Leadership+ Issue 58 September 2010

ISSUE 58 ● SEPTEMBER 2010

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

Maths and Science in Primary Schools IPPN Support Office New Process for Handling your Queries ICT for School Planning

Fresh Challenges and Opportunities The one constant in the life of a school leader is the uncertainty that each day brings.

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Fresh Challenges and Opportunities

by Seán Cottrell and Pat Goff Welcome back to all Principals and Deputy Principals and best wishes for a fulfilling and successful new school year. A special welcome to the many newly appointed Principals.

Comhghairdeas ó chroí libh go léir. Tá ré nua tosaithe ag gach duine agaibh mar cheannire scoile agus déanfaidh IPPN a dhícheall chun tacaíocht, misneach agus spreagadh a thabhairt daoibh amach anseo.

The one constant in the life of a school leader is the uncertainty that each day brings – life as a Principal is never boring. Last January many Principals faced that great question ‘Should we open or should we close’? This time last year we started the year with the ‘Swine Flu’ epidemic, followed by floods, then snow. Next we had the pay cuts, the embargos, the directives and a partridge in a pear tree. True to form, we did everything in our power to navigate the troubled waters and ensure that the pupils in our care were able to access the best possible education.

This time last year we started the year with the ‘Swine Flu’ epidemic, followed by floods, then snow. Next we had the pay cuts, the embargos, the directives and a partridge in a pear tree.

This new school year brings fresh challenges and opportunities. Union directives were withdrawn at the end of the last school year.

This effectively means a return to previous practice, including at least one ‘half in and half out’ staff meeting per term. The extra hour per week will officially become a reality in the next few months. The DES will shortly issue a circular outlining the best practice that should apply to this hour. It is clear that one cap does not fit all sizes. The needs of a three teacher

Director: Seán Cottrell director@ippn.ie President: Pat Goff president@ippn.ie Editor: Damian White editor@ippn.ie Assistant Editor: Brendan McCabe

school may be very different to the needs of the thirty three teacher school. However, every staff needs quality time to plan together. Such planning meetings might include the whole staff, class groups, class teachers and support teachers, in-school management teams.

Teachers and Principals didn’t go in search of an additional hour’s work per week, but we have all signed up to it. For the vast majority of teachers and Principals that regularly work many extra hours, the official ‘extra hour’ will not be a challenge but an opportunity to work and plan as a staff.

The debate on patronage is coming to the fore this school year with the announcement that the Catholic hierarchy and the DES are identifying areas where a number of schools may change patronage.

The debate on patronage is coming to the fore this school year with the announcement that the Catholic hierarchy and the DES are identifying areas where a number of schools may change patronage. The underlying tenet here is that it will be done in consultation with the parents in particular and also with the staffs involved. This is not a change that any school community would undertake lightly. Indeed, it has the potential to be very divisive to parents and teachers alike if not handled sensitively.

IPPN represent and support Principals from every patronage model and will be carefully monitoring developments. Perhaps the real debate should be on the proper governance and management of schools rather than patronage. The voluntary Boards of Management have given tremendous free service to Irish education for the last 35 years.

However, are Boards of Management, as they are presently constituted, the correct model to

Assistant Director:Virginia O’Mahony Advertising: adverts@ippn.ie Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co Cork T: 353 21 452 4925 F: 353 21 435 5648 PAG E 3

support the ever-increasing complex needs of our schools? Could the present structures be changed or improved to support you as Principal in your day to day running of the school – an almost impossible task for over 70% of you who are teaching Principals. Debate is called for, yes, but debate on issues that impact directly on the education of our children.

Perhaps the real debate should be on the proper governance and management of schools rather than patronage.

The new school year will also bring major changes in the probation and induction of our new teachers. At some future date, the Teaching Council will take over that responsibility. A circular will shortly issue from the DES outlining the changes. The vast majority of inspectors have consulted with the Principal on the progress of a probationary teacher. Such consultation has been useful to all parties concerned and would be considered good practice. However, any additional responsibility and workload for the Principal associated with the probation of teachers would not be considered a welcome development – and in the case of the Teaching Principal it would be an impossible imposition.

The new school year will also bring major changes in the probation and induction of our new teachers.

There will be challenges, there will be uncertainty – and IPPN will be there to support and represent you. Best wishes for the new school year. Ní neart go cur le chéile.

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

Maths and Science in Primary Schools

By Emer Smyth, Selina McCoy and Delma Byrne of the ESRI

WHY DO WE NEED RESEARCH? We are constantly reminded that mathematical and scientific skills are crucial to Ireland’s future development. But how can we help young people to enjoy and do well in Maths and Science? Media focus has been on the fall in the numbers taking Science and higher level Maths within secondlevel education. But early experiences of Maths and Science are likely to be crucial so we need to know more about the primary school level.

Research on primary school experiences is therefore crucial to developing suitable policies to foster mathematical and scientific skills.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) is currently involved in a large-scale study on the impact of primary school factors on Maths and Science achievement across a range of European countries.This research is designed to inform national and European policy makers about effective practices at country, school and classroom level.

WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO FIND OUT? The study will focus on what helps primary school children to make progress in Mathematics and Science across a number of different schools.

The research will focus on fourth class pupils so that we can compare experiences of this group in different countries.

Emer Smyth

Selina McCoy

Delma Byrne

The ESRI is strongly committed to carrying out research which helps policy development. We want to feed back the results of our research to help your day-to-day practice. We will do this by putting a summary of the research on our website and by presenting the results at seminars for principals and teachers.

WHO ARE WE? Emer Smyth is Research Professor, Selina McCoy is Senior Research Officer and Delma Byrne is Postdoctoral Researcher at the ESRI. The team members have carried out a range of studies on school organisation and process, school attendance, early school leaving and student engagement.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) is currently involved in a large-scale study on the impact of primary school factors on Maths and Science achievement across a range of European countries.

The research study will take place over the school year 2010/11 in over 60 schools around the country. It will involve a number of different stages: 1. Pupils will take a short test in Maths and Science at the beginning of the school year (September 2010).They will take another test towards the end of the school year (May 2011).This will allow us to see which pupils make gains in their learning 2. We will ask 4th class teachers to answer some questions about their views on the curriculum and also about the teaching methods they employ and the teaching resources they use. This will help us understand the context within which pupils learn.

3. We will ask the principal and other teachers in the school about aspects of school policy and practice to help us understand the school context.

This will provide us with a complete picture of what helps pupils to learn in different schools and across different countries.

As always, all of the information gathered will be subject to the strictest confidentiality and will not be released in such a way as to allow individual schools or pupils to be identified.

WHAT ARE WE ASKING OF YOU? We are currently contacting schools to ask them to take part in our study.

These schools have been randomly selected to represent all primary schools in Ireland.

We are aware of the considerable workload faced by schools but would very much appreciate your help with this study.Your participation means that we will have a more complete picture of what helps pupils learn.

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IPPN Support Office New Process for Handling your Professional Queries Between 1st July 2009 and 1st July 2010, the IPPN Support Office has received an astounding 4,000 professional queries from primary Principals and Deputy Principals, an average of 16 professional queries every working day.

Support Office staff log each of these queries and we can then use the information to analyse frequent requests, tailor resources and communications to members and identify where more formal continuous professional development (CPD) modules might be required.

Given the high volume of calls, we have had to strategically review how we utilise the resources available to us – Support Office staff, Principal Advice panel members, IPPN Executive and National Committee members, IT supports etc. – to ensure we prioritise them appropriately to meet the needs of members right across the range of supports and services we provide. As part of this strategic review, we have restructured our response to queries as follows: PRINCIPAL ADVICE QUERIES 12 very experienced Principals from IPPN’s Executive Committee form the Principal Advice Panel.The purpose of the Principal Advice Panel is to provide support to Principals and Deputy

Principals when they find themselves in a difficult situation and are unsure how to proceed. This advice can be in the form of phone support or responding to queries submitted to the advice@ippn.ie mailing list.

NB: Panel members, who are all full-time working Principals, do not provide support of a factual nature i.e. to answer queries that can be answered by referring directly to a Circular, IPPN, DES or CPSMA website or similar source.

Please note that each of the categories of Principal Advice (Board of Management, Recruitment, School Policies, HR Management, Inclusion, School Development & Curriculum Planning, Administration, Parents & Pupils, Principal’s Role) has its own webpage on www.ippn.ie with a range of templates, sample documents, answers to ‘frequently-asked questions’ and various other resources.These web pages should be your first port of call when you have a query, with the Principal Advice line being used only when you cannot find an answer to your question through the websites mentioned above.

OTHER QUERIES Over 2,200 queries in the past 12 months have related to IPPN member services (events, online CPD, publications, membership etc), technical

support for IPPN websites (ippn.ie, EducationPosts.ie,TextaParent.ie and so on).These queries are now responded to by email only. Send an email to support@ippn.ie, state the nature of the query in the subject line (e.g. Conference 2011,TextaParent, PIMS, ippn.ie) and your query will be responded to within 24 hours (Mon-Fri only), assuming it was received by the Support Office before 5pm.

OTHER ‘PORTS OF CALL’ You may of course continue to use the networking@ippn.ie mailing list to seek advice from fellow Principals and Deputy Principals about a particular issue. If the issue is of a sensitive nature, note this at the beginning of your email and the moderator will remove your name and address before submitting it to the mailing list.

Leadership+ always has articles that can be referred to in relation to various aspects of the school leadership role and is therefore worth keeping. Ciall Ceannaithe is a mine of practical information as is the CPSMA Board of Management Handbook and the Rules for National Schools, all of which are worth having to hand in school. Note that all of IPPN publications are available to view or download from the Resources/Publications section of www.ippn.ie.

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Atmospheric Conditions and the Principal

By Damian White, Editor of Leadership+ and Principal of Scoil Shinchill, Killeigh, Co. Offaly As a complete culchie, I love the “Dublinism” of replacing a logical word in a sentence with a rhyming but otherwise oddfitting replacement.

Asking the barman for a “Joe Maxi” late at night won’t see him frowning at having to make up a dodgy cocktail. He will simply call a taxi for you!

Similarly, a medic attending a stricken Dublin Footballer will know the phrase “town halls” explains his reason for lying in agony on the ground!

In considering the word ‘atmosphere’- as it relates to school, I put on my Dublin hat (I was born in Holles Street after all) and considered alternatives, corollaries even, which may be close to, or wide of the mark – depending on the school you visit.

Is your school one which emanates a warm atmosphere? Or is it closer to’ war’n utmost fear?’

What atmosphere is best for the school, the children, the staff.... to ensure optimum school functioning? Sales people, substitute teachers, work experience students and sports coaches, aside from keeping the right side of the principal, have something else in common - they all form a sense of the school’s atmosphere, both in terms of a place of learning and a place of work, very quickly in each school they visit. If pressed they are willing to share their impressions, both positive and not so positive. “There isn’t a sound to be heard as you walk down the corridor” – can be said as a compliment to the school’s order and calmness or a dig at the rigid regime calling the shots. “I hate calling to that school” can be for reasons too numerous to go into – one thing is for certain though – it will have something to do with the Principal.

Callers to the school, sales people in particular, have a penchant for arriving unannounced and seeking the Principal’s usually preoccupied ear.

The strong temptation is to snap at them, particularly for a Teaching Principal where there is simply no chance of diverting attention towards the horde of educational goodies or the exciting new stain remover on offer.

It is important to bear in mind however, that how we treat the sales person, or any other caller, has an effect on how we are perceived by that caller, our colleagues and especially by the children who may overhear us. I recall our Principal from my own school days telling how her teacher, in the middle of a lecture to the class on being good to your neighbour and generous to the less well off, answered the door and unleashed a stream of invective at the poor beggar woman who had

happened to knock merely looking for some hot water! Her message was lost, but the lesson was well learnt...

A good atmosphere at school depends on respect between teachers and pupils, teachers and other staff, all staff and parents, staff and the Board of Management, and the Principal and everyone!

How do we, as Principals, create that good, positive warm atmosphere in our school and not a’ war’n utmost fear?’

It starts with how the Principal and staff relate. A Principal simply complimenting the new art display or the lovely handwriting in a copy in front of staff and/or students may seem like a small thing to do, but it is an acknowledgement of the work of both children and teachers and is appreciated deeply by both. Sharing a joke with the teacher, smiling as you impart good news to the class, relieving a staff member for a necessary medical appointment or their own child’s parentteacher meeting are all important.

Rather then demanding Cuntaisí Mhiosula on the first day of every month, set a date in the middle of the following month by which time they should be all completed and filed. Celebrate birthdays (especially major ones), engagements, births of children, graduations, with small but meaningful gestures of acknowledgement. Keep an eye and an ear out for tensions within the staff and dilute the issue as early as possible. If the issue is greater, the Principal must be fair to all sides and be seen to be so, bearing in mind that anything affecting the learning of the children must be addressed and sorted promptly.

With pupils, the Principal is most effective when respected, not feared. No opportunity should be lost to hone positive interaction with children.

The Principal may be on the next rung of the Code of Discipline ladder when a teacher’s patience has finally given out , or the offence may merit serious attention, but this may also present an opportunity to get to the root of a problem by talking through the issue with the children involved.The time spent on such interaction is not time wasted and a child who feels they have had a fair hearing will almost certainly be more respectful of rules in the future and equally the teacher involved should be relieved at the defusing of a tense classroom situation. For me, the best testament to our school staff comes from past pupils stating how they always felt fairly treated and respected in school.

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Relationships with parents obviously vary from situation to situation. One constant I have noticed is that a parent coming with an issue needs to feel they have been heard and listened to. It is often more prudent to listen even when tempted to interrupt. A follow-up phone call can often help to diffuse the anger when the Principal can report that they have looked into the issue. If the story has a side the parent is not aware of, this can also be a good time to present it.

School newsletters usually carry positive news of school events and successes and contribute to positive views of the school.

The physical appearance of the school helps to create the school’s ‘warm atmosphere’ too. Art, photographs, projects and science experiments add to the general ambience of the school. Positive notices encouraging good behaviour, hygiene and recycling have a more positive affect than prohibitive notices. Courtesy and good manners should be encouraged and praised when observed.

A child showing a visitor to the school where the Principal’s office/classroom is, can create a very positive impression of how things run.

While the staffroom is important for sanctuary and sanity, it shouldn’t be sanctimonious! Curates, coaches, HSE personnel, school photographers .... who may be spending their day working in the school should be invited to join the staff at breaktime and made feel welcome. Christmas parties and other social events should be inclusive of all staff in the school.

While it can be occasionally inconvenient to deal with applications for the use of the school for important local meetings or a computer room for night classes etc., it might be beneficial generally to afford these a positive response provided all insurances are in order. This helps to reinforce the community element of the school to all. Work to be carried out on the school should, where at all possible, be given to local tradesmen to complete. Local teams in sports should be supported by decorating windows or raising flags or bunting in the local colours. As much business as possible should go through the local shops and suppliers. Remember - in our atmosphere, each square inch of us is subject to 14 lb of pressure acting and counteracting just to keep us intact. That’s enough pressure for any body. When the atmosphere is light, everything floats. May 2010/11 float for you.

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By Eileen Flynn, General Secretary

‡ %ULOOLDQW $UW ([SHULHQFH IRU DOO \RXU FKLOGUHQ CPSMA is a recognised management body which supports the Boards of Management of Catholic Primary Schools in dealing with the challenging issues that currently face them. CPSMA deals with queries by phone, fax, email and letter on a multiplicity of issues including employment matters e.g. new/existing employment contracts, statutory entitlements, disputes, seniority issues, indefinite duration/fixed term contracts/renewal of contracts, redundancy issues, sick leave, assaults on staff, grievance and disciplinary procedures, appointment procedures, posts of responsibility, probation, career breaks, secondments, job sharing, study leave, carer’s leave, parental leave, etc.

The Board of Management handbook is downloadable. So also are national training modules for Boards.

CPSMA offers general advice on a plethora of other issues e.g. delivery of a curriculum to meet student needs, health and safety, child protection, parental complaints, guardianship issues, indemnity issues, exemption from Irish, S.29 appeals, suspensions and expulsions, special education queries etc. to name but a few.

CPSMA in conjunction with Allianz is providing training on employment issues in 22 different locations this autumn at no cost to the Boards of Management.

The website, www.cpsma.ie is updated daily and is an extremely valuable tool for Boards of Management. It contains a host of template documents e.g. employment contracts for teachers, SNAs, secretaries, caretakers, cleaners, bus escorts etc as well as template contracts for each type of employment situation e.g. permanent, fixed term, specified purpose etc.

In addition all newly published documents are posted prominently on the front page so that Boards become immediately aware of same.The website is organised in a user friendly format to maximise accessibility.

CPSMA’s Newsletter is published regularly with a particular focus on issues that are current and pressing for schools. Some of the issues which have been addressed are the current disciplinary procedures for teachers, checklist for appointments, checklist for child protection, information on vetting, the standardized school year, supervision & substitution, occupational health strategy for teachers, employee assistance scheme, payment of independent assessors, enrolment policies, guidance regarding temporary/fixed term teachers, contract templates, OLCS etc.

CPSMA has a representational role on behalf of all Boards of Management at national level.

It works with the Department of Education & Skills, the National Council for Special Education, INTO, Patron and management bodies at primary and post primary level and others in the interests of schools and their communities.

The CPSMA office is currently staffed by four fulltime personnel and one secretary.

The office endeavours to respond to queries within 24 hours if at all possible The office can be contacted at 01 6292462 or freephone at 1850 407200 or email at info@cpsma.ie.

‡ *UHDW 6RFLDO )XQGUDLVLQJ HYHQW IRU WKH ZKROH VFKRRO FRPPXQLW\ ‡ (DV\ IRU EXV\ WHDFKHUV SULQFLSDOV ZH ORRN DIWHU

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PAG E 8

ICT for School Planning

by Seaghan Moriarty This article outlines the use of two applications that will help you plan for the year ahead. One focuses on leading your teachers in the area of classroom planning and schemes, while the other is an online version of the highly rated PIMS (Desk Diary) Planning Prompts.

NCCA CURRICULUM PLANNING TOOL This online tool enables teachers to very quickly produce notes and schemes which contain categorized content objectives.

For example, a teacher doing their short-term planning can choose class level(s), subject(s), strand(s), strand unit(s) etc. in order to list all related content objectives. Choosing Fifth Class > Maths > Algebra lists the strands of Directed Numbers, Rules and Properties and Equations.

Choose any/all 3 to see their associated Content Objectives.

The above diagram shows how you can select from Classes, Subjects, Strands and Strand Units The real power, however, is your ability to choose multiple classes, multiple Subjects etc . Based on your choices, the application produces and

categorises all related content objectives, ready to be saved and pasted into your notes.

In short, an easy to use tool and a huge time-saver that your teachers will really thank you for!

PIMS Planning Prompts - Google Calendar style Continuing the theme of cloud computing from last month, this next application is an extension of the IPPN PIMS Planning Prompts. In summary, we have collated all the planning prompts from the year 2010/2011 so you can use/modify/edit them in your own free Google Calendar!

Background to Google Calendar Google Calendar is a free, easy to use online calendar. You can store date-related information in your calendar at various levels – for example some marked public (so the public / general parent body can read these entries); some shared with your staff in school (so your staff can see both public events and staff events); and some private (for your own personal use).You can also set up reminders in your calendar which send email reminders or even free SMS reminders at predefined times.

SETTING UP YOUR GOOGLE CALENDAR There are 3 steps to having your own online calendar, pre-populated with over 250 useful planning prompts.

1. Download the IPPN Calendar file: Login to www.ippn.ie and type the words ‘planning

prompts’ into the Search area. Save the file (called IPPNMonthlyPlanningPrompts.ics) to your Desktop.

2. Create a Google Account: a. On www.google.ie, search for the words ‘create google account’ and follow the instructions to set up your account b. Refer to the ‘Tips for Beginners’ below if you are new to Google Calendar / Google Docs 3. Login to your Google account: Login to your account. Navigate to your Calendar. In Calendar Settings, click ‘Calendars’ and click the link ‘import calendar’. Next, click Browse to locate the IPPN Calendar file on your Desktop (the one you downloaded in Step 1) and click Import.

That’s it.You now have a calendar for 2010/2011 with over 250 planning prompts! Please note that these prompts are NOT ‘to do’s.You can amend / delete / add to / move these as required.

Google Calendar is particularly easy to use, so you can slide events from one day to another; move events from time to time; set event durations, event reminders – the list is endless.

TIPS FOR BEGINNERS: ● Video Tutorials:Visit YouTube and search for ‘google calendar tutorials’ ● Start with the ‘week’ view and don’t forget to move to Sept 2010 in order to see the events.

www.ippn.ie Resources - Principal Advice The following resources have recently been added to the website and can be found under the relevant web pages listed in bold font below:

● ● ● ● ● ●

Internet Parent Permission Form Acceptable Use Policy for Staff Leave of Absence Policy Brief Absences Policy for Staff Foirm Aistrithe do Dhaltaí Child Protection Procedures for NonTeaching Staff

PRINCIPAL ADVICE PARENTS & PUPILS ● 6th Class Graduation Ceremony Resources ● Reflections & Songs ● Graduation Ceremony Ideas ● Graduation Service ● Graduation Booklet ● The Story of the Crab Bucket

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT/HEALTH & SAFETY ● Stress Risk Assessment ● Stress Management Policy

SCHOOL POLICIES ● Code of Conduct for Parents ● Parental Permission Form ● Sample EPV Days Policy

RECRUITMENT Teachers ● Standard Application Form For Teaching Posts PAG E 9

RESOURCES PUBLICATIONS ● Leadership+ Issue 57 – June 2010 ● PIMS 2010-2011 – electronic copies of each of the following sections: ●

Section 1: Today's Priorities Sheet Section 2: Annual Overview 2010/2011 ● Section 3: Appointments Diary ● Section 4: Contacts ● Section 5: Teachers/SNA Absence ● Section 9: Prof Development Service for Teachers ● Section 12: Pupils ● Section 13: Special Education Needs ● Section 14: Parents ● Section 17: Board of Management ● Section 18: Staff Recruitment ● Section 19: IPPN ● Section 20: Treasurer/Finance/Grants. ●

Latest News NEWS/PROJECTS UNDERWAY ● Retiring/ Newly-appointed Principals 162 vacancies for the post of Principal have been advertised since 1st January 2010. Of these, 48 are still awaiting appointment. Please notify Jackie on support3@ippn.ie if you have been newly-appointed and have not yet made contact with IPPN. Similarly, if you are aware of a school seeking to appoint a Principal, please let us know so we can follow up to ensure all the appropriate supports are put in place for the new Principal. ● IPPN Fundraiser for Haiti – The amount collected so far, and sent to the three charities selected by IPPN - Trocaire, Louise Iver’s health project & Haven Building Project is a staggering €51,441. Many thanks to all those who contributed. ● TextaParent.ie relaunch – See separate article on page 19

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MEETINGS/TRAINING HELD OR ● ATTENDED BY IPPN ● See separate article re. IPPN County Network AGMs schedule ● ● Principals’ Professional Briefing day on 8th September at the Tullamore Court Hotel ● IPPN’s online Summer course Ciall Ceannaithe was completed by over 200

Principals and teachers during July. The course was facilitated by 5 members of IPPN’s Executive Committee.

Principals who handle Principal Advice queries attended a one-day training course at the new IPPN Support Office on the 2nd July.

IPPN President, Pat Goff, and Director, Seán Cottrell, met with the Tánaiste and Minister for Education, Mary Coughlan in Leinster House on 1st July. Following the meeting, the Minister launched the IPPN/NPC publication Supporting Each Other IPPN met with LDS and the new PDST in late June and again in August to discuss the ongoing and newly identified Professional Development needs of school leaders and to determine possible points of collaboration Meeting with Energia in July to ensure the affinity scheme offering for schools remains competitive Meeting with the DES Teacher Education Section in Athlone to discuss the CPD needs of school leaders in the 2010/2011 school year IPPN met with the INTO in late August to discuss issues of concern to principals. In particular the extra hour per week proposed under the Croke Park agreement was discussed.

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS/TRAINING ● Your School and Staff Management seminars will be held in a number if venues.These seminars will address such issues as ■ Recruitment ■ Classroom Management and Section 24 ■ Effective Management of Staff ■ Leadership good practice ■ Legal HR issues See ippn.ie for further information. ● IPPN Executive Committee Meeting on 10th and 11th September and on 12th November ● IPPN National Committee AGM on Saturday 13th November ● Misneach I – Ennis, Monaghan in September ● Misneach I - Enniscorthy, Sligo, Kildare and Cork in October ● Misneach III – Kilkenny, Monaghan, Portlaoise in November ● Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS) Annual Conference in October, theme Teacher Education for Inclusion ● IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference – Thursday 27th to Saturday 29th January 2011 – Citywest, Saggart, Co. Dublin.

G Access to our titles online G Great interactive exercises and activities for our Bun go Barr series G Links to specially selected web sites relevant to each page of our entire Quest series G Free trial of the award-winning Destination Maths (Riverdeep), software, localised for Ireland G Teacher’s manuals, solutions, schemes of work… they’re all online at www.cjfallon.ie G New material being added all the time

Block B Liffey Valley Office Campus Dublin 22 Tel 01 616 6490

www.cjfallon.ie PAG E 1 0

The transition from primary to post-primary school has been recognised as a crucial stage in young people’s educational journey. It marks a break in the continuity of schooling and can be a time of opportunity for young people. However, it is also a time of vulnerability.

Students are required to leave the familiar surroundings, relationships and expectations of their primary school and enter into a new social, cultural and educational setting. Such changes make transfer from first to secondlevel a significant life event.

(Transitions in the Primary School, INTO, 2009) As the promise of a long hot summer beckoned and sixth class pupils were faced with the bittersweet farewell to primary school, a school in Cork and a school in Tipperary welcomed tutors from The Social and Health Education Project (SHEP) into their classrooms for a day-long workshop.

Last summer term, in response to requests from Parents’ Associations, the Social and Health Education Project (SHEP) piloted a dynamic new programme, “Let’s Talk About…” aimed at supporting pupils through the emotional journey they were embarking upon as they moved into

post-primary education. The “Let’s Talk About …” workshop, designed by SHEP tutor and guidance counsellor Aine Finn, combines her sensitivity as a parent and her experience as a teacher with the experiential learning methods employed by SHEP. Pupils quickly forged connections with SHEP tutors as they engaged in exercises and games that brought laughter and relieved tensions. One of the benefits of working with ‘a stranger’ was that children could use the anonymity of the situation to explore issues they might have found difficult to address with those who know them, their families and their communities. Through a variety of creative, fun and thought-provoking activities, the main focus was on the feelings, expectations, anxieties and vulnerabilities of the young people. Their own experience and responses to change in the past were drawn upon and their strengths acknowledged and built upon.

Nioclás Duinnín, Principal of Ballyporeen NS, had wondered how the sixth class pupils would receive a day-long workshop, coming at a time when it’s difficult for them to stay with anything

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Thursday 27th – Friday 28th January 2011 The IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference Education Expo is the best opportunity for companies supplying the school market to meet Principals. Please let your school suppliers know about Expo and ask them to contact Louise O’Brien in the IPPN Support Office on 1890 21 22 23.

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Patsy Hannan

Helping Children Make the Transition from Primary to Post-Primary School

for very long… school nearly finished, the sun shining. “But,” he said, “the tutor had them all, right to the end. They were immersed in it and took part with a heart. The content covered is so relevant to their future and the delivery was excellent. This is a workshop that schools have been waiting for and we will certainly be looking to SHEP again this time next year.”

The transition from primary to secondary school is a process that concerns teachers, pupils and their parents and operates most successfully when it is integral to an ongoing link between schools and all involved. As part of that larger process, the “Let’s Talk About…” programme will provide valuable opportunities for pupils to express their concerns and needs, to reflect on their emotions and to strengthen their resources in a ‘neutral’ setting.

Primary schools in Counties Cork and Kerry who would like further information on the “Let’s Talk About…” programme can contact Kerri FitzGerald at The Social & Health Education Project on 021 466 6180.

Legal Diary

by David Ruddy, B.L.

Disciplinary Procedures for Teachers And School Principals DES CIRCULAR 60/2009 “Other Disciplinary Issues” In the last issue of Leadership+ (issue 57), Circular 60/2009 was examined in the context of Professional Competence Issues and how it impacted on teachers and Teaching Principals.

This circular provides new procedures for the suspension/dismissal of teachers and school principals. There are separate sections for teachers and principals. The circular does not apply to probationary teachers, Special Needs Assistants or ancillary staff. Disciplinary procedures in relation to Special Needs Assistants and ancillary staff are covered by Statutory Instrument No 146 of 2000.

In this article, I will concentrate on the other half of the Circular which deals with ‘Other Disciplinary Issues’. This circular is based on Section 24/ (3) of the Education Act 1998. Under the terms of “Towards 2016”, the social partners undertook to review and revise existing procedures and to agree new procedures in line with the legislation.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES Fair procedures are at the heart of the circular. Any allegations against a teacher / principal must be provided in advance and in writing. The source of the allegations must be made clear, with full access to

SECTION 23 EDUCATION ACT 1998 DES CIRCULAR 60/2009

TEACHERS

SCHOOL PRINCIPALS

Professional Competence Issues

Other Disciplinary Issues

Professional Competence Issues

Other Disciplinary Issues

i.e. not teaching the curriculum to appropriate standards

i.e conduct issues, punctuality & attendance, threat to health & safety of students/ staff

Applies to Teaching Principals

Only this section applies to administrative principals. It also applies to teaching principals

PAG E 1 2

documentation and records. The teacher / principal must be allowed representation, the opportunity to examine and/or challenge evidence and the calling of witnesses. There must be an avoidance of bias and an impartial examination of the issues. Any sanction imposed will be in proportion to the nature of the conduct/behaviour performance. Any participation in these procedures is without prejudice to the right of a teacher/principal to have recourse to the law to protect his/her employment.

THE EDUCATION ACT 1998 SECTIONS 22 & 23 Sections 22 & 23 of the Education Act 1998 outline how the principal, as part of his /her day-to-day responsibilities for the management of the school, has responsibility for the guidance and direction of teachers, the provision of leadership to teachers and students and, together with the Board of Management, the provision of an environment which is supportive of learning and which promotes the professional development of teachers.

The Act also provides that the “Principal shall have all and such powers as are necessary or expedient in that regard”. It is essential that, before the procedure is embarked on, the problem is categorised either as a professional competency issue or another disciplinary issue.

Other Disciplinary Issues for Teachers/School Principals (i.e. nonteaching issues) Please note that for the purposes of this article I have dealt with allegations regarding members of the teaching staff and not of school principals. In the event that a school principal is subject to allegations regarding his/her behaviour, the

disciplinary process is identical. However, the Chairperson of the Board of Management takes the place of the school principal during the investigation process in such instances.

Informal Stage Isolated issues should be dealt with informally. It is only when issues cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of the principal that the formal stages should be invoked.

Formal Stage These disciplinary procedures supersede all existing local and national disciplinary procedures. The scope of the disciplinary procedures include all aspects of the role of school principal as set out in the Education Act 1998. The following stages can be utilised: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Verbal warning Written warning Final Written warning Disciplinary hearing by Board of Management and possible sanction

STAGE 1 - Verbal Warning a) Principal initiates the procedure orally by organising a formal disciplinary meeting with the teacher. b) Teacher advised of nature of the complaint and offered the opportunity to bring representation to the meeting. c) Principal & teacher attempt to identify underlying cause and agree steps to be taken to address matter. Internal and external supports offered to teacher. An attempt is made to resolve the matter within a three month period. e) If, in the opinion of the principal, the matter merits a verbal warning then it is given to the teacher, and should state the improvement required, and the timescale for such improvement. The warning should inform the teacher that further disciplinary action may be considered if there is no sustained satisfactory improvement.A copy of the verbal warning will be retained on the

personnel file by the principal and a copy will be given to the teacher. The verbal warning will be active for 6 months. e) Teacher is made aware of right of appeal to a nominee of the Board of Management.

STAGE 2 - Written Warning a) If, after receiving a verbal warning, the teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conduct is perceived by the principal to be less than satisfactory in relation to that required at Stage 1, a meeting will be arranged between the teacher, the principal and a nominee of the Board of Management. b) The teacher is advised of the nature of the complaint. As per Stage 1, the teacher is entitled to bring representation in the form of an INTO rep or friend. The teacher has the opportunity to challenge and respond to allegations in relation to the subject matter of the complaint. c) The principal and nominee of the Board of Management can decide that no further action is required or that a written warning is appropriate. The written warning should state the improvement required, and the timescale for such improvement. The warning should inform the teacher that further disciplinary action may be considered if there is no sustained satisfactory improvement. d) A copy of the written warning will be retained on the personnel file by the principal and a copy will be given to the teacher. The written warning will be active for 9 months. e) Teacher is made aware of right of appeal to the Board of Management.

STAGE 3 - Final Written Warning a) If, after receiving a written warning, the teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conduct is perceived by the principal to be less than satisfactory in relation to that required at Stage 2, or there is an occurrence of a more serious offence, a meeting will be arranged PAG E 1 3

b)

c)

d)

e)

between the teacher, the principal and a nominee of the Board of Management.

The teacher is advised of the nature of the complaint. As per Stage 2, the teacher is entitled to bring representation in the form of an INTO rep or friend. The teacher has the opportunity to challenge and respond to allegations in relation to the subject matter of the complaint.

The principal and nominee of the Board of Management can decide that no further action is required or that a final written warning is appropriate.

The final written warning should state the improvement required, and the timescale for such improvement. The warning should inform the teacher that further disciplinary action may be considered if there is no sustained satisfactory improvement.

A copy of the final written warning will be retained on the personnel file by the principal and a copy will be given to the teacher. The final written warning will be active for 12 months.

Teacher is made aware of right of appeal to the Board of Management.

STAGE 4 - Disciplinary Hearing by the BOM and Possible Sanctions a) If it is perceived that the poor work or conduct has continued after the final written warning has issued or the work or conduct issue is of a serious nature, a comprehensive report on the facts of the case will be prepared by the principal and forwarded to the Board of Management. A copy will be given to the teacher. b) The Board of Management will consider the matter and will seek, in writing, the views of the teacher on the report prepared by the principal. The teacher is afforded an opportunity to make a formal presentation of his/her case. c) As per Stage 3, the teacher is entitled to bring representation in the form of an

INTO rep or friend. d) If disciplinary action is warranted the following range of sanctions may be utilised. a) Deferral of an increment b) Withdrawal of an increment or increments c) Demotion (loss of Post of Responsibility allowance) d) Other disciplinary action short of dismissal e) Suspension with pay for a limited period and/or specific purpose f) Suspension without pay for a limited period and/or specific purpose g) Dismissal.

A Board of Management’s response must be proportionate to the nature of the behaviour/conduct. The Board of Management must notify the DES and the Teaching Council of the disciplinary action, as required under Section 37 of the Act. APPEALS The Teachers’ Disciplinary Appeal Panel (TDAP) hears appeals from teachers unhappy with Board of Management’s decisions. It is open to a teacher to appeal against the decision of the Board of Management within 10 days. Such an appeal will be heard by this independent Appeal Panel appointed by the Board of Management. The Chairperson is appointed from a panel nominated by the Minister for Education and Skills, a representative of a recognised management body, and a nominee of the INTO. A teacher can invoke the appeal process on one or more of the following grounds: a) Procedures not adhered to b) Relevant facts not ascertained or considered in a reasonable manner c) Teacher not offered a reasonable opportunity to answer the allegation or did not anticipate his/her action would attract disciplinary sanctions d) Sanction disproportionate to action or behaviour.

In order to process an application, the TDAP will request written submissions from both sides within certain time limits.

The panel may reject a request for a review of disciplinary proceedings where: a) The teacher fails to make written submissions b) Having considered the teacher’s submissions, the panel is of the view that the case made by the teacher is

frivolous, vexatious or substance or foundation.

without

If the TDAP rejects the teacher’s request for a review of the disciplinary hearing, the Board of Management can proceed with their sanction as though the teacher’s request was not made.

If the review hearing goes ahead, oral evidence and oral submissions can be taken. All relevant persons may be present subject to the approval of the Panel.

Proceedings will be informal. The TDAP can make the following recommendations: a) Reject the teacher’s appeal – which in effect allows the Board of Management to proceed on the basis of the original decision b) No further action should be taken against the teacher c) Action should be amended in a specific manner d) Case should be reconsidered.

Gross Misconduct In cases of serious misconduct at work or a threat to health and safety to children or other personnel in the school, stages 1 to 3 do not normally apply and a teacher may be dismissed without recourse to these stages.

List of examples of gross misconduct offences • Theft • Deliberate damage to school property • Fraud or deliberate falsification of documents • Gross negligence or dereliction of duties • Refusal to comply with legitimate instructions resulting in serious consequences • Serious or persistent incapacity to perform duties due to being under the influence of alcohol, un-prescribed drugs or misuse of prescribed medication • Serious breach of health and safety rules • Serious abuse/misuse of the school’s property/equipment • Serious breaches of confidentiality • Serious bullying, sexual harassment or harassment against an employee, student or other members of the school community • Violent/disruptive behaviour • D ow n l o a d i n g / d i s s e m i n a t i n g pornographic material from the internet • Circulation of offensive, obscene or indecent e-mails or text messages.

The above list is not exhaustive.

PAG E 1 4

Gross misconduct may also relate to an act which took place or allegedly took place outside the school where such an act, or alleged act, gives rise to a serious concern on the part of the Board of Management in relation to the health and safety of students and /or staff of the school.

If there is an allegation of serious misconduct, the teacher may be suspended on full pay pending an investigation and the conclusion of any appeal process. If the investigation upholds a case of serious misconduct, the normal consequence is dismissal.

CONCLUSION The procedures outlined in Circular 60/09 are to be welcomed. They are specific and must be followed line by line by any school principal, chairperson, and Board of Management. Lawyers will have a field day if the process is not followed and there is bias or lack of fairness and due process.

Any teacher or school principal can, in the less serious situations, have up to four opportunities to challenge and rebut any charges against them, and to appeal each sanction at each stage of the process. This could lead to inordinate delays and abuse of process. However, it must be remembered that the first three stages can be bypassed and an express route operated in circumstances where serious allegations of misconduct are alleged.

The Teacher’s Disciplinary Appeal Board (TDAP), which is so critical to the implementation of this new procedure, does not exist presently. The Minister for Education and Skills must now appoint members to the TDAP immediately so as to facilitate the implementation of the circular.

The Principal and nominee of the Board of Management should not vote at Board of Management meetings in situations where they have imposed sanctions on a member of staff during the earlier stages of the disciplinary process, and the Board of Management are proposing to impose their own sanctions.This would not in any way preclude the school principal and Board of Management Nominee from participation in discussions regarding the behaviour and possible sanctions. In any High Court judicial review proceedings, the issue is not about merits but rather an examination of the procedures and checks to see that these were followed.

CensusAtSchool Project CensusAtSchool is an exciting, internet-based, International Children’s Census project that has recently been launched in Ireland. In 2009, the NCCA, the CSO and the NCTE collaborated to set-up the Irish website, www.CensusAtSchool.ie.

The project involves pupils from the age of 7 from different countries across the world. Pupils answer a number of questions which are then added anonymously to an international database which can be used by teachers and children as a learning resource right across the school curriculum. Over one million young people across the world have taken part to date. Irish children can compare their own answers to their international counterparts.

To take part, go to www.CensusAtSchool.ie.

Here you can find out all about the project, download the documents to conduct CensusAtSchool in your school, ask questions and access curriculum resources which are continually updated.The questions pupils are asked are childfocused. They cover a wide variety of topics and are asked in such a way that the resulting data can be used to engage pupils in a valuable learning experience across the curriculum.

A key aspect of CensusAtSchool is the access to a variety of curriculum-related teaching resources. There are resources for mathematics, statistics, ICT, history, geography, science and also to raise social, environmental and political issues.

We would be delighted to hear from teachers and principals about the CensusAtSchool project and to get feedback on the resources available on our website. We can be contacted by email at info@censusatschool.ie.

CensusAtSchool was first launched in the UK in 2000 (‘Phase 1’) and was first launched in Ireland in the 2009/2010 school year (‘Phase 9’). Details from each of the phases are available on the website.‘Phase 10’ of the Census was launched in September 2010 for the 2010/2011 school year.

The National Census of Population will be conducted on Sunday, 10th April 2011 and relevant teaching resources will be made available for primary schools on the CensusAtSchool website early in 2011.

Similarly, World Statistics Day will be celebrated for the first time on 20th October 2010.

CensusAtSchool is encouraging all Irish schools to participate in World Statistics Day by having their pupils complete the ‘Phase 10’ questionnaire on the website.

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Euro for Zero

By Melanie Verwoerd Melanie Verwoerd was appointed UNICEF Ireland Executive Director in April 2007. She was the youngest woman member ever to be elected to the South African Parliament in 1994, where she served as an ANC Member of Parliament for seven years until 2001. She then served as the South African Ambassador to Ireland from 2001 to 2005 and presented the RTE Radio 1 programme "Spectrum".

his own.

A few years ago I visited Rwanda, a country that was of course torn apart by the genocide in 1994.

During my time there, I met a little boy who was 13 years old, called Tumusifu. To get to his small clay hut it took us about a half an hour to climb down the steep mountainside, which is located just a few miles outside Gisenye in Western Rwanda. Both of his parents died when he was seven years of age.

Tumusifu then shared the hut with his older brother and sister. But one day they did not come home and this little 13 year old boy now lives completely on

The thing that struck me most about Tumusifu is

When his siblings abandoned him and they left him only with three goats and a few meagre possessions, nothing else. And then, one night, robbers came down the mountain in the darkness and ransacked his house.They stole his goats; they smashed up his house; they took everything.

One Euro can provide 4 doses of measles vaccine, protecting children from this killer disease… how lonely he is. He is so hungry for company that he genuinely loves going to school. And even though it’s a huge climb up the mountain for him

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to get there, he’s always the first outside, waiting for the school to open, every morning. Like most 13year-old boys, he loves playing football, but what really touched me was when he told me he loves reading Shakespeare at night by candle light, when he has enough money to buy one.

It started to get dark and we had to leave, but I could see Tumusifu was getting very anxious and restless.

I asked what was wrong and he looked up at me, battling not to cry. His answer broke my heart.

‘I’m afraid of the dark,” he said.

You can imagine my sorrow, leaving this young boy who loves school and Shakespeare behind in his hut on his own – facing yet another night of darkness on his own – and afraid of the dark. Thinking of my own son, I just wept.

There are so my children like Tumusifu that we in UNICEF are trying to help in over 150 countries

and sadly many of them are far worse off than him.

Did you know that every day 24 000 children die painful deaths from causes we can prevent? They die through no fault of their own, but through a lack of shelter, immunisation or basic medicines.

Three years ago, 25,500 children under the age of five were dying every day from preventable causes.

Through our passionate work that number is now 24,000. That’s 1,500 more children alive each day.

1,500 families saved each day from the heartbreak of losing a daughter or son.

Although this is good news, it is totally unacceptable to me that 24,000 children still die every day and I am sure that, like me, you believe that number should be zero. In UNICEF we know how, but we need help.And this is where we are hoping that you and your schools will be able to help. We need Record Breaking Heroes – young heroes. In

October we’re launching a nationwide campaign, asking for Ireland to demonstrate that they too Believe in Zero and asking every person to donate just one as part of our Euro for Zero campaign. We would be thrilled if the children of Ireland could lead the way by showing that they Believe in Zero and launch our campaign by breaking a world record.

One Euro can provide 4 doses of measles vaccine, protecting children from this killer disease, ensure that more than 18 children do not die from thirst and provide therapeutic food for a malnourished child. So a very small amount, very little effort, a lot of fun and yet it can save up to 18 children’s lives.

How great is that?

How? Well on 22nd October, we’d like for every school in Ireland to take part in a no-uniform day, and contribute just €1 each for Euro for Zero. We would then ask you to send a photograph of your children to us with the number of children involved so we can set the World record for the most children taking part in no-uniform day in one country on one day. Of course, if you normally don’t wear a uniform, you can instead just wear a Halloween costume or whatever else the school deems appropriate. It is fun, easy and can do such so much good.

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I fully understand the pressure you are under as school principals and the amount of requests you get. However, there are so many children like Tumusifu, so please get involved.You can either call us at our offices on 01 8783000 or else e-mail Edel Cribbin on edel@unicef.ie to sign up or get more information.

Thank you!

IPPN County Network AGM Schedule As the new school year begins, IPPN meetings have been planned in each county, affording you an opportunity to network with colleagues and friends.

You will be invited to outline the issues that you want IPPN to prioritise in the year ahead. It will also provide an opportunity to meet and network with colleagues and friends on current issues pertaining to your role as Principal. Each meeting will be addressed by members of IPPN’s Executive Committee, who will also be on hand to provide guidance on an array of topical issues. Below is the schedule of County Network meetings. Please feel free to attend a neighbouring county meeting if it is more convenient to you. Refreshments will be served at all venues.We look forward to seeing you there.

Tuesday, 21st September 2010 Kerry The Brehon 4.00pm Westmeath The Mullingar Park Hotel 4.00pm

Thursday, 30th September Clare Clare Education Centre RoscommonAbbey Hotel

4.00pm 4.00pm

Thursday, 7th October 2010 Donegal Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny 4.00pm Cork Silversprings Hotel 4.00pm

Thursday, 23rd September 2010 Meath Newgrange Hotel Louth Fairways Hotel, Dundalk

Monday, 4th October 2010 Galway The Radisson Hotel Sligo The Clarion Hotel

7.30pm 4.00pm

Tuesday, 12th October 2010 Monaghan Monaghan Education Centre 4.00pm Mayo TF Royal Hotel 4.00pm

Tuesday, 5th October 2010 Cavan Hotel Kilmore Leitrim The Bush Hotel,

4.00pm 4.00pm

4.00pm 4.00pm

Monday, 27th September 2010 Wexford Wexford Education Centre 4.00pm Carlow The Dolmen Hotel 4.00pm Tuesday, 28th September 2010 Longford Longford Arms Hotel Wicklow Glenview Hotel

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Wednesday, 6th October 2010 Kilkenny Hotel Kilkenny Kildare Kildare Education Centre

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Thursday, 14th October 2010 Laois Abbeyleix Manor Hotel 4.00pm Limerick The Radisson Hotel, Limerick 4.00pm Dublin Red Cow Hotel 4.00pm

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Wednesday, 29th September 2010 Tipperary Anner Hotel,Thurles 4.30pm Waterford Waterford Teacher Centre 4.00pm

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Wednesday, 13th October 2010 Offaly Tullamore Court Hotel

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TextaParent.ie – New & Improved!

In September, following a number of months design and development, IPPN launched the new TextaParent.ie website.The same low cost per text unit applies – 4c per 160 characters (or 4c per 70 characters where fadas and other non-standard characters are used).

New features include: ● Ability to record both names and mobile phone numbers for all contacts and groups ● Buy text units online with a credit card.This is completely secure and is processed through an internationally recognised system called Paypal. A school does not have to set up a Paypal account to purchase units online ● Unlimited number of users within the school account. Everyone who needs to use TextaParent can log-in with their own user details - any text message they send will be sent in their name ● An ‘activity log’ records all activities for your TextaParent account in relation to your school e.g. which users sent which message or purchased text units, on which date and time.You will therefore have a permanent record of all text messages sent from the school and all text unit purchases made ● An ‘error log’ provides you with information on text messages that did not reach the intended recipient, and why.This will enable

you to follow up and take corrective action. e.g. ‘number no longer exists’ message will enable you to contact a particular parent to provide up-to-date contact information ● The Principal always receives a copy of the text regardless of which user sends the text ● Upload lists of names and their corresponding numbers from a ‘CSV’ file directly to the new site ● Create new ‘template’ messages to save time in future.You can also use existing templates and tailor them to meet the needs of your particular school. ● As you are typing a text message, the website will tell you how many text units you currently have available, how many you need to send the text on the screen and how many will remain after you have sent the message to the phone numbers listed ● Your ‘school profile’ is easier to maintain with all data managed from within one screen e.g. school name, text unit reminder indicator, management of users etc. ● Schedule texts for sending at a later time/date ● Set up a text unit reminder level - the point at which you would like to be reminded

PAG E 1 9

that you need to top up your account.We recommend this be set at twice the number of parents in your school so that you can sent one text with more than 140 text ‘characters’, or two shorter texts to the parent body without needing to buy additional text units.

This avoids the last minute purchase scenario or the need to request ‘advance text units’ on your account. ● You can add groups, individual contacts or simply add phone numbers to the recipients list when you send a message ● ‘Drag and drop’ functionality to enable contacts to be included in multiple groups e.g. if a parent should be included in the ‘Rang a Sé’ group as well as the ‘Hurling’ group We will continue to update the site to incorporate new features so please continue to send us your suggestions (and your feedback on the new website!) to project@ippn.ie.

Finally, we would like to thank those Principals and Deputies who submitted their suggestions for improvements to the site, particularly Ruairí Ó hAnnluain, Principal of Scoil Uí Cheithearnaigh, Beal Atha na Sluaighe, Co. Gaillimh and Gerry Moran, Principal of S.N. Rath An Iubhair, Rath An Iubhair, Inis Córthaidh, Co. Loch Garman who worked with the development team testing the new site over the summer.

Beginning School Principalship Mission Possible – with professional support

By Liam Lawlor, retired Principal, formerly of Catherine McAuley NS, a Special School in Limerick City ‘Why would anyone want to be a school Principal?

My job had become so difficult and stressful that I couldn’t wait to retire’ was how one colleague confided to me at a recent retirement function.Why would anyone want to give up the rewards of working with young students and replace it with mountains of paperwork, the often contradictory demands of teachers, staff, parents, and an ever increasing, under-resourced educational system in general, together with the bureaucracy of the Department of Education and Skills (DES)? What aspect of the job could possibly attract an intelligent, hard-working, thoughtful, reflective and pupilfocused educator to embrace the position of school Principal and abandon the rewarding, enjoyable and relatively stress-free role of class teacher? The number of Principals retiring from the Irish education system since 2009, for whatever reason, and the subsequent ‘leadership drain’ must be a cause for some concern.

Why is it that when a school advertises a teaching post there may be hundreds of applications; yet when the post of Principal is advertised a school is fortunate if the number of applicants is more than three?

It is extremely disappointing to hear of the number of Principal posts that attract no applicants on first advertising and where, even after further rounds of advertising, only a single applicant is received (IPPN, Leadership+ 2010: 3).

Has the job of school Principal become that unattractive? Has it become that stressful? Has the job become mission impossible? How can we ensure that it remains Mission Possible?

COMPLEX CONTEXTS The context and demands of Irish education have changed profoundly in recent years. Societal change, a wide inclusion agenda, increased accountability, technological advances, curriculum change, and the advent of a significant amount of legislation, particularly the Education and EPSEN Acts, all at a time of fiscal rectitude, have presented school Principals with a complex set of challenges that requires sensitive and skilled leadership. Principals need to be assisted professionally to cope with these demands, not only as newly-appointed Principals but throughout their professional careers.

Their schools are complex organisations. They are sometimes very happy places to work and learn.They can, on occasions, be very stressful for pupils, staff and indeed the Principal.They can be busy bustling places yet the sense of professional isolation felt by a newlyappointed Principal can be disconcerting.

The ‘combination of moving forward while maintaining stability can make the job at times seem daunting’ (Serg p.1).

‘Why didn’t someone tell me I would feel so preoccupied, so busy... yet so alone?’ This was how one participant on a recent Leadership Development for Schools (LDS) Misneach programme put it to me.

In recent years the LDS team would have been on hand to provide professional support to those intelligent, creative and skilled people who applied for, acquired and became committed to the position

of school leader/ Principal. Now that LDS is no more, (it is now part of the Professional Development Service for Teachers – PDST) despite it being regarded as one of the significant educational success stories of the past ten years, one must be concerned as to how school leaders will be supported in the coming years.

As former Principal of Catherine McAuley Special School, and having been involved with LDS, I began to appreciate what a complex and challenging role leading and managing a school is. It is not a job for individuals who need predictability, routine and certainty. It is a job that demands much, but it can also return much. It can even be fun if one is at ease with complexity, likes a challenge and is prepared to work hard. Even in today’s environment where the school leader is bombarded by conflicting demands, it is still possible for you as Principal to make a positive difference to the lives of your pupils and enjoy it. But the job has its challenges and is not as simple as it may appear.

BEWARE THE SCHOOL IN TRANSITION! New Principals often discover there is much about being Principal that they are not prepared for.While the job appears ‘simple’ from a distance it often proves more complex than anticipated. Newly-appointed Principals (NAPs) must acknowledge the reality that the ‘changing of the guard’ puts a school into a ‘transition’ phase. Transitions are critical times for schools. Principals entering a ‘new’ school face different challenges than those who are promoted from within.Appropriate transition strategies depend on an individual’s context. Principals, regardless of their ability, are most vulnerable during their first term. Staff may be ‘grieving’ for the loss of the former Principal.A staff member may be disappointed at not having been chosen for the position. The newlyappointed Principal may be experiencing the loss of their previous school community. Principals and staffs need to understand that these emotions are real and that sensitivities are heightened among all members of the school community at this time of transition. Small, rash, seemingly insignificant actions can have a disproportionate negative impact on desired outcomes. Building credibility through trust will lay a firm foundation for long-term success. NAPs need time to analyse their new situations, make an assessment of their strengths and establish their professional priorities. They need to lead conservatively, one week at a time. (Tús Maith Leadership and Planning 2010) LEAD CONSERVATIVELY ONE WEEK AT A TIME NAPs are in special need of assistance when taking on the responsibility of a ‘new’ school. Ideally they would have prepared themselves through an aspirant programme such as Tóraíocht, and then, once in situ, avail themselves of continuous professional support, guidance, mentoring and leadership coaching. The leadership Misneach programme (outlined below) will greatly assist NAPs in their first years as school PAG E 2 0

Principal. The DES makes little allowance for those new to the role - there is no ‘honeymoon’ period. On occasion, NAPs find themselves faced with a Whole School Evaluation (WSE) within weeks of taking up their posts. New Principals need time to adjust to the position and require support to be educational leaders. They are expected to be visionaries, instructional and curriculum leaders, assessment experts, disciplinarians, community builders, public relations experts, financial experts, special needs programme administrators and expert overseers of legal and contractual arrangements. They need assistance to negotiate their way through the oftenconflicting interests of parents, teachers, students, DES officials and unions. They need to develop their emotional intelligence. Considering the sometimes overwhelming complexity of the modern Principal’s role, it is easy to see why ‘beginning’ Principals often feel inadequate. They come to the post having only a vague understanding of what the position entails the loneliness, the conflicts, the dull routines, the paperwork and the anguish involved in attempting to solve complex educational and organizational problems with limited support.At first, things may go smoothly. Teachers will generally assist in helping the new Principal get off to a good start. As time goes by, however, they get caught up in the day-to-day business of running their own classrooms. NAPs often lament that they are ‘overwhelmed’ and the sentiments such as ‘shock’ ‘insufficient preparation’ ‘nervousness’ and ‘worry’ are common themes articulated at the Misneach programmes. They must not be left on their own without sufficient on-going support.

While that job description sounds overwhelming, there are signals in recent years that policy-makers had begun to give overdue recognition to the critical role of the school Principal and the mounting demands of that post. Will present and future Principals continue to get the professional preparation and ongoing continuous professional development (CPD) they so urgently need and deserve, if they are to cope with such demands?

ROLE OF SCHOOL PRINCIPAL IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT Rare is the effective school that does not have an effective head (Sergiovanni T.J. 2003 ix). The school Principal as school leader is pivotal in ensuring that schools are effective. Research suggests that successful school leaders influence student achievement in several important ways, both through their influence on other people and through their influence on school processes. In recent years, research has outlined the importance of three aspects of the position of school Principal: ● Leading People (staff, parents and students) ● Leading Curriculum (in ways that promote student learning and curriculum change) ● Leading the Organisation (transforming schools into more effective organisations.

MISNEACH Misneach is a leadership programme supported by the DES and organised through the Clare Education Centre for Principals/acting Principals, newly or recently appointed to primary schools.

The programme aims to: Prepare and support Irish school Principals in leading and managing their schools during their first two years in the position Develop and enhance skills and competencies relating to leading and managing the school as an organisation Deepen understanding of, and build capacity for, working effectively with people Provide opportunities to share good practice, encourage professional learning communities within the school and create effective networks with other school communities.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP Leadership experts such as Covey, Fullan, Sergiovanni, and Heifitz reference ten characteristics such as listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building community. These characteristics are essential components of effective leadership and were identified by Robert K. Greenleaf in his seminal work, The Servant as Leader (1970/1991). â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Servant leadersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; continually strive to be trustworthy, selfaware, humble, caring, visionary, empowering, relational, competent, good stewards, and community builders.

Unlike leadership approaches with a top-down hierarchical style, servant leadership instead emphasizes collaboration, trust, empathy, and the ethical use of power. At heart, the individual empowers others, making the conscious decision to lead in order to better serve others, not to increase their own power. The objective is to enhance the growth of individuals in the organisation and increase teamwork.

The Misneach programme involves four residential meetings over two years including a mentoring support system, in addition to an on-line ICTmediated support through LDS Live.

In summation, the Misneach team recommend that the Newly Appointed Principal: â&#x2014;? Be visible throughout the school - walk around â&#x2014;? Have a positive attitude â&#x2014;? Praise the school and staff in public â&#x2014;? Pay particular attention to the support team (SNAs, secretary, caretaker etc) â&#x2014;? View parents as partners â&#x2014;? Delegate where and when possible â&#x2014;? Hire the best people - hire staff with your head not your heart â&#x2014;? Lead conservatively â&#x2014;? Talk to teachers about teaching not about other teachers

The Principal is the guardian and custodian of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision, mission and values. As a result, he/she should provide the inspiration to achieve the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision and mission. As part of the strategy for achieving the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision and mission, it is necessary that the Principal takes the lead in ensuring the development of policies, targets, and plans. In addition, the Principal should provide guidance to the teachers, students, parents, and the school community in general on the best approaches and practices that would assist in the attainment of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision.

â&#x2014;? Expect the best from everyoneâ&#x20AC;Ś.including yourself.

IN CONCLUSION Leading a school community is, by its very nature, a hopeful undertaking. Most people chose teaching because they want to make a difference to the lives of young people.They go on to become school Principals in order to enhance that calling of making a difference. They have a central role to play in sustaining the hope, not only of their vision, but of the collective visions and aspirations of staffs, parents and pupils.

In schools across the country, more and more emphasis is being placed on the importance of leadership. School Principals are often regarded as the primary factor in implementing change and reform, thereby to the fore in improving student learning. Those closely involved with school leadership all have different roles to play in promoting leadership in all its forms.The different expertise of the school community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; teachers, Principals, parents and students allow each to bring a unique perspective to school leadership.

The whole school community can advance the focus on student learning by supporting shared leadership. Principals, working through their school community, can endeavour to provide servant leadership in an atmosphere of trust, humility, care, participation, responsibility and ownership.

The demands of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school leaders pull Principals in several directions.The Misneach LeadershipTeam appreciates that reality and sets out to equip Principals with strategies to achieve this balance through providing professional support in the areas of leading people, curriculum and the organisation.When this balance is achieved, through support, they can begin to believe that the job is a MISSION POSSIBLE.

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â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gerry Murphy, Principal, St Josephs NS, Dundalk, Co Louth.

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Are you planning to retire in 2010?

If you have made the decision to retire in the coming weeks or months of 2010 we wish you every happiness and fulfilment in the future.

IPPN acknowledges the importance of providing every possible support for Newly Appointed Principals and aims to contact them as soon as they are appointed. However, the greatest challenge we face is to find out the names of these Newly Appointed Principals as early as possible.

To assist the work being done in the IPPN Support Office could you 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 us and I know would be very much appreciated by the Newly Appointed Principal.

Any information that you can provide can be emailed or mailed to Jackie at the IPPN Support Office

support3@ippn.ie

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Leadership in Action: My experiences as a School Principal and School Development Planning facilitator

By Dympna Daly, Principal of Our Lady of Mercy NS, Bantry, Co.Cork Born and reared in the Beara Peninsula in West Cork, then three wonderful years in St. Patrick’s Teacher Training College and so my teaching career started in St. Colmcille’s BNS, Swords, Co. Dublin in 1980. I think one's first teaching post is very important because it is here that one gets real teaching experience in a formative environment - so it was for me under the excellent stewardship of Mr. Jim Bennett. He was an inspirational leader and actively encouraged his staff to continue their professional development. In the 80s we taught on the Induction course for new teachers in the Drumcondra Education Centre under the director Mr. Pat Diggins, another visionary. Here I was also involved in Oral Language development in disadvantaged schools, The Write a Book project and School Planning. Along with a group of teachers, we developed a programme for teachers in teaching Oral Language and so ‘Twenty Steps towards Language Development’ was produced. As part of a joint venture between INTO District XV and Drumcondra Education Centre, we ran the very successful annual Education Conference – it provided a forum for many graduates to share their research findings.

In 1994 the INTO began their In Career Professional Development Unit under Ms. Catherine Byrne and I trained as a tutor in School Planning. This was a new departure for the INTO and a very successful one.

However, the call back home proved too strong and in February 1997 I returned to my home parish of Eyeries to teach – it was then a three teacher school in an idyllic setting overlooking the colourful village of Eyeries and the fabulous Coulagh Bay. I taught the junior classes and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.In 2000 I joined School Development Planning Support (SDPS) and trained as a facilitator under Ms. Eileen Flynn. Eileen is a superb leader and our training was second to none. My area covered West Cork and most of Kerry – I travelled the highways and byways, up and down peninsulas – it was a privilege to be invited into schools and I absolutely loved working with the staffs of ‘my schools’! I learned so much from all those wonderful teachers down south and hopefully helped them with their school development planning. During this time I completed my Masters in Education under Mr. Ciaran Sugrue in St. Patrick’s College of Education on The Benefits of SDP in Small Rural Schools.

In January 2005 I began the next stage of my career as Administrative Principal of Our Lady of Mercy NS in Bantry,West Cork and my background in SDP helped me enormously in this new challenge. Now it was time to put all the theory into practice! Our school is a convent school with boys from Infants to First Class and girls from Infants to Sixth Class.The average enrolment is 280 pupils. We also have two Special Classes – one for children with moderate disabilities and one for those with severe/profound disabilities. There are 16 full-time teachers, one part-time Resource teacher, 8 Special Needs Assistants, a secretary, a caretaker and a part-time cleaner. We enjoy the services of ‘coaction’ in our Special Classes with visits from a Speech and Language Therapist, a Physiotherapist and an Occupational Therapist. Special Education Support Service (SESS) is a terrific support for us also.

I am a member of the Cork County Network of IPPN and love the collegiality of this group. I attend any Conference or workshop that I feel is of benefit to my school.The only drawback of living in beautiful Beara is that you have to drive so far to avail of these opportunities!

President Mary McAleese has visited the school and opened our computer room.We have converted a library into sensory rooms comprising an activity room and a relaxation room.We also replaced an old prefab with a new Special Needs Unit for our Special Classes. This was achieved with the aid of much fundraising and voluntary labour – all work was completed during the summer holidays. It was a fabulous achievement but involved such hard work and dedication by the whole school community. It really strengthened relationships between all the partners and made us much stronger as a unit. However, we have taken this summer off!As a Principal I try to remain open to all suggestions on how to improve the teaching and learning in our school. I find communication is the most vital part of being a Principal but it takes so much time and this is in short supply!

I am delighted that my daughter Ann is following in my footsteps as a teacher and has finished her second year in Mary Immaculate College of Education. I hope she will be as happy and content as her mother in Primary School Education!

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Our Lady of Mercy is a great school with a lovely atmosphere – the staff are really hard-working and very innovative. I feel Continuous Professional Development is a vital part of career development and I actively encourage our staff to avail of any opportunity that presents. I have participated in the Misneach and Tánaiste programmes. I am also involved in the West Cork Education Centre and recently trained as a tutor for the Induction programme for newly qualified teachers, which is being rolled out countrywide in the Autumn in the Education Centres.

PAG E 2 3

IPPN SUPPORT OFFICE 2010 - 2011 Membership 2010/2011 Membership for the current 2010/2011 year is now due. Membership Forms were issued to all schools in late August and are also available on www.ippn.ie.

Membership Fee 2010/2011: There is no increase in fee for the 2010/2011 School Year ● Teaching Principals: €225 ● Administrative Principals: €260

Be in with a chance of winning ONE of FIVE Conference 2011 Packages when you renew your membership by Direct Debit. Package includes Conference 2011 Registration with B&B accommodation for Thursday & Friday, January 27th & 28th 2011 at Citywest Hotel. The winner will be contacted by phone. Applies to new Direct Debit Mandates only Closing date – 30th September 2010 Please note that by not renewing your membership before September 30th you will experience a disruption to IPPN supports and services, including access to www.ippn.ie.

Please renew your membership before this date.

New Support Office Opening Hours To improve our services to our members, IPPN’s support office will open at 08.30am. We hope that this move will accommodate our Teaching Principals not in a position to contact us after school commences.. Our office will remain open until 5.30pm each evening with phone support until 5.00pm. For full details about our support for principals with professional queries, please refer to the article on page 5 - IPPN Support Office New Process for Handling your Professional Queries

Conference 2011 Date for your Diary – January 27th – 29th at Citywest Hotel & Conference Centre Accommodation is now available at 01 4010500 at €88 per room per night