IPPN

E-Scéal 38: Transfer of Students from Primary to Post Primary

Published: 10 June 2004

Transfer of students from Primary to Post Primary

Every year Principals and teachers of senior classes witness a wide variety of practice in relation to pupils transferring from Primary to Second Level. IPPN & NAPD (Second Level Principals) established a joint working group to put in place a code of good practice which would be in the best interest of the children concerned and would address the needs and challenges currently faced at upper primary and lower second level. The appropriate transfer of information from primary to second level schools is central to establishing good practice. In the course of the next 10 days, IPPN will issue an A4 template of a Student Transfer Form which maybe useful for those schools wishing to adopt procedures which have been standardised across a broad range of schools.

School league tables

Meanwhile, in the context of recent media attention on the topic of school league tables and 'grind schools', RTE 5-7 Live recorded and interview with IPPN which focused on the impact of entrance examinations on primary schools. This interview can be heard on RTE's web page: http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0521/57live.html

Early Childhood Education Seminars

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) invites you and your colleagues to its regional seminars in June. Please extend this invitation to all members of your school staff who have an interest / experience in early childhood education. These seminars are part of its consultation with the early childhood sector. The purpose of the seminars is to gather feedback on the ideas and proposals in the NCCA's consultative document for the development of a national framework to support all children's learning from birth to six years. Details of the seminars

Details of the seminars available at: www.ncca.ie

Venue	Date	Time
Red Cow Moran Hotel, Red Cow Roundabout, Naas Rd., Dublin 22	Tuesday, 8th June	7.30-9.30 p.m.
Galway Bay Hotel, The Promenade, Salthill, Galway.	Wednesday, 9th June	7.30-9.30 p.m.
Silver Springs Moran Hotel, Tivoli, Cork	Thursday, 10th June	7.30-9.30 p.m.
Nuremore Hotel and Country Club, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan	Tuesday, 22nd June	7.30-9.30 p.m.

Escéal 37: Prof. Michael Fullan - Interview on RTE's Morning Ireland

Published: 01 June 2004

Fullan interview on RTE - Morning Ireland

Following the success of his two workshops in Thurles and Mullingar, Michael Fullan was interviewed by RTE's Morning Ireland on Thursday May 20th . The interview was broadcast in the context of the publication of so called Second Level School League Tables. Whether or not you participated in Michael Fullan's workshops, I am sure you will enjoy listening to his interview which can be accessed from RTE's web archives by single clicking here.

Your computer needs a programme called RealPlayer to listen to RTE audio files. If you don't have RealPlayer you can download it free from www.realplayer.com

Story writing competition for primary school children

AIB has launched a story writing competition for primary school children which is based on a review of their favourite book. Entry to the competition is by way of application forms from a local AIB Branch - and not through the school. The competition, called 'Wordy Worm's Story' is divided into two age categories:

6-9 years (maximum 100 words) and 10-12 years (maximum 200 words).

A prize of €50 each will be awarded to the 28 county winners (2 in Dublin and 2 in Cork and 1 in all other counties) in both categories. These county winners will then be further adjudicated for national prizes which will be awarded as follows:

1st Prize €300, with €1,000 in book tokens for the winner's school in both categories
2nd Prize €250, with €500 in book tokens for the winner's school in both categories
3rd Prize €200, with €250 in book tokens for the winner's school in both categories

Full details of the competition are included on the entry forms which are available at your local AIB branch. Details of the competition are also available on the website www.aib.ie/kids where entry forms can be downloaded.

Closing date for receipt of entries is Wednesday, 30th June 2004 and winners will be announced by 30th September 2004. All enquiries about this competition to Muriel O'Driscoll, AIB, Ph: 01-6411975. Please inform the pupils/parents of your school about this competition.

E-scéal 36: Crisis in Special Education Needs

Published: 15 May 2004

Crisis in Special Education Needs

The present uncertainty concerning the allocation of SEN resources for 2004/2005 is putting an unacceptable burden on principals. The approaching end of the school year requires the principal to make decisions that are vital to the effective running of the school. This year principals find themselves unable to plan for teaching appointments, class allocation, accommodation requirements, textbook lists and transport needs. The broad thrust of curricular planning is also thrown off course by the uncertainty about staffing levels. Some of the serious pressures on principals include:

The difficulty of maintaining a positive level of staff morale among teachers who do not know where or how they will be employed on 1st September 2004
The anxiety of the parents, whose children have been waiting for resources since early 2003, and whose questions still remain unanswered.
The professional frustration at not being able to adequately plan and prepare for the effective running of schools in the new school year.

All this is happening in a context where the DES has increasingly raised expectations of schools' ability to strategically plan and evaluate the education of the children in their care.

IPPN acknowledges the anxiety being felt by all principals at this difficult time. We have made a considered submission to the DES reflecting what principals believe to be an equitable and workable method of resource allocation. IPPN will continue to support principals in the delivery of the new system whenever it becomes a reality. As with all areas of the principal's professional life, IPPN will promote best practice, collegiality and true professionalism in dealing with the most vulnerable children in our schools.

Our National Committee will meet this week-end in Portlaoise. Further consideration will be given to the area of S.E.N. resource allocation at this meeting.

E-scéal 35: Educationposts.ie & Obesity Poll

Published: 10 May 2004

EducationPosts.ie

If your school has a permanent or temporary vacancy coming up in the next few months, may I remind you to advertise the vacancy on www.educationposts.ie. Whilst regulations oblige that such vacancies are advertised in a national daily newspaper (minimum one day), principals report that the high number of applications in reply to advertisements on educationposts.com provides evidence of it's effectiveness in reaching the maximum number of teachers. Please note that:

advertising on educationposts.com is entirely free of charge
the advert for your vacancy is sent automatically to the mailbox of every teacher who is registered for vacancies in your county
as well as the basic information on the vacancy, you can include a comprehensive description of your school, website links etc.
web-based advertising reaches teachers 24/7 - on career break, working overseas on holiday, etc.
your school's advertisement is automatically removed following the closing date that you have chosen

Leaders' Views - Survey of your opinions on Childhood Obesity

IPPN seeks your views on the links between the marketing of soft drinks / fast food and childhood obesity. This survey involves clicking 'yes' or 'no' to answer 3 questions and takes less than one minute to complete. Please go to www.educationopinion.ie to take part in this survey.

This Friday, May 21st is the last day to participate in the survey.

E-scéal 34: Prof. Michael Fullan - 2 one-day Workshops

Published: 01 May 2004

"Leading in a Culture of Change"

Tuesday 11th May 2004 - Anner Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and
Wednesday 12th May 2004 - Bloomfield Hotel, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath

Prof. Michael Fullan has earned international respect from principals for his outstanding writing and teaching on educational leadership and school improvement.

Some quotes from last year's workshop participants:

"Helped me to focus my personal and professional priorities"
"Inspirational, it gave me hope"
"Informative, thought-provoking, practical, realistic and encouraging"
"Very positive, meaningful and pertinent to the Irish education system"
"Excellent handbook and bookmarks, great to have the book to dip into afterwards"
"Learned strategies to address negative responses about change from staff"
"Well paced and enjoyable; challenging cutting edge change ideas"
"Heartening to listen to such positive fellow professionals"
"I feel energised after the experience

Prof. Michael Fullan's Workshops in 2004 will enable participants to:

Identify key strategies for managing change under chaotic conditions
Deepen understanding of educational change
Participate in learning activities based on real school leadership situations
Develop greater capacity for effective school leadership

If you wish to take part in either of these workshops, please complete the application form and return it asap with a cheque for €100 to the address on the form.