IPPN

Published: 28 October 2005

IPPN AWARDS BURSARY FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CLUSTERING INITIATIVE
The Irish Primary Principals Network today announced the award of two bursaries, of €3,000 each, to primary schools in Cork and Longford/Leitrim to help them pursue an innovative educational project.
Over the coming year, two groups of smaller schools in Cork and in Longford/Leitrim will meet regularly to plan events and activities together for their schools. The bursaries will help to pay for expert training, resources, substitute cover and other measures to enhance their schools.
The majority of primary schools in Ireland are small schools with a principal who teaches full classes every day. "Clustering" occurs when a number of schools work together on policy planning, curriculum initiatives, administration, shared teaching and other matters where they have a common interest and where good practice can be shared among them. Clustering was first identified and recommended as a strategy for smaller schools to use by the IPPN/St Patrick's College of Education in their report on 'The Future of Small Schools and Teaching Principalship in Ireland' - published in 2004.
In a bid to highlight how effective this could be as an overall national strategy, IPPN decided to put up two bursaries, valued at €3,000 each, to help smaller schools to try out this innovative practice. "Nobody else seemed to be taking our recommendations seriously, so we decided to do it ourselves," said Sean Cottrell, National Director of IPPN. "Following many enquires from interested Principals and as a follow up to the report 'New Horizons for Smaller Schools and Teaching Principalship in Ireland' IPPN decided to provide two bursaries of €3,000 each to support pilot projects for the clustering of smaller schools."
The report, which was very favourably received at IPPN Conference in February 2005, outlined the many benefits for smaller schools in exploring the possibilities of well planned and supported clustering. It also highlighted that working in co-operation with other schools in localised clusters needs to be seen as a key professional development opportunity for smaller schools to:

• provide enhanced educational opportunities for children
• identify, prioritise and meet localised needs
• share the administrative and curricular workload
• break the professional isolation experienced by principals and staffs
• benefit from the professional expertise and advice of colleagues
• seek the support of other agencies for their initiatives

"We are delighted to get this opportunity," said Doreen McHugh, Principal, The Hunt NS, Mohill, Co Leitrim. "It gives us some help to try out what is seen as best professional practice for principals of smaller schools." Annabelle O'Sullivan,Principal, Cloghoula NS, Millstreet, Co. Cork echoed this view, "Hopefully, our experience will show that this kind of clustering arrangement needs to be put in place for all small schools as a matter of national policy."