia format (text, audio, graphics, video sequences and animation).This type of software includes encyclopaedias and atlases as well as subjectspecific information (eg volcanoes, anatomy). 6. Assessment Software is used to assess student attainment and identify learning difficulties. This type of software consists of a variety of tests to identify student’s strengths and weaknesses. SUPPLIERS / PUBLISHERS The following is a list of some software publishers, producers and suppliers for special needs education: ● Andrew’s Award System swww.awardsys.net Ph: 01 4930011 Irish suppliers for REM early learning special needs software ● Carroll Educational Supplies www.carrolleducation.ie Ph: 01 612 0860 Resellers of several titles aimed at learning support and special needs ● Computerspeak www.computerspeak.ie Ph: 01 677 7620 Specialise in Voice Recognition software ● Diskovery Software www.diskovery.ie Ph: 01 806 3910 Comprehensive suppliers and resellers of a wide range of software including special needs titles for both primary and secondary pupils.Website has a special needs section ● Ed Tech Software Ltd. www.edtech.ie Ph: 1850 923 459 Suppliers of a variety of software and hardware from a wide range of publishers including many titles that support inclusion. Website has a special needs section ● Jackson Technology www.jacksontechnology.com Ph: 01 451 8508 Assistive technology and software suppliers specialising in print and computer access devices
SESE Interactive The new Program from Learning Horizons developed with Seaghan Moriarty SESE Interactive is a new educational software application from Learning Horizons. As one of the testers of the product, primary school Principal Robbie O’Leary had this to say: ‘A high quality educational software application is always welcome, particularly so when it has been designed and produced by Irish teachers specifically for Irish pupils. So it is with SESE Interactive from Learning Horizons, a company already well known to Irish schools.
and encompass enormous educational potential. The designers have been particularly successful in producing an interface that is visually appealing, child-friendly and very simple to use and navigate. The voice-overs too are of impressive quality, as is the graphical content. In summary, this is a very impressive addition to the steadily growing range of Irish-produced software, combining as it does substantial curriculum content, innovative and engaging activities and a highly professional interface.’
This program contains a total of 34 interactive games and activities based on topics from the SESE curriculum, and categorised under the headings of history, geography and science. The activities are attractive and varied and include exercises on famous characters from history (such as Michael Collins, Gandhi, Anne Frank and Grainne Mhaol), Irish physical and political geography, life cycles and simulated experiments on such topics such as electricity, magnetism, heat and temperature. The ‘Build a family tree’ and the three-dimensional ‘Build my classroom’ activities are exemplary,
The SESE Program will be launched on April 24th and Learning Horizons is offering IPPN members an exclusive 15% discount on the normal purchase price as follows: Large School (Admin Principal) site license: €265 IPPN Exclusive 15% Discount Price: €225 Small School (Teaching Principal) site license: €235 IPPN Exclusive 15% Discount Price: €199 SESE Interactive also comes with a 365 day money back guarantee. Why not try some of the games online in the SESE Interactive section on www.learninghorizons.ie? To order simply fill in the order form enclosed in this issue of Leadership+ and return to Learning Horizons, 44 Laurel Park, Clondalkin, Dublin Alternatively you can order: ● Online at ippn.ie (under My IPPN/Member Benefits/Learning Horizons) or ● By calling learning Horizons directly on 01 4111537. On behalf of our members, IPPN would like to take this opportunity to thank Learning Horizons for offering such a substantial discount and wish them well with the Program.
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Conference Workshop
Induction: A Phase that can Make or Break the New Professional by Mary Burke, National Pilot Project for Teacher Induction
1. Concept of Induction The exploration of induction as a unique phase in the professional life of a teacher and in particular the: ● Transition from being a student of teaching to a teacher of students ● Socialization into the norms of the profession ● Involvement in programmes/systems of sustained support and professional development in the early years ‘Mentors in the Making - Developing New Leaders for Teachers’, Betty Achinstein and Steven Z. Athanases, 2006, p. 5 2. Why Induction? Exploring the contexts for establishing an
Induction programme – why the need for an induction programme? Sink or Swim? The induction phase ‘offers an opportunity to make or break the new professional and ultimately, the profession. Conditions that shape the first years determine teacher effectiveness, attitudes, behaviours and decisions to stay in the field. (Bush, 1983) in ‘Mentors in the Making – Developing New Leaders for New Teachers’, Betty Achinstein and Steven Z. Athanases, 2006, p.4 Recognising the first year in teaching as ‘a specific phase in the life-time of a teacher that brings with it unique challenges, requirements and needs.’ Britton, E. et al. Comprehensive Teacher Induction: Systems for Early Career Learning. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003 3. Challenges for NQTs in their first year of teaching and the supports available to them: ● Challenges e.g. real problems to be resolved; isolation; new demands; adjustment from
college to school life ● Supports available ● Access to the Induction programme. 4. Understanding the journey of the NQT through the first year ● Needs: ■ Classroom management and organisation ■ Working with Parents ■ Assessment ■ Differentiation ■ Behaviour Management ■ Planning ■ Time Management ● Stages along the journey in the first year of teaching ● Key skills needed in the management of the first year in teaching. 5. Feedback from Phase 6 of the NPPTI – Primary Strand Data collated from the Phase 6 questionnaire returns.
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership in the Schoolhouse by Máire Áine Uí Aodha, Retired Principal of Scoil Mhuire, Ballincollig, Co. Cork During the first half of this workshop the focus was on the connectedness between emotional intelligence and effective leadership. In the second part of the session the emphasis was on sharing a personal learning experience from an action research project based on improving practice as a principal. EMOTIONAL RELATEDNESS Emotional intelligence is a combination of competencies that are essential ingredients in effective leadership. ‘These skills contribute to a person’s ability to manage and monitor his or her own emotions, to correctly gauge the emotional state of others and to influence opinions’ (Caudron, 1999; Goleman 1998). Effective leadership as discussed in this workshop can be summarised as: a. ‘getting the job done through high quantity and quality standards of performance’ b. ‘getting the job done through people, requiring their satisfaction and commitment’ (Luthans, 1998, p427).
There was a general consensus that effective leadership is easy to explain but not easy to practise. Leadership relies on management skills (planning, understanding organisations and communication skills) but more so on qualities such as: integrity, honesty, courage, commitment, sincerity, passion, positivity, wisdom, determination, sensitivity and personal charisma. The groups agreed that emotionally intelligent leaders have strong intrapersonal and interpersonal skills and appear to demonstrate vital key competencies e.g. team building skills, seeking to learn from the people around them etc. WEARING THE ‘L PLATE’ All schools and indeed their Principals are unique, one of a kind and yet schools and Principals have some things in common also.While all schools are different, I believe that we learn a great deal by sharing our own learning experiences in the schoolhouse. Receiving feedback from colleagues can be both a humbling and a humiliating experience but PAG E 1 7
receiving feedback ‘is undoubtedly the first step in developing one’s emotional intelligence as it brings attention to gaps and development opportunities’ (Sean Davies, Egon Zehinder International). Letting go of a ‘one man show’ and ‘working together’ improves the management of teaching and learning in the school.This in turn affords new opportunities for colleagues to learn and improve the learning opportunities for the pupils in the school. Covey believes that ‘the moment you step from independence to interdependence you step into a leadership role.’ During the latter part of this workshop we shared numerous learning experiences including ‘an circín rua’,‘lippy’,‘the art of delegation’,‘that middle step in communication – never rely on divine inspiration’, ‘poor listening skills’, ‘through the eyes of a child’, ‘the winning team’ and ‘school access’. Mar focal scoir, constantly seek to learn from the people around you. Praise loudly, blame softly. ‘It’s amazing what you accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit’ (President Truman).
Conference Workshop
Overall the three workshops were very interactive with insightful and very interesting contributions from participants at all three workshops. The workshop focused on the induction of Newly Qualified Teachers in the primary school context. It explored the following areas:
IPPN Conference 2009
Parents as Partners in Education by Áine Lynch, CEO, National Parents’ Council Primary Section 26 of the Education Act uses words and phrases such as: ● Open ● Promote interests of students ● Co-operation ● Advise ● Have regard to ● Consultation ● Promote contact ● Give all reasonable assistance. As you will be aware section 26 of the Education Act describes the relationship between, School Boards, Principals, students, parents and the community. The reality is that in a lot of cases all of the players in the whole school community experience different relationships within the school life; not all of these relationships reflect the sentiment of these words and phrases.
If legislation is implemented due to reasons of compliance it will only go so far. If it is implemented because there is a deeper understanding of the values underpinning it then change is experienced. In 1998 parents became partners in education and this was recognised in legislation. It was a watershed moment in the life of NPC and finally parents felt that they were equal around the education table. NPC embraced the legislative change and the recognition of the important role parents had in their child’s education, however; how this is realised, although supported by legislation really comes down to the people in this room. If legislation is implemented due to reasons of compliance it will only go so far. If it is implemented because there is a deeper understanding of the values underpinning it and a belief that this is the right thing to do, then change is experienced.
There is much evidence that supports parental involvement in education. Some of this evidence also suggests that involvement needs to be at a complex integrated level. I am aware that I am talking to a well-informed audience in this area but I would like to draw on just 3 areas of parental involvement research that I think is important to consider: 1. Firstly there is little evidence to suggest that putting parents on advisory committees or governing bodies improves student outcomes unless the parents are also involved in the school and their child’s learning in other ways. The best results being achieved when parents are involved in both learning and decision making roles. 2. Secondly research also suggests that when parents are involved, children have: a. Higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates b. Better school attendance c. Increased motivation, better self esteem d. Lower rates of suspension e. Decreased use of drugs and alcohol f. Improved patterns of behaviour. 3. Acknowledging the fact that the benefits of parental involvement in this second area of research would seem to insist that parents are involved in their child’s education it is interesting then to see why the research says that parents either do become involved, or don’t, as the case may be. The 3 major factors that research says determines a parents involvement in their child’s education life are: 1. Parents’ belief about what is important, necessary and permissible for them to do with and on behalf of their children. 2. The extent to which parents believe they can have a positive influence on their children’s education. 3. Parents’ perceptions that their children and school want them to be involved. When you see the benefits that are realised from parental involvement and you see the
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factors that will either encourage or discourage this involvement. It seems clear that the National Parents Council and Principals working together could make a dramatic difference to children’s lives. Again when you look at the benefits that can be achieved for children and the school in general when parents are involved it appears that organisations like the NPC and the IPPN have a duty to affect change in this area. Over the last couple of years at a national level NPC and IPPN have been somewhat flirting with the issues of collaboration. When I say flirting I do not mean to undervalue the collaborative work that we have done, but I do feel that both organisations need to make a commitment to children that both parents and schools will work together in the future to ensure that they receive the best possible outcomes from their education.
When you look at the benefits that can be achieved for children and the school in general when parents are involved, organisations like the NPC and the IPPN have a duty to affect change in this area. On both sides we will need to: ● Be open ● Promote the interests of students ● Work co-operatively ● Advise and accept advice ● Have regard to each other and others ● Embrace consultation ● Promote contact ● Give all reasonable assistance. Collaboration between NPC and IPPN to date has mainly focused on campaigning on Primary school funding. The joint voice of Principals, the schools manager, and parents, the child’s voice is an important one.
IPPN and NPC are currently looking at developing protocols, guidance and advice for parents, and principals for effective partnership. To do this we have embarked on a fact finding process. We are searching for examples of best practice and also looking for factors that work against this partnership being effective. Last November at the NPC conference, IPPN and NPC ran 2 consultative workshops with parents to try and find out their partnership experiences with their schools and the practices that positively and negatively impacted on these. At this conference we ontinue this process with Principals. From these joint consultations IPPN and NPC are hoping to develop a document that will give guidance and support to parents and principals in how they work together in the best interest of the children and the whole school community. Some of the findings from the consultation with Parents were as expected, some were more surprising. I will give you a little flavour of some of the main points: 1. Parents feel that there needs to be clear protocols and direction of how and when partnership is appropriate in the school. 2. They want to feel integrated and important in school life at a policy management level and in the everyday life of the school. 3. It was felt that clear protocols and direction needed to be given regarding finances and
how and when financial information should be communicated between parents, principal and Board of Management.
IPPN and NPC are ooking at developing protocols, guidance and advice for parents, and principals for effective partnership. Most would agree that these areas are the issues that do raise most difficulty with the home school partnership and I think nobody is too surprised at the topics being raised. One of the areas that did cause both surprise and concern however was some of the barriers parents perceived they had to discussing difficulties with a teacher or principal. Parents expressed concern that if they raised difficulties or a complaint with a teacher or principal that this might have an adverse impact on their child. This was explored and discussed in the workshop and although it wasn’t necessarily based in actual or reported experiences it was none the less quite definitely felt and it was a fear that a number of parents had. This fear can come from many things, some of which maybe: ● Actual experience (although this did not seem to be the case in the group of parents we were talking to) ● Hearsay ● A parents own experience of childhood and school ● The act of handing your child over to outside control and influences and all the
fear concerns, insecurities and feelings this can generate. Apart from the first and maybe second of these reasons there is little you as a teacher and principal can do to change the circumstances. The members of IPPN who co-facilitated this workshop I know were surprised and affected by listening to parents express these feelings. Parents are not expecting you to be able to control everything within the school but I suppose they are looking for you to understand that they have a valuable contribution to make, that they are the primary educators of their children and that they want to support you in your job of educating their children. I am coming to the end of my time speaking and happy to say that I have talked about parent school partnership without mentioning the f word. That’s not the Gordon Ramsey f word but sometimes equally as hostile a word; fundraising. If the parent/school relationship is purely defined by fundraising there will always be tensions. Parents are often willing to support the school fundraising to improve their child’s experience of school and you as the people involved in ensuring the books balance know that the parent and community support is invaluable in this regard.The research I referred to earlier however does not discuss the improved outcomes for children when parents fundraise in schools it refers to the huge benefits that children experience when their parents are actively involved in their learning and their school lives. I hope that the next steps that parents take through NPC in their partnership with Principals through IPPN ensure that children get the best from all of us.
Conference Workshop
Recently the dialogue between the two organisations has changed focus however. The conversation has focused more on ‘Do schools and parents work together effectively?’ We’ve also started discussing what makes this partnership effective and why does it sometimes go wrong.
Parent Associations Help or Hindrance? by Brendan McCabe The workshop, co-presented with Áine Lynch, CEO of the National Parents’ Council, focused on the rationale behind Parent Associations, the pre-requisites for effective Parent Councils (PAs) and the different ways in which a PA could help enhance the quality of educational provision within a school. It was agreed that good two-way communication between the PA and the Principal was essential and the workshop explored ways by which this might be achieved. Emphasis was also placed on the need for a constitution which clearly defined
the boundaries of acceptable operation. Issues which arose and were discussed included management of PA finances, training for members, forming a PA that was representative of all the parents, whether or not the Principal should attend the meetings, where the meetings should take place, involvement of PA in school policy formulation and fears of parents about approaching their school with concerns. There appeared to be considerable confusion about PA finances in the context of the BOM’s overall responsibility for school monies and PAG E 1 9
participants were referred to the Board of Management Information Manual pg. 35. Áine Lynch was keen that participants would be aware of NPC’s willingness to provide training for PAs, even those not affiliated to NPC. It is hoped, as a follow-on from these workshops and from similar workshops delivered at the NPC Annual Conference, that IPPN and NPC will be able to formulate an agreed protocol which will help govern the smooth operation of Parent Associations.
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by Jim Hayes, Retired Principal of Scoil Oilibhéir, Ballyvolane, Cork and Founding President of IPPN The main thrust of the workshop was to reflect on the key role of the interview in staff selection, provide some practical guidelines for the interview process and share & discuss ideas that have worked for Principals in the past. After briefly contextualising the interview process, the focus of the presentation was on the practical steps involved in interviewing for staff in the primary school. Advertising for positions in primary schools is now web based for the first time and the reaction to this was very positive at all three workshops. It was emphasised that the information sought from candidates heretofore is still required under the new system. The importance of the application documentation and the quality of references and referees’ reports was emphasised.There should be no discrimination on the basis of gender and consideration must always be given to Section 6(2) of the Employment Equality Acts, 1998 – 2004. The objective of the interview is to endeavour to ascertain whether the candidate CAN DO job, WILL DO job and whether s/he will fit in to the culture of the school. The focus should be on character attributes rather than specialised knowledge. As part of the preparation for the interviews, the selection board at their meeting must agree
criteria for assessment of applications, criteria for short listing (if applicable) and assess candidates’ applications. They need to agree a system of grading/scoring, arrange that referees are contacted, arrange and plan for the interviews. Furthermore, a date/venue for the interviews must be agreed. The venue should be in a comfortable location, with proper waiting facilities and no interruptions. Candidates must be given appropriate notification along with a copy of the selection criteria & schedule (if a Catholic school). In addition, the selection board must decide how the interview itself will be structured. The interview consists of three sections: 1. The Opening Phase consists of creating a welcoming climate through appropriate greetings and introduction while being aware of the importance of non verbal communication. 2. The Body of Interview is the most important section. The desirability or otherwise of various questioning techniques were highlighted including Open-Ended, Follow-Up, Probing, Leading, Multiple, Inappropriate and Trick questions. 3. The Closing Phase involves asking the candidate if they have anything they may wish to add or if they have any questions before the Chairperson concludes the interview.
The skills and techniques involved in conducting an interview were highlighted. Consideration was given to the issue of Scoring. It was recommended that there should be separate marking sheets for each assessor for each candidate and an aggregate sheet for each candidate. In addition, it was stressed that under the Data Protection Act, a candidate is entitled to individual marks received from each assessor as well as formal notes taken about them and is also entitled to get copy of aggregate mark given by interview board. The Role of Chairperson in the post interview situation relating to written approval of the Patron, written notification to the successful candidate, informing unsuccessful candidates, filling in appropriate forms and filing all relevant documents was outlined. Those attending the workshop worked in groups and discussed such topics as how to cope fairly with the necessity to read multiple applications as part of the short-listing process, ideas for improving the interview process, samples of criteria for selection and short listing as well as possible topics covered in interviews for SNAs. There was strong feedback that there should be training for all members of interview boards.
Meetings and Resources IPPN Events /meetings on behalf of Principals April ● International Confederation of Principals Annual Convention ● Froebel College B. Ed. group ● IPPN Seminar - Leadership Coaching for Minority Schools, Galway ● Spreagadh, Limerick ● Education Innovation, Meath VEC ● CPSMA Meeting
May ● NAHT Conference ● St Patrick’s College B. Ed. group ● Spreagadh, Cork and Drumcondra, Dublin West ● IPPN Deputy Principals’ Conference, Maynooth ● Pre-retirement seminar, Portlaoise
June ● IPPN Executive Committee Meeting ● IPPN National Committee Meeting ● Pre-retirement seminar, Portlaoise
www.ippn.ie – Resources We have received feedback from many Principals in relation to the website, available resources, functionality/features and new resource requests. We have endeavoured to respond to all feedback and requests so far and have added a number of new resources to the site, particularly under the Principal Advice, Events and Resources sections and as well as rectifying technical problems in relation to some files. It is our intention to provide complete cross-referencing of available resources across sections of the website to facilitate you as you navigate around e.g. all recruitment-related resources, articles, e-scéals, event-related
materials and DES circulars will be linked to the relevant recruitment Frequently-asked Questions and vice versa.This will take some time but in the interim you can use the Search tools to find them in the individual sections. We would love to hear any further feedback on IPPN’s websites and ideas for resources and features – please email project@ippn.ie. Send any useful templates and exemplars to us and we’ll make them available on the website, having removed any school-specific information.
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Conference Workshop
Selecting Staff – Interview Strategies
Hibernia College Ireland’s Online College
Online Summer Courses Hibernia College is pleased to announce its 2009 online Summer Courses for primary school teachers. This user-friendly system allows you to study from your own home, at times convenient to you while qualifying for extra personal vacation days (subject to approval by the DES)
26 Courses Available x Infant Education 2: Literacy Across the Curriculum x x x x x x x x x
in Infants NEW! Maths 2: Strategies for Teaching Mathematics in the Primary School NEW! Autism: Promoting the Social Communication Skills of Pupils with ASDs NEW! English 2: Practical Strategies for Listening, Early Reading & Spelling NEW! ICT 2: Practical Applications in the Classroom NEW! Religions of the World NEW! Drama and Inclusion of Pupils with Special Education Needs NEW! Awareness and Prevention of Bullying among Adults & Children in Schools Creating a School Culture of Support for Special Educational Needs Integrating SESE in the Classroom
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Show and Tell – Ten years with the Primary School Curriculum This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Primary School Curriculum. In these challenging times, the anniversary presents an opportunity to acknowledge the many achievements of primary schools in making the curriculum a reality for all pupils. In keeping with the economic climate, the NCCA has devised a low cost way in which these achievements can be acknowledged and shared. Please read on to see how your school can become involved. HOW CAN A SCHOOL OR CLASS PARTICIPATE? Step 1: Take out the digital camera ● Capture up to three digital photos of what your school/class thinks best conveys the curriculum in action - the simple blink and you’ll miss it moments. ● Visit www.getsnapping.ncca.ie to find samples of captioned photos together
with an easy to fill on-line participation form and a parental permission form. Step 2: Decide suitable captions ● The children in your school or class will help. Step 3: You’re ready to submit your photos ● Go to www.getsnapping.ncca.ie for easy to follow directions. ● The closing date for submitting is Friday 12th June. Each participating school will receive a certificate by email marking its contribution to the anniversary event. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? All captioned photos will be shared publicly through the local education centre network. A representative sample will be displayed on the NCCA website. These e-displays will present an opportunity for schools to share how the curriculum is brought to life in their own unique contexts.
SHARING YOUR SCHOOL’S STORY Your school may also like to tell its story of leading and supporting a specific aspect of the curriculum. It you would like to find out more about submitting your story please e-mail the NCCA. AND FINALLY… A one-day seminar will be held in October. The experiences of schools in working with the curriculum will be highlighted with a focus on the challenges and the successes. The insights gained will be critical as we prepare for the years ahead. Education partners and schools will be represented. Please visit www.getsnapping.ncca.ie and share your curriculum in action moments.
The Blarney Golf Resort & Spa, Co. Cork is offering IPPN members exclusive rates on breaks and the opportunity to win a two night break in every edition of Leadership+ this year.
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COMPETITION: To be in with a chance to win a fabulous 2 Night break for two people (including one evening meal) simply answer the following question: Q. When will the IPPN Deputy Principals’ Annual Conference 2009 be held? Answer A. 11th - 12th May B. 11th - 12th June C. 11th - 12th July Answers by e-mail to adverts@ippn.ie. Please include your answer (A. B. or C.), your name, contact details and roll number. Competition deadline 30th April 2009. Winners will be notified by phone and announced in the next issue.
Congratulations to Padraig O’Neill, Bunscoil Sancta Maria, Sraid Synge, Dublin 8, winner of the fabulous prize of a two night luxury break to Blarney Golf Resort & Spa in the last issue of Leadership+.
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Retirement – Managing the Impact on a School by Jim Hayes, Founding President of IPPN
So you have not alone given retirement some thought but you have finally decided when you will actually go. If you have not already done so, you need to formally inform the Pensions Section of the Department of Education and Science. This is best done by writing to them for the appropriate form in order to give them formal notification and to make an application for your Retirement Pension and Lump Sum. You will find that the members of staff in that particular section of the department are particularly efficient, cordial and sensitive. We all know how important the financial implications of retirement are. As a friend once put it to me ‘It’s nice to get out of the rat race – but you have to learn to do with less cheese!’ In the last issue, I referred to the timing of your retirement announcement and the feelings and emotions that might flow from that. In the majority of situations, the potential retiree is in control of the timing of his/her retirement and the manner of its implementation. All the more important, therefore, to set up a step-by-step plan or procedure to help one to more easily cope with this final unique phase of one’s leadership role. If such a plan is based on the mutual respect that everyone in the school and local community deserves, it will ultimately result in your experiencing immense satisfaction yourself as well. The experience of school leaders who have been down this road is that each section of the school population likes to feel that they are hearing your news in a manner that is respectful of the mutual relationship that existed heretofore. People like to feel that they are hearing the news from you personally in an appropriate manner and not in a second-hand fashion from somebody else. PROTOCOL Protocol would dictate that the first group to be informed is the Board of Management of your school. I acknowledge that a member of staff and two parents are members of the board but, on request, they will keep your decision confidential until you have met with other groups. It does help if the period during which you wish to talk with other people/groups is no longer than a few days. Although practise varies, I know from talking with other Principals who retired, that a
timescale such as this has worked for many in the past: arrange a Board of Management meeting on a Wednesday night, a full meeting of all staff for the following day (requesting members of staff to keep matters quiet for just one more day) and a meeting of the Parents’ Association for the next day. Ensure that you get an opportunity to tell the pupils in each class over the third day and give them a letter for their parents outlining your news. In that way, by keeping things tight, the different members of the school community feel that they were personally informed just before breaking for the weekend. The children love to be bringing big news home and they really do understand what retirement means. I discovered many times over the years that we underestimate children at our peril. In the course of visiting classes I asked them what retirement meant. I received responses such as ‘You’re past it’, ‘My granddad retired last month’, ‘You won’t have to get up in the morning’, ‘You can hibernate now and have a long rest.’ I was really glad that I spoke to all of the pupils – it was one of the steps that gave me great satisfaction. On the other hand, I know of some Principals who, for whatever reason, didn’t manage to get around to doing so and regretted it afterwards.
‘It’s nice to get out of the rat race – but you have to learn to do with less cheese!’ PROCESS OF REPLACEMENT We are all familiar with the consequential steps that need to be taken by the Chairperson of the Board of Management - Advertise for a new Principal, call a Board of Management meeting to discuss the needs of the school; arrange interviews; oversee appointment by the Board; obtain sanction from the Department and approval from the Patron; inform staff; and introduce new appointee to staff, board, pupils, Parents’ Association, etc if the appointment is external. While it may be acceptable to advise the Board about the process in general, if requested, one should, at the earliest available opportunity, refer the Chairperson to the Diocesan Education Secretary or the representative of the Patron regarding all other aspects of the appointment process. Best practise would indicate that the outgoing Principal should not attend the Board of Management meeting that discusses the needs PAG E 2 4
of the school in relation to the appointment of a new Principal or the meeting formally ratifying the new appointee. When the name of the new Principal is formally announced, much of what happens next will be dictated by whether the new appointee is already known to the school community or whether (s)he will be transferring from another school/education service. If the appointment is internal, introductions are unnecessary. The formal handover is easier to arrange. The recent circular placing a moratorium on promotion of teachers to posts applies to filling the post they may have vacated. There may also be a need to appoint a new teacher to the staff if current enrolment is holding. It is inappropriate for the outgoing Principal to be involved in any way whatsoever in such processes. It is only common sense that the newly appointed Principal would sit on the interview board(s) for any future appointments. In the case of an external appointment, the way in which (s)he is introduced to the school community demands some thought. Practice varies from school to school. The introduction has been included as part of a staff lunch event in some schools. A formal staff meeting has sometimes been the vehicle used for such an introduction. A less structured visit to the school during a normal school day has worked for other schools. The co-operation of the Principal of the appointee’s present school will often dictate his/her availability to engage with the new school, especially during the school day. Likewise, involving the new Principal in the appointment procedures already referred to will need some careful planning by all concerned. If the new appointment is made in preparation for the new school year beginning after the Summer vacation, then the issue of involving the new Principal – whether external or internal – in class allocation is worthy of serious thought. How this is managed is often by mutual agreement between the outgoing and incoming Principal, taking the logistical implications and other sensitivities into consideration. This touches on the issue of leadership transition which I will further develop, along with the rituals of saying goodbye, in the final article in this series.
Allianz Pupil Personal Accident Cover – 20% Discount when arranged Online Allianz are committed to providing schools with the broadest possible Personal Accident cover to protect the children of your school. Cover is provided in the form of a series of benefits (a full schedule of benefits is available on our website www.allianz.ie/schools), including medical and dental expenses which are not recoverable from any other source, as a result of non-culpable accidents, subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the Policy.
What makes the Allianz policy the best in the market? The answers are simple: 1. Claims The Allianz Pupil Personal Accident policy is unique in that it is the only Pupil Personal Accident policy in Ireland which will provide on-going medical and dental expenses following an accident for an unlimited period of time (*subject to the policy limit of €30,000).
In today’s environment of increasing medical/ dental expenses, we can provide Pupil Personal Accident cover for as little as €4 per pupil for school activities or for €7 on a 24-hour basis, 365 days of the year. Details of our premiums are outlined below:
Many accidents, particularly those involving dental costs, require further treatment for a period of time following an accident. The Allianz policy provides the most extensive cover for these accidents which can be
costly to parents over a long period of time. Other insurers will only pay these Insured expenses for a specified period (generally two years) after the accident. 2. 20% Discount when you arrange cover on-line Simply log onto www.allianz.ie/schools, proceed to the Pupil Personal Accident section of the website and purchase your policy to avail of a 20% discount. It's that easy. If your school would like to arrange a policy, please contact our customer service team on 01-6133900 who will be delighted to assist.
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As the leading provider of insurance for schools in Ireland, Allianz offers extensive accident cover for pupils both in and out of school. You can't stop children being children, but you can ensure they are well protected with Allianz. Log on to www.allianz.ie/schools to arrange Personal Accident Insurance Cover for pupils.
Allianz, Allianz House, Elmpark, Merrion Road, Dublin 4. Phone: (01) 613 39 66. Fax: (01) 613 36 30. Email: schools@allianz.ie Website: www.allianz.ie/schools Allianz p.l.c. is regulated by the Financial Regulator.
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ScoilTel, a quality service from IPPN. *ScoilTel is a landline telephone service negotiated and developed by IPPN on behalf of its members and facilitated by Pure Telecom. ScoilTel's purpose is to provide IPPN’s members, and Primary schools across Ireland, with a low cost quality telephony service which is regularly monitored to ensure its ongoing competitiveness and efficiency.
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IPPN Supports & Services – Where does the money come from? The delivery of IPPN’s broad range of Supports & Services to 6,500 Principals and Deputy Principals requires a level of resourcing that is much greater than the capacity of our income from our annual membership fee. The demand for IPPN resources and support continues to increase, which is a great vote of confidence in IPPN and the power of networking, but places financial constraints on us especially in these recessionary times. In order to continue to consistently provide the level of quality and service currently being offered through our range of membership Supports and Services, IPPN engages with various commercial companies. Commercial support for IPPN comes in different forms including direct sponsorship, affinity schemes, research and consultancy.
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In drawing up agreements with commercial companies, IPPN has clear criteria in terms of ethical boundaries and value for money to both schools and individual members as well as to IPPN. In some cases, commercial companies supporting us seek opportunities to promote various opportunities targeted not at
The demand for IPPN resources and support continues to increase, which is a great vote of confidence in IPPN and the power of networking the school but at Principals and Deputy Principals directly. We will at all times clearly indicate whether or not these specific offers
2009 200
IPPN plans to maximise this commercial opportunity and, by doing so, deliver genuine savings and benefits for individual members and schools based on our collective bargaining power. To do this we need your on-going advice and on-going support. If there are products or services that you as an individual, or your school, would like to make savings on using the collective bargaining power of IPPN please e-mail your suggestions to marketing@ippn.ie. Ní neart go cur le chéile.
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Leading & Learning
Investment Opportunity for Principals In the current climate, investing your money in a successful market-leader makes sense. Voice Sage is a market-leader and we are currently looking for individuals to invest in our expansion programme. €7m has been invested to date and we are due to become monthly profitable by mid summer 2009. WHAT IS VOICESAGE? VoiceSage is a company that offers a low-cost, high-impact voice messaging system. Catering for companies with large customer service requirements, our technology enables voice messages to be sent out to customers at appropriate times. At the end of the message customers can choose to take an action such as confirm an appointment, pay a bill or speak to a customer service person with zero hold-time. VoiceSage enables businesses to improve their call centre productivity, reduce the number of inbound calls with trivial inquiries, improve credit control, and generate greater efficiency in customer service. For example: Indesit delivers washing machines and similar white goods; combining mapping, GPS technology and messaging, VoiceSage gives them the capability to control the delivery process to a greater degree. Our system cuts the number of times the delivery van arrives and finds the customer isn’t there, or the customer waits all day for the delivery and the van isn’t there. In addition, the system makes it possible to trace goods all the way through the supply chain and keep the
customer informed of where their specific order is in the process. VOICESAGE IS OFFERING YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO INVEST IN ITS EXPANSION. VoiceSage currently targets large business-toconsumer organisations that have regular contact with customers through large call centres. With this volume of customer correspondence, the benefits of VoiceSage are immediate and significant. We are winning significant blue-chip customers, including - Otto (€18 billion turnover, international catalogue company), Indesit (white goods –Whirlpool and Hotpoint), ESB, British Gas, Littlewoods and J.D. Williams (largest and second largest catalogue sales companies in the UK), GE Capital (Europe) and Home Retail Group (Argos / Homebase) - and are now the leading supplier in the UK market. Our aim is to dominate the market and expand internationally. To fund that expansion we have recently raised €1m and plan to raise a further €1m. We are approved for Business Expansion Scheme (BES) fundraising, which is tax effective at the top rate of income tax. VoiceSage also has significant advantages over its competitors: ● Hosted: No installed software or internal support costs ● Robustness: VoiceSage works - all of the
time and at scale ● Ease of Use: Minimal setup; no once-off consultancy fees ● Pay-as-you go: Software as a service (SaaS) pricing model {make the savings now and pay next month} ● Flexibility: Can be integrated with most software systems in under an hour ● Real-time reporting: Customers see results being generated as they happen and can immediately react to improve results – unlike all competitors. Customers save €15 on average when they pay us €1. The Key attractions for investors are: ● Innovative and Breakthrough products in a growing market ● Solutions to critical business issues for all types of businesses ● Sustainable market advantage ● Scalable business model can grow worldwide ● Predictable, monthly recurring incomestream from SaaS revenue model ● Proven product being quickly adopted by blue chip customers If you are interested in investing in our planned expansion programme, please write or email the Chief Executive: James J. Kett VoiceSage Global Holdings Ltd NSC Campus, Mahon, Cork Email: jj.kett@voicesage.com
Planning to retire in 2009? Are you planning to retire in the near future? If you have made the decision retire, may we wish you every happiness and fulfilment in the future. Please note that from time to time there are projects of importance to Principals that we specifically look for retired Principals to help with. Do let us know if you would be interested in getting involved. You also have an opportunity to stay in touch by becoming a Retired Member of IPPN, which means you receive Leadership+ and other
publications and can attend conferences and other events as well as access www.ippn.ie. Call us at the Support Office to find out more. We all acknowledge the importance of providing every possible support for Newly Appointed Principals from the date of their appointment. The Support Office tries to contact new Principals immediately so that they are aware of the supports and services
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that are available from IPPN. They are also provided with the Principal’s Information Management System (PIMS) and Ciall Ceannaithe publications. The greatest challenge is to find out the names of NAPs as early as possible. To assist us in this, do please let us know of your impending retirement and also the name of the Newly Appointed Principal as soon as that decision has been made. This would be of enormous help to all concerned and would be much appreciated.
FAQs Principals’ Frequently Asked Questions Answers to all of the following questions can be found in the Principal Advice area of www.ippn.ie. Make it your first portof-call when you have a query! ADMINISTRATION 1. A Principal had to take a number of days off as her daughter was ill. How many days can she take? How can she cover these days? 2. At what point can I take a child off the roll-book? 3. If a child has been taken from the school and has not been enrolled in another school, when is the child taken off the roll and the NEWB notified? 4. Can a planning day be held on the day a school is scheduled to close or scheduled to open? 5. Can a Principal claim the allowance for Secretary to the Board of Management if (s)he doesn’t physically take the minutes but does delegate this task to another Board of Management Member? 6. For how long must records be kept and who has the right to access these records? 7. Numbers required to go from teaching principal to walking principal/ admin principal? 8. Do you need to sign a contract with a part-time resource teacher for 4 hours a week? BOARD OF MANAGEMENT 1. After accepting the position, the DP has decided that she is unhappy with some of the questions asked during her interview. Can she place a complaint after accepting the position? 2. Board breech of confidentiality. Can a board member discuss details of a board meeting outside of the board? 3. Can a Principal claim the allowance for Secretary to the Board of Management if (s)he doesn’t physically take the minutes but does delegate this task to another Board of Management Member? 4. Can a school be forced to amalgamate? Management members? HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 1. A staff member is going on a career break in September, can the job be advertised before the summer? Does the Panel apply? 2. A temporary post that will become permanent, must it be advertised or can
they source someone themselves? 3. After accepting the position, the DP has decided that she is unhappy with some of the questions asked during her interview. Can she place a complaint after accepting the position? 4. Can a job be kept open for a teacher who has been out on sick leave for 18 months 5. The Principal feels that (s)he is being bullied by the Chairperson of the Board of Management. What should (s)he do? 6. Could secretary assist in lunchtime supervision? INCLUSION 1. A Foreign National family is looking to enrol their child, who has little to no English, what support is available for this? 2. Are SNAs assigned to a specific child or can they be moved within the school? 3. How do I contact the Special Education Panel? 4. Interviewing SNA. What is the structure of the interview panel when interviewing an SNA? Can one of the 3 be the Deputy Principal as she is also on the BoM? 5. What are the procedures for advertising a vacant SNA post? Do I have to follow the rules for advertising for a teaching post? Or can I just put an ad in the parish newsletter? PARENTS AND PUPILS 1. A parent is demanding that their child be held back in 6th class for another year. How does the principal handle this situation? 2. Can a principal say No to enrolling a child who turns 4 on the 31st August when it’s clear their social/physical skills aren’t adequate? 3. Can the Parents Association write to all the parents throughout the school without ratification from the Board of Management? 4. Does a school have to enrol an autistic child, if the school has no facilities to cater for the child’s needs? 5. Enrolment of a pupil where there is a marital breakdown. One parent requests that pupil is not to be accepted into school and will take all necessary measures against principal. What does the school do?
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6. How do I handle disputes with parents in relation to access to children in School? PRINCIPAL’S ROLE 1. Can a Principal take up a resource post? 2. Does the principal have a vote when electing members of staff to the Board of Management? 3. Guidelines for role and functions of Deputy Principal? 4. If Principal is on maternity leave or any other leave of absence, how much influence/control do they have over events in school? Board of Management? 5. Is Class Allocation the prerogative of the principal alone? RECRUITMENT 1. A staff member is going on a career break in September,. Can the job be advertised before the summer? Does the Panel apply? 2. A temporary post that will become permanent, must it be advertised or can they source someone themselves? 3. Can a deputy principal take up a resource post/ shared resource post? 4. Can a DP take a shared learning support post with another school? SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT & CURRICULUM PLANNING 1. Can a planning day be held on the day a school is scheduled to close or scheduled to open? 2. Can a school be forced to amalgamate? 3. How many release days is a principal entitled to? 4. Number of in-service days and what are they for? 5. What are the options for managing inclass support? SCHOOL POLICIES 1. Can teachers opt in/ opt out of yard supervision/ agreed duties? 2. Does a school require/need a Health and Safety Statement? 3. Does the school have the right to protect teachers and other children from a disruptive or violent pupil? 4. Does the principal have a vote when electing members of staff to the Board of Management?
Leadership in Action Primary School Principal and County Councillor by Mary Mitchell O’Connor
‘Combining the role of a local Primary School Principal and a County Councillor ensures that I am actively involved in the local community, and acutely aware of the wide range of issues that impact people in their daily lives’
for children and their parents and in helping them achieve their true potential and capabilities. I realised that my responsibility could extend beyond the classroom, hence my decision to get involved in politics.
Mary Mitchell O’Connor is Principal of The Harold School in Glasthule and a Fine Gael Councillor on Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Mary, who is originally from Galway but now lives in Dun Laoghaire, has a Masters in Education and has been involved in teaching for over 20 years. She is the mother of two boys.
Trust is sadly lacking in our political system and many people have become alienated and remote from the political process. To coin a cliché, politics allows us to make a difference.There are, of course, times when being a politician can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes at council meetings, it is hard not to become a little cynical and question whether you’re making a difference or not. It’s the same way in teaching when you feel you’re not getting through to a particular child or helping them achieve their fullest potential. Moments like these are more than made up for by the positive experiences. The girl who had thought the future held only unemployment has since gone on to complete a degree in science and is full of optimism for her future.
It was my involvement in teaching that actually provided the catalyst for my interest in politics. The first question many people ask relates to the time demands of being a school Principal and a Politician. Funnily, it is not something that I ever really think about. I am sure it’s the same for people heavily involved in sports or other interests outside their job. Politics, like teaching, has its challenges but also like teaching you simply couldn’t do it unless you enjoy it. It was my involvement in teaching that actually provided the catalyst for my interest in politics. One moment in particular stands out. It was 1992 and I was teaching in a primary school in Meath. I asked one young girl what she thought she’d do when she grew up. She really shocked me when she said she knew she’d end up unemployed. Obviously she brought this with her from the home and it really spurred me to start thinking about where Ireland was at the time and the future for our young people. When I started thinking about the future of my own sons, it really worried me that there seemed to be little future for many of our children other than emigration. Even before that event, I suppose I have always been politically aware. I am acutely conscious of the need to respond to the potential of the children passing through the school system. I recognise the importance of providing support
The education cutbacks in October’s Budget hit the most vulnerable in our schools the hardest. It is extremely frustrating to see a return to education cutbacks. The lesson from the past decade is that education is the key to unlocking the economic potential of the Irish economy.
There are, of course, times when being a politician can be extremely frustrating. Sometimes at Council meetings it is hard not to become a little cynical and question whether you’re making a difference or not. An abundance of skilled and highly motivated young people was at the heart of the Celtic Tiger years and this didn’t happen by accident. It happened because our school system, in spite of many challenges, was capable of producing young people with the skills required in a modern economy.
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Regardless of public policy at any given time, however, teachers will continue to do their very best to ensure that our children have the best opportunities in life and as a politician I will be doing my bit to ensure that public policy helps rather than hinders this. For all the similarities between teaching and politics, there are many differences also. The biggest is the media side of being a politician. As a teacher, it is somewhat foreign to find yourself in front of a radio microphone or a journalist answering questions. The only positive is that if you play it straight by saying it as you see it, most people will respect that.
The lesson from the past decade is that education is the key to unlocking the economic potential of the Irish economy. If you are considering getting involved in politics, you would do well to be mindful of the late Tip O’Neill, the great Irish-American politician, who once said that, ‘All politics is local’. No truer words have ever been spoken. Particularly in Ireland everything, not just politics, is local. Anybody aspiring to make a career in politics will find out very quickly that the hardest hurdle they’ll face is getting the ‘party nomination’. It’s a hugely competitive process. I have just been through it for the second time. But it is worth it. Local politics gives us the opportunity to contribute to the communities in which we live, and to the lives of the people we live alongside. Local politics is about fostering local enterprise, and job creation. It is about making our villages and towns cleaner and better places in which to live and work and raise our children. Local politics matters and matters greatly here in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, and no doubt in every other part of the country.
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hygiene costs less
marmoleum® artoleum®
Marmoleum natural flooring kills bacteria, so it limits the spread of infections in school. It has an extremely durable coating, Topshield, which protects it from dirt and scuff marks, so no polish is required when cleaning.The result is a hardwearing, durable, natural and hygienic floor that is ideal for learning environments.
www.forbo-flooring.com