Leadership+ Issue 10 March 2002

Inside Sean Cottrell describes Boards of Management as “antiquated structures” in an utterly changing school environment Dr. E. Walsh in his Keynote Address: The degree to which a Principal is not only evaluated (in whole school assessment) but also held accountable, must be accompanied by the necessary balancing authority to ‘make things happen’.

Jim Hayes, President of IPPN I am today suggesting that a moratorium be put on the introduction of further subjects in the implementation of the revised curriculum for at least 2 years.

Next Issue We will feature more reports and photos from Conference including contributions from Ian O’Herlihy, Tom Boland, John Carr, Michael Farrell and Frank Hartle.

Líonra Príomhoidí Bunscoile Éireann

Irish Primary Principals’ Network

Issue 10

March 2002

A Phríomhoide agus a Phríomhoide Tánaisteach, Conference 2002 One of IPPN’s goals - to define the role of the Principal Teacher - took a leap forward at our recent annual conference in Galway. Keynote speakers and seminar presenters drew together the many strands and themes critical to the role of principal for the benefit of Hay Management Consultants who have been set the task of defining the role of the Principal. With a capacity attendance of 550, more than 1 in 5 primary Principals were in Galway for our conference! A complete video archive and transcripts of the keynote input are available on our website www.ippn.ie From Interim to Full In February 2000 Minister Woods launched IPPN in Dublin Castle. Since then a voluntary team consisting of 52 principals and retired principals acting as an Interim National Committee, has grown the network nationally. Membership, currently at 2,500 Principals and Deputy Principals continues to grow steadily, a wide range of services and practical supports have been put in place and the professional needs and concerns of school leaders have been represented at every opportunity. During the last two years the Interim National Committee has also worked towards the establishment of a constitution, which will underpin the workings of IPPN. This two-year project, which was led by IPPN’s legal advisor Mr. David Ruddy, will culminate with our first Annual General Meeting in May 2002. Meanwhile each of the 26 IPPN Regional Networks are busily formalising their Regional Committees and electing two representatives to the incoming National Committee.

Appreciation On behalf of members of IPPN, I would like to acknowledge the commitment, selflessness and professionalism of the Principals, retired Principals and Deputy Principals whose vision and sheer hard work has seen the historic emergence of IPPN - as a coherent, professional voice for school leaders. We have achieved much and have much more to achieve.

Seán Cottrell, Director.

IPPN DUBLIN

184 Principals and Deputies met on March 14th at the inaugural meeting of IPPN Dublin. Guest speaker Mr. Don Mahon, Cigire, DES, addressed the attendees on the new system of appointing Resource Teachers and SNAs. Following a discussion on best practise re supervision a Regional Network committee was established and two members elected to the IPPN National Committee. They are as follows: Maria Spring * John Curran * Patricia McCrossan Kevin O’Meara

Maighréad Gallagher Evelyn O’Brien Patricia Slevin Dermot Toomey

Paddy McCarthy Iggy Keane Noeleen Brennan Hilary McBain

Sheila Kelly Micheál Mullarkey Margaret Condon Noreen Carroll

* IPPN Dublin representatives on National Committee

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Conferenc

Déinim comhgháirdeas le gach éinne a bhí i mbun eagraíochta - chomhdháil iontach. Beidh me ar ais!

CHALLENGES FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERS IN THE 21st CENTURY The ovation accorded to Dr. Edward Walsh on completion of his address to over 550 Primary Principals was as much a testament to the mastery of his delivery as to the undoubtedly provocative content of his speech.

Tiger Economy For much of the presentation, Dr. Walsh treated the attendance to a ‘blow by blow’ account of the conception, birth and growth of the tiger economy.

He identified Ireland’s generous corporate tax rates as the key to attracting 8 of the top 10 ICT Manufacturing Companies, as well as 9 of the top 12 Pharmaceutical Firms to set up here. He praised the circumstances which led to the growth of the Financial Services Sector. He highlighted the software industry in which 40% of all PC Software packages and 60% of the Business Applications software for the world market is now manufactured in Ireland.

Concern for the Future DR. E. WALSH WHO DELIVERED THE However, in spite of our successes, reflecting on the fact that Ireland had CONFERENCE KEYNOTE ADDRESS the fastest growth rate in the OECD for the 5th successive year in 2001 and our exalted position as the most profitable location for U.S. investment worldwide, Dr. Walsh expressed some concern for the future. Our success been based on U.S. investment in Ireland.

Singapore’s economy was in a similar position once, but has suffered massively in the wake of the .com collapse and the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Securing the Future The key to securing our future, according to Dr. Walsh, is to embed the multinational companies, grow our indigenous high-tech sector and build a leading edge research reputation in niche research and biotechnology. Over ¤1 Billion is now being injected into research in Higher Education to ensure that Ireland’s position of 12th out of 16 leading countries in Science and Technology (2001 Competitiveness Report) is improved upon. Such spending must be mirrored in the Primary and Secondary Education Sectors.

Science v Irish - Value for Money?

Having laid the groundwork, Dr. Walsh honed in on the main points of his delivery, which grabbed front page headlines on the following days broadsheets. He cited the 1934 Educational reforms, which torpedoed science (part of the curriculum since the Baltimore Commission ‘inspired’ changes of 1900), in favour of an increase in the time allocated to the teaching of Irish. Almost one quarter of the Primary Education Budget is still devoted to Irish at a cost of over 350 million Euro each year. He also cited shortcomings in the teaching of English where over ¤200 million is spent each year, spending not reflected in our position on the literary graphs of the developed countries.

Cotinental Languages Dr. Walsh said, “Irish should continue to be taught in schools but current arrangements were too rigid and it meant foreign languages lost out. Making Irish compulsory was not necessary, but flexibility at school level is, so that the desired local balance between Irish, English and Continental language is created in the local community.” He went on to suggest that, a minimum time could be prescribed for each of the National Languages. A rich diversity would emerge ranging from Gaelscoileanna at one end of the spectrum to other schools that may decide to give EIGHT POINT PLAN PROPOSED BY DR. WALSH Recognising the growth in size and complexity of Primary Schools and the key role the Principal plays in motivating the teachers and creating a vibrant school committed to high standards, an eight point plan designed to prepare, motivate, develop and reward Principals was proposed.

1 Introduce a new definition of the role of Principal in a leadership/management context 2 Review school governance policy and introduce best practice from abroad 3 Establish a National Centre for Educational Leadership in conjunction with one of the faculties of education, where aspiring Principals could undertake preparatory education and training and receive ongoing support 4 Provide attractive additional remuneration reflecting the size of school that will ensure there is strong competition for posts as Principals 5 Provide performance-based additional incentives for Principals 6 Introduce regular, formal inspection designed to guide professional development 7 Introduce mechanisms based on international best practice that ensure the Principal can progress school development under conditions when consensus is not possible 8 Require ex officio representation of Principals on all decision making bodies associated with the school

a strong European emphasis. To move back up the European Competitiveness League, Dr. Walsh urged a large increase in spending in Education, particularly in the areas of Science, Languages and skills appropriate to the ‘Knowledge Age’.

DES - ‘An Institutional Failure?’

Dr. Walsh was also very critical of the Department of Education and Science, calling it a ‘National Liability’ and an ‘Institutional Failure.’ With obvious inferences to the teaching of Irish, he said that Education Policy was ‘hog tied’ within the traditional structures of the Department of Education (sic) that makes it difficult for any single individual to bring about the necessary change in a timely way.’ He also felt that there were too many vested interests on the NCCA, and that the situation where strong unions were trading curricular change for pay and conditions was not satisfactory. He pointed out that at a time when Internet use is doubling every 6 months, it takes 9 - 11 years to implement educational change. He added that no single individual was to blame and many excellent Ministers for Education and public servants had tried to change things but with little success. Dr, Walsh is Chairman of the Irish Council for Science and Technology and Innovation, which advises the Government on Science Policy.

Principal Teacher - A Vital Bridge Dr. Walsh identified the Principal Teacher as the key to many plans to revitalise Ireland’s school system, describing him/her as the vital bridge between the Department and the teachers. ‘Ensuring that the Principal is well prepared for leadership, is well motivated by job satisfaction, rewards and incentives and is supportive of new Departmental Initiatives are at all times prerequisites to creating a vibrant school system.’ The degree to which a Principal is not only evaluated (in whole school assessment) but also held accountable, must be accompanied by the necessary balancing authority to ‘make things happen’. Decision making by consensus, appropriate when most schools had just two teachers, is difficult as the numbers increase, he felt. Dr. Walsh went on to mention the problem in many schools where one single individual with a strong personality may veto change and for many years frustrate the best efforts of the Principal. Referring to such individuals, teachers, chairpersons, Board Members or whoever as ‘the cow on the track’ struck a chord with those present judging by the enthusiastic round of applause at this point.

Dr. Walsh left the podium to a rapturous ovation. The points he raised were the focus of many conversations over the conference period. ‘The cow on the track,’ became the standard salute as glasses clinked during the social discourse at Galway 2002!

Report by Damian White, Killeigh National School, Co. Offaly.

PRINCIPALSHIP FOR THE FUTURE by Gearóid Ó Conluain, Deputy Chief Inspector, D.E.S. An tUasal Ó Conluain detailed the consultative process that preceded the introduction of the Revised Curriculum - “a consultative process unprecedented in Europe” which resulted in a ‘Consensus Curriculum’. The ongoing implementation of the Revised Curriculum would involve a major evaluation by the inspectorate - all educational interests including IPPN could be included.

Referring to educational funding, he spoke of the major increase in all areas and in particular the area of Special Needs. He spoke of the importance of the Principal’s role in the area of provision for all Special Needs pupils.

An tUasal Ó Conluain spoke on major changes in train within the D.E.S. Among these would be major decentralisation and the establishment of Regional Education Offices. In the area of Special Educational Needs, there would be a Special Education Council, Special Needs Officers and a more efficient delivery of services. Other areas for review and reappraisal by D.E.S. were new criteria for procedures for appointment of Principals; the development of the Inschool Management Team which was costing ¤58 million per annum with a view to enhancing collective responsibility, the defining core functions for Principals that took account of the different circumstances in rural/urban schools and teaching/ administrative Principals.

Gearóid Ó Conluain spoke of the challenges and opportunities ahead and the role of the IPPN in promoting leadership among Principals. Principals must be the agents of change and yet manage change. The professional development of Principals was now being directly organised by the Leadership Development for Schools. The D.E.S. recognised the important role being played by the IPPN (and NAPD). This was reflected by their level of financial support and consultation.

Report by Pat Kavanagh, Wexford.

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I.P.P.N. CONFERENCE 2002, CHAIRPERSON’S REVIEW “Cúram, Tuiscint agus Comhluadar - The Challenge of Leadership” With this theme guiding our 2nd annual conference, 550 principals from all over Ireland and over 70 guests gathered in the Corrib Great Southern Hotel, Galway from the 7th to the 9th February 2002.

In an atmosphere of warmth, support and care we focused on the role of the primary principal, as we ourselves and our partners in education perceived it. The importance of the leadership and managerial aspects of the role were addressed and we were facilitated in looking to the future and to the challenges that lie ahead for principals as leaders in education. Principals responded in a spirit of hope and of confidence, now more secure in the knowledge that IPPN will be there to provide professional support and development through Support Groups and Regional Networks. The future continued success of IPPN lies in the hands of primary principals and deputy principals. Ní neart go cur le chéile!

I offer my personal gratitude to a dedicated and professional Conference Organizing Committee, for whom nothing was too great a challenge. The four sub-committees were led by Dairine Nic Con Iomaire, Anne Ryan, Gabrielle Madden and Peter Long, who worked tirelessly for many months to ensure the efficient running of our largest IPPN conference to date.

We acknowledge the constant support of IPPN Director Sean Cottrell, President Jim Hayes and the National Executive. We especially thank the In Career Development Unit of the D.E.S. for their generous financial support. In thanking them, we sincerely thank our major sponsors, Allianz/Church and General Insurance, Folens Publishers and Allied Irish Banks, together with the many local Galway companies who helped the conference financially.

My most important words of appreciation go to you the participants, who booked in such large numbers and who showed by your enthusiastic and generous participation that IPPN is now firmly established as a significant partner and force in Irish education.

Report by Virginia O’Mahony, Conference Chairperson 4

THE NATIONAL DIRECTORS ADDRESS TO CONFERENCE 2002 SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, ROLES, RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES The National Director of IPPN, Mr Seán Cottrell addressed a packed Conference Centre on Friday morning, February 8th, delivering a comprehensive outline of IPPN achievements to date and an ambitious vision for the future.

Leadership In a few short years, IPPN has emerged, from the grassroots up, as an organic movement, with the leadership role of the Principal as its core value - leadership with a shared vision for the future and the ability to successfully implement it. Mr. Cottrell stressed that, as leaders, Principals, through IPPN, could now influence and implement reform but would have to be conscious of the entirety of the change and be prepared to reform both managerially and structurally to accommodate this change. He added that it was an inherent aim of the IPPN to gain representation on the Teaching Bodies so as to be in a position to influence, implement and regulate this change. The new L.D.S. service currently being designed is a start on the road that should take us to a more sustainable level of professional development, keeping in mind that leadership is the essence of what we are about.

Defining the Principal’s Role Mr. Cottrell laid down the stark realities now facing the Principal teacher in an era of change. The modern day Principal now needs the skills and managerial abilities commensurate with a chief executive in a large company. It is now necessary to have the skills to implement strategies that deal with classroom practices driven by litigation rather than a relevant education policy. The Director then proceeded to outline how IPPN is now constructively engaged in defining our own role using the expertise of Hay Management Consultants. What has emerged is that the role of the Principal is conclusively a management role, with the key differences being the fact that Principals are denied the time, resources and training to actually manage.

Challenges for the Future With no clarified role purpose, the challenges facing the principal multiply daily. Unreasonable expectations, litigation, inadequate time and resources, to mention but a few, have greatly contributed to the complexity of the role. Mr. Cottrell signalled that in the future, the focus of IPPN and of principals needs to be directed towards balancing accountability with authority, identifying competencies, sustaining professional development supports, overseeing proper recruitment and appointment procedures whilst, at the same time, re-examining the entire complex structure of middle management.

The Value of Leadership The recent “Value of Leadership” document issued by IPPN has been a landmark in the development of the organisation, in that it has concentrated union focus on our role. Mr. Cottrell asserted that IPPN had now found its voice in a professional capacity while, at the same time, retaining a mutually affirmative relationship with the I.N.T.O. He noted that the right of the I.N.T.O. to represent the Principals of Ireland also carried the responsibility to do so. There is now an absolute necessity to ensure that basic rights such as a proper grievance procedure, functioning Boards of Management, a clearly defined role, and remuneration commensurate with the role, are addressed.

Structures Mr. Cottrell went on to describe the Boards of Management as “antiquated structures” in an utterly changing school environment - lacking in training and supports to match their accountability. “Responsible management must happen by design and not by accident”, he stated. He went on to question the future of the teaching Principal and the status of the small school, which he described as “the essential ingredient in the fabric of rural society”. He suggested that “clustering” might be the long term survival strategy where sharing resources, team teaching and joint staff development courses may be the key to securing the future.

“We can analyse the past; we must design the future. The onus is on us”.

Report by Larry Fleming, Asst. P.R.O.

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Bhí an rogha agus an caighdeán sár-árd. Cúis bhróid do lucht an eagraithe.

Excellent Conference. Very helpful, hopeful and encouraging for new principals like myself. Great work!

The organisation and management of this conference made me proud to be a principal. It was nothing short of superb. Really well done. Beir bua.

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LEADERSHIP IN REVIEW - PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS Jim Hayes, President IPPN. The opening address by IPPN President Jim Hayes set the tone perfectly for a very successful conference. The title “Leadership in Review” allowed Mr. Hayes to reflect and comment on “exponential growth in the number and diversity of tasks converging on the position of Principal”.

He referred to the 48 reports, policies and initiatives listed in IPPN’s “Value of Leadership” document and introduced since 1990. He also referred to “the added burden on the Principal of reviewing, assessing and ultimately scheduling some of these initiatives in an already overcrowded school day.”

I.P.P.N. Achievements Mr. Hayes told Principals and guests that IPPN “has endeavoured, in co-operation with the other education partners, to embed itself more indelibly in the psyche of the education world.”

He was justifiably proud of the progress made by IPPN in achieving this aim: Membership at 2,700 Principals and Deputy Principals (1,600 and 1,100 respectively) Regional Meetings in every county Professional Development seminars in many counties 9 newsletters issued Professional Development Budget introduced by B.O.M. to include IPPN membership fee and Conference Expenses Questionnaires IPPN Website, and networking@ippn.ie Recruitment website - educationposts.com Mentoring for newly appointed Principals Primary School Accounts Software Package International Contacts Regular meetings with Partners in Education Deputy Principals as members of IPPN Confidential Advisory Service Involvement of Retired Principals IPPN/INTO In relation to IPPN and the INTO Mr. Hayes reminded Principals that “IPPN is not a trade union and therefore has no industrial relations remit”. He informed those present that during the past year “three top- level meetings with the INTO were held in an atmosphere of co-operation and mutual respect for each other’s respective roles”. Mr. Hayes also pointed out that “the views and concerns of Principals and Deputy Principals relating to salaries and conditions of service will continue to be channelled through our union”.

The Value of Leadership?

The IPPN benchmarking research document “The Value of Leadership?” was described as ‘a key reference document for any future discussion on Principalship’ and Mr. Hayes complimented all the members of the sub committee who drafted the report.

Moratorium on the New Curriculum During a wide-ranging and challenging address IPPN President Jim Hayes gave the 550 Principals and the Partners in Education food for thought and discussion when he said: “ I am today suggesting that: A moratorium be put on the introduction of further subjects in the implementation of the revised curriculum for at least 2 years During that period, there should be an extended involvement in all schools by the SDPS, which in my view should have predated the implementation of the revised curriculum, in any case That there should be much greater synchronisation immediately between SDPS and PCSP, ultimately leading - and sooner rather than later - to the merging of both programmes This more logical arrangement would be of much greater benefit to the schools.”

School Accounts Software A software package designed specifically for primary school accounts has recently been placed on the IPPN website. This is a preview version of the end product which will be circulated to schools in the month of May. The finished product will be designed to ensure maximum user friendliness with no knowledge of accountancy software required and minimal computer experience necessary. Feedback from Treasurers using this school account software should be sent to Donal Kerins, Principal, Rushbrooke NS, Cobh, Co. Cork who has been responsible for developing this project so far. E-mail rushbrookens.ias@eircom.net 6

Integrity of the school year In addressing the issues of the integrity of the school year he called on all the partners in education to take on this central issue and “to face up to the whole issue of whether there should be extra planning days in the school year so that we can plan effectively.” Mr. Hayes stated that “from a professional perspective there are very valid reasons for proposing that there should be an agreed number of planning days set aside each year.” He feels strongly that this is “a nettle that must be grasped by all the partners in education.”

Special Needs The area of special needs and learning support was highlighted by the IPPN President when he voiced the concerns of many Principals and staffs. He said, “The integration of pupils with special needs is a noble philosophy and there would be few Principals who would argue with the concept, given sufficient resourcing, support and appropriate structures including multi-disciplinary teams. There needs to be a review of the current situation so that a well thought out strategic system that is responsive and flexible in meeting the needs of ALL the children is put in place”.

Learning Support Guidelines In relation to the learning support guidelines Mr Hayes had a number of key concerns: “The perception that we are moving from a situation where there is insufficient consultation to one where there is over consultation when selecting pupils and preparing IEPs. The rigid use of the 10th percentile when selecting pupils.

The demands on the class teacher to meet with LST, RT, RTT, Principal, and Psychologist etc. - when and where will this be done?

An apparent acceptance of withdrawal of the special needs pupil from the classroom as the most acceptable modus operandi”.

Mr. Hayes concluded by remarking how proud he was of the achievements of IPPN and he gave great credit to the “creativity, initiative and unbelievable hard work of our Director Sean Cottrell as well as the commitment of the members of the IPPN executive and National Committee. ”Téimís ina chomhair le cúram agus le tuiscint i gcomhluadar a chéile, mór i meoin agus i spioraid.”

Report by Tomás Ó Slatara, PRO. DEPUTY PRINCIPALS’ SEMINAR A one-day Seminar for Deputy Principals will be held in May 2002. The purpose of this seminar will be to: Consider the research findings from the survey of Deputy Principals in 2001.

To examine the role of Deputy Principal as currently experienced by those DPs in Special Schools as well as large, medium and small primary schools.

To devise a strategic plan for the professional development of the role of deputy principal.

The exact date & venue has not yet been decided for this seminar. However, Deputy Principals interested in participating should forward their details using a copy of the form below.

School Details

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS’ SEMINAR

Roll No: Uimhir Rolla:

Sonraí Scoile Category of School Mainstream 0-180 Pupils

School Name: Ainm Scoile:

181-400 Pupils

School Address: Seoladh Scoile:

400+ Pupils Special Telephone No:

Deputy Principal’s Name:

e-mail address:

Please forward the above details NOT LATER THAN APRIL 11th 2002 to Deputy Principals’ Seminar, IPPN, Glounthaune, Co. Cork.

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PRINCIPALS AND BOARD OF MANAGEMENT A VISION FOR THE FUTURE - SR. EILEEN RANDLES Sr. Eileen opened her address by describing the principal as a leader who can “sense the future, understand the aspirations of followers and discern the limits of possibilities” whilst playing a significant role in leading the Board of Management.

The Principals Key Role A Board of Management can only function based on full trust and confidence in the professional integrity of the principal. The responsibility for the day-to-day management of the school is delegated to the principal, and such delegation implies accountability (Education Act 1998). In recent times, legislation and various agreements have made increased demands on the Board but the Principal is often the one who has to do the extra work.

Conflict of Interests Sr. Eileen outlined the areas of the Principal’s role that can be causes of confusion and stress. The Principal is an employee of the Board and at the same time chief adviser to the Board. The question arises - should the Principal be ex-officio a member of the Board of Management - i.e. - apart from membership of the Board but entitled to attend all meetings and speak. This is an area that Sr. Eileen felt needed to be thoroughly explored.

Principals Put Centre Stage Because of the make up of Boards, many of its functions devolve on the Principal. Sr. Eileen recognised that Boards are unlikely to become more active in the minutiae of administration in the immediate future. Presently, Boards should be concerned with management at a macro level, engaged in ‘higher order activity’; a view she feels is now supported by recent legislation. The Education Act and The Education Welfare Act refer to quality, best practice, transparency, policies, admission procedures, strategies, etc. This all puts the Principal more centre stage with special duties.

A Vision for the Future Sr. Eileen believes the Principal should not have to attend to all details of all aspects of the school’s organisation and functioning, but delegate appropriately to suitable personnel “on the ground”. The tasks currently undertaken by the Principal could be classified as educational, administrative and maintenance, with the vision being that the Principal be enabled to concentrate directly on the educational area and only the immediately relevant administration, with care taking, maintenance and secretarial support all being directly available to the Principal.

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How on earth was this achieved? I’m gasping with admiration! Best of all - what a great spirit of comraderie was evident. Very well done.

Congratulations and a big thank you to all who gave their time voluntarily to make this event such an outstanding success. I am going back re-energised and renewed.

EXTRACT FROM DAVID RUDDY’S PAPER DELIVERED TO CONFERENCE AND SHORTLY AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE Ian O’Herlihy is known to many of you in his capacity as a highly respected expert in Education Law. I wish to quote from a recent paper given by him.

“If you have a pupil with a disability or special needs, the one thing not to do is nothing! Schools seldom get themselves into difficulties by doing the wrong thing. Much more often they land themselves in the hot seat by doing nothing at all, or nothing adequate. If you need additional resources, obviously you must ask for them. Otherwise, if there is grief down the road, the Dept. can legitimatly say ‘the school never asked for additional resources’, and you will find yourself very alone. Ask, ask and ask again in writing.”

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Staff Impact Because of the make up of the school day, there is no structural facility allowing the Deputy Principal to be available to the Principal in the course of a school day. Release time for the Deputy Principal should be the next development to be pursued by the C.P.S.M.A. according to Sr. Eileen, a development she hopes will become well established in the future.

Succession Another of Sr. Eileen’s visions for the future would be the development of a succession management plan to develop preparation for accession to the role of Principal and to provide assured back-up and assistance to the Principal. Actively involved Deputy Principals are less likely to experience the ‘shock factor’ experienced by some new Principals. Middle management needs time to develop. Collaboration and co-responsibility must be nurtured to the point where post-holders would expect and welcome sharing the running of a successful school the Principal need not be the Messiah - others can take some of the burden. Principals need to change focus and look for assistance where it is available - be it from the Parents’ Associations or colleagues in the staff.

Board of Management The 3-year turnover term of the Board may also have to be looked at and an extension to 5 years considered - the result being better informed, experienced and empowered Board members. In furthering her vision, Sr. Eileen also included the hope for more structured back-up services to Boards, such as regional education offices or Diocesan offices specifically geared to patron and Board of Management issues within the area. One of the main functions of these offices would be a ‘review facility’, dealing with finances, minutes of meetings, non-functioning Boards, etc.

Professional Qualifications Sr. Eileen went on to mention the proposed training programme for Principals and Deputies from Clare Education Centre, with the dream being that all Principals would have a professional qualification for principalship before taking up a position . . . possibly being appointed a year in advance to enable the appointee to obtain the required qualifications based on modules relating to leadership, planning, financial and personnel management etc.

Into the Future.

How does Sr. Eileen see the Board of Management meeting of the future? Her vision depicts a well-informed, empowered Board, gathered for a regular monthly meeting, in well-furnished, comfortable surroundings. Relevant documents and circulars are available to all members, and a recording secretary is available to draw up and keep minutes. The Finance Committee would prepare and administer the annual budget, whilst the Maintenance Committee would oversee issues of maintenance. The Board could then devote the bulk of its deliberations to the core task of the school- namely providing an appropriate education service to the children. The Board members would be fully trained and have access to all relevant information. Each member would also have the opportunity to contribute at meetings, and be in receipt of appropriate travel expenses.

Conclusion Sr. Eileen concluded that her ultimate vision for Principals and Boards would be keeping children at the heart of the matter and working with generosity, good will and humour, so as to ensure all would be well for everyone concerned.

One of the highlights of Conference 2002 was the highly entertaining and witty after dinner speech by the renowned Christy Kenneally (photograph on left). The non-stop laughter provoked

by Christy’s incisive and hilarious observations was rewarded by a prolonged standing ovation from the 600 guests at the Gala Banquet.

ELOQUENT AND CHARMING - TERI GARVEY CHAIRED Q & A 8 9 11

CONFERENCE 2002 - FACES IN THE CROWD 10

www.ippn.ie BY PETER LONG, WEB EDITOR. The IPPN Website continues to play a major role in virtual networking for Principals. Further policies have been added recently to the Online Resources pages. It is hoped to continue to add further polices as Principals send them in. Preliminary planning is ongoing on providing a personal, confidential response service to Principals with queries on legal, financial and special needs issues.

Further details will be posted on networking@ippn.ie Conference 2002 was broadcast live on the site thanks to Seaghan Moriarty and it is possible to see and hear the main speakers again. Ed Walsh’s challenging and analytical keynote address has already attracted a large number of ‘hits’. Following IPPN President Jim Hayes’ call for a moratorium on the introduction of further subjects, Principals were given the opportunity to record their agreement or disagreement in an online poll. Out of 121 votes cast 114 Principals agreed that we need to pause to ensure that what has been introduced already is properly embedded in our schools before we rush to introduce more. We hope someone is listening!

PETER LONG WEB EDITOR AND SEAGHAN MORIARTY IT CONSULTANT

www.educationposts.com is a free site for advertising all types of positions in Primary Schools. All College of Education Students have been made aware of it and will be looking to the site for positions. Easy to use instruction for advertising positions are on the web-site and in this newsletter.

Suggestions for site improvement are always welcome as are policies for the Resource Page. This coming month we hope to focus on Special Needs Policies. Please forward your policies or suggestions to webeditor@ippn.ie Management Query Lines It is said that the only things certain about change is that it will continue. On this basis the ability to access information is always going to be more important than trying to collate or store all the information needed. To facilitate Principals and Deputy Principals who need accurate information/details on specific issues IPPN has put in place five query lines which can be accessed through www.ippn.ie. These query lines work as follows: If you have a specific question about a particular matter to do with school management about which you need to inform yourself, your BoM, your staff, parents etc. you can email your question to one of the query lines below and the relevant agreed authority will respond to your query.

Among the advantages to this format are: Specific questions will be replied to in an authoritative, informative manner.

The reply to each question will be seen not only by the Principal/Deputy Principal who posed the question but by all other subscribers to the same query line, thus eliminating the need for the same question to be asked over and over again by different people.

For a variety of reasons not all documentation that has arrived in schools over the years is always available to the current Principal/Deputy Principal. These query lines may be used to identify documents and other resources which are priority items required for the school.

All questions and answers posed through this e-mail list will be archived on the website for future reference thus avoiding the need for repeated questions of a similar nature.

Please note: If a request for information involves confidential or sensitive matters, such queries will naturally not be processed through the e-mail format but through traditional methods of consultation.

The query lines are as follows: insurance@ippn.ie legal@ippn.ie sdp@ippn.ie [School Development Planning] curriculum@ippn.ie finance@ippn.ie specialed@ippn.ie Access to these query lines is through www.ippn.ie/mailinglists

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I have attended all the conferences - Cork, Malahide and all I.N.T.O. Principals’ Conferences. This was the best yet. Well done to the organising committe and to Seán Cottrell for his visionary leadership.

Tá an-obair á dhéanamh ag I.P.P.N. 11

SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS - PRINCIPAL ISSUES Mr. David Ruddy B.L., Dip Law, Principal, Talbot S.N.S., Clondalkin, and Legal Advisor, I.P.P.N. David Ruddy is a barrister and Primary School Principal. He brought us on a short journey charting the developments in Special Needs Education over a period of 9 years. He outlined the course of events which has attempted to vindicate the right to education of pupils with Disability/Special Needs and the impact this has made to date on all our schools whether Special or Mainstream. He reminded us that Article 42 of the Constitution states that parents are the primary and natural educators of their children. It also states that the state should provide ‘for’ free primary education. The word ‘for’ is the heart of the concept of partnership. The control given to the State is not absolute The State provides the funding but the education system is owned and to a considerable extent managed and operated by someone else.

The Paul O’Donoghue Case 1993 (High Court) A case was brought by a mother against the Health and Education Ministers over the failure to provide free Primary Education for her son, depriving him of his constitutional rights. The court granted Paul O’Donoghue the declaration that the State had failed to provide him with an appropriate education and awarded him damages to compensate for expenses carried by his mother in the past for his education provision. Judge O’Hanlon was not impressed with the ratio of 1 teacher to 12 pupils who suffer severe learning difficulties. He was also concerned with the usual lengthy holidays for conventional Primary Education. The court was also of the view that the process of education should ideally continue as long as the ability for further development was discernible, that the age of 18 years might not be unrealistic. After this judgement many other cases were initiated by the parents of Autistic and Attention Deficit Disorder Children. As a result of the O’Donoghue experience the D.E.S. settled most cases. After this pupils with Autism were recognised as having Special Needs. The pupil teacher ratio for them was reduced to 1:6 and provision was made for Special Needs Assistants. Special Schools and some schools with autistic units have lengthened the school year to include the month of July.

The Education Act 1998 David quoted from The Education Act 1998 “to make provision in the interest of the common good for the education of every person in the State including any person with a disability or other special needs”.

Section 6 of the Act obliges schools, Boards of Management, patrons, principals and teachers to: “Give practical effect to the constitutional rights of children, including children who have a disability or who have other special needs, as they relate to education”.

“Provide that, as far as it is practicable and having regard to the resources available a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of people”.

Section 9 (a) States that one of the functions of a school is to “ensure educational needs of students including those with disability or special needs, are identified and provided for.”

Equal Status Act 2000 The Equal Status Act 2000 was commenced on the 25th October 2000. Its aim is to (a) promote equality, and (b) prohibit discrimination in relation to the provision of services. A primary school is deemed to be a service provider.

The act provides that there is no discrimination where there is a difference of treatment of students on the gender, age or disability grounds in sport and where discrimination, is reasonable.

Confidential Advisory Service During the last two years a number of principal teachers have contacted our office seeking advice on handling a particular situation in their schools. Unfortunately some of these predicaments involved conflict and high levels of personal stress. Providing a listening ear and offering some guidance on issues such as conflict resolution and personal health and safety is something that takes a lot of time and energy. During the year through our e-mail list networking@ippn.ie twelve principal teachers have volunteered their services to assist with supporting and guiding a fellow principal teacher when he or she is in the midst of a crisis situation. A common theme running through all of these scenarios is the need for suitable and effective structures to process serious problems which involve Boards of Management, teachers, principals and other parties. Support and advice is currently available from the Employee Assistance Service for principal teachers in serious conflict situations (see IPPN Newsletter Issue 9).

In addition to the these services, IPPN is now in a position to offer the confidential guidance and advice of a fellow principal teacher who is appropriately experienced and skilled in these areas.

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Schools can treat students with disabilities differently (apart from the normal cost exemption) only if the disability is making the provision of educational services impossible to other children or having a seriously detrimental effect on that provision.

Enrolment/Admission Policy David strongly recommended Boards of Management to study in detail the document entitled “Guidelines towards Drafts on Enrolment/Admission Policy” as published by C.P.S.M.A./C.O.I./I.N.T.O. in regard to the enrolment of children with special needs. David highlighted Circular 8/99 and the appointment of resource teachers and Circular 9/99 dealing with applications for special classes for children with disabilities.

Resources, Support Currently there are 952 full-time resource posts with additional 400 part time. Pupils in Special Classes are eligible for enhanced capitation - pupils receiving resource hours are not. A survey in 2000 of resource teachers showed that only 15% had a post-graduate qualification in Special Education. Access to the Diploma in Special Education “is highly restrictive”. Two days inservice is currently being provided on the Learning Support Guidelines for Principals, Learning Support Teachers, Resource Teachers for Travellers and Resource Teachers by the D.E.S. No provision has been made to include Special Class Teachers in this. The Education Centres are setting up support groups for Special Class and Resource Teachers. David suggested that schools should seek advice from National Educational and Psychological Service (N.E.P.S.) the D.E.S., inspectors, and professional bodies like I.A.T.S.E. and I.N.T.O. Budget, N.E.P.S. and Private Practice Budget 2000 has made provision for 19% increase in allocation for N.E.P.S and 70% increase in provision for S.N.A.s including provision for 450 additional placements. The National Educational and Psychological Service (N.E.P.S.) provides a service to 1,345 Primary Schools with 100 psychologists. The current demand for psychological assessments is not being met by this. The Department of Education and Science recently allocated 1.25m Euro for the purchase of assessments from private practitioners. There are difficulties in obtaining the services of the panel of private practitioners. David acknowledged the sea change that has occurred in special needs since 1993 and the vast amounts of expenditure incurred to effect the change. He is aware of the difficulties that still exist for many schools in the provision of services for their Special Needs pupils.

Conclusion As Primary Principals we are very lucky to have a colleague of David’s calibre as legal advisor to the Irish Primary Principals Network. Currently he is presenting an evening course ‘Teachers and the impact of recent legislation on schools’ hosted by West Dublin Education Centre at Sheldon Park Hotel, Dublin 10.

Report by Margaret Condon, St. Michael’s NS, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.

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IPPN Consultancy The expansion and development of primary education in recent years has been a formidable challenge but has also been a tremendous opportunity for those involved in it. IPPN is establishing a consultancy division which works as follows.

Principals and Deputy Principals are being invited to forward details of their particular areas of experience/ expertise. This information will be collated and stored on a database.

When IPPN receives a request from a Principal/Deputy Principal, a Board of Management, Community Group, Local Authority, Commercial Organisation, Overseas Development Agency, etc. for a consultant/facilitator relevant to a particular topic IPPN will make available the details of personnel in the IPPN Consultancy Database which match the criteria of the request. IPPN simply acts as a facilitator between those who require services and those who have services to offer.

This consultancy division will allow a greater number of IPPN members to share their experience, knowledge, skills and also, of course, to benefit from any professional opportunities which may arise.

Please forward your details through the on-line IPPN Consultancy Registration Form.

IPPN SPONSORS CONFERENCE 2002 www.educationposts.com The success of this website has been quite phenomenal. In excess of 1000 graduates leaving the five teacher training colleges this coming May have already registered with the website. When a job seeker registers with educationposts.com they can select the type of position they are looking for and the counties in which they wish to work. When a principal teacher places a job advert fitting those criteria the advert is automatically emailed to the job applicant. Many principal teachers have been in contact with our office looking for assistance to place adverts on this website. Before contacting head office we urge you to explore the website and you will be pleasantly surprised to find the system for placing your advertisement is very straightforward and simple.

The steps are as follows: Open Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator Enter www.educationposts.com on the website address bar Press ‘Enter’ on the key board The Home Page of the website opens Click on ‘Primary’ section - Click on ‘Advertise a Vacancy’ Fill out the form on the screen by typing in the information relevant to your school Click ‘Submit’ Read all of the information on the advertisement to ensure it is accurate Once satisfied with its accuracy press ‘Submit’ The advert is now uploaded 15

BURSARIES FOR PRINCIPALS The DES is currently offering a second round of ten bursaries for Principal teachers currently engaged in post graduate courses pertaining to school leadership, management and administration. The scheme, which is in its second year, offers significant support for Principals undertaking studies pertaining to their role. Full details are available from the In-Career Development Unit, DES. Telephone 01 889 2079.

RESOURCE TEACHERS AND SNAs IPPN welcomes the recent DES circular on the procurement of resource teachers and SNAs for children with special needs in mainstream schools. This is a considerable improvement on the existing process and reflects a lot of the issues raised by principals at our recent conference in Galway. The new procedures and guidelines will be evaluated in Autumn 2002. Your views will be required to formulate IPPN’s contribution to the evaluation process.

RETIRED PRINCIPAL TEACHERS AND MENTORING Recently twelve retired Principal teachers have offered their services to IPPN to assist with the mentoring of newly appointed Principals. This is an invaluable service for new Principals and also a tremendous way of enabling retired Principals to remain active in school leadership. One of the great tragedies of past years was the amount of leadership, administrative, educational and other experience that was lost to the education system. When an individual retired there was no structured means by which he/she could continue to contribute voluntarily to the system.

In the new school year there will be an official structure for retired Principals to continue to be members of IPPN (on a significantly reduced fee). This will enable individuals to continue to receive the Newsletter and remain in contact with their fellow professionals. Meanwhile, if you are aware of any retired Principal/Deputy Principal whom you feel would be suitable/willing to contribute to IPPN through our voluntary Mentoring Programme, please ask them to contact our office at 1890 21 22 23.

NEW PRINCIPALS AND MENTORING Newly appointed principals are invited to avail of a confidential mentoring service. This service, established in summer 2001, has linked the experience of 91 Principal teachers with their newly appointed counterparts in their critical first 12 months in the role. Newly appointed Principals wishing to avail of this service should contact the IPPN office.

WORK-RELATED EXPENSES - WHO PAYS FOR PRINCIPALS AND DEPUTY PRINCIPALS? Work-related expenses such as travel and telephone have been growing considerably for Principals and Deputies over the last number of years. The recent DES circular clarifying arrangements for travelling expenses for shared resource and learning support teachers has highlighted yet again the lack of such an arrangement for Principals and Deputies. This circular actually requires the Principal teacher to verify the validity of the claim but the Principal cannot claim for similar outgoings her/himself. This anomaly is most evident when the Principal/Deputy Principal attends school cluster meetings and is likely to be the only person present unable to claim direct work-related travel expenses. Clearly any member of staff engaged in out-of-school activities should have the facility to claim legitimate expenses from the relevant authority. IPPN has recently raised this with the INTO. As this is not an area of responsibility for IPPN, we advise that individual Principals/Deputy Principals pursue the issue through their INTO Principals’ Forum.

IPPN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR FOR PRINCIPALS WITH ANDY HARGREAVES ANDY HARGREAVES WILL CONDUCT AN INTERACTIVE SEMINAR/WORKSHOP FOCUSING ON WHAT IT MEANS TO TEACH AND LEAD IN TO-DAY’S KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY. The Seminar will have 3 sessions (A) Challenges to Teaching and Leading (B) Balance: Life and Work (C) Principals Shaping the Future.

The day with Prof. Andy Hargreaves, a renowned educationalist, promises to be both challenging and provocative.

ANDY HARGREAVES SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS

TEACHING & LEADING IN THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY Wednesday April 17th 2002 • Grand Hotel Malahide, Co. Dublin Contact: Dublin West Education Centre • Tel 4591816 • Fax 4594882 • E-mail: dwec@indigo.ie 16