IPPN

Published: 16 November 2005

The outcome of the benchmarking process in 2002 was a bitter disappointment for Primary Principals.

As you are aware IPPN is a professional association and consequently doesn't have a function in negotiating salaries and conditions of employment. However, our research shows that the absence of meaningful reward is one of the key reasons why fewer teachers are seeking promotion to Principalship. Given this evidence, it is imperative that IPPN constructively influences the case to be made by our Trade Union on behalf of 3,300 principals in the forthcoming benchmarking process.

In discussion with the General Secretary and President of the INTO, IPPN has offered to submit Principals' views re benchmarking to the Union. This offer has been graciously accepted and a submission will be forwarded before the end of November.

Your views are essential for this submission. In order to ensure that its contents accurately reflect the views of 3,300 principals, we want you to take five minutes of your valuable time to complete the 'fiche ceist' survey through the link below. If you have additional ideas to offer the INTO on how principalship could be better rewarded and made an attractive career option, please use the additional text boxes provided for your suggestions.

Benchmarking Survey

Is muidne le mór-mheas

Seán Cottrell, Tomás O Slatara

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Published: 30 October 2005

The recent report of events that took place in the Diocese of Ferns present a timely reminder for all school Principals of the need to be certain that we are meeting our responsibilities in relation to child protection in our schools. This can be outlined as follows.

Policy
Normally policy is the starting point for addressing most issues in schools, thankfully there is no requirement on individual schools to develop its own policy re child protection - this is laid down unambiguously by the Departments Health and Education. The Department of Health issued 'Children First' followed by the Department of Education's 'Child Protection Guidelines and Procedures'. The latter form a comprehensive policy for every school.

Good Practice
The Stay Safe programme should be taught systematically to every child from Senior Infants to Sixth Class in the context of the Social, Personal and Health Education subject. This programme is designed to be taught to each child four times within their Primary School years and must include the key theme of 'Inappropriate touch'. Every school should have consideration given to best practice re toileting, dressing rooms/changing for games, small group/individualised teaching for children with special needs. In addition clear guidance must be understood for Special Needs Assistants or anybody else who may be required to look after or accompany an individual child.

Procedures
Two key elements of procedure that must be clearly understood are 'What to do if there is an allegation made against a member of staff' and 'How to report knowledge of, or a disclosure of an incident of child abuse'. Both of these procedures are outlined clearly in the DES Guidelines on Child Protection. Every school must have an appointed Designated Liaison Person (DLP).

Training
The Child Abuse Prevention Programme (CAPP) producers of Stay Safe, offer a comprehensive free training programme for Principals, teachers, Boards of Management and parents. Patricia Shannon is the National Coordinator of the Stay Safe Programme and is contactable at: (01) 6206347 or staysafe@indigo.ie


Is mise le meas
Seán Cottrell

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Published: 29 October 2005

Many principals around the country were incensed and annoyed by the debate which took place last week in the media on the question of the role of the denominational churches in managing primary schools. Principals feel that the debate mostly failed to identify the real issues. The fact is that the burden of management falls largely on Principals' shoulders with little or no appropriate supports or reward for the task. Whatever about the view that schools could not operate without the involvement of the Churches in management, principals largely feel that schools can and do operate despite their boards of management rather than because of them. And they operate effectively because, by and large, principals fulfill the management, administrative and leadership functions that are lacking from their boards.

The reality is that whether we like it or not / realise it or not, principals are, the de facto managers of schools. IPPN has been
consistently! and clearly highlighting this issue for the past five years. There is a problem with the way schools are governed and managed in Ireland and the manner in which this impacts on the principal as a school leader. The current Board of Management structure, devised over thirty years ago, is simply not up to the job of either governing or managing our schools. Principals carry the administrative and managerial burden; are often the sole advisor to the Board of Management and, along with the teacher representative, the only professional educator on the board. In this context, is the Board actually 'managing' anything? As a principal of twenty-five years put it, "Every four years, I am duty bound to track down, cajole and persuade six volunteers whom I will then induct, inform, advise and train to tell me how to do my job! I end up doing everything anyway. It's like having bought an expensive thoroughbred dog and still having to bark myself!"

With a raft of new legislation now underpinning the operation of schools and an increasingly diverse and changing Irish society, the debate really needs to start with the reality of modern schools and how they ought to be governed and managed in the 21st century.

IPPN has sought and forcefully represented the views of principals on these issues in all quarters over the past three years. Every opportunity to research and highlight the reality of the role of the school leader and to take the debate on school management and governance to a higher level has been availed of on behalf of Principals. The content of these submissions and meetings is informed by the most recent research that has been undertaken directly with school leaders seeking their views on management and governance in the IPPN's survey of October 2004.

Subsequently, meetings have taken place and submissions made to:

1. The Episcopal Commission on Education
2. The Catholic Prim! ary School Management Association
3. The Minister for Education and Science
4. The Secretary General of the DES
5. Submission on Principals Workload to the DES
6. Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education & Science
7. Forthcoming submission to the INTO on benchmarking

It might appear that our message and the voice of Principals are not being listened to in this debate. Perhaps this is because none of the other education partners have a vested interest in changing the status quo in school governance and management. Is it possible that this is because of they have developed a dependency and reliance on Principals to pick up the pieces when a management system, belonging to a different era, is creaking to a halt?

IPPN will continue to ask the awkward questions and represent the views of Principals at every opportunity that presents itself.

Is muidne le meas,

Seán Cottrell, Tomás O Slatara

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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."

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