IPPN

Published: 17 May 2007

A Chara
Every year, the month of May presents Principals with the challenge of allocating classes to teachers. There are few aspects of the role of Principal where the opportunity for 'fall-out' is greater. Every member of staff knows the complexity of the Principal's task yet often staff are unhappy with the decisions the Principal has made. There are so many factors to be taken on board - teaching styles, teaching abilities, personalities, preferences, childrens' learning needs, continuity, career opportunity, fairness, staff rotation, size of calsses, special needs, teachers' health / wellness, the Teaching Principal, team work ... and many more. So, how to carry out this essential function of the Principal with the greater good of the entire school in mind? Based on experience and knowledge gathered over the last few years, this E-scéal contains links to five key resources for Principals to assist with the process of class allocation. Go n-eirí­ leat leis an saothair tábhachtach seo. IPPN Professional Guidance re Class Allocation Who picks the Team Class Preference Sheet for Teachers Education Act 1998 Ref to Principal Teachers (Summary) Interview of 2 Galway Principals on the Topic of Class Allocation & Best Practice (Podcast)

Benchmarking for Principals

We are indeed delighted that principals' pay and working conditions featured so prominently over the Easter break. Following the in-depth research and professional evaluation of principalship presented in the IPPN publication 'Investing in School Leadership', it is heartening that this issue is being afforded the prominence it deserves and has moved to a higher place on the agenda. The crisis around the recruitment and retention of school leaders, put clearly on the agenda both nationally and internationally by IPPN, now appears to be accepted as a reality by others. It would appear that we can be confident that principals' pay will have a more coherent focus in the coming months in the lead up to Benchmarking. This has to be welcome news for principals and, hopefully, the Benchmarking process will produce a positive response. The basic tenet of the IPPN leadership vision "Quality Leadership - Quality Learning" may at last have taken hold where it counts. Principals must wonder what is really happening when a clear, logical, reasoned and reasonable case for the proper financial reward of principals attracts such knee-jerk criticism. Is sinne le meas
Seán Cottrell & Tomás O Slatara

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Published: 30 April 2007

IPPN will host a One Day Conference on Tuesday, May 15th at the Tullamore Court Hotel. The theme for this year's event is Distributed Leadership, facilitated by Prof Jim Spillane.

Jim Spillane (Professor in Learning and Organisational Change at Northwestern University, Illinois), is a native of Bantry, Co Cork, and a graduate of St Pat's College & Michigan State University.

Prof Spillane is the leading expert in "Distributed Leadership," and will show how leadership happens in everyday practices in schools, through formal routines and informal interactions. He examines the distribution of leadership among the in-school management team, teachers and staff in the school, and explains the ways in which leadership practice is stretched over leaders, followers, and aspects of the situation, including routines and tools of various sorts within the school.

If you would like to attend this one day event, please print, complete and return the booking form below.

Is sinne le meas

Seán Cottrell & Tomás O Slatara

Attendees will, on attending the workshop:

• Understand what Distributed Leadership means
• Be able to demonstrate how Distributed Leadership can be achieved in schools
• Explore the benefits of Distributed Leadership
• Know how to overcome the barriers that work against distributing leadership.

James Spillane, the leading expert in "Distributed Leadership," shows how leadership happens in everyday practices in schools, through formal routines and informal interactions. He examines the distribution of leadership among administrators, specialists, and teachers in the school, and explains the ways in which leadership practice is stretched over leaders, followers, and aspects of the situation, including routines and tools of various sorts in the organization such as memos, scheduling procedures, and evaluation protocols

Please note:

• The fee for this seminar is €150 per attendee. This includes Refreshments and Lunch.
• Registration: 8.30 am, Conference starts 9.30 am and ends at 4.30 pm.
• A full programme will be e-mailed to each participant prior to Conference.
• Send crossed cheque payable to IPPN to:
• Distributed Leadership Conf, IPPN Support Office, Glounthaune, Co. Cork.
• Places will be allocated on a 'first come, first served' basis.

School / Organisation Details
Attendee Details
Roll No:
First Name:
School / Org Name:
Surname:
County:
E-mail Address:
Work Telephone:
Mobile:

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Published: 24 April 2007

A Chara,

IPPN's 4th Annual Conference for Deputy Principals' will take place on May 15th 2007 at the Tullamore Court Hotel,Co. Offaly. To register, please print the application form below and return it to IPPN's Support Office with the appropriate fee.

Is sinne le meas

Seán Cottrell & Tomás O Slatara

DP Conference Application Form

Related documents

DP Conference Application Form 2007

75 KB

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Published: 11 January 2007

A Chara,

Fáilte ar ais agus ath-bhlian faoi shéan is faoi mhaise dhuit.

Conference 2007

Final arrangements for Killarney are underway and the event promises to be both stimulating and entertaining. We look forward to meeting many of you at Conference. Due to high demand, we have arranged with the hotel to increase capacity for workshops. If you would like to attend Conference, please contact the IPPN Support Office on 1890 21 22 23.

Text-a-Sub

This service has proven to be an essential support for Principals in finding substitute teachers. The fact that it enables you to contact only those substitutes that are currently available is a major time-saver.

Recently we have learned that an individual falsely claiming to be a qualified teacher registered with TextaSub and responded to a call from a Principal. This raises the question about the verification and authenticity of anyone applying for work in a school. TextaSub is just another means of locating available teachers. Whether a Principal / Deputy Principal sources a substitute teacher through a newspaper advert, the local unemployment centre, Education Centre or a website, the responsibility to verify the qualifications and suitability of the individual candidate is the same.

IPPN's advice is that no matter how you find a substitute teacher (or indeed any staff member), you should request that a copy of their qualifications, accompanied by a passport, driving licence or other official photo-ID, be presented prior to commencing work. It is also reasonable to ask substitute teachers where they have worked recently so that an oral reference can be sought from those schools.

In summary, the Board of Management, through the Principal, is responsible for recruitment regardless of the means by which it is carried out. A clear disclaimer to this effect can be seen on www.textasub.ie.

Note: Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, when commenced, will make it obligatory for all teachers working in schools to be registered with the Council. As of now only new entrants to the profession are required to provide relevant details to employers. It is anticipated that section 30 will commence in 2007.

Meanwhile, TextaSub.ie has helped hundreds of Principals to find thousands of substitute teachers in the last three years. It takes three minutes to send out your message, giving you access to the substitute teachers currently available in your county. If you haven't availed of this service, which is free to IPPN members, check it out!

Is sinne le meas,

Tomás Ó Slatara, Seán Cottrell

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