IPPN

Published: 05 November 2003

In the last few days two Principals have notified IPPN about telephone calls to their schools which were a cause of concern. A school in the midlands was telephoned by someone claiming to be a psychologist making specific enquiries about a child with special needs. It subsequently emerged that the family was unaware of the existence of and had no prior contact with this 'psychologist'. In the second scenario a caller was looking for contact details for members of staff whilst making reference to contracts of employment, pension rights etc. It turned out this caller was actually trying to canvass ancillary staff for PRSAs!

In light of both of these experiences IPPN recommends that unsolicited calls to a school seeking to discuss or enquire about members of staff, pupils and their families should not be entertained. The Data Protection Act requires that, information re a person's contact details, nature of work, personal circumstances, level of educational achievement etc. should not be divulged without explicit consent from the person in question and only to people who have properly identified themselves as having the right to collect such data.

Anyone seeking such information should submit their requests in writing or make an appointment and call to the school in person. In the busy life of a school it may be tempting and indeed quite convenient to deal with such requests for information over the telephone. However, because it is impossible to verify the bona fides of a telephone caller, it may be wise to refuse all such requests.

Is mise le meas,

Seán Cottrell
Director

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Published: 01 November 2003

Following IPPN's conference in February 2003 a sub-committee was established to conduct a research project on the future of small primary schools and the role of teaching principal. This research sub-committee consists of six teaching principals, coordinated by Tomás O'Slatara, Tipperary, who will present their findings at IPPN Conference 2004 next February. Part of the research project is to examine alternative models of school organisation as they exist in other countries. To this end the research sub committee would like to make contact with and learn from the experience already gained by others.

Over the last decade or so, quite a number of Irish schools have made use of the Comenius programme enabling teachers and principals to visit schools across Europe and collaborate on agreed projects. The purpose of this e-mail is to enquire if you have come across any small schools with alternative or innovative governance / management structures.

Please consider the following:

• Are you aware of any innovative / creative approaches to the governance / principalship of small schools involving school clusters, confederations etc?
• Can you suggest any country / state / region that has experimented with or remodelled their small schools and as a consequence, would be worth investigation?
• Do you know of any research which has been carried out pertaining to small schools and alternative approaches to their governance / leadership?
• Can you advise of any university / academic that has researched or published on this or other related topics?

If you can help with any of aspect of this query, I would be delighted to hear from you. Please e-mail any information on this topic to info@ippn.ie with 'Future of Small Schools' in the subject bar.

Is mise le meas,

Seán Cottrell
Director

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Published: 10 October 2003

You will have recently received a notification about Profexcel's online Programme of Special Education Needs Courses. These courses are part funded by the newly established Special Education Support Service which is based in Laois Education Centre.

The purpose of this e-scéal is to inform you that there are still places available for teachers wishing to participate in the various courses listed below.

Teachers can enrol at anytime up until the 27th November. Those wishing to enrol should do so online at www.profexcel.net.

The courses run from now until the 5th December and are interactive; participants can avail of support and advice from online tutors.

This autumn there are four courses available online:

• ADHD: Effective Management and Teaching Strategies
• Dyslexia: Identification and Effective Interventions
• Understanding Autism: Effective Management and Teaching Strategies
  
  

  This course is run in conjunction with the Special Education Department of St Patrick's College, Drumcondra.

  Inclusion: Students with Special Educational Needs in Mainstream SchoolsAnyone wishing to find out more should contact Deirdre Mac Intyre at
  045 982628 / 045 893072 or emailing info@profexcel.net

It would be appreciated if you could bring this to the attention of your staff.

Is mise le meas,

Seán Cottrell
Director

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Published: 01 October 2003

IPPN as a professional association, is seriously concerned about the Health, Safety and Welfare of it's members in light of the continuous increase in workload and expansion of role- responsibility, in particular as they relate to Teaching Principals. While IPPN has no remit on matters pertaining to salary and conditions, we hear members in each county network continuously expressing a deep frustration with the incremental growth in workload and responsibility and the corresponding decline in the prospect of meaningful reward. The role of our trade union is to improve our salaries and working conditions. IPPN will continue to make the INTO aware of the strong views and feelings of school leaders. 12 years ago the INTO stated that ....

'any proposal to redefine or expand the role of principal teachers should only be introduced by agreement between the interests concerned',
Page 71, The Role of Principal Teacher - A Review. 1991

Does the current reality reflect this?

"DES circulars continue to be monitored for workload implications on principals",
Forum Bulletin, Issue 7, September 2003.

Statements such as these are greeted with disbelief and scepticism. Given that it is two years since the last INTO Principals' Consultative Conference - which was pre-Benchmarking - it is incredible that the issues of salary, conditions & workload fail to feature on the agenda for this weekend's conference in Dundalk! In order to have credibility for Principals, the INTO must address the following key core union issues for school leaders:

• A separate salary scale for principals and deputy principals (on par with 2nd level) with appropriate differentials to facilitate a progressive career/promotion pay path
• The inclusion of all teaching and non-teaching staff as the basis for
  
  
  • appointment of administrative principals
  • calculation of teaching principals'release days
  • calculation of principals'allowances (until separate salary scale implementation)
• A properly substituted release structure for all teaching principals
• Release time for deputy principals of larger schools on a pro-rata basis
• An agreed rate of overtime pay for professional work outside of school hours
• An agreed system for the recoupment of work related expenses
• A dignified 'step-down' facility for long-serving principals without inequitable loss of benefits / seniority

Enough is Enough! ...or is it? The much heralded 'Enough is Enough' campaign was launched after the Benchmarking fiasco. This 'campaign' has achieved nothing significant to date other than to reinforce principals' perception that the Benchmarking / Sustaining Progress deals were fought half-heartedly for school leaders. The report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body illustrated many glaring anomalies re principal salaries (Cf. below). [It is worth noting that principal teachers are the only managerial grade within the entire public sector that is placed on the same salary scale (plus allowance) as the personnel whom they manage]. The Education Act, 1998 is unambiguous in where it places the principal teacher in a management function - positioned clearly between the Board of Management and the staff of the school. This is also defined and expanded upon in Defining the Role of the Primary Principal in Ireland, HayGroup Management Consultants, 2003. The failure to place principal teachers on a proper and separate salary scale is a challenging and major frustration for principals; and it is also a discouragement to younger teachers who should be viewing principalship as an attractive promotion / career enhancement. School leaders cannot any longer tolerate the mindset that considers principalship merely a post of responsibility with a slightly bigger allowance than other posts of responsibility - depending on the size of the school.
The table below illustrates the serious and unsatisfactory outcomes of the last "Job Evaluation" prepared for the Benchmarking process.

Key anomalies that must be addressed

• A teaching principal (1-5 Teachers) will receive an annual allowance of €7,544. This is less than the allowance received by a deputy principal (€7,919) in a 14+ teacher school.
• A teaching principal (1-5 Teachers) will earn a mere €12 per week (before Tax) more than an assistant principal (formerly 'A Post') in a 14+ teacher school.
• Approximately 75% of all principals (i.e. teaching principals) will receive a maximum allowance of €8,454 which is less than that received by a deputy principal (€9,273) in a 17+ teacher school!
• A primary principal (27-30 Teachers) will receive an allowance of €20,606 whereas his/her 2nd level colleague with the same number of teachers is allowed €25,542. The disparity between primary and 2nd level principal allowances continues to widen in larger schools.
• The combined post-holder allowances greatly outstrip those of the principal.

We read in the latest Forum bulletin that "the CEC has commissioned a job evaluation of principals and deputy principals of primary schools as part of the preparation for a further benchmarking exercise next year". This time we would expect that the INTO would adopt IPPN's valuable research: The Value of Leadership?, 2001 and The HayGroup Report 2003: Defining the Role of the Primary Principal in Ireland.

When exactly does 'Enough' really mean 'Enough'? In recent years the phenomenon of principals being unable to take and enjoy holidays without interruption has become all too familiar. The DES regularly communicates with principals in July and August by telephone and by mail with the expectation that we are attending school business whilst the rest of the staff is on holiday. The annual crises relating to the recruitment of staff, the acquisition of resources for children with special needs and additional accommodation almost inevitably require principals to sacrifice significant amounts of time out of their school holidays. Has there been some new agreement that has changed the contract of a principal teacher?

Responsibility & Workload Continues to Expand While Legislation, Policy Initiatives & Programmes have individually brought many praiseworthy benefits to children, teachers and parents in the Primary Education Sector, collectively they have led to major additional workload and responsibility for Principals. These developments have fundamentally changed how schools operate and have taken place without any dedicated consultation with the people directly involved.
Among these developments are:

• Boards of Management - Consequential Workload
• Bullying Prevention Guidelines
• Career Breaks
• Carers Leave
• Case Conferences
• Children First Guidelines - Designated Liaison Person (DLP)
• Data Protection Act
• Education & Welfare Act
• Education Act
• Enrolment Appeals under Section 29 of the Education Act
• Equal Status Act
• External Supervisors replacing teachers who 'opt out' of supervision
• Foreign Language pilot project
• Health & Safety Act
• In-School Management
• Integration of Children from Overseas / Asylum Seekers
• Integration of Children with Special Education Needs
• IT 2000
• Job Sharing
• Learning Support Guidelines
• Multiple Schemes to Alleviate Educational Disadvantage
• Parental Leave
• Payment for Supervision
• Psychological & other Professional Services
• Resource Teaching Provision and Organisation
• Revised Curriculum Implementation
• School Development Planning
• Special Needs Assistants & Classroom Assistants
• Teacher Exchange
• Transport & Bus Escorts for Children with Special Education Needs
• Travelling expenses for Shared Resource, Learning Support & HSL Teachers.

A Question of Health, Safety & Welfare

In 1996 there was an average of 5.9 teachers applying for every vacant principalship. In 2002 this figure had dropped to 2.9 applicants per vacancy! The morale of principal teachers is waning under the growing stress associated with impossible workload and seemingly infinite responsibilities. Unless meaningful relief measures are provided for principals in addition to a substantial increase in remuneration, not only will the number of teachers applying for principalship continue to diminish but also growing numbers of existing principals will seek to relinquish their roles in the interest of their personal health, safety and welfare. We ask all school leaders to actively raise these crucial issues at their branch and fora meetings, and at seminars and conferences.  Serving the needs of leadership at this time of great change will actually stand to the long-term benefit of the entire teaching profession.

Jim Hayes	Seán Cottrell
President	Director

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