IPPN

Published: 29 November 2017

Mentoring

There are now 400 (300 primary and 100 post-primary) fully trained CSL mentors in various parts of Ireland and a further 118 principals are currently training on the CSL programme. Last year, there were 138 mentoring relationships formed. The 93 at primary level were confined to the Leinster area and there were 45 post-primary mentoring relationships countrywide. Currently, there are 52 post-primary mentoring relationships organised and 191 primary mentoring relationships, as access to a CSL mentor is now available to newly appointed primary principals all over Ireland.

Principals who have completed their first year accessing the formal CSL mentoring service have since moved into a group mentoring support for the second year of their principalship. This service is being provided by IPPN and NAPD, and currently, there are 14 primary group mentoring groups in the Leinster area and …… post-primary mentoring groups countrywide. Group mentoring will be available to all principals on the second year of their role form September 2018.

Fitzpatrick’s Consultants have been employed by the Department of Education and Skills to conduct an evaluation on the pilot phase of CSL. In their interim report, they have stated that mentees reported high levels of satisfaction with the programme. Some 98% of new principals stated that it was critical for their professional learning and that the most highly rated aspect of the mentoring relationship was the trustworthiness of the mentor.

Coaching

The coaching service was launched at the end of January 2017 and over 320 principals have engaged in the service to date. Currently, 67% of those accessing the service are in primary schools, with 33% in post-primary schools. In addition, 67% of these principals are female and 33% are male.  Informal feedback to the CSL team suggests that principals are finding the service extremely helpful and some have described it as one of the most effective and most appreciated services ever provided for principals by the Department of Education and Skills. The main issues arising at the coaching sessions are stress and home/work balance, dealing with staff issues and building relationships and time management.  In recent weeks, Fitzpatrick’s Consultants have anonymously surveyed those accessing the coaching service about their experiences and we look forward to the publication of those results in 2018.

PDSL –Aspiring Leaders’ Programme

In September, the new PDSL was launched and 240 teachers from all over the country have embarked on this programme which is run in six locations around the country. This is a part-time programme involving blended learning which takes place over 18 months and incorporates a small element of work experience. Initial reactions to the programme are very positive and it is hoped that a further 240 places will be advertised in February for the next academic year. Details will be on our website in the New Year.

Research

Part of the work of Fitzpatrick’s consultants was to conduct research into the professional learning needs of principals. This research was conducted over the past few months and in their interim report, post-primary principals identified that developing a collaborative culture with staff, learning about assessment and implementing school self-evaluation were their top three learning needs. Primary principals differed as they stated conflict management and resolution was their main learning need, followed closely by their own well-being and that of their staff members.

Consultation on Quality Assurance and the Continuum of Professional Learning for Teachers/Leaders

In October, CSL produced two consultative documents, “A Professional Learning Continuum for School Leadership in the Irish Context” and “CSL Quality Assurance Pilot Process for Professional Learning in School Leadership”. These are available on the CSL website at www.cslireland.ie. The CSL team met with management and trust bodies, third level institutions, professional bodies, teacher unions and members of the support services in the DES, Marlborough St. on October 9^th last. All those present at this Consultative Forum have been invited to respond to both documents by written submission. At the time of writing, these responses are still in the process of being submitted to CSL. The team will spend a considerable amount of time in 2018 developing a quality assurance process for professional learning in the area of leadership. This in turn, will identify the gaps in that learning along the continuum of a teacher’s career. The continuum focuses on each career stage from teacher leadership, through middle leadership, induction, established leadership and system leadership. It proposes each stage as having potential for an end point as well as a step to the next stage of leadership.

The feedback on both the proposed continuum and quality assurance process will be available in the New Year.

The CSL team would like to wish all principals and deputy principals a very enjoyable run up to the Christmas holidays, and a very happy and relaxing Christmas break. We look forward to working with you in 2018.

Published: 30 May 2017

Aspiring Leaders’ Course - Post-graduate Diploma in School Leadership (PDSL)

In partnership with IPPN, NAPD and the DES, the CSL Post-graduate Diploma in School Leadership (PDSL) was officially launched in the University of Limerick (UL) on May 5th. The programme will be jointly delivered and awarded by UL, the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) (including St Angela’s) and University College Dublin (UCD). Additional academic support for the programme will be provided by Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) with delivery support from Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Association of Teachers’ Education Centres in Ireland (ATECI).

The programme is a part-time (18 months) blended learning professional diploma, delivered locally in six regional locations throughout the country with provision in Irish in NUIG. The course will include two short periods of work placement: one in a school other than the participant’s own, the other in a setting outside of education.

The content includes leading teaching and learning, professional growth and development, leading school transformation, mentoring and coaching, leading school development and building culture, capacity and teams.

Fees support for this programme will be provided by the DES and the cost to participants will be €2,000. The course will be open to approximately 200 participants annually.

The application process is currently open. Applications can be made using the following link: http://www.ul.ie/cpe/pdsl/. The closing date is June 16th. 

The CSL Team would urge all school leaders to bring this information to the attention of their staff, to encourage others to consider leadership, and to develop leadership capacity in those we work with on a daily basis in our schools.

Mentoring
Shared Learning Cohort One
The final Shared Learning Day for CSL Cohort One mentors this academic year took place in the Athlone Radisson Hotel on May 18th. It was attended by 81 primary principals and 32 from the post-primary sector.

Jacinta Kitt gave an entertaining and much-appreciated talk on ‘Bringing Positivity to the Mentoring Relationship’. In the feedback, participants wrote about Jacinta as ‘refreshingly insightful’ and described her talk as ‘an enlightening presentation’, ‘sensible, doable and realistic’ and ‘an accurate assessment of the life of a school and the individuals within’.

Jacinta recently published her book, ‘Leadership and Management: Positive Behaviours, Relationships and Emotions: The Heart of Leadership in a School’ which was on sale on the day.

Each CSL mentor who has completed training and has mentored during this year will receive a CSL Mentoring Achievement Certificate in September.

Time was spent on revision of the CSL’s suite of mentoring procedures and protocols, and on the closure of the current mentoring relationships by June 30th.

A video show-casing the mentor/mentee relationship was welcomed and applauded by the participants. It featured two very successful and inspiring mentoring relationships, one primary and one post-primary. The video was recorded and edited by Jody O’ Connor, CSL Digital Media Support.

Cohort One mentors also had the opportunity to meet with their ‘Cairde’ to discuss the progress of the mentoring relationships, and any issues or challenges arising.

Final Training Day-Cohort Two
The final Training Day for CSL Cohort Two mentors took place in the Athlone Radisson Hotel on May 19th. It also featured Jacinta Kitt and the mentor/mentee video. An overview of Misneach was presented by Anthony Kilcoyne, Team Leader, PDST Leadership.

A discussion panel of system supports for newly-appointed principals consisted of each of the management bodies - CPSMA, Church of Ireland Board of Education, Educate Together, NABMSE, An Foras Patrúnachta and the Muslim Board of Education. They were joined by IPPN and the INTO representatives. The theme of the session was the importance of knowing when to ask for help and where to go when in need of assistance. Participants wrote that they found this session ‘informative and beneficial’ and that they very much appreciated the opportunity to be ‘re-struck by the myriad of supports and common issues’.

The day ended on a high note when Simon Lewis’ poem ‘Driving Lessons’ was read by post-primary deputy director, Máire Ni Bhróithe. The poem was specially written by Simon, himself a CSL-trained mentor, for Shared Learning last year.

Group Mentoring
Group Mentor facilitation training is currently being organised by IPPN in consultation with NAPD. It is expected that 20 current CSL mentors who have completed the training and who have mentored over the course of this year, will train as group mentors for primary principals in the second year of the role in the Leinster area. The groups will meet on four/five occasions next year with administrative support from the IPPN Support Office. A further ten facilitators will be trained at post-primary level.

This group mentoring service will be available countrywide to all principals in the second year of the role from September 2018. This is a very positive step by the DES which will result in two years of mentoring support for newly-appointed principals, the first on a one-to-one basis and the second as group support. 
The CSL team is proud to record that 381 mentors have now completed formal mentor training, 279 at primary level and 102 at post-primary level. 

Coaching
To date, well over 200 principals have engaged in the CSL coaching service. Informal feedback which has been offered to the team is extremely positive with principals appreciating and enjoying time spent one to one with a professional executive coach. The service offers principals the opportunity to reflect on their practice, appreciate everything that has been achieved and prioritise areas for improvement in the future.

The coaching relationship begins with the building of rapport and the development of trust. Goals are discussed, assumptions challenged and perspectives expanded. While the coach is in a supportive role, s/he will also challenge the client and hold them accountable, maintaining motivation and encouraging feedback. 
This service is extremely worthwhile for principals, giving them much-needed time and space to examine their own practice and the work of their school, and to decide on goals and strategies for improved learning outcomes in the future. For more details, go to the coaching section of the CSL website www.cslireland.ie, and choose a coach in your area to complete a ‘chemistry check’ before beginning the six sessions available to each principal, completely free of charge. 

A Continuum of Leadership
The CSL Work Plan for the final year of the pilot includes the mapping out of a continuum of leadership for school leaders in Ireland. This begins with teacher leadership, through to middle leadership, aspiring leadership, induction and appropriate supports for experienced principals and those interested in system leadership.

The initial focus will be the development of a national induction programme for newly-appointed principals in consultation with PDST. This programme is presently being researched and developed by the team.

Quality Assurance
CSL has recently completed a Quality Assurance process for professional development in leadership. The process consists of three stages of approval, monitoring and review. The group mentoring training developed by IPPN and NAPD will be subject to the approval process shortly. while the Misneach Programme is currently being reviewed in light of the process and will be subject to approval in the autumn.

Acknowledgements
The CSL team remains very grateful to both IPPN and NAPD for their support of the work of the Centre, and their guidance and assistance as partners of CSL with the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the DES. We also very much appreciate the vision and commitment of the DES in the provision of supports for principals and, in particular, the work of TES which oversees both the Steering and Implementation Groups. Finally, we would like to acknowledge Geraldine McNamara, CSL Administrator in Clare Education Centre, for her dedication and commitment to the work of CSL.

Published: 09 March 2017

Click here to view Anna Mai Rooney's CSL Update Report of 9th March 2017

Published: 30 November 2016

As we progress through the second year of the CSL pilot phase, I would like to provide you with an update of the work achieved and the current focus areas, alongside the learning for the CSL team and the programme participants.

Coaching

The CSL Coaching Service will be available shortly for principals who have completed year one in their role. There will be 400 places available on a pro rata basis for the primary and post primary sectors. Each person who accesses the service will be entitled to 4-6 sessions free of charge with the guarantee of complete confidentiality. Information about the coaching programme and biopics of participating professional coaches will be provided by the coaching company and made available on the CSL website. Bookings will be made directly with the individual coach. The CSL team will be provided with anonymised quantitative data regarding sector, school context, age profile etc. The service will be officially launched this month and will be advertised on the website and through direct communication with schools. This initiative is aimed directly at the wellbeing of school leaders, is fully funded by the DES and is very worth accessing as early as possible due to predicted demand.

It is aimed at competent and successful principals who wish to improve their practice in specific areas, those who are facing a particular challenge or those who feel they are challenged by the role. The coaches may or may not be in the education field. Due to the nature of the coaching relationship, being outside of the sector provides an advantage for the coaching relationship and steers coaches away from their own work contexts and their assumptions about those of others.

Aspiring Leaders’ Programme

The CSL Aspiring Leaders’ Post Graduate level 9 course will begin in September 2017.  The tendering process was completed in October and the successful tenderer is a consortium led by UL in association with UCD and NUIG. The course will be widely advertised in the spring. Places will be limited to 200 in the first year, be available regionally, and the course will be run over 18 months until December 2018. This new course will be subsidised by the DES and will involve a short period of work placement in a school other than the participant’s own, and in a sector outside of the education field.

Mentoring

Last year, 124 primary principals and 61 post primary principals completed the Mentor Training Programme in Athlone. This has resulted in 93 primary mentoring relationships in Leinster and 43 post primary relationships countrywide. The CSL pilot was confined to the Leinster area last year and is presently extended countrywide.

There remains a dearth of Teaching Principals involving themselves in the training. This is very understandable considering their workload and time management issues. Sub cover is provided for them to attend on both days if necessary but many fear the commitment of time to the mentoring relationship itself rather than to the training and shared learning days. It is hoped that over time, the training will be seen as essential CPD for Teaching Principals, an opportunity to reflect on the demands of their position in their schools and to use this reflection to assist them in the hectic and ever increasing demands of their day to day work in the classroom and in the running of their schools. In the meanwhile, administrative principals with experience as Teaching Principals will continue to assist our teaching colleagues in mentoring relationships alongside the 27 Teaching Principals who trained last year and the 56 who are currently involved in training.

Early feedback from the current mentoring relationships indicates that Mentors are very much enjoying the process. They speak about the relationship being mutually beneficial, about how much they appreciate the opportunity of a glimpse into another school and the enjoyment of sharing acquired knowledge while helping newly appointed colleagues. Early feedback also highlights an appreciation of the formality of the relationship, the structure involved and the resource documents which support it. Of course, no pilot is without challenges and again from feedback, they include the time demands on both the Mentor and the Mentee, the tension between empowering rather than taking on responsibility and dealing with the myriad of issues which arise. The 12 school leaders who are currently working as CSL Cairde are in close contact with their Mentors, feedback on a regular basis to the CSL team and are currently in preparation for reflective workshops with their Mentors during Shared Learning Days in Athlone. 

Currently, a further 176 primary principals are participating in training in Monaghan, Portlaoise, Kilkenny and Ennis, while there are 43 post primary colleagues involved.  Whilst presenting on the programme, the generosity of the participants, their genuine concern for colleagues beginning in the role, and their responsibility for system leadership very much impressed me. The opportunity for participants to reflect on their practice and to take well-earned time to network with others while enhancing their own practice through professional dialogue and collaborative learning was a pleasure to facilitate. These experienced principals very much valued the Skills presentation on the second day of training and reported the Triads exercise as being especially significant in their learning:

“I need to become a better listener in my professional life”

“I have learned to listen and to hold back on the ‘fix it’ mode”

“I am most impressed by my fellow principals and their willingness to share experiences”

“Following the triads exercise, I have a plan of action to tackle an issue I’ve been worrying about”

“I need to extricate myself from the business of school more often and reflect”

CPD QA Process

The team is also working on the development of a formal Quality Assurance Process for professional development in leadership and we look forward to the publication of our first Annual Report in early February.

Anna Mai Rooney, Deputy Director Primary, Centre for School Leadership