IPPN

Professional Guidance - The Revised Parental Complaints Procedure (PCP)

Published: 17 January 2024

What is the status of the PCP?

The PCP is an agreement between INTO and the various School Management Bodies in relation to procedures to be followed in the event of a parent wishing to make a complaint against a teacher.
What is IPPN recommending to school leaders in relation to the Revised PCP?
Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb!!

It is suggested that school leaders:

bring the Revised PCP to the attention of all stakeholders of the school community through the website, the Parents’ Council and BoM
encourage all stakeholders to discuss it and to be prepared to use it in a reasonable and constructive manner, adhering to the procedures and stages
ask the BoM to adopt the Revised PCP as school policy.

There have been instances of confusion in relation to when a parent is required to formalise the complaint as a written complaint. This only arises where there is no resolution at Stage 1 (Discussion), which is designed to facilitate discussions between the parents and the teacher in the first instance, and, if necessary, with the principal and chair of the BoM. Stage 2 (Written) is initiated by a written complaint from the parent to the Chair of the BoM.

How does the Revised PCP issued in December 2023 differ from the original PCP?
Essentially, the updated PCP has been rewritten and reformatted to make it easier to access and understand for all concerned. The previous PCP had 5 Stages. Whereas the procedures are essentially the same, the Revised PCP consists of just 4 Stages with timelines: -

Stage 1 Discussion
1.1 Parent meets with Teacher. If the issue is not resolved, then
1.2 Parent meets with Principal. If the issue is not resolved, then
1.3 Parent meets with Chair of BoM. If the issue is not resolved, then

Stage 2 Written (10 Days)
2.1 Written complaint sent to Chair of BoM
2.2 Chair provides copy of complaint to Teacher
2.3 Chair convenes meeting(s) between Teacher and Parent to resolve matter. If the issue is not resolved, then

Stage 3 Board of Management (20 Days)
3.1 Chair makes a formal report to the BoM
3.2 Complaint concluded. BoM decides
a. Complaint is vexatious/frivolous
b. Complaint has already been investigated by the BoM
c. Complaint should be dealt with through a relevant Circular
d. Complaint has been referred to law
3.3 Proceed to a Hearing. Complaint should be investigated by the BoM

Stage 4 Decision (5 Days)
4.1 Written decision of BoM communicated to Parent and Teacher by Chair
4.2 Complaint concluded as decision of BoM is final

IPPN/NAPD Symposium - Reimagining leadership for effective schools

Published: 10 January 2024

IPPN and NAPD have collaborated to convene a symposium on education and school leadership in Ireland, entitled “Reimagining leadership for effective schools”. The symposium takes place on Thursday, 11^th January, and will be attended by the primary and post-primary education stakeholders.

Renowned Finnish educator Pasi Sahlberg will seek to consider and provoke discussion with regard to education challenges globally, their relevance to the Irish context, the purpose of education and what needs to happen to ensure effective, sustainable school leadership.

The focus of the symposium is aligned with IPPN’s advocacy work on our Sustainable Leadership project. We will report on insights and perspectives that emerge at the symposium in future E-scéalta.

The time for reimagining school leadership has long since arrived. If we don’t grasp this nettle then we are guilty of being bystanders to the undermining of leadership and school effectiveness. We need to either allow school leaders to do the job they signed up to do or, at the very least, we need to establish some consensus around what it is that we want school leaders to be doing. That consensus needs to be established within the wider conversation about what it is we want our system of education to achieve. Hopefully, the symposium will prove to be a starting point for that conversation.

Ukrainian Teachers – Apply for Registration to the Teaching Council

Published: 10 January 2024

Teachers who qualified in Ukraine and have been granted Temporary Protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive can apply for registration with the Teaching Council process for Ukrainian teachers as a primary, post-primary, or special education teacher with the Teaching Council, if they can provide evidence of:

1. A qualification from the Ukrainian university in which they studied, or

2. Evidence of registration, or

3. A license to teach in Ukraine.

If there are members of the Ukrainian community within your locality, or you know of anyone to whom this process may be relevant, we would kindly ask that you share this information with them.

For further information, please visit teachingcouncil.ie. To start an application, please email ukrainianteachers@teachingcouncil.ie to request application forms and guidance notes.

Professional Guidance: Review of Teaching Staff Leave Policy

Published: 10 January 2024

At the start of the new calendar year, it is timely that all school Boards of Management and School Staff consult on a review or the development of a new Leave Policy in preparation for 2024 applications.

This highly important school policy is governed by the regulations and procedures set out in circular 0054/2019, which covers all types of leave available to teaching staff with approved contracts. Employers - or Boards of Management - are charged with implementing the said regulations and procedures and, along with teachers, must agree to the terms and conditions as stated within the circular.

Many types of leave are covered within the policy, including Sick Leave, Maternity Leave, Adoptive Leave, Paternity Leave, Parental Leave, Carers’ Leave, Career-Break, Job-Sharing and the Temporary Re-Assignment Scheme.

Each Board of Management must develop and maintain a policy on teacher leave. The welfare and education of the pupils must take precedence over all other considerations.

Due regard must be given by the school Board to the capacity of the school to meet its obligations to its pupils. Therefore, it may apply a limit to the number of teaching staff that may avail of leave - career-break and job-sharing in particular - at any one time. This must be considered in the context of the availability of qualified teachers as a teacher supply crisis continues.

Important dates:

Applications by Feb 1st
Board written decision no later than March 1st
Applications can be withdrawn by April 14th.

A Board decision is final. A refusal decision must include grounds for refusal.

Professional Guidance - the Termly Staff meeting

Published: 10 January 2024

The value of the staff meeting at the start of each school term cannot be underestimated.

This opportunity to remind all staff of the very important daily practises that keep the school running smoothly and safely is paramount in keeping everybody on track and perhaps can help to avoid having individual conversations of a challenging nature regarding issues around professionalism and possible underperformance. The fact that the staff meeting is minuted is also a clear reminder of what has been discussed, proposed, and agreed.

This termly staff meeting agenda can be structured and divided as follows to deliver specific messages:

Messages for all staff (teachers, SNAs and Ancillary)
Messages for some (teachers, SNAs)
Messages for a few

A guide to the items on the staff meeting agenda at the start of each new term might include Child Protection, Duty of Care, Priorities in relation to the school’s PIEW and Timekeeping & Supervision, to name just a few. Some items that need follow-up or reminding to staff can be put on the agendas for subsequent terms.

“If you talk about it, it’s a dream. If you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.” - Tony Robbins