IPPN

Published: 19 September 2007

Principals are dismayed and disillusioned with the increasing erosion of their summer holidays. Now that schools have reopened, Principals find that they have not had an adequate break from the responsibilities of school-related work and have returned feeling unrefreshed and tired. The holiday months of July and August have been seriously eroded due to responsibility reverting to Principals for the following important issues:

• Staff Recruitment
• Temporary Accommodation
• SEN
• Summer Works Schemes
• Furniture o Repairs, Maintenance & Cleaning
• School Building
• Enrolment / Section 29
• Ever-increasing Administration

This is an obvious worsening of Principals' working conditions. This is not a new phenomenon and indeed has grown incrementally over many years. This would not be tolerated in any other profession. This unacceptable situation must become an immediate priority for our union. It is not the first time IPPN has raised this issue with our union but to no avail. Progress can be made on several other issues concerning working conditions. Why not this issue? Does the standardised school year only apply to certain members of staff?

It is patently obvious that most of the above-mentioned areas are rightly the responsibility of the Patron and the Board of Management. The various Patron Bodies have significant rights and influence as owners and managers of schools. Such rights carry consequent responsibilities and it cannot be assumed that the Principal will automatically 'step into the breach' and carry out tasks that rightfully belong to others.

The VECs and Third level institutions have access to the services of Project Managers and Buildings Officers for all building construction and maintenance. Why not primary schools? The rhetoric 'Principals as leaders of learning' rings hollow as long as the DES and Patrons rely on us to do the work of architects, building officers, surveyors, and engineers on a no fee basis.

We still have the old chestnut of staff recruitment, a process which amazingly takes place in July and August just as everyone else is on holidays! Does this happen in any other profession? The integrity of the selection process is severely compromised due to the lack of availability of external assessors, referees and BoM members during the holiday period.

The concept of In-School Management delivering Distributed Leadership is still but a pipe dream in the absence of a willingness to 'grasp the nettle' of ISM reform. Meanwhile our teaching colleagues are becoming increasingly reluctant to take on the role of Principal Teacher as they see the impact of burgeoning holiday-time responsibilities on the Principal and their families.

Have we played a part in bringing this upon ourselves through our over-compliance? Do we carry sole responsibility for the work of the BoM? Are we entitled to a summer holiday? Maybe the solution lies partly in our own hands. In order to progress this issue, please give us your views in our short on-line survey. Click here for 3 minute Survey

Is sinne le meas

Larry Fleming | Virginia O' Mahony | Seán Cottrell

President | Assistant Director | Director

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Published: 12 September 2007

Vacant Principal Posts

In recent years some schools have experienced difficulty in appointing a principal. This problem has been most common in smaller schools where there is a Teaching Principal and also in schools in areas of social disadvantage. We are currently trying to establish the number of schools that failed to appoint a principal on the 1st round of advertising. If you are aware of any schools that had difficulty appointing a principal in 2007, please contact the support office at the details below.

Acting Principals

The role of Acting Principal is becoming more common with increasing numbers of Principals on secondment, career break and other forms of leave. In many respects Acting Principals carry all of the responsibilities of a permanent Principal and face the additional challenges that often come with lack of certainty and permanency in their role. Many Acting Principals are unaware of the supports and services offered to Newly Appointed Principals by IPPN. If you are an Acting Principal or you know someone who is, please make sure to contact IPPN on 1890 21 22 23 in order to avail of the resources and services available:

• Ciall Ceannaithe - Sound Advice & Borrowed Wisdom for Newly Appointed Principals
• Principal's Information Management System (PIMS), a custom designed desk diary
• Mentor - avail of an experienced principal as a mentor for your first year as principal
• 2007principals@ippn.ie - on-line advice and support for Newly Appointed Principals
• Principal Advice - confidential advice from experienced principals when needed

Leadership Plus - a dedicated twice-termly publication which brings together news, opinions and professional guidance relevant to principals and their deputies

• County Network Meetings - Professional Development, in each county, each term
• Annual Principals' Conference - Killarney, January 31st to February 2nd, 2008
• Networking@ippn.ie - a group mailing list where school leaders network on-line
• www.textaparent.ie - send short messages to all parents by text instead of notes
• www.textasub.ie - the fastest way to finding a substitute teacher at short notice
• www.ippn.ie - Main membership website, resources, publications and dialogue

Is sinne le meas

Larry Fleming | Virginia O'Mahony | Seán Cottrell
President | Assistant Director | Director

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Published: 05 September 2007

A Chara,

The Principal and the Board of Management

Circular 79/2007, dealing with the payment of an allowance to Principal Teachers who act as secretaries to Boards of Management, concerns the area of Pay and Conditions and as such IPPN was not a party to these negotiations. It is deeply disappointing that the level of the allowance in no way reflects the centrality of the role of the Principal Teacher in carrying out the executive function of the Board. The scaling of the allowance according to the size of the school contradicts the reality that the duties and responsibilities of the Secretary to the Board of Management are broadly similar in all schools. However, this circular is indeed a first step towards valuing the role of the Principal Teacher as the "Chief Executive Officer" of the Board of Management.

Recording Secretary vs. Secretary to the Board of Management.
There appears to be confusion between the roles of Recording Secretary and Secretary to the Board of Management. The term Recording Secretary (as referred to in previous Board of Management documentation) dealt only with the task of taking minutes of meetings, whereas Secretary to the Board of Management is a new term and is described below in the revised Constitution for Boards of Management 2007.

"The Secretary

In circumstances where the Principal Teacher acts as Secretary to the Board of Management and is in receipt of an allowance to act as Secretary to that Board, the requirement for a Recording Secretary will not apply. Duties of Principal Teachers acting as Secretary to Boards of Management are outlined in Circular 0079/2007.

However, in the circumstances where the Principal Teacher of a school does not take up the allowance payable for acting as Secretary to a Board of Management;

(a)The Board shall elect a Recording Secretary from amongst its members.

(b)It shall be the duty of the Recording Secretary to:

(i) Keep minutes of each meeting in an appropriate form to be retained in a safe place and to be available on request to representatives of the Patron, the Trustees and the Department of Education and Science.

(ii)Set the agenda for meetings in consultation with the Chairperson of the Board and the Principal.

(iii)Record in the minute's decisions reached at meetings including the numbers of those voting for or against a motion.

Points to consider

The dynamics of Boards of Management vary from Board to Board. Most Principals are already fulfilling the functions of Secretary to the Board of Management as set out in the circular with the possible exception of being the person who records the minutes at the meeting. The reason for this is that the Principal Teacher acts as the main source of information and chief advisor to the Board and, as such, must be in a position to contribute to each and every item on the Agenda. To fulfil these functions effectively and keep an accurate account of the meeting at the same time is demanding too much of the Principal. Many Principals are fortunate enough to have a Board member volunteer to record the events of the meeting thus leaving the principal free to contribute to the discussion on all items. Some Principals on the other hand have chosen to record the minutes themselves in order to protect the accuracy of the records.

Should a Board of Management insist on a Principal Teacher actually taking the minutes of the meeting in order to receive the allowance, the Principal has two options:

a)The Principal can reserve the right not to receive the allowance thereby necessitating the BoM to "elect" somebody else to take the minutes of the meeting. The elected person will not be paid the allowance in such an arrangement.

b)Under Circular 79/2007 the Principal can opt to be Secretary to the Board of Management including taking the minutes of the Board meetings and receive the allowance. It would be advisable for the Principal to have this Circular discussed at the first Board of Management meeting of the new school year.

Recording Minutes

Minutes, which can be recorded on a template, should only report topics discussed, decisions taken and actions required. Reporting the detail of discussions at meetings is neither necessary nor wise. To avoid unnecessary duplication it would be an advantage if the Treasurer's Report and the Principal's Report were presented in written format enabling them to become attached to the Minutes Template.

The following is a sample template of the minutes of a Board of Management meeting is available to download from the following link

Sample BOM Minutes Template

Is sinne le meas,

Seán Cottrell, Tomás O Slatara

Related documents

Sample Minutes of BoM Meeting

43 KB

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Published: 04 September 2007

Ag tús na scoil bliana nua gabhaim gach dea-ghu agus sláinte ort mar Cheannaire Scoile.

New Appointments

Congratulations to all Newly Appointed Principals and Deputy Principals. We wish you every success in your new leadership role and hope that you will find it rewarding and stimulating on both a professional and a personal level. This time of year also sees the appointment of a number of Acting Principals and IPPN acknowledges that this role, although not permanent, is equally challenging and in need of support. If you are aware of any new appointments, please advise those Principals and Deputy Principals to make contact with the IPPN Support Office as soon as possible (details below) to avail of IPPN's supports and services.

Retirements

It is also timely to congratulate our colleagues who have retired recently and are beginning a new phase of life. Given that many Principals take early retirement, for them it is more a change in career direction and we wish them every success in their new endeavours.

Ciall Ceannaithe - Sound Advice and Borrowed Wisdom for Newly Appointed Principals

This is IPPN's latest publication supporting Newly Appointed and Acting Principals. It contains a wealth of practical strategies, useful tips and advice in the critical first year of school leadership. If you have not received your copy of Ciall Ceannaithe, please contact the IPPN Support Office.

Principal's Information Management System (PIMS) 2007/2008

PIMS is IPPN's desk diary for Principals and their Deputies and is an invaluable resource in enabling effective planning and prioritising on a daily, weekly, monthly and termly basis. If you are a new Principal you should have received a copy of PIMS along with Ciall Ceannaithe during the summer. If not, please contact the IPPN Support Office. There is a small number of PIMS diaries available for those Principals who did not place their order last June. These will be issued on a first-come first-served basis to those who contact the Support Office.

New IPPN President

Congratulations to Mr Larry Fleming, Principal of Ballinamere National School, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, who has taken up the role of President of IPPN from 1st September 2007. The presidency of IPPN is a two-year term during which Larry will be seconded from his school to fulfil a key leadership function on behalf of Principals. This involves leading the IPPN Executive and National Committees, consulting with IPPN members nationwide, developing policy as well as representing IPPN at meetings with the Education Partners. Larry is a founding member of IPPN and has been a leader in the establishment of special units for children with Autism in the Midlands. He has also been Editor of Leadership+ for three years and has played a significant role in IPPN's Principals' Conferences to date. I look forward to working closely with Larry in his new role and wish him every success.

IPPN Past President

Mr Tomás O Slatara completed his term as President on 31st August 2007 and has returned as Principal of Grange National School, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. Tomás has given exemplary service to Principals since the foundation of IPPN but particularly in the last two years. His passionate commitment to the role of Teaching Principal and smaller schools was instrumental in getting the Department of Education and Science to begin to focus on the needs of small schools. IPPN's publication, Breacadh Ré Nua - New Horizons for Smaller Schools and Teaching Principals is the key reference point now for policy-makers on 'small school' issues and is testimony to Tomás' vision and commitment in this area. Tomás also contributed significantly to the development of strong North/South links between school leaders and policy-makers in both jurisdictions through the North/South Seminars and Exchange Programmes. Gabhaimid Ár mbuíochas do Thomás ar an méid a rinne sé ar son Príomhoide na hEireann. Rath Dé air agus ar a chlann.

IPPN Assistant Director

Responding to the growing needs of Principals and their Deputies, IPPN has appointed Ms. Virginia O'Mahony as Assistant Director for Membership Services. Virginia is well known to you as Conference Coordinator (2001, 2002) and President of IPPN (2003-2005). Her role will focus mainly on developing and delivering the supports and services required by members, ranging from professional development events to Principal Advice - the various ways in which individual members can learn from the experience of others. Virginia has 25 years' experience of school leadership in Scoil Chaitríona Senior School, Renmore, Galway. She has a remarkable track record of supporting fellow Principals both locally in Galway and nationally and her appointment enhances IPPN's capacity in delivering quality supports and services to our members.

Is mise le meas,
Seán Cottrell

IPPN Support Office, Glounthaune, Co. Cork 1890 21 22 23 info@ippn.ie

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