Leadership+ Issue 108 March 2019

ISSUE 108 / MARCH 2019

+ Leadership THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS

Special Educational Needs in Review

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

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Legal Diary

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David Ruddy discusses a case that raises important issues concerning the obligations of employers towards disabled employees.

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Children Experiencing Homelessness

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Enda McGorman on what schools can do to help pupils and families who are dealing with homelessness.

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IPPN Principals’ Conference 2019 We take a look at the highlights from the recent IPPN Principals’ Conference.

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Editorial

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In this edition of Leadership + we are focusing on the role of schools dealing with pupils who either are vulnerable due to a restriction in their capacity to learn or by virtue of the fact that they learn differently from other pupils.

SNAs Practical Guidance

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Pat Goff gives a summary of all the important information needed in relation to SNAs.

Students with Exceptional Ability

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THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF SCHOOL LEADERS

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+ Leadership

Simon Byrne on the lessons learned from those who have achieved significant academic success Irish Primary Principals’ Network, Glounthaune, Co. Cork • 1890 21 22 23 • www.ippn.ie Editor: Geraldine D’Arcy Editorial Team: Geraldine D’Arcy, Páiric Clerkin and David Ruddy n Comments to: editor@ippn.ie n Advertising: Sinead O’Mahony sinead.omahony@ippn.ie n ISSN: 1649-5888 n Design: Brosna Press n n

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

Signposts ISSUE 108 / MARCH 2019

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SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

PRINCIPAL IN PROFILE

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SPECIAL SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Friday 8th February 2019

ANNE HARTNETT PRINCIPAL OF ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL, MONTENOTTE, CORK Like all Principals I could write a book!

However, I do hope the following will provide a quick snapshot.

With a staff of over 50 SNAs and teachers, the first task is to find subs.

This task is usually over quickly as they can rarely be sourced. Next, log in to Esinet to do payroll and Dropbox to pay bills.

I receive the first of 3 calls from anxious parents asking to enrol their child in the school. St. Paul’s currently has 5 places for September 2019 and close to 30 applications. For these parents, it is not a case of going to the next school as there are only 2 other special schools in Cork which cater for moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability and their waiting lists are as chronic as St. Paul’s. Time needs to be given to these parents as they are dealing with enough stress without a school adding to it.

I attend school assembly every morning in the hall and Fridays are special as we have our whole school exercise class and Star of the Week.

The cheers the pupil awarded the star receives is a sight to behold.

A quick lunch with Don Golden, Principal of Scoil Bernadette and Breda Corr, NABMSE (National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education) followed.

NABMSE are extremely supportive of special schools. Breda gives updates regarding the nurses’ strike. Nurses in special schools are so far exempt, which is an enormous relief as, should they be included, 44 pupils in St. Paul’s could not attend school in their absence. This would understandably be extremely frustrating for our parents as it can be quite difficult for them to find carers at short notice.

Next meeting is with a class teacher to discuss the impact of the Level 1 Learning Program in St. Paul’s.

Currently the school is implementing four different curricula to cater for the needs of all pupils.

A class team meeting followed where the teacher and both SNAs expressed frustration due to insufficient time to work on the curriculum. They have 20 changes (i.e. nappy changes) daily as well as putting 4 of the 6

2

I did not include the incidentals of emails, further phone calls, reports, dealing with multi- disciplinary team and 30 plus bus escorts which are a feature every day. I also didn’t include “leading the learning and teaching” as, sadly, other issues become a greater priority.

For the many challenges, I do love my job and am privileged to be in this position. Like plenty areas in life, it is the little victories and achievements that make it so worthwhile.

St. Paul’s caters for 97 pupils with a moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability, many of whom have accompanying complexities.

To contact the school, see Facebook: St. Pauls School, website: www.stpaulsspecialschool.com or phone 021 4643244.

LINK

I attended the funeral mass of a pupil aged 11. This is the second pupil to pass away since January 2019. It is one of the hardest parts of the job as it is devastating for the family and equally heart-breaking for staff and peers of the pupil.

As I returned to the school, the fire alarm sounded, thankfully it was due to overcooked sausages and all returned safely to classes. There was also a behavioural incident in my absence. A staff member received numerous belts and kicks from a 16 year old pupil. My deputy left her class and dealt with this incident efficiently. Risk assessments, positive behaviour plan amendments and an accident report will be filled in at the end of the school day.

pupils into standers and walkers for a minimum of 10 minutes each. Each pupil requires 2 staff for one change.

This is a difficulty across many classes for pupils with a severe/profound intellectual disability.

Anne Harnett with Margaret Meade

SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

EDITORIAL

Special Educational Needs in Review In this edition of Leadership + we are focusing on the role of schools dealing with pupils who either are vulnerable due to a restriction in their capacity to learn or by virtue of the fact that they learn differently from other pupils.

The last half century in Ireland in particular has witnessed a dramatic shift in the way in which children and adults with special educational needs (SEN) have been viewed and treated.

Depending on when you were born, your experiences as a child with SEN were dramatically different. What will they say about these years for SEN children in our schools?

Other restrictions facing pupils in their capacity to learn include homelessness and poverty. Homelessness is often a hidden problem. For many different reasons, families, at times, may choose to keep ‘their secret’ within the family. Yet schools may be the one safe and caring environment for over 3,800 homeless children. For these pupils who are homeless, a kind word or small gesture can make all the difference to their emotional wellbeing, knowing that we care.

Complexity in schools is a reflection of the communities we serve. This is so evident in our Special Schools, who do Trojan work in supporting our most vulnerable children to reach their potential. These 134 special schools (including 10 hospital schools) very often struggle to get the equipment and support they need to support these children. And some of their school leaders are also teaching principals, which is simply unjustifiable. While we acknowledge that the Department provided administrative deputy principals to some larger special schools this year, which is of course welcome, much more is needed in special schools.

PÁIRIC CLERKIN AND DAVID RUDDY

Primary schools have a proud history of accommodating pupils with special educational needs. They volunteer to open special classes and accommodate pupils in mainstream classes pupils with complex needs.

We have no doubt that many of you can identify with most, if not all, aspects of these challenges as mainstream schools cater for over 900 special classes and also individual pupils with complex special needs.

The NCSE, at the request of the Minister, has published a comprehensive review of the SNA scheme. A new model is due to be piloted later this year. There are 13 recommendations which will help reduce workload for principals and, if implemented in full, should help to improve outcomes for our pupils.

The frontloading of SNAs to schools, without having to submit countless reports, the 10 regional support teams and the ring-fenced funding for therapies are all to be welcomed.

We should embrace this initiative as it supports the most vulnerable of pupils and further reduces workload.

Primary schools have a proud history of accommodating pupils with special educational needs. They volunteer to open special classes and accommodate pupils in mainstream classes pupils with complex needs.

Legislative change from the Education Act 1998, Equal Status Act 2000, EPSEN Act 2004 and the Admissions to Schools Act 2018 have transformed the educational landscape into a more inclusive and caring, if not daunting environment.

Unfortunately, the EPSEN Act was never fully enacted. The major changes since 2004 are more to do with how resources are allocated.

Many would argue that SERC should be revisited. Funding SEN education adequately, especially in primary schools, is such good value for money. Thankfully, the Minister and the DES are listening to IPPN, and the other partners in education. The Minister promised at our conference that no school would fall off the cliff when the review of the Model for Allocating Special Education teachers was published. In a model where resources are being redistributed to the most deserving, he has delivered in that no school who had a retained element of less than 10 hours will lose any of these hours and schools with a greater retained element will only lose a maximum of 20% of these hours. The difference this makes to the lives of the children, their families, teachers and schools really cannot be quantified.

Regional Seminars for Deputy Principals in April & May – Jacinta Kitt - See back cover for details 3

SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

DAVID RUDDY BL IPPN PRESIDENT

SEMINAL DISABILITY Discrimination Case goes all the way to the Supreme Court BACKGROUND The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by a special needs assistant (SNA) who was told, due to serious injuries suffered by her in a road accident, she could not resume her work at a special needs school. The appeal by Marie Daly raises important issues concerning the obligations of employers towards disabled employees.

A three-judge Supreme Court, in a written determination, stated that decisions in her case to date showed a “significant divergence of approach and outcome” in respect of an “important and difficult” legal provision - Section 16 of the Employment Equality Act 1998, enacted to give effect to the 2000 EC Directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation. In those circumstances, it would hear an appeal, the court said. A hearing date is provisionally fixed for March 2019.

Ms Daly was employed from 1998 by the Nano Nagle School, Listowel, Co Kerry, which provides services for 77 children with physical intellectual and behavioural challenges. The school 4

employed 12 Teachers and 27 SNAs. In 2010, she suffered serious injuries in a road accident leaving her confined to a wheelchair due to paraplegia.

When Ms Daly sought to return to work at the school in 2011, it had her assessed by an occupational physician and occupational therapist. It was concluded that, of 16 identified duties of an SNA, she was unable to perform seven.

The therapist recommended she could act as a ‘floating’ SNA but there was no such position at the school and it was refused funding for one. The occupational physician later advised she was unfit to return to work.

an individual does not have to be recruited, promoted or retained in a position if they will not, or cannot, undertake the duties attached to that position. It also provides for employers to take appropriate measures to enable disabled persons to access employment unless the measures would impose a “disproportionate burden” on the employer.

The Labour Court held that the school construed its duty under Section 16 too narrowly and was obliged to fully consider the redistribution of tasks among all the SNAs so as to relieve Ms Daly of those duties she was unable to perform.

After the Equality Tribunal rejected her complaint that the school failed to provide reasonable accommodation for her disability so she could continue in employment, she successfully appealed to the Labour Court, which awarded her €40,000 compensation.

The school appealed the Labour Court decision to the High Court. The High Court upheld the Labour Court decision in favour of the SNA. However, the school successfully appealed to the Court of Appeal (COA), which ruled the Labour Court’s construction of Section 16 was not correct.

The Labour Court decision centred on interpretation of Section 16 of the 1998 Act which provides that

In his COA judgment, Mr Justice Seán Ryan said the Labour Court had not correctly applied the law to the

LEGAL DIARY

undisputed facts. The “central reality” was Ms Daly, a remarkable person and much admired SNA, is unable to perform the essential tasks of an SNA in this school “and no accommodations put in place by the employer can change that, unfortunately”.

particularly the children whose safety was a major concern, he held. If no reasonable adjustments can be made for a disabled employee, the employer is not liable for failing to consider the matter or for not consulting with the employee, he said.

The school had said SNAs had to work in pairs and the only option for Ms Daly to stay in employment was to get funding for a floating SNA but it had been told SNAs were provided for the benefit of pupils, not staff, and a floating SNA could not be sanctioned.

In her concurring judgment, Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan said Section 16 did not require an employer to retain an individual who could not perform the essential functions of a position. The COA vacated the award of €40,000.

The Labour Court erred in focussing on the position of Ms Daly to the exclusion of the other legitimate interests the school had to accommodate,

COMMENT The Court of Appeal’s judgment highlights the fact that Section 16 does not obligate the creation of a new role for a disabled employee.

SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

It remains wise for schools to properly consider the facts of each case. Where there are non-essential tasks which the employee can no longer carry out, it would be sensible to redistribute those tasks where possible. However, where an employee can no longer carry out tasks fundamental to their role, this case supports the proposition that this may be grounds for dismissal. Crucially, the employer should also obtain expert reports before making any decision.

The employer should be able to demonstrate adequate consideration of these reports and reasonableness on its part. The Supreme Court will give advice in relation to this issue hopefully this year.

NEW SET Resource Allocation Model PAT GOFF IPPN DEPUTY CEO The new allocation model was introduced in September 2017. This year, September 2019 will see the first re-profiling of schools. It is probably fair to say that it has taken a number of years for the transition from the old allocation system of individual pupil allocations based on defined diagnosis/label to the new School Profile system to embed.

The provision of a total allocation for special education teaching resources for schools, based on each school’s profiled allocation, has moved the allocation system from one which previously provided additional allocations primarily based on the diagnosis of special educational need, or disability category, for individual children. The allocation model now provides an overall total allocation based on the profiled needs of schools, as indicated by a set of key data indicators. These indicators take some getting used to. The number of pupils with complex needs is one such indicator. This is a value indicator which is designed to assist with the development of school profiles. The complex needs value indicator is intended to provide an indication of

the distribution of pupils accessing HSE disability services across the mainstream school sector and to recognise this in the development of schools’ educational profiles.

The new school profile allocation process therefore provides an allocation based on the school profile data indicators. This enables schools to allocate additional teaching time to the pupils who need it, without a requirement to have a diagnosis of disability. Schools have discretion as to how they can distribute resources under this model, based on the individual needs of pupils. The reality for most schools is that they were already doing this. Many had moved from individual withdrawal to in-class support, team teaching, etc.

Resources will be based on your school profile. Starting in September 2017, over a span of eight years, all resources will have been re-distributed within the educational system to the schools that need them the most. All schools apply a similar principle when they allocate their resources within the school – the pupils with the greatest needs get the most support. When

the ‘New Model’ is fully introduced over an eight-year period, the days of needing to put a label on a child in order to access resources will be gone forever. Even though we were never happy that standardised test results were being used to allocate resources, it is good that it is now the average of four years’ results, which will give a more accurate picture. The other good news is that no school that had a retained element of less than 10 hours will lose any of these hours, which affects approx. 70% of schools, and those schools with a greater retained element will lose a maximum of 20% of these hours, therefore the adjustments will be made on a graduated basis, over time.

The ‘mating season’ of forming new clusters is over for another two years.

Clusters may have changed but the one constant is that the pupils will have the same needs – as we know, every pupil has needs, some more than others. Schools really don’t mind how they get the resources, so long as they get enough to meet the needs of their pupils.

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LEADERSHIP SUPPORT

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

We Need

EACH OTHER ANGELA LYNCH LEADERSHIP SUPPORT PROGRAMME MANAGER

One of the challenges facing schools in managing inclusion is building and maintaining good relationships with parents, especially with parents whose children have special educational needs. A parent has to come to terms with their child’s particular needs, emotions are strong, they are faced with making difficult choices and have to engage constantly with any number of professionals, not least being those in the child’s school.

If both home and school want what is best for the child, then both must be willing to share responsibility for the success of the child. Once the relationship is one of mutual responsibility and respect, then neither will tend to blame the other for what is not working.

At times, various perceptions and expectations can get in the way of a partnership approach between home and school. Behaviour issues tend to be difficult to manage given that every child is subject to the school’s Code of Behaviour. This can lead to blame, with the parents blaming the school for mismanaging the situation and it being the reason for the child’s behavior, and the school thinking that the parents are not supportive of the staff’s efforts to manage the situation.

Both blame the other for what is not working. Parents are often sad and angry too, at the reaction of others to their child, particularly if this involves gross misbehavior or a physical attack on other children or staff. In the words of Dr. Jean Ware, Reader in Education (Special Educational Needs) at the School of Education and Human Development in Bangor University, 6

managing the child’s challenging behaviour with parents, these meetings can also be stressful.

Emotions are heightened and when past events or issues are brought up, this can distract from the issue at hand. It is essential to bring conversations back to the issue set out at the start of the meeting. Keep the child central, using language such as ‘We both want what is best for Anne/Tommy. How can we work together to achieve this?’ This type of language may need to be repeated more than once to keep the focus on the child. Challenging behaviour or needs-based issues may be the primary reasons for meetings with parents, yet it is essential to highlight the child’s positive behaviours and achievements, particularly where the partnership home / school approach worked well in the past. We need to hold out hope for even the most difficult situations. I think of it as ‘giving heart’. We all need that. We need each other.

Wales: “Parents need professionals, professionals need parents and the child needs us both.”

If both home and school want what is best for the child, then both must be willing to share responsibility for the success of the child. Once the relationship is one of mutual responsibility and respect, then neither will tend to blame the other for what is not working. Joyce Epstein describes this culture of partnership thus: “Our charge is to create parentfriendly schools and school-friendly homes.” In creating this partnership, regular two-way communication is crucial. Meetings will be part of a continuing pattern of communication.

For parents of children with special needs, meetings with professionals can be stressful and regarded as crisis meetings, where the task is to advocate on behalf of the child for the services needed. For staff in the school, who may be addressing and

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SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

IPPN Survey and Position Paper

Special Schools

CLAIRE O’DONOVAN IPPN MEMBER ENGAGEMENT There are 134 Special Schools, including 10 hospital schools, located across all 26 counties. Special schools educate 8,241 pupils – 2,666 females and 5,575 males. Special schools cater for pupils with mild general learning disability (GLD), moderate GLD, severe or profound GLD, special learning disabilities, physical disability, including hearing or visual impairment, emotional behavioural difficulties and/ or autism.

While all special schools are aligned with the primary level sector, only 10% of special schools cater for primary pupils only. The majority of special schools cater for primary and postprimary pupils (79%), while 7% have post-primary pupils only and 4% cater for pupils from early years right through to post-primary.

IPPN have been engaging with special schools as part of an IPPN Membership Engagement project, initiated during the summer of 2017. This is an ongoing

project aimed at advocating for special schools and the priorities identified by their leaders. This project is managed

by Claire O’Donovan. Claire and/ or IPPN Deputy CEO, Pat Goff have visited a number of special schools as part of this project, combined with focus groups and meetings with a number of special school principals.

Claire and Pat presented the survey findings to special school principals at the IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference on Thursday, 24th January. This meeting was attended by Eddie Ward, Special Education Department within the Department of Education and Skills and the Ombudsman for Children, Niall Muldoon.

IPPN have met with a number of educational stakeholders, including the Department of Education and Skills, NABMSE, INTO and NCSE with special schools being the only agenda item. IPPN also surveyed special school principals to gain a greater understanding of the unique circumstances across all 134 special schools. The outcomes and priorities outlined within the survey were presented and discussed with educational stakeholders.

Opportunities to collaborate with these stakeholders will be identified and progressed where possible.

During Conference 2019 a press release, titled ‘Ireland’s 134 Special Schools need Sustainable Action’, was issued to media on the outcomes of the special schools survey, which can be found on www.ippn.ie. The focus of Specials Schools and the survey findings were covered in a media article in the Irish Times on Thursday, 24th January 2019. It was also covered in Virgin Media news on Thursday, 24th January. The Virgin Media news segment also included a visit to St. Michael’s House Special School in Skerries – a converted farmhouse in ‘temporary’ accommodation for the past 36 years.

NUMBER OF PUPILS SPECIAL SCHOOLS:

Range

%

No.

9%

10

25% 1-20 pupils

20%

21-40 pupils

23%

26

15%

41-60 pupils

20%

23

61-80 pupils

16%

18

81-100 pupils

16%

18

101-150 pupils

9%

10

151-200 pupils

4%

5

201+ pupils

3%

3

10% 5% 0% 1-20 pupils

8

21-40 pupils

41-60 pupils

61-80 pupils

81-100 101-150 151-200 201+ pupils pupils pupils pupils

SEN Survey findings depict the reality that special schools very often struggle to get the equipment and provision they need to support those attending their schools. 85% of special school principals believe they do not have sufficient funding to run their school effectively and efficiently. Many special school principals have prioritised the need for an annual training fund to be provided to meet the training needs of all staff. Preference has been given to the need for adequate training and guidance in dealing with extreme and violent behaviours.

97% of respondents believe further supports are needed to alleviate behavioural issues in the classroom, while 87% of respondents have specified that they have concerns around health and safety in their school.

Budget 2019 provided the funding for the allocation of an administrative deputy principal to special schools with a Principal + 15 or more class teachers due to the ‘additional administrative burden related to the management of special schools’.

While this allocation is of course welcome, much more is necessary.

The need for an administrative deputy principal for special schools with 6 or more class groups features in the top 3 priorities as defined by special school leaders.

Survey findings have also told us that although a special school has an average of 12 teachers, they have an average of 50 staff, including 22 SNA’s, 12 bus escorts, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a nurse, behavioural management, a caretaker, a secretary and a number of other staff.

An administrative deputy principal in more special schools would make an enormous positive impact in meeting the complex needs of these unique schools. It would contribute to alleviate the demands of managing or coordinating the large numbers of staff, agencies and supports on a daily basis and ultimately facilitate sustainable leadership, allowing the principal to lead the teaching and learning.

The SERC report, which led to the staffing schedule currently in place in special schools, has not been revisited since 1993. Special school leaders have also featured this in their top 3 priorities to be actioned.

Ensuring sufficient access to essential clinical services, such as psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, etc. has also been prioritised by these school leaders.

The Bus Escort system appears to be deeply flawed and can take up an inordinate amount of school leaders’ time. Special school leaders have also highlighted the need for a review of special school buildings to ensure adequate standards are in place.

Although 68% of special school principals told us they would not recommend the role to a colleague, 88% of respondents told us that, despite the many challenges, they enjoy their role.

IPPN will continue to advocate on behalf of special schools and we will continue to share the survey findings and priorities outlined with other educational stakeholders. A number of additional meetings have been sought over the coming months. This project and the survey findings will also lead to the review of the IPPN Position Paper on Special Schools.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Top priorities for Special Schools, as identified by special school leaders: 1.

All staff (not just teachers) to be included in calculating Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ allowances

2.

Revised SERC report to decrease pupil teacher ratio in Special Schools

3.

Administrative Deputy Principal for Special Schools with 6 or more class groups

4.

Ensuring sufficient access to essential clinical services, such as psychology, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, etc.

5.

Adequate training and guidance in dealing with extreme and violent behaviours

6.

Increased funding to cover additional costs relevant to Special Schools

7.

An annual training fund provided to special schools to prioritise the training needs of all staff

8.

All Principals of special schools to be Administrative Principals

9.

A review of all special school buildings to ensure adequate standards are in place

10. Centralisation of the management of bus escorts.

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SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

The development of education for children with

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN IRELAND

PAT GOFF IPPN DEPUTY CEO The last half century in Ireland in particular has witnessed a dramatic shift in the way in which children and adults with special educational needs (SEN) have been viewed and treated.

Depending on when you were born, your experiences as a child with SEN were dramatically different.

1800s TO 1950

Ireland is credited as having the first national school system in the British Isles, a network of primary schools being set up in 1831 and attendance for children aged between 6 and 14 on 150 days of the years being compulsory by 1892. These early schools were run by Boards of Commissioners who were then replaced in 1924 by the Department of Education. Yet, despite its early enthusiasm for education, a report in 1936 made it quite clear that the education of children with special needs was not to be done alongside their peers as this was considered to be detrimental to the education of ‘normal’ children and their teachers. 1 The first special school in Ireland recognized by the State was St Vincent’s Home for Mentally Defective Children in 1947. There was a general belief that the needs of special children were a medical issue and not an educational one and as such, should be dealt with by charities and religious benefactors rather than the state. The language used such as ‘defective’ ‘handicapped’ ‘mongol’ etc. seemed to refer to special children as being something different to the rest of the population and there was an over-reliance on IQ factors when considering the purpose of education. County Clinics all over Ireland were responsible for assessing children who were considered to have mental handicaps. Such children would then usually be provided with 1 2

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institutional care or, at best, some kind of training.

1950 TO 1999

The 1950s child with SEN and/ or disabilities was categorised as “handicapped” and was educated (with the emphasis on care rather than education) away from his/her peers in one of the state supported, religious-run, residential institutions/ special schools. In some cases, this meant leaving home and family to attend a designated primary school which catered for him/her from age 4 through 18. Apart from trips home for holidays, this child lived a life apart from his/her natural family. Transfer to second level was not an option until the early 1970s. There was no anticipation that the child would receive the kind of educational help that might allow for him to return home and attend the local school – placement was irreversible. The 1965 Report on the Commission of Enquiry on Mental Handicap, which focused on general learning disability, was unequivocal in its support for this system of segregation and provided the rationale for all forms of special education provision at this time. 2 For children with SEN in the late 1970s/early 1980s, there was some chance that you would not be “sent away”. Increasingly, national and international debate, fuelled by parents of children with disabilities and special educational needs were demanding a revision of the practice of segregation and exclusion.

In 1993, there was a landmark judgement in the Paul O’Donoghue case. The Education Act 1998, along with the DES Circular 8 in 1999, provided SEN students with an ‘automatic’ right and a ‘guarantee’ to avail of SEN provision in mainstream school.

Commission of Inquiry into the Reformatory and Industrial School System 1934-1936.

Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Mental Handicap 1965

The continuum of provision offers options to parents in making decisions in the best interests of their children and it allows specialisms to develop and to be resourced – in centres of excellence – within the system.

Special Education Review Committee (SERC) 1993 In 1993, there was a major change in educational policy towards children with special needs.

The Special Education Review Committee (SERC) report dealt comprehensively with the educational implications of special needs. It provided a definition of special needs which included those with severe and profound difficulties through to those who were exceptionally able and included both physical and mental disabilities.

It recognized that the desire of the majority of parents of children with special needs was that they be educated in mainstream schools. As a result, there was a recommendation for a school psychology service to be set up linked to the School Health Service. This service would deal with assessment etc. It also recommended additional support personnel to be provided in schools.

Integration was to be the most desirable option with as little segregation as possible for all children. Some change was recommended, particularly in the post-primary curriculum, to help with special provision. The use of the term ‘mental handicap’ was still being used extensively.

Despite all the developments in special education, the rights of children with severe and profound disabilities were to be tested twice in court. In one case, the state argued that the child was ‘in-educable’ and therefore it did not need to provide for him; in another, the argument was about whether primary education

SEN related to a child’s needs or his chronological age. In both cases, the children were deemed to have the right to the necessary education.

Education Act 1998 In 1998, the Education Bill was passed with the introduction that the Act would provide for the education of every person in the state, including those with disabilities or any other special educational needs. A special educational need is defined as the needs of those who have a disability or are exceptionally able. In 1998, finally, the National Educational Psychology Service (NEPS) began to have effect in some schools.

The Education Act (1998) set out a legal framework for the provision of education in Ireland. It is a function of the Minister under the Act: “To ensure… that there is made available to each person resident in the State, including a person with a disability or who has other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate

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to meeting the needs and abilities of that person”. The Act established National Council for Special Education (NCSE), created the role of Special Educational Needs Organiser and introduced Educational Plans/ Individual Education Plans.

2000 ONWARDS

In 2000 it was recognized that there were still problems with co-ordination and limited resources of professional services across the country. The Learning Support Guidelines3 were published and these gave clear definitions on the roles of various personnel within schools as well as guidance on curriculum, policies, teaching strategies and use of ICT. The Education for Persons with Disabilities Bill (2003) aims to guarantee the provision of suitable education for children with special educational needs. It states that integrated, inclusive education is to be the general approach. Each child will have the right to a holistic assessment and to have the services

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

identified in such an assessment detailed on an individual education plan.

Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 This Act determined that the National Council for Special Education shall have the following functions: “to ensure that a continuum of special educational provision is available as required in relation in each type of disability” [20 :( 1) (g)] Unfortunately, the EPSEN Act was never fully enacted. The major changes since 2004 are more to do with how resources are allocated. Many would argue that SERC should be revisited.

Funding SEN education adequately, especially in primary schools, is such good value for money. The difference this makes to the lives of the children, their families, teachers and schools really cannot be quantified.

Learning Support Guidelines 2000

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SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

SNAs

Practical Guidance PAT GOFF IPPN DEPUTY CEO What is the working day of an SNA? Full day SNAs are paid for 32 hours.

You would think that this should be straight forward if you divide 32 hours by 5. This gives 6 hours 24 minutes per day. However, the pupil is only in school for 5 hours 24 minutes per day.

The confusion arises in the difference here, with IMPACT arguing that the SNA should only be working the lesser (5 hrs 24 minutes). The latest phrase quoted from the union is for the SNA to work Bell to Bell. This is not stated in any circular. The SNA has to be in school to receive their pupil(s). For most schools this is 10 - 15 minutes before hand. The same rule applies in the evening where they must tidy up, etc. after their pupil(s). This then equates to 30 - 31 hours actually worked by SNA. The amount of time that an SNA has to be in before and after school is set down by the Board of Management. It would be much better and cleaner if the DES stated that the SNAs have to work 32 hours, but they don’t. If you ask them they actually say it is up to the BoM. For the full-time infant, subtract 1 hour per day. SNAs on an infant day work in reality between 25 - 26 hours. This is made up of the infant day in school (4 hours 24 minutes per day) and then add on your 10-15 minutes before and after school. An SNA employed for infant hours is required to complete 57 hours 40 minutes for their Croke Park hours. Half of an SNA is 16 hours. All figures are worked out on the basis of the 32 hours.

The amount of time that an SNA has to be in before and after school is set down by the Board of Management. It would be much better and cleaner if the DES stated that the SNAs have to work 32 hours, but they don’t.

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What breaks should SNAs get?

Almost every school applies the same breaks to SNAs as the teachers get.

This is a 10-minute coffee break in the morning and a 30-minute lunch break.

I am not aware of any circular outlining the break times. A school could apply Labour Law which governs every worker in Ireland. This states that a worker is entitled to a 15-minute break after 4 hours 15 minutes. However, it does not necessarily make for good staff relations if you treat SNAs differently in terms of breaks as you would teachers.

Who assigns the SNA to their pupils?

There are very few SNAs in schools now assigned to just one pupil. The norm now is the SENO grants access to an SNA for a number of pupils. It is at the discretion of the principal, as the day to day manager of the school, acting on behalf of the BoM, when and where the SNA works, and with whom the SNA works. All SNAs are generally required to do supervision. One of the key areas for supervision is yard duty. Where SNAs do this they then normally take their break afterwards.

SNAs are appointed to schools.

There are very few SNAs, if any, left in the system that are on childspecific contracts. SNAs had to make a decision in 2005 whether to go on the new school contract or opt for a child-specific contract. There is flexibility for the principal to assign SNAs to best meet the needs of the school and to work with other pupils.

Indeed, many schools would have a programme whereby the ‘designated’ pupil(s) are given some independence and not totally dependent on an SNA. There would be issues if an SNA was designated to do work not associated with a SEN pupil, such as making tea or coffee or undertaking secretarial work.

There should not be a problem for an SNA to work with other SEN pupils or preparing work under the direction of the teacher, such as photocopying or flash cards, etc. Bear in mind that SEN

pupils cover a wide range from Low Incidence pupils to pupils below the 10% rank, traveller pupils and foreignnational pupils.

SNAs are appointed to schools. There are very few SNAs, if any, left in the system that are on child-specific contracts.

SNAs had to make a decision in 2005 whether to go on the new school contract or opt for a child-specific contract.

What should the school do when a child for whom the school has been allocated SEN resources leaves the school?

Upon confirmation of a letter or notification from another school that a pupil is now enrolled there, the school should inform the SENO that this pupil has moved from their school. It is highly likely that this other school will apply for SEN resources, especially if the pupil requires an SNA. What to do if parents communicate with the SNA instead of the classroom teacher?

There should be very clear role definition for teachers, SNAs and parents. Very often there are no guidelines or protocols in place for SNAs, or indeed for parents. Inhouse training should be provided for all SNAs in what to do in such a situation. Contact between the SNA and the parent is normal in handing over or receiving a child. The query or contact might be as simple as toileting or some other care issue. It is not a problem for the SNA to answer this. The SNA should be instructed to inform the parent in relation to any other questions that they really have to talk to the teacher. A meeting with

SEN parents of all special needs children should also be held to outline the protocol to be used when dealing with queries in relation to their child.

What are acceptable/unacceptable SNA duties? Can these be reviewed, if so how/how often?

SNAs are recruited specifically to assist schools in providing the necessary non-teaching services to children with special educational needs who also may have additional and significant care needs. SNA support promotes the inclusion of SEN pupils in schools with the minimal disruption to class or teaching time.

The duties of an SNA are non-teaching in nature and are listed in Appendix 1 of DES Circular 15/2005 - Contract of Employment for Special Needs Assistants. Their duties are assigned by the Principal acting on behalf of the BoM. Their work is supervised either by the Principal or another teacher as determined by the Principal. Those duties include, but are not limited to: n

Preparation and tidying up of classrooms

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the Principal, with duties of a nonteaching nature. (Note: Special Needs Assistants may not act as either substitute or temporary teachers. In no circumstances may they be left in sole charge of a class or group of children)

Assisting school children to board and alight from school buses.

Travel as a bus escort during school hours on school buses may be required Assisting children with particular difficulties e.g. helping special needs pupils with typing, writing, computers or other equipment

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Assistance with clothing, feeding, toileting and general hygiene and being mindful of the health and safety needs of the pupil n

Assisting on out-of-school visits, walks, examinations and similar activities Assisting the teachers in the supervision of pupils during assembly, recreation and dispersal from the classroom Accompanying individuals or small groups who may have to be withdrawn temporarily from the classroom General assistance to the class teachers, under the direction of

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

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Participation with school development planning, where appropriate, and co-operation with any such changes to policies and practices arising from the school development process Engagement with parents of special needs pupils in both formal and informal structures as required and directed by school management Other duties appropriate to the grade as may be determined by the needs of the pupils and school from time-to-time. SNAs may be assigned to other work appropriate to the grade when special needs pupils are absent or when particular urgent works demand otherwise.

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SEN

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Supporting

Children Experiencing

HOMELESSNESS

ENDA McGORMAN PRINCIPAL, MARY, MOTHER OF HOPE SENIOR NATIONAL SCHOOL, DUBLIN 15. ENDA IS ALSO THE IPPN REPRESENTATIVE ON THE FINGAL CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S SERVICES COMMITTEE (CYPSC)

Home: A safe place, to be myself, to play, to relax, to live with my family.

Few of us can even comprehend what childhood must be like without a home, without that security. Yet, the scourge of homelessness is now a daily reality for many school leaders. Unfortunately and worryingly, its spread is reaching out across the country, well beyond the major cities and population centres.

Homelessness is often a hidden problem. For many different reasons, families, at times, may choose to keep ‘their secret’ within the family. In such cases, it is very difficult for schools to help. Through vigilance and close observation, teachers can, and do, pick up on tell-tale signs: arriving at school very early or very late, erratic attendance pattern, incomplete/ poorly presented homework. Children who regularly appear tired, hungry, dishevelled, sad, angry, distant. In such cases, teachers and schools can at least begin the conversation with parents.

Equally, for our pupils who are homeless, a kind word or small gesture can make all the difference to their emotional well-being, knowing that we care. One pupil in our school, living in emergency accommodation, will go out of her way to let me know that she is in school - she will draw a picture, or deliver a message - it’s her way of saying ‘I’m here, I made it today!’

Homelessness is often a hidden problem. For many different reasons, families, at times, may choose to keep ‘their secret’ within the family.

As many of us are all too aware of, sometimes the presenting issue is not the real issue. I can recall one case where a pupil’s behaviour had become increasingly disruptive and concerning.

On meeting his mother to outline our concerns, she broke down and told us that the family had been living in a Bed and Breakfast for months. She had been too embarrassed to let the school know, but was very appreciative when she did, because of practical steps we could take to help.

Schools can also offer support in other ways. Children struggling to complete homework in their B&B will benefit from structured after-school homework clubs and extra-curricular activity clubs where they are available. Schools that offer breakfast clubs can be a valuable support for pupils travelling long distances, arriving in school long before official opening times, or indeed arriving late and hungry. A family in our school were being housed in a B&B in the city centre. I had to make contact with the manager to insist that their breakfast bar open earlier in the morning to allow the children to eat before they headed off to catch two buses to our school.

And there are practical things that schools can do to help pupils and families who are dealing with homelessness, in spite of that initial feeling of helplessness. Firstly, and most importantly, continue to offer the family the full moral support of the school. By offering parents reassurance, by way of a kind word and undertaking to do all in our power to ensure their children will be supported in school, families who can feel intensely isolated come to understand that they are not alone in their struggle.

One of the concerning side effects of homelessness is the impact on school places for children. We need to become more flexible on how we approach enrolling pupils who are newly housed in our communities and offer real support. Parents have expressed bewilderment at not being able to find school places - whether primary or post-primary - once they finally manage to move out of homelessness and into accommodation. Equally, families living in B&Bs do not live in catchment areas and cannot access school places

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readily. These issues, unless properly supported and addressed, can often be the last straw for families who have already been through so much.

As I said at the outset, homelessness is a relatively new phenomenon in Irish society. While we are all acutely aware the problem is growing, it is beginning to receive the attention and support it so rightly deserves across the multiplicity of services.

One such service is the Children and Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC) which operates at county level throughout the country and on which IPPN has representation.

Support is the key and while we, as school leaders, cannot change national policy, on a daily basis we can offer practical support and help to families caught in homelessness. School leaders who wish to find out more about how they can support families experiencing homelessness can also access the excellent research carried out by Dr. Geraldine Scanlon and Grainne McKenna, titled Home Works: A Study on the Educational Needs of Children Experiencing Homelessness and Living in Emergency Accommodation - See Issue Issue 106, page 23.

We all know that schools play a central role in the life of every child; in their social, personal and emotional development, their well-being, their sense of self-worth and sense of belonging. For children experiencing homelessness, the role of the school becomes even more important, sometimes providing the only sense of permanence and continuity in a very unstable and insecure world.

You can listen to a podcast of Enda speaking about this issue with Seán O’Rourke on 22 November 2018 by clicking the link below.

LINK

March 2019

www.ippn.ie Latest resources If your school has a policy or plan that is not available on ippn.ie, or which would supplement available resources, we would appreciate if you would submit it for review by email to rachel. hallahan@ippn.ie.

Submission to the Department of Justice n Seasonal Clock Changes (Dec 2018)

PRESS RELEASES n

The following are the new resources available in the different sections of the website:

RESOURCES

DES CIRCULARS n 0001/2019 - Special Leave for Teachers who are members of Voluntary Search and Rescue Organisations n

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SCHOOL POLICIES n Stay Safe Programme (Policy)

PPN Conference 2019 focuses on making school leadership sustainable

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Managing the pace of change and reform within the primary education sector IPPN welcomes recent review of Special Needs Assistant Scheme.

Enrolment Registration Form Enrolment Consent Form

CPD & EVENTS

SUPPORTS

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

PRINCIPALS’ CONFERENCE Principals’ Conference 2019 A wealth of information is now available to view/download Seminars Leadership Pathways n Angela Lynch & Jack Durkan

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LEADERSHIP+ n Issue 107 - January 2019

ADVOCACY

SUBMISSIONS Submissions to the DES n The future direction of policy on exemptions from the study of Irish (Jan 2019) - submitted via DES website online form n

Statement of Strategy 2019-2021 (Dec 2018) - submitted via DES website online form

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Leadership and management days prioritised for Teaching Principals

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PLANNING PROMPTS A new prompt is uploaded each week to this section.

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Nearly 70% of primary schools encountering problems as a result of smartphone / social media use outside of school

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STAFF MANAGEMENT API & APII Posts n AP Sample Interview Questions

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Enrolment Policy - Cóilín Ó Coigligh

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January 2019 n Ireland’s 134 Special Schools need sustainable action n Schools becoming a safe haven for Ireland’s 4,000 homeless children

0081/2018 - Cost Limits for Primary School Buildings 0078/2018 - Panel access for fixed-term/temporary (this includes substitute) and part-time teachers to the Supplementary Redeployment Panel for the 2019/20 school year

Managing the pace of change and reform within the primary education sector - 20th December 2018

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Paul O’Donnell - Leadership Pathways 2 - Establishing Needs & Priorities Finbarr Hurley & Ann Ryan Leadership Pathways 3 - Years 3-5: Developing Leadership Capacity Anna Mai Rooney - Leadership Pathways Years 5 – Years 12+ - Reenergise, Rejuvenate, Recreate your Leadership Anne Fitzpatrick - Leadership Pathways Years 6 to 12 - Lifting the Spirit – Renewing the Enthusiasm

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Brian O’Doherty - Money Matters DES Inspectorate - Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspections (CPSI) Donal Kerins - GDPR Implementing Data Protection Gerard McHugh - From the Deserted Village to the Alt School Leo Kilroy - SSE, Creativity & Arts Education Máire Rodgers Coyle - Secrets to a Happy Brain Guided Meditation Mairead O’Flynn - Admission to Schools Act 2018 Michael McNamara (PDST) - Digital Learning Framework Shane O’Donnell & Jack Durkan Priorities for Teaching Principals Richie Walsh & Niamh Fowler An Introduction to Restorative Practice.

Keynotes Video clips and speech texts (where available/relevant) – n Adam Harris, CEO of AsIAm n

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Corpus Christi Primary School Choir, Moyross, Limerick, led

by Choir Director Orfhlaith Prendergast Damian White, IPPN Deputy President

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David Ruddy, IPPN President

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Jacinta Kitt, Author/Lecturer

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Joe McHugh TD, Minister for Education & Skills John Horan, Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children

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Páiric Clerkin, IPPN CEO

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Patrick O’Shea, President of UCC

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Podcasts - Interviews with Seán Delaney of Inside Education on Dublin City FM.

Expo Expo Guide 2019.

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Other Seminars Ann Ryan, Padraig McCabe & Michael Maher - Preparing the Ground for Dignity at Work Policy for your school community

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Anna Mai Rooney and Máire Ní Bhróithe - The Art of Middle Leadership

ABOUT US

NATIONAL COUNCIL REPORTS Meeting Updates 18/19 Meeting Reports n

November AGM.

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

MO SCÉAL Moving from Preschool to Primary School

DR DEREK GRANT & DR MARY DALY

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT

Young children’s transition from preschool to primary school is a very important milestone in their educational journeys. ‘Tús maith leath na hoibre’ mar a deir an seanfhocal.

With this in mind, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) developed reporting templates called ‘Mo Scéal’ to support the transfer of information on children’s learning and development from preschools to parents/guardians and, with their consent, on to primary schools. Mo Scéal is similar to the Education Passport that supports the transfer of pupil information from primary to post-primary schools.

The development of Mo Scéal was a process involving research and consultation with teachers, practitioners, parents and children.

Early drafts of Mo Scéal were piloted as part of the NCCA Preschool to Primary School Transitions Initiative in 2017. The final report on the initiative is available to read at www.ncca.ie.

Mo Scéal templates are available in English and Irish and will provide information about a child’s interests, strengths and challenges prior to starting Junior Infants. At present, there is no requirement to use Mo Scéal. Instead, the templates are a resource which preschools and schools can chose to use as they collaborate in supporting young children and their families at this key transition.

Mo Scéal has four sections: n

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Section 1: Practitioner provides information on the child’s learning and development using the four themes of Aistear – Wellbeing, Identity and Belonging, Communicating, and Exploring and Thinking.

Section 2: Parent/Guardian provides information that they may like to share with their child’s new school.

Section 3: Child provides an opportunity for him/her to share something personal and is a really important section as it highlights the voice of the child during the transition.

Section 4: Parent/Guardian Consent asks for their permission to share a copy of the child’s report with the primary school.

to late June. The primary school can use the reports to support the children’s transition to school. Go to www.ncca. ie – Early Childhood – Mo Scéal - to find out more. Schools, preschools and families working together will support children’s learning and will make the move to school as positive an experience as it can be, leading to benefits for all.

The combined information from the practitioner, parent/guardian and child will give the teacher insights into the child’s learning and experiences from home and from preschool. This will be very useful particularly in the initial weeks of Junior Infants. Armed with this information, the teacher can think about ways to provide similar experiences in the junior infant classroom. Mo Scéal can also support the teacher in planning for the child to learn in a way that best suits him/ her and to differentiate learning opportunities.

If you have any queries in relation to Mo Scéal, please contact Derek Grant by email to derek.grant@ncca.ie.

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Transferring Mo Scéal from the preschool to the primary school involves a number of steps and detailed guidance as well as all accompanying materials are available at www.ncca. ie to allow sharing and use of the children’s reports. Firstly, a Data Sharing Agreement is signed by the preschool and the primary school to share copies of the children’s reports.

The Agreement simply summarises data protection responsibilities of both the preschool and school. A sample Agreement is available to download from the NCCA website. The school principal or designated person then forwards a documentation request to the preschool(s) by mid-May for the children coming in to school. If the preschool is willing to accommodate the school’s request, the preschool manager or designated person works with the parents/guardians and children to complete the reports. The completed reports are then forwarded to the primary school by the preschool, with parental/guardian consent by mid

LINK

REFLECTIONS

Small

DISASTERS DAMIAN WHITE PRINCIPAL OF SCOIL SHINCHILL, KILLEIGH, CO. OFFALY AND IPPN DEPUTY PRESIDENT It started with a trickle. A small stain left behind as the first traces of radiator water sensed a weakness and dribbled towards freedom. Water locked in a steel cage for 30 years, heated to within a few degrees of steam before cooling down as the building empties every school day has reached its point of no return. And so it was as I entered the school building this morning, just before the familiar gurgle as the heat kicks in to perform its daily function.

I took my usual ramble around the school to check that all is well before the deluge of children some 30 minutes on. ‘Those radiators are starting to leak a bit’, says I to no-one in particular. ‘I’ll call the engineer to have a look.’

Why is it that disaster is always around a bend? You happen on it having rounded a corner, either physically or emotionally. In my case I turned left, not to meet the deluge of children I normally associate with travelling at speed down a corridor, full of life and fun and harmless messing. The deluge was more what Noah had experienced as he raised the drawbridge on his shiny new ark. A radiator in the school GP room had burst its banks and hot, black water spat out towards freedom, cascading across the floor like a ballroom dancer. Buckets of it - hissing and fizzing through an ever-expanding gap. Staff arriving, to their eternal credit, grabbed buckets and mops as I fished for the numbers of the caretaker, plumber and engineer. Thanks to a great team effort, we had the offending radiator removed, children safely in classes and the mess cleared up before 10.30am.

I confess to the Inspectorate that I did not lead much learning that day. For me, WILF meant ‘Water Is Leaking Furiously’, while WALT was ‘Waive All Learning Today’.

Principalship is many things, but since Circular 16/1973, it has not been properly defined as a role at official level. In an era when we must ensure that contracts are in place for every employee, setting out what is expected

of them, where is the requisite document for principals? When will our role be defined to allow us to concentrate on the leading of learning almost exclusively? As it is, a principal must have expertise on employment law, building project management, financial management, GDPR, social services, and my favourite - plumbing.

This is against a backdrop of fear that an inspector’s arrival will coincide with the kind of disaster I faced and they haven’t their notes up to scratch.

Teaching principals have to face such issues while dealing with multiple classes.

The Ancillary Services grant allows schools to employ caretakers and secretaries as the school deems necessary, but the grant is insufficient to grant 2 people a decent, living wage. That is grossly unfair on two roles which are becoming increasingly complex, requiring well trained and committed people. It is also grossly unfair on the principal, who must take up the slack where either service cannot be provided on a full-time basis.

At this year’s IPPN conference, Jacinta Kitt talked of keeping what we call disasters in perspective. On a scale of 1 to 10, earthquakes and war are at the top of the scale, while minor issues occupy the lower tiers. As a school principal, there are many ‘little’ disasters, like my burst radiator, which only reach the first or second rung.

The little ones however, when added together and coupled with increasing pressures, are further up the scale, and can have a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of school leaders.

This year, the key message from the conference was to prioritise, to take new ideas on board but store them until you have the time to put them into practice.

You also must remember that you are human, that occasionally you will be driven off course by unexpected events, but that you will get to things when time allows.

That reminds me, the engineer didn’t call back…

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Towards a Better Future

NAPD PRINCIPALS AND DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

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

CHAPTER 6: Educational Leadership and Governance – Part I This is the third in a series of excerpts from the IPPN/NAPD-commissioned research publication. In this issue, we present the first of two sets of excerpts from Chapter 6.

INTRODUCTION Until the mid-1990s, educational leadership was not regarded as a priority in Irish educational policy, or in the management and the daily work of schools and colleges. In the aftermath of the 1991 OECD report on Irish educational policy, a greater awareness grew of the importance of good leadership for the health of an education system in a rapidly-changing society. Leadership was largely seen as something contained within management, as distinct from an issue that required analysis and action in its own right. As the ‘90s progressed, new research on educational leadership began to make a strong impact internationally, including in policymaking quarters.

In Ireland, the growth of a new engagement with educational leadership can be seen in a number of developments over the last two decades: n the growth of post-graduate courses in educational management during the ‘90s n the establishment of the In-career Development Unit within the DES in 1994, now the Teacher Education Section (TES) n the setting up of IPPN in 2000 and of NAPD in 1998 n the provision of a more secure basis for Education Centres by the Education Act 1998 n the establishment of the School Development Planning Initiative (SDPI) in 1999 n the establishment of the Leadership Development for Schools service (LDS) in 2002 n the development of designated 18

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educational leadership courses at post-graduate level– including the PGDEL /Tóraíocht course in Maynooth and further educational leadership courses by other universities the establishment of the Centre for School Leadership (CSL) in 2015, resulting from joint efforts by IPPN, NAPD and DES.

not themselves school principals or deputy principals would count centrally within educational leadership and is termed ‘teacher leadership’. Good governance structures that are well used at a corporate level enable school leadership at an everyday level to be more purposefully engaged and more fruitful.

It is important at the start to distinguish between administration, management, leadership and governance in education: n Administration - taking care of the daily, weekly, monthly and annual tasks that have to be completed to keep the school functioning n Management - ‘getting things done through people’ – some of the ‘things’ being matters of administration and some being matters of leadership n Leadership - discovering and pursuing initiatives that enhance the quality of learning and teaching in the school n Governance - discharging responsibilities at a corporate level so as to ensure the best use of resources and to provide the best opportunities for leadership to be productive.

THE QUALITY OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SCHOOLS The quality of educational leadership in a school or college is largely influenced by the values, attitudes and practices that have become embodied in established custom and routine.

A school can continue to function where educational leadership is largely absent – where everything important is decided by the way ‘things have always been done’. Fullan calls this ‘losing sight of the ‘why’ question and getting lost in the ‘how to’ question’ (2003, p.61). It is important to note that such a school might still be efficiently run from an administration perspective, and that the management might pride itself on its effectiveness in the handling of students, staff and parents.

When confronted by new expectations that challenge this equilibrium, a characteristic response can be ‘If it’s not broken, why fix it?’

Educational leadership initiatives then will normally result in changes in the practices of students and of teachers. Leadership initiatives that affect other aspects of a school’s work, but have little ultimate influence on the quality of teaching and learning, would fall largely outside of educational leadership. Pedagogical initiatives taken by teachers who are

OECD research reports are now more likely to give quite explicit recognition to the importance of educational leadership and the OECD itself has been involved in an ongoing international research programme called Improving School Leadership (OECD, 2008).

In Ireland, the NCCA Discussion Paper, Leading and Supporting Change in Schools argues for ‘seeing schools as

March 2019

centres of innovation and learning and powering them through investment, support and knowledge management to realise that role’ (p.21).

Bodies like IPPN and NAPD have kept abreast of developments in the research literature on educational leadership. Their regular publications over the last few decades have acted as valuable communication channels to disseminate such developments among their own members, and to promote informed professional debate on educational leadership issues. This is also true of the conferences, seminars and other professional development events organised by both bodies. They are now an established part of the annual educational calendar and an important support to school principals and deputy principals nationwide.

THE EDUCATIONAL IN EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP Most of the research literature on educational leadership stresses the importance of things like mission, vision and moral purpose.

The ‘educational’ in educational leadership has to do with vision and with moral purpose, as the research literature rightly stresses. However, what needs more emphasis is the unique kind of challenge involved in this particular form of leadership.

Educational leadership needs to remain focused on the challenge of finding the best ways of promoting high quality in the experience of learning itself, including what this might mean for the full diversity of students. It needs, moreover, to invite criticisms of its own best efforts.

If educational leadership neglects teaching as a practice in its own right, it becomes from the start burdened by ambiguities of purpose and by expectations it should not have to meet. In such ways can practitioners of educational leadership lose sight of the priorities that are properly theirs.

everyday practice. Members of a community of practice are keenly conscious of their practitioner identity and of their need to learn from each other, including from newcomers to the practice. They are keenly aware that fresh possibilities for developing the practice arise from sharing the evolving expertise of practitioners.

Some researchers on educational leadership have been exploring the potential of professional learning communities. Hord & Sommers (2007, p.9) describe such communities in schools as having the following characteristics: n shared beliefs, values and vision among the staff, focused consistently on students’ learning n shared and supportive leadership where decision-making is concerned n collective learning and its application among the teaching practitioners n supportive conditions, including time for sharing, mutual respect, openness to others’ views n shared personal practice, particularly the giving and receiving of feedback among colleagues.

The DES Action Plan for Education makes a number of welcome references to educational leadership and its importance. It states that one of the more major actions to be undertaken is to ‘change the middle management structure and functions carried out in schools by the holders of posts of responsibility’ (p.36). This last action could have long-term beneficial effects.

In this context, however, it is important that if terms like ‘posts of responsibility’ and ‘middle management’ are to be retained, they need to be thoroughly reviewed and re-conceived. Both terms look back to 20 th century management patterns that included two important flaws. Firstly, the widespread acceptance of the notion of ‘delegation’ in such patterns tended to obscure the more promising notion of shared leadership, and of collaborative leadership.

Secondly, important distinctions such as those between responsibilities of management and those of leadership were frequently overlooked. It is no accident that terms like ‘middle management’ have largely disappeared from research on educational leadership and from international reports on developments in leadership practice.

Promoting a professional learning community in a school calls firstly on the principal and deputy principal to take initiatives to create conditions of dialogue, including, in particular, the time and opportunities needed for professional dialogue to develop.

Teachers are thus enabled to talk about what they really value in their work and about the significance of what they do.

Where such dialogue becomes a regular feature of teachers’ working lives, new energies are released in unforced ways and new initiatives are forthcoming from teachers themselves. This process cultivates an enhanced sense of professional identity among teachers, even a transformed one. Teachers become more open to new approaches and more active in taking ownership of them. Equally important, professional learning communities cultivate a more informed and more authoritative voice among teachers in reshaping and enriching the practice of teaching itself.

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

LINK

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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES & COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE A well-known Irish proverb says Níl neart go cur le chéile; literally – there is not strength until efforts are put together. Yet, teaching is a practice that has long been marked by the professional isolation and insulation of teachers – from each other and from school leadership. Against this insular background, goals like those of collaboration, shared vision, intellectual stimulation and team commitment, recommended by the international

research on educational leadership, take on a practical priority.

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OnYourBehalf

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

SUBMISSIONS As well as the submissions made to the DES in relation to the future direction of policy on exemptions from the study of Irish (January) and the new DES Statement of Strategy 20192021 (December), there have been a number of other consultations initiated by the Department in recent months, particularly late in 2018: n

n n

Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspection model SEN resource allocation model Special Education Teaching Model: Students with Complex Needs.

Note: All submissions are available to view on www.ippn.ie under Advocacy/ Submissions. We usually provide a synopsis of key submissions in Leadership+, where space is available.

ONE TEACHER SCHOOLS At our conference in January, Minister Joe McHugh commended IPPN on the work done as part of the membership engagement project with one-teacher schools. The DES has written to oneteacher schools to identify gaps when a second adult is not present in the school. Funding may be provided by way of an increased ancillary grant to fund a second adult at all times when pupils are present.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS IPPN attended a meeting on 11th January with officials in the Special Education section of the DES to share the survey findings and the priorities for special schools and to identify means of collaboration on this project.

We presented the survey findings to 60 principals of Special Schools during a Special Interest Group meeting at our principals’ conference. Head of TES Eddie Ward attended, along with the Ombudsman for Children, Niall Muldoon, and Alan Black of Allianz, who addressed queries regarding insurance costs for special schools. IPPN also met with INTO regarding Special Schools on 5th February in the Support Office.

A meeting is scheduled with NABMSE and a meeting with NCSE is also due to take place shortly.

INTO AND CPSMA The administrative support for small schools project initiated by IPPN is now in its fourth year. IPPN will progress the work with CPSMA to support small schools with appropriate administrative supports. The initial focus is on payroll systems. IPPN sourced a payroll system for one-teacher schools through SchoolAccounting.ie. CPSMA are taking on a researcher to look at workload IPPN and INTO are supporting CPSMA with this research project.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER CLUSTERS FOR TEACHING PRINCIPALS In a bid to provide practical supporting to teaching principals, IPPN is collaborating with INTO in the development of clusters for the specific purpose of teaching principals’ leadership and management days. 300 principals have registered their interest in participating in these clusters so far.

If any other teaching principals would like to register, please email project@ ippn.ie with your name and roll number.

We have met with the INTO to look at potential clusters and how they will operate and hope to get in touch with participating schools before Easter.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT CLUSTERS Continuing with the theme of providing practical support to members, we are working with PDST Technology in Education (TiE) to organise regional clusters to provide good quality technical support to schools at a reasonable cost. We are arranging meetings in the local education centre to facilitate the set-up of these clusters with those school leaders who have registered their interest - via a survey issued by E-scéal on 7th February. If any other schools would like to register to participate in these clusters, please email project@ippn.ie with your name and roll number.

Members of the Primary Education Forum met with Minister Joe McHugh on 20th December 2018 at the Clock Tower in Marlborough St

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WELLBEING FOR TEACHERS & LEARNERS (WTL) A WTL seminar took place on Saturday 9th February in Croke Park, with over 300 teachers attending.

Schools showcased good practice in implementing wellbeing across the school community. NEPS outlined the framework policy on wellbeing and Chief Inspector Harold Hislop took part in a panel discussion involving teachers, parents and students.

CENTRE FOR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (CSL) SHARED CALENDAR The CSL team and IPPN met in Clare Education Centre on December 12th to discuss the possibilities of a shared calendar between the Education Partners. Testing for the proposed shared calendar started in January and further discussions will take place to progress the project in the coming months.

LEADERSHIP CLUSTERS January 28th 2019 ‘’Excellence through Collaborative Leadership and Management’’ The Department has invited schools to participate in a demonstration model designed to support projects that involve innovative approaches to school leadership and management.

An advisory group consisting of

representative from DES, CSL, the Inspectorate, NAPD, IPPN, third level and business has been formed to oversee the demonstration model. The advisory group is chaired by the CSL Director, Mary Nihill.

The role of the Advisory Group is to provide: n oversight of the project n advice and guidance as appropriate n a mechanism for regular feedback n a forum for discussion of progress n a forum for liaison with the evaluation of the project n information to the Implementation Group and Steering Committee on progress.

In addition, the advisory group will decide on the allocation of support to clusters outside of those detailed in the description of the scheme.

OTHER MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES ATTENDED OR HOSTED December n DES - Model for Allocating Special Education Teachers to Schools n NAPD, DES & Teaching Council – Teacher Supply & EducationPosts.ie n Teaching Council (Maynooth) Panel Discussion

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DES - Talk with New Inspectors DCU - Teacher Training - Working with parents to support their children’s learning School Governance Section Children’s Rights Alliance Annual Member’s Briefing Meeting Education Matters 2018-2019 launch Primary Education Forum Meeting.

January International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) Conference n Review of the Governance Manual for Primary Schools n CPSMA - Workload and initiative overload research project n Meeting with DES - Special Schools n NUIG Teachers Fair EducationPosts.ie n NAPD, DES & Teaching Council – Teacher Supply & EducationPosts.ie n Parent Line. n

February Wellbeing for Teachers and Learners (WTL) Conference, Croke Park n NABMSE - Special Schools n INTO - Special Schools n Public Services Conference 2019. n

David Ruddy and Páiric Clerkin with INTO President Joe Killeen and Minister Joe McHugh at the launch of Education Matters Yearbook on 20th Dec 2018 at the National University of Ireland, Merrion Square

The Education Matters Yearbook 2018-2019

is available to view/ download from https://educationmatters.ie/

Click the link below to access the Yearbook LINK

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Teaching the Cheetahs to chase the Antelope Catering for Students with Exceptional Ability in Irish schools: Lessons learned from those who have achieved significant academic success

SIMON BYRNE PRINCIPAL OF SCOIL EOIN PHÓIL II NAOFA, TULLAMORE, CO OFFALY, A DEIS BAND I ALL BOYS SENIOR SCHOOL

It is not an overstatement to suggest that the Irish education system is currently undergoing a transformation. A key element to the philosophy behind this change is the perceived importance of catering for the individual needs of each student as opposed to the collective needs of a classroom. This relatively new phenomenon is a far cry from the egalitarian philosophy of education introduced in 1831 during the birth of the Irish educational system. As classrooms in Irish schools have become more diverse in terms of ethnicity and student ability, catering for the needs of students on an individual basis is no mean feat. As educators endeavour to do so in already busy classrooms, invariably it is those who struggle academically and/or exhibit challenging behaviours that can receive the most attention.

The knock-on effect can be that the needs of other groups of students such as the exceptionally-able can sometimes be forgotten or even ignored.

they may need it most. Research suggests that, although they may excel academically, they can often find it difficult to establish social relationships, struggle to cope with imperfection or indeed easily lose interest and become disengaged in their learning, leading to academic underachievement.

Exceptionally-able pupils could be included under the special allocation model in terms of social and emotional support, to help them build relationships with others or to deal with issues such as perfectionism.

Which brings me to the Cheetahs in the title of this article. To avoid the possibility of his son underachieving academically, his father told him the story of cheetahs that are kept in captivity. These cheetahs are fed rabbits, creatures that provide little or no challenge when it comes hunting for prey. These cheetahs therefore are not afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential. Cheetahs in the wild chase antelope, a completely different proposition altogether.

There are many reasons why this can occur. For one, there is the common misconception that exceptionallyable students ‘know it all’ already, that they will succeed and make it on their own and therefore, they do not require any additional supports in their personal development or learning. Other researchers argue that exceptionally-able students often do not receive support in the areas

With this in mind, when it comes to our lessons, we owe it to all our pupils to expose them to antelope, not rabbits.

Sometimes these pupils frighten us as educators. The truth is that simple guidance and opportunities to express themselves and work independently go a long way towards catering for their academic and social needs. As we move towards a more digital and creative educational

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During a recent Master’s study, I was afforded an opportunity to interview a group of exceptionally-able students and their parents. The students were selected for this study based on their exceptional Leaving Certificate results. When reflecting on their experience of school, opportunities to participate in initiatives such as the Green Schools committee, as well as subjects like Drama and Music were a recurring theme. Homework for these pupils was also not deemed a chore, provided it was challenging and stimulating. Project work was also seen for these pupils as a way of guiding their own learning at primary level.

landscape, the possibilities for these pupils are endless. The movement towards student councils in primary schools is also a real way of giving all pupils a voice in their own learning.

They will, after all, be the leaders of tomorrow.

WHAT SUPPORTS WOULD WORK? Exceptionally-able pupils could be included under the special allocation model in terms of social and emotional support, to help them build relationships with others or to deal with issues such as perfectionism.

International research suggests that these can be very real issues for exceptionally-able pupils who, from a neurological perspective, may have developed very quickly academically but not so quickly from a social or emotional point of view. The benefit of the new allocation model is that the school has the freedom to cater for these needs if they are aware of them and it may be a way of reducing anxiety in another cohort of children.

Counselling has been suggested as a specific support if pupils struggle with perfectionism or with building relationships, or even deliberately underachieve academically in an effort to fit in with their peers.

CONCLUSION The term Neurodiversity as used by Adam Harris at IPPN Conference 2019 really resonated with me. My research only examined academic ability. The NCCA draft guidelines reference many more kinds of abilities and intelligences. Finding an inclusive model of education to cater for them all is, as we all know, a work in progress.

If you would like to contact Simon in relation to this article, you can email him to principal@scoileoinphoil.ie.

LINK

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

The 50-Year Gift to Irish Education

How the vision of a Dutch packaging magnate in 1969 can influence the health of Irish children in 2019 CIARAN MANNION

Everyone has possibly heard the Oscarnominated Brown Bag production of ‘Give Up Yer Aul Sins’ with biblical stories told by Dublin primary school children from Rutland Street NS. What is not as well known is that Rutland Street was also the incubator for an idea that makes it arguably the birthplace, in 1969, of the DEIS schools concept.

In pre-EU Ireland, funding for experimental education models was a luxury our economy could ill afford.

However, a Dutch philanthropist, Bernard van Leer, wanted to help the then poorest children in Western Europe to have a brighter future, through encouraging them to attend and stay at school, and approached the Department of Education to fund a partnership. The idea was to foster a collaboration between parents, the community and school, with the teacher as trusted coordinator, for the benefit of the child. Rutland Street was one of the first projects undertaken and its success in the early 70s was almost immediately evident.

In the recent interim report on numeracy and literacy, the DEIS network has been credited with helping lift our Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores.

Despite this, the partnership approach has still only reached about 20% of our schools over the past 50 years. Of course, there have been 26 Ministers of Education and priorities can be hard to keep focused.

The current Minister, Richard Bruton is steeped in economic experience and, perhaps unfairly, it is believed he places most value on education as preparation for employment. The Minister’s foreword in his 2016 ‘Action Plan for Education’ emphasised a vision of delivering people to ‘well-paying jobs’ and to building on the ‘successful model pioneered in the Action Plan for Jobs’. His foreword in the DES’ National Strategy on Literacy and Numeracy, states how the 2009 PISA scores 24

were in effect a ‘wake-up call’ to the government and industry.

There are many who would support this vision. However, a widespread concern was well expressed in an evaluation report ‘How are our kids?’ commissioned by Limerick City Children and Young Person’s Services Committee (CYPSC), which stated that the education system is at times ‘trapped in the notion of having to feed the local economies rather than the enrichment of the innate talents that every individual has and the celebrations of that’.

Minister Bruton and his Department now finally want to bridge the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and bring the benefits of collaboration teamwork in education to all schools.

The new emergency taskforce on obesity presents just that opportunity.

All children and parents, regardless of economic background, need to focus on healthier lifestyles.

There are many excellent initiatives already underway. All plans that are consistent with the physical education curriculum guidelines should be encouraged, but they should also empower teachers to ensure all pupils are included. Health promotion materials should assist the teacher to guide the child regardless of where, by whom and how the physical activity is being delivered. However, primary school teachers are being overwhelmed with new STEM, wellness, and physical activity modules on top of existing curricula.

The 50 years’ lesson of the van Leer project should be used to guide the way. Inspired by philanthropists like van Leer and primary principals like Michael McLoughlin and Fintan Keating, we have donated our materials, weekly lesson plans, home workbook, video demonstrations, parent/ teacher app, interactive game board and skill evaluations to the Department of Education and we are currently working

with leading third-level professors to mould the programme to the needs of primary teachers.

The Home, School, Community Liaison officer is ideally placed to include health promotion materials into their programme. Non-DEIS schools also can use them to encourage new school, home and community relationships.

Perhaps these relationships could be the bridge the Minister is looking for between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and the vital ‘education bridge of mutual understanding and trust’ that the late Dr Concepta Conaty envisioned. Dr Conaty carried the torch for 20 years in shaping and promoting the HSCL programme, contributing to the 2005 Department of Education report The Home, School, Community Liaison Scheme in Ireland, From Vision to Best Practice.

Many of the recent educational initiatives such as the NEPS’ Friends programme (imported and licenced from Australia) and Food Dudes (imported from Wales) come at a considerable ongoing cost to the Department. Existing models could have been developed in Ireland if we had collaborative entrepreneurship across the private and public sectors.

The inspiration Dr Conaty cites from the Bernard van Leer Foundation for ‘the urgency of our work’ perhaps say it best: ‘Many things can wait, the child cannot.

Right now his bones are being formed His blood is being made, His senses are being developed.

To him we cannot say Tomorrow.

His name is Today’.

Ciaran Mannion is a director of Firstart Fitness. He returned from the US to Ireland 22 years ago because he believes Irish schools are the best in the world and wished his children to have that privilege. He lives in Kiltoom, Co. Roscommon with his wife Mary and their four children.

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Let go of perfectionism PÁIRIC CLERKIN IPPN CEO

Sustainability is the theme of our conference and I believe it is the key to unlocking the potential of school leadership. A crucial element of sustainability in our schools is the wellbeing of all the people in the school community, including the school leader.

initiatives or if we take on too much ourselves, if we proceed too quickly, if we don’t prioritise appropriately, then the change becomes counterproductive. Managing change is one of the great challenges we face as school leaders – as is knowing when and how to say no!

In my view, our key responsibility as school leaders is to nurture positivity within the school environment – for everyone working and learning within it. It’s not only about a culture of wellbeing. If the system, and we as school leaders, work to make the role more sustainable it will have a direct impact on our wellbeing. But you have to be able to sustain yourself first and foremost. ‘A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm.

But the tree can’t grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon’.

We need to work on developing those roots now in our schools and we need to make it a priority - for the sake of our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of everyone around us.

Looking back over my own time in school, if there is one thing I would do differently it would be to develop my communication skills to help my school community understand and appreciate why we need to prioritise and why we must say no at times.

When a staff member or a parent comes to me suggesting that we take on another initiative, I would explain that we are already working on agreed priorities to improve the school. Ultimately we need to respect our own plan if we want others to respect it!

To make school leadership sustainable, we must develop a culture of shared leadership, a genuine sharing of responsibility and accountability. For that to work, middle leadership posts must be restored in all schools - having a full complement of assistant principals is critical. The work we put into middle leadership reaps rewards in the longterm. Development of leadership capacity in our schools should take priority over most other objectives.

To focus on leading teaching and learning, school leaders also need to be supported by a highly-skilled and well-paid administrator to take ownership of school administration.

All change must be sustainable. If we are forced to take on too many

We also need to demand a system which itself plans in advance, communicates those plans clearly to schools, respects school autonomy and acknowledges school leaders who prioritise. The work of the Primary Education Forum […] will be crucial in terms of planning and managing system change more effectively. As Andy Hargreaves said at our recent symposium, we need fewer initiatives, and more initiative! As part of our own involvement in the Forum, we will continue to push for a system that focuses on sustainability for schools, and for school leaders.

IPPN also plays a crucial role in promoting sustainable leadership for our members. Since 2000, IPPN has been supporting and advocating for Irish primary school leaders. While we have advocated loudly and relentlessly in relation

to the very challenging role of the Teaching Principal right from the beginning, we have placed increased focus on this since September 2015 when we stated that achieving one Leadership and Management Day per week for all teaching principals was our top priority. The progress hasn’t been what we had hoped and we understand that pay parity was prioritised in the last budget. One leadership and management day has to become the norm for every teaching principal. This will continue to be our top priority until it has been achieved.

We need to let go of that tendency towards perfectionism. For some things, ‘good enough’ has to be good enough! You can do this job but you cannot do it all and you certainly can’t do it all on your own.

We are acutely aware of the issues school leaders are dealing with. We collaborate closely with the education partners to agree joint lobbying initiatives and are collectively working to improve the situation on the ground for our members. Progress is being made. We are hearing the right things from key people that they ‘get’ the issues and are working towards solutions. And I want to assure you that we will continue to work tirelessly on your behalf.

The full speech text and a video clip including Q&A with facilitator Anton Savage is available on www. ippn.ie – CPD & Events – Principals’ Conference – Principals’ Conference 2019 – Keynotes.

LINK

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IPPN Annual Principals’

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Adam Harris tells it ‘as it is’

Presentation to Patrick O’Shea, President of UCC

Sporting ‘AsIAm’ socks

Facilitator Anton Savage A tribute to John Cu

rran (RIP)

Angela Lynch & Jack Durkan explore establishing credibility as a school leader

Páiric Clerkin presents an IPPN plaque to John Horan and Niall Muldoon

David Ruddy and Damian White greet Minister Joe McHugh 26

Listening intently

Áine Fitzpatrick and Enda McGorman

IPPN Annual Principals’

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Anna Mai Rooney on the art of middle leadership

Finbarr Hurley leads the Pathways seminar on developing leadership capacity

Corpus Christi PS Moyross wows 1,200 school leaders

Mairead O’Flynn on Admissions to Schools Act

IPPN Past President Maria Doyle with NPC CEO Áine Lynch, Shay Bannon and Angela Lynch

John Horan - Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael

Minister Joe McHugh engages with primary school leaders

Claire O’Donovan facilitates a discussion with Special School leaders

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Jacinta Kitt exudes positivity

IPPN Deputy President Damian White wraps up the conference

IPPN Treasurer and Principal Brian O’Doherty discusses Money Matters

IPPN Past President Virginia O’Mahony with Máire Áine Uí Aodha 27

IPPN Annual Principals’

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THANK YOU TO OUR CONFERENCE SPONSORS

IPPN would like to thank the exhibiting companies that went to great effort in presenting their products and services at 175 Expo stands. The support of exhibiting companies helps IPPN to deliver our Annual Principals’ Conference – please consider these companies when making purchases for your school over the coming year.

FORGING A FUTURE

An interactive version of the Education Expo Guide is available on ippn.ie.

We would like to thank the following companies for participating in the Passport Giveaway and for their generous prizes: Gerflor, Gill & Macmillan Publishers, Explorium, 4Schools.ie, Toomey Audio Visual, Forbo Ireland, Communication Technology Ltd, Memorylane Photography, SchoolDays.ie, EDCO, IMEX Interactive, Prowise/MBE, Citywest Hotel, Allianz, Cantec Business Technology.

Place your completed entries in the boxes marked Passport Giveaway around the conference venue by 6pm on Friday the 27th of January. For further details on how to enter see overleaf.

es marked Passport y 6pm on Friday the to enter see overleaf.

Passport Giveaway Prizewinners: L-R Patricia Foran, Maura Joyce, Sharon Dunne, Linda Dennehy, Mary Brady, Linda Dowling, Betty Kehoe, Sean Kelly, Bernadette Leahy, Bernie Murphy, Eileen O’Keeffe, Des Jennings, Gerard Lucey, Adrian Cregg and Jerry Coakley.

Des Jennings, winner of Prow sie and Munster Business Equip ment Passport Prize at the IPPN Gala Dinner at CityWest Hotel.

ort

s a Passp egg who wa to Adrian Cr Hotel. ts and iPad at CityWest lianz presen Al er m nn Di fro la ck Alan Bla e IPPN Ga Winner at th

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Enjoy your prize!

IPPN Annual Principals’

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No more surprises!

DAVID RUDDY IPPN PRESIDENT

Minister, your actions and statements so far have been very positive for primary education and we look forward to working closely with you in the months ahead, to progress IPPN’s top two priorities for school leaders - leadership and management days for our overstretched teaching principals and the reinstatement of promoted posts in all schools.

With the establishment of the Primary Education Forum, the Department has listened to school leaders, and to IPPN, when four years ago we called for a Calendar of Reform. This Forum consists of representatives of the educational partners and is essentially a formal consultation process with the DES. Minister, we welcome your announcement that the introduction of the new Primary Maths curriculum has been paused, and also that you are undertaking further consultation regarding the commencement of the remaining sections of the Admissions to Schools Act. There are more pupils, teachers and special needs assistants in our schools than ever. There are more pressures from all parties to deliver to meet the needs of pupils, parents, the wider community, the Department and its agencies. It’s no wonder that almost a quarter of school leaders tell us that their workload is ‘crippling’ and ‘negatively affects every aspect’ of their lives. The work of the Primary Education Forum is critical if this is to be addressed: No more surprises! School leaders need and deserve advance notice in relation to new initiatives!

If the system determines that there are ‘must-do’ activities in schools in a particular year, then the school’s plan needs to take this into account and replan according to capacity. We need to maintain and enhance our professional engagement with the Inspectorate – a collaborative approach, support, advice, encouragement, and showcasing of best practice. We need to avoid any perception that the Inspectorate is trying to ‘catch schools out’. Equally, we need to take their recommendations on board, as no school is perfect.

The very least Teaching Principals need is one day a week to focus on leadership and management! At every meeting we have with the DES and our educational partners, we continually raise this issue.

We estimate it will cost less than €10 million to achieve this. Minister, we urge you to grasp the nettle and achieve this in your next budget.

We have been collaborating closely over the past year with the INTO, not alone to achieve one leadership and management day a week, but also to develop clusters for substitute teachers to ensure principals can take these days. Workload and posts of responsibility are also discussed. We are also working with our management bodies in relation to workload, school funding and other critical supports for schools such as access to expertise in HR, legal matters, buildings and finance, similar to the ETBI sector.

Our medium and larger schools have been badly affected by the moratorium on filling posts. AP 1 and AP 2 positions provide an opportunity to develop a real and genuine distributive leadership in our schools. These positions are NOT simply promoted posts with specific and job-limiting descriptions. They are about leadership in the widest possible sense. Team leadership is the only show in town!

Complexity in schools is a reflection of the communities we serve. This is so evident in our 134 Special Schools, who very often struggle to get the equipment and resources they need to support these vulnerable children.

While we acknowledge that the Department provided administrative deputy principals to some larger special schools this year, much more is needed.

Special Schools manage and lead large numbers of staff, which is not reflected in the staffing schedule. There are significant Health and Safety issues in Special Schools, the bus escort system is flawed and can take up an inordinate amount of school leaders’ time, as does working with multi-disciplinary teams and visiting professionals. Many of you can identify with most of these challenges as mainstream schools cater

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for over 900 special classes and also individual pupils with complex special needs.

The NCSE has published a comprehensive review of the SNA scheme. A new model is due to be piloted later this year. There are 13 recommendations which will help reduce workload for principals’ and, if implemented in full, should help to improve outcomes for our pupils. The frontloading of SNAs to schools without having to submit countless reports, the 10 regional support teams, and the ringfenced funding for therapies, are all to be welcomed. We should embrace this initiative as it supports the most vulnerable of pupils and further reduces workload.

IPPN commissioned a report on oneteacher schools, which highlighted shortcomings in relation to Health and Safety. We shared the report with the DES, the Health and Safety Authority and with the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection. The issue is the vulnerability of that school principal and the pupils in the event of a critical incident. In essence, we are calling for all one-teacher schools to have a second adult present.

In relation to Child Protection, the DES inspectorate has acknowledged how serious and diligent schools are in relation to their responsibilities.

IPPN reiterates last year’s call for all mandated teachers to be afforded one days’ in-service with the PDST. I would also ask our universities to include a child protection module as a mandatory part of the B. Ed course.

Picasso stated that “The challenge as an adult is to maintain […] creativity”.

In school leadership, we could spend all our time managing rather than being leaders. Risk-taking and failure is part of the journey of being a leader, otherwise we only manage. Some detractors argue that a career in public service is a safe bet which can make us risk adverse. A positive, optimistic, hopeful vision of public service isn’t a naïve dream, we know it can be a powerful force for change. Our greatest asset is our pupils, our future generation. We know that it is a privilege to serve! We will not fail them.

The full speech text and a video clip including Q&A with facilitator Anton Savage is available on www.ippn.ie – CPD & Events – Principals’ Conference – Principals’ Conference 2019 – Keynotes.

LINK

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LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

IPPN Submissons

Advocacy GERALDINE D’ARCY IPPN RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS MANAGER As mentioned in On Your Behalf on page 20, IPPN has made a number of submissions in recent months, reflecting the views of school leaders in relation to a variety of issues. We endeavour to get input directly from members where possible, generally through member consultation surveys and focus groups.

The following is a flavour of what is in these submissions: 1.

The obesity and overweight submission to the Children’s Rights Alliance and the DES highlighted what we have advocated for in relation to emotional wellbeing and physical education. It highlights the lack of resources for school meals and to adequately cover the PE curriculum, the challenges in relation to ‘policing’ lunchboxes, the fact that healthy eating policies are in place in most schools, the potential to integrate PE into other curricular areas, as well as the need for ongoing professional development for teachers.

2. In relation to the new DES strategy for the period 20192021, IPPN’s view is that the number of priorities that require school input needs to considerably reduce. IPPN is involved in the Primary Education Forum and will put forward suggestions for initiatives and programmes that should be postponed or deprioritised, at least for a time, until schools have had time to embed the change introduced in recent years.

Support from the Inspectorate, the DES and others is crucial in empowering schools to continuously improve, but such improvement needs to be driven by the schools themselves rather than by external parties. Specific 30

recommendations in relation to the following five strategic aims: a. Improve the learning experience and the success of learners b. Improve the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage or learners with special educational needs c. Help those delivering education services to continually improve d. Improve national planning and support services e. Build stronger bridges between education and the wider community.

3. The key points made regarding the future policy direction on exemptions from the study of Irish included that it should be considered only in rare and exceptional circumstances, as it has implications for his/her access to the curriculum and his/her future learning. A key concern that arises is the legal implications of such a decision such as access to third-level courses, and qualifications for state employment. If a school supports a parent’s request to grant an exemption, due to stipulated criteria, there should not be any recourse for the child or the parents to claim that this was done in bad faith, when the consequences of the decision to grant an exemption become an issue. The most appropriate age/stage in a pupil’s/student’s education at which to consider granting an exemption is no later than the end of primary schooling, or 12 years, whichever is the later.

If a pupil has the ability to study of Irish in sixth class, there is no reason not to continue studying the subject at second level. The

criteria for granting an exemption should be linked directly to the to the level of proficiency of basic language skills in English. Use of standardised tests, school/classbased tests and the tests already developed to assess the ‘English Language Proficiency Levels’ (EAL) should inform the decision.

4. Regarding the model for allocating SET to schools, we have fed back to the Department that 84% of respondents wanted to leave the process as it is, 8% want to implement total losses and total gains, and the remaining 8% want to implement gradual losses and gradual gains.

See Pat Goff’s article on page 5 for information on what has happened since our submission.

All our submissions are available to view or download from www.ippn.ie – Advocacy – Submissions.

LINK

Key deadlines, events and updates are now communicated via our weekly E-scéal to member school leaders.

March 2019

IPPN Members An Overview

JENNIFER MCCARTHY IPPN MEMBERSHIP & EVENT MANAGEMENT

IPPN MEMBERSHIP 2018/2019

There are 3,091 member schools, representing 94% of all primary schools SCHOOL CLASSIFICATION

PRINCIPALS - GENDER DEIS BAND 1

233

DEIS BAND 2

122

DEIS RURAL

350

DETENTION CENTRE

1

GAELSCOIL

126

HOSPITAL SCHOOL

10

ISLAND SCHOOL

11

SCOIL SA GHAELTACHT 0

50

100

150

200

250

PRINCIPALS LEADERSHIP ROLE

300

FEMALE

52 0

350

2,076 (67%)

MALE 200 400 NOT SPECIFIED

995 (32%) 600 18 (1%)

PRINCIPALS AGE PROFILE 21-30yrs

51

31-40yrs

778

41-50yrs 0

50

778

51-60yrs 100

150

200

61+

0

250

50

100

500

50

200

100

250

150

200

300

200

350

400

250

300

0

350

600

200

800

0

350

400 0

471

600 200

800 400

1000 600

800

1000

1000

1500

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS ROLE

2000

2500

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS AGE PROFILE

3000

0

200

0

300

300

1,712 (56%)

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS GENDER 0

150

0

ADMINISTRATIVE 1,367 (44%) 300 350 TEACHING

0

918 250 77

Not Specified

0

800

0

350

200

0

FEMALE

500

400

1000 0

600

1500 500

2000 1000

TEACHING

2,325

MALE

276

ADMINISTRATIVE

NOT SPECIFIED

271

ACTING UP

800

200

500

600

1000

1500

2000

600

800 400

800

2500

3000

1000

2500 1500

3000 2000

2500

3000

2,598 48 226

A significant number of schools have not provided the details of the deputy principal. To do so, please email info@ippn.ie providing the roll number, the deputy principal’s name, email address, mobile phone number and role type (admin or teaching) and we can update our database accordingly.

2500 3000 0

400

400

600

0

200

0

400

200

21-30yrs

135

31-40yrs

817

41-50yrs

583

51-60yrs

661

61+

52

Not Specified

800

1000 600

626

1000

31

800

LEADERSHIP+ The Professional Voice of Principals

Transformative SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

DAVID DINEEN PRINCIPAL OF SAINT AUGUSTINE’S SCHOOL, LIMERICK Frequent users of IPPN’s Networking mailing list will be aware of the recent ‘shower’ of emails relating to being ‘bogged down in bureaucracy’. I can empathise, and agree that the ‘fog of circulars, paperwork and initiatives’ has contributed to a contemporary educational landscape defined by ‘increased scientism, corporate control, standardisation, utilitarianism, hyper-efficiency, and loss of democracy’.

Yet, rather than futilely hoping for interdepartmental, or indeed divine, intervention to stem the inexorable ‘onslaught of initiatives’, I propose that we focus on what we can control, working from within ‘dominant power structures to exercise effective oppositional power’.

Foucault argued that ‘where there is power, there is resistance’. However, the proposed resistance, in this instance, should not be confused with defiance or intransigence, but appropriate action in the form of ‘potentialising’, a proactive approach whereupon Principals reject as means of protest anger, apathy and abdication; acquiescing to, while not accepting the reality of an educational system predicated on power.

Transformative school leaders realise that when the external demands of the systemworld and the lifeworld of their school are in sync, their synergy is relative harmony, with the struggle to maintain this delicate equilibrium falling primarily on Principals, who must actively and selflessly insert themselves between the many educational, organisational and societal forces that impact upon their school environment, creating by consequence a climate conducive to student, staff and school progression.

Leaders who practice this process are seen by some as weak, accepting the ‘degradation of a profession’,

32

adhering to imposed practices contrary to the general conception of positive educational practice.

Yet, though they communicate the appearance of acceptance they have not yet been assimilated.

Portrayed as ‘mere technicians, administrative guardians...custodians of the institution’ they are in reality transformative intellectuals, conscious of the power of being malleable, cognisant of their school community’s dependence on them to practice proficiently, locating and exploiting through agency and efficacy ‘apertures in the wall of the [system] world’.

Schools will always be susceptible to a confluence of external factors and interminable, often unrealistic demands.

Leaders of this vein have learned that the ‘endless additional duties that weigh heavily on the shoulders of the Principal’ exist in perpetuity, and from a position of confidence and competence eschew the anxiety associated with achieving the Sisyphean Task of total contemporary compliance. This is less a radical departure than a subtle paradigm shift in the Principal’s perception of the educational landscape in which they operate, freeing them to focus primarily on pedagogy and pastoral care.

Schools will always be susceptible to a confluence of external factors and interminable, often unrealistic demands. Nonetheless, we have by design, providence or happenstance been placed in roles whereupon any movement to a totally mechanistic educational or managerial model can be both effectively and meaningfully

countered, should the counter proffered be cogently constructed, authoritatively articulated and coherently and collectively actioned.

We have therefore the autonomy and ability to transform our work, by strategically positioning ourselves within the machine rather than raging against it. This approach speaks to the maxim of ‘controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation’.

The process of achieving mastery, through first awareness, calculated acquiescence and then adaptation presents the truly transformative leader with a ‘horizon of possibility’ representative of our true purpose, which transcends the mere administrative, pointing to our professional responsibility and the moral imperative of using our influence as a catalyst for societal change, confronting the idiosyncrasies, inefficiencies and inequalities that pervade both education and therefore society, with a view to recasting the latter by transforming the former.

St Augustine’s is one of five High Support Schools, (formerly known as Youth Encounter Projects) across Ireland. David is currently seconded to the TUSLA Educational Welfare Service, working as Integrated Services Manager across the Midlands and Midwest.

For further information on transformative leadership, article feedback in general or direction to the material referenced in this piece, you can contact David at principal@ staugustinesyep.com.

LINK

And Finally…

‘

‘

QUOTATIO

NS

Done is be tter than perfec t.

Robin S harma

’

QUOTATIO

N

S Taking care of myself doesn’t me an ‘me first ’ it means ‘me , too.

Dr Niall

’

Muldoon, Ombudsm an for Child IPPN Princi ren at pals’ Confe rence 2019

‘

QUOTATIONS

Those who think only of number one should remember it is next to nothing.

Anonymous

’

Explain t he phras e ‘free pre ss’

When your mum irons your trousers for you!

‘

QUOTATIONS

He who angers you conquers you.

Elizabeth Kenny

’

IPPN EVENTS

Dates for your Diary Deputy Principals’ Regional CPD JACINTA KITT – DEVELOPING A POSITIVE, COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE 10th April Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise 15th May

Radisson Blu, Cork

29th May

Dublin West Education Centre

Professional Briefing Day Citywest Hotel 4th September & Convention Centre

Autumn Meetings 2019 10th September

Monaghan Limerick

Monaghan Education Centre Limerick Education Centre

11th September

Mayo Tipperary

Mayo Education Centre Anner Hotel

12th September

Waterford Clare

Waterford Teacher Centre Clare Education Centre

16th September

Roscommon Galway

Abbey Hotel Galway Education Centre

17th September

Cork Donegal

Clayton Hotel, Cork Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny

18th September

Meath Cavan

Navan Education centre Hotel Kilmore

19th September

Wexford Sligo

Wexford Education Centre Sligo Education Centre

23rd September

Louth Leitrim

Crowne Plaza, Dundalk Carrick on Shannon Ed Centre

24th September

Westmeath Carlow

Athlone Education Centre Dolmen Hotel

25th September

Laois Kilkenny

Laois Education Centre Kilkenny Education Centre

26th September

Kerry Longford

Tralee Education Centre Longford Arms Hotel

30th September

Kildare Offaly

Kildare Education Centre Tullamore Court Hotel

1st October

Wicklow Dublin

The Glenview Hotel Lucan Spa Hotel

Deputy Principals’ Conference 2019 7th & 8th November Citywest Hotel & Convention Centrex

Principals’ Conference 2020 23rd & 24th January Citywest Hotel 2020 & Convention Centre

Keep an eye on ippn.ie and your weekly E-scéal for information about IPPN Summer Courses.