29th February 2024 – Class Allocation Guidance / Final Year of the IPPN/Deakin Health & Wellbeing Survey
- Published: 29 February 2024
In this week's E-scéal:
- Planning Prompts
- Professional Guidance – Class Allocation
- Health & Wellbeing Survey
- Extended deadline for the DE National Survey of Special Needs Assistants
- Leadership+ Issue 131
- Ireland’s Education Yearbook 2023
- NCCA Focus Groups on Primary Curriculum
- DE Circulars
- Updates
Planning Prompts
Together with some planning suggestions for the coming week is a reminder to look to your own self-care. As the Time to Think piece reminds us, it is essential to your survival. Be proactive in building time away from work this week doing something that you enjoy. You encourage others to do so – now lead by example.
Professional Guidance – Class Allocation
The Class Allocation process should be considered more in the context of TEAM and Teamwork, and less in the context of individual preference. This judgement call, of balancing the needs of the school against the preference of the staff member, is a delicate and sometimes lonely one, hence the expression “the loneliness of the Manager’s job”. This is best achieved by engagement in school and staff-wide preparatory work beforehand.
The third and final phase of the Irish Principal and Deputy Principal Health and Wellbeing research will take place from 11 March to 19 April 2024. It does not matter if you have not participated in the earlier phases of the research or, indeed, if you took part in Phase 1 but did not do so in Phase 2. Phase 3 is open to all principals and deputy principals.
Extended deadline for the DE National Survey of Special Needs Assistants
The closing date for the survey has been extended by one week to 5 March 2024 to allow SNAs a further opportunity to engage with the survey.
All SNAs are urged to complete the 10-minute survey. The data collected will assist with building an overall profile of the SNA workforce that will feed into important policy decisions in the sector. The survey link is available to SNAs here.
Wicklow Small Schools Cluster – Perspectives from the three school leaders
Going into the small schools’ cluster knowing little, if anything, about the existing clusters, I was interested in the aspects of working alongside others who knew the issues that come with working in a small school, the highs and lows that only working in that type of environment could bring. It was to look at the sustainability of small schools and the sharing of knowledge and possibly, the trialling of new ideas and initiatives.
Click here to view/download the article
Ireland’s Education Yearbook 2023
This article details the findings of research commissioned by IPPN and NAPD, the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, into the health and wellbeing of Irish school leaders in both primary and post-primary sectors. This research was undertaken in response to concerns that the increasing complexity and workload demands of school leadership roles are impacting on the health and wellbeing of principals and deputy principals.
NCCA Focus Groups on Primary Curriculum
As part of the redevelopment of the Primary School Curriculum, NCCA will consult on draft primary curriculum specifications in Arts Education; Modern Foreign Languages (MFL); Social and Environmental Education (SEE); Science, Technology and Engineering Education (STE); and Wellbeing.
This will take place between 6 March and 7 June 2024. As part of the consultation, NCCA will host in-person and online focus groups. Registration for these is open now. Further information and registration links can be found HERE.
Imlitreacha Scéime Aitheantais Scoileanna Gaeltachta 2024 / Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme Circulars 2024
Leagan Gaeilge
- Imlitir 20/2024 – Eolas do bhunscoileanna agus do scoileanna speisialta sa Scéim
- Imlitir 22/2024 – Eolas do bhunscoileanna i limistéir pleanála teanga Gaeltachta nach bhfuil páirteach sa Scéim faoin bpróiseas atá i gceist le teacht isteach sa Scéim
English version
To be shared with your Board, staff and parent body as appropriate.
- NCSE SET Review Guidelines and SET Review Application Forms are now available to download from the NCSE website – review process will be from 1 to 22 March
- DE Inspectorate - Summer Programme 2023: Building Confidence and Connection for Children and Young People
- DE: Meeting Additional Language Needs: Whole-school and Classroom Approaches for Inclusive Language Learning - Findings from Primary and Post-primary school inspections of English as an Additional Language
- Active School Flag ‘Run Around Europe’ Challenge 2024
- DE: Apply for the Physical Activity in Teaching and Learning Pilot Programme
- Minister for Education Norma Foley TD announces €100,000 available in music education grants
- School Transport 2030’ – the review of the school transport scheme
- DE confirms 18,155 Ukrainian pupils currently enrolled in Irish schools
- Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2024
- UNESCO Report Building Children’s Futures: Using Children’s Rights to Recover from the Global Pandemic
- Verbal Wellbeing for Teachers - Free 1-hr Training in March - Why Stories Matter: A Whole School Approach
