IPPN

IPPN Newsdesk

Published: 11 January 2007

A Chara,

Fáilte ar ais agus ath-bhlian faoi shéan is faoi mhaise dhuit.

Conference 2007

Final arrangements for Killarney are underway and the event promises to be both stimulating and entertaining. We look forward to meeting many of you at Conference. Due to high demand, we have arranged with the hotel to increase capacity for workshops. If you would like to attend Conference, please contact the IPPN Support Office on 1890 21 22 23.

Text-a-Sub

This service has proven to be an essential support for Principals in finding substitute teachers. The fact that it enables you to contact only those substitutes that are currently available is a major time-saver.

Recently we have learned that an individual falsely claiming to be a qualified teacher registered with TextaSub and responded to a call from a Principal. This raises the question about the verification and authenticity of anyone applying for work in a school. TextaSub is just another means of locating available teachers. Whether a Principal / Deputy Principal sources a substitute teacher through a newspaper advert, the local unemployment centre, Education Centre or a website, the responsibility to verify the qualifications and suitability of the individual candidate is the same.

IPPN's advice is that no matter how you find a substitute teacher (or indeed any staff member), you should request that a copy of their qualifications, accompanied by a passport, driving licence or other official photo-ID, be presented prior to commencing work. It is also reasonable to ask substitute teachers where they have worked recently so that an oral reference can be sought from those schools.

In summary, the Board of Management, through the Principal, is responsible for recruitment regardless of the means by which it is carried out. A clear disclaimer to this effect can be seen on www.textasub.ie.

Note: Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, when commenced, will make it obligatory for all teachers working in schools to be registered with the Council. As of now only new entrants to the profession are required to provide relevant details to employers. It is anticipated that section 30 will commence in 2007.

Meanwhile, TextaSub.ie has helped hundreds of Principals to find thousands of substitute teachers in the last three years. It takes three minutes to send out your message, giving you access to the substitute teachers currently available in your county. If you haven't availed of this service, which is free to IPPN members, check it out!

Is sinne le meas,

Tomás Ãƒ" Slatara, Seán Cottrell

LDS Recruitment Notice

Published: 24 November 2006

Vacancies at Primary Level

Assistant National Co-ordinators

Part-Time Associate Members

Improved administrative support for Principals - relevant to less than 1% of Schools

Published: 13 November 2006

Following many years of raising the matter with the DES, we are pleased to inform you that three welcomed improvements have been announced by the Minister which will provide better administrative capacity for Principals in a small number of schools.

The measures announced include:

A full-time administrative deputy principal in schools of 24 or more mainstream class teachers
A full time administrative deputy principal in schools with five or more special classes - excluding dyslexia & mild general learning disabilities
A full time administrative principal in schools with 4 or 5 teachers where there is an autism unit approved by the NCSE.

Since 1999, IPPN has consistently highlighted the critical need for additional administrative support for Principals. A strong case for this argument was made in IPPN's submission to the DES on 'Reducing the Administrative burden of schools' where we sought the appointment of an Administrative DP in schools with sixteen or more teachers. At IPPN Conference 2006, our President Tomás Ó Slatara appealed to the Minister to address the plight of the Teaching Principal. In our contribution to the DES Working Group on Principals' Workload and In School Management, we have highlighted the need for practical solutions in this area with particular emphasis on the impossible workload of Teaching Principals.

Earlier this year the IPPN publication Gioraíonn Beirt Bóthar set out for the first time a profile of the role of Deputy Principal based on current best practice in action. It is a testimony to the action research used for this document, that it has played a role in prompting a change in official policy.

While we are pleased that there is some small movement on this issue, it is only addressing the 'tip of the iceberg' in terms of the real problem, as the measures announced will only benefit a handful of very large schools. Meanwhile, more than seven out of ten Principals continue to have full class teaching responsibility and only receive a small number of 'Administrative days', which are ineffective due to the unavailability of suitably qualified and experienced teachers for substitute cover. Teaching Principals continue to fulfill two distinct and simultaneously demanding roles without even proper secretarial support. This situation continues because the grant system for secretarial services punishes the very schools that need it most and there is a lack of will to put the plight of Teaching Principals on top of the agenda. IPPN will continue to lobby and pursue this issue.

If you believe that you may be one of the few schools to benefit from these improvements, please contact the DES - Primary Payments Section - (090) 6483664.

IPPN Benchmarking Update

Published: 31 October 2006

We have discovered at County Network Meetings that many principals are unaware of IPPN's submission to the INTO on Benchmarking for Principals. In our document, Investing in School Leadership, IPPN makes the argument and provides the evidence, that negotiating a Separate Salary Scale for Principals is the only strategy that will deliver a fair and just result for Principals. If you have not read Investing in School Leadership (35 pages), we recommend that you so as a matter of urgency. This document was sent to all schools and is available by clicking on this link:

Investing in School Leadership (IPPN 2006) (PDF, 1901k)

GLEO - Aitheantas do sh

Published: 17 October 2006

Would you or teachers in your school like to be awarded 3,000 euro? Or how would you like to supplement the Irish teaching resources in your school?

If interesested, take a look at the new award scheme GLEO (Gaeilge Labhartha san Earnáil Oideachais) organised by Foras na Gaeilge. Is scéim nua é chun aitheantais a tabhairt don dea-obair agus dea-chleachtais ata ar siúl inár scoileanna ó thuaidh agus ó theas. Bain trial as agus scaip an scéal thar do scoil!

Tuilleadh eolais ag www.gaeilge.ie/gleo