Letter from IPPN President Damian White to Primary School Leaders
- Published: 06 January 2021
Dear Principals and Deputy Principals,
By now you will be aware of the minister's announcement that schools will reopen for remote learning for most pupils from Monday 11th January and that special schools and mainstream schools with special classes will reopen to support pupils with additional needs. This announcement and the DES press release confirm what had been rumoured in recent days but many questions have arisen in relation to it and IPPN will seek clarification for members and provide every support in the coming days.
Last May, when it became clear that schools would not reopen before the summer, I wrote to you by way of acknowledging the wonderful work done by you and your staff in the time since the beginning of the lockdown to ensure that, insofar as possible, children continued to receive the very best education and support through new and innovative ways of working. When we returned to school in September, we had hoped that enforced closure and remote learning were behind us and that, while we got used to new ways of operating our schools, they were temporary measures on the road back to normality.
Our sense of foreboding with the huge increase in the number of positive cases of Covid-19 in the community over Christmas was eerily accurate, as this week we received the news that, once again, schools will close their doors and from January 11th, facilitating remote learning will once again be required.
While the return to remote learning is not good news for school leaders, staff, children or parents, we have the consolation of knowing that we have delivered remarkably well from March to June and that we can do it again during the weeks ahead. I would strongly advise that, for the period of this enforced closure, schools should trust what you have put in place and what has worked for you up to now to support your pupils and staff. For those who mastered IT solutions, or who, with the help of colleagues were able to support pupils learning by digital means, it will mean a return to these forms of communication. In many situations, there may be local issues with IT / broadband or, if your pupils do not have sufficient access to IT, the supports you have given in the past will be fine and the children will feel no less supported.
The last enforced closure, in many ways, brought pupils and staff closer together, even if they weren’t seeing each other every day. For teachers, many realising the challenges faced by their pupils in accessing learning for various reasons, the resultant empathy and, in some cases, bespoke solutions to difficulties encountered made for very positive and warm engagement. For pupils and their parents, the skills and qualities of their teachers and school staff were given a new and appreciative respect.
With this phase of the pandemic, we also know that vaccines have been developed and will, over the coming weeks and months, be administered to our elderly and most vulnerable citizens, with access for all to follow. Nevertheless, we must all take every precaution to ensure that we and our loved ones remain safe in the interim.
All teachers will be anxious to get set up for the coming term and many will have started already, as they often do, towards the end of school holidays. I would advise holding an online staff meeting on Monday 11th at the earliest, to agree on the key matters in relation to communications, text books and other issues. In many cases, the decisions will be to simply return to what worked best last time around. An email or other communication to parents and pupils on Monday evening from their teacher would provide reassurance on how things will proceed for the period of enforced closure. In the meantime, remember to take as much time as possible for yourself, as a school leader, between now and 11th January, when school resumes.
You will have received a short survey from IPPN on Tuesday evening. We apologise for contacting you during the holidays, but we feel we must have the most accurate and up-to-date information possible in advocating on your behalf over the coming days and weeks. Within 20 hours of the release of the survey, we had 2,300 responses from school leaders, which is astounding and indicative of the interest in working together as a profession in these uncertain times.
The difficulties experienced by school leaders in special schools are particularly significant at this time. Fears of pupil regression due to lack of physical and social interaction and the difficulties in supporting learning remotely have led to a proviso in the lockdown stipulations which allows for special schools and special classes to remain open. While it is perfectly understandable that every effort is made to support our most vulnerable children, it is of equal importance to ensure the safety of those children and all the staff caring for them. Therefore, it is important that all staff and students of Special Schools classifying as adults and those working and attending special classes in Mainstream schools are prioritised immediately for vaccination against Covid-19.
For teaching principals of mainstream schools with special classes, and indeed the teaching principals of special schools, of which there are a small number, the task of teaching a class while overseeing the care of all children and staff in a special setting places an unacceptable burden on them. For the period of enforced closure, they should be provided with substitute cover to allow them to carry out their administrative duties effectively. Furthermore, all principals should be allowed to work from their school building where doing so supports the school to operate remote learning effectively.
At times such as these, equity in education is especially challenged. Access to the technology to properly access remote learning is not equal. Extra funding is necessary to provide schools with the capacity to supply children with IT devices and internet access to enable them to engage with remote learning.
All of you, in addition to your concerns about school, will have concerns for your own family and loved ones. For some, that will involve care and support for elderly parents, vulnerable family members and/or young children. Some will have worries about the uncertainty surrounding state exams for their teenage children. Try, insofar as possible, to build in proper breaks and to have an evening cut-off time when the laptop is closed. Make time for exercise, for conversation, for relaxation. Keep online meetings and work-related calls as short as possible.
Christmas was an extremely challenging time for school leaders, many of whom were dealing with COVID cases. The IPPN out-of-hours service was busy right throughout the Christmas period, except for Christmas day itself. We will continue to support you in every way possible. All of our supports and services will continue to operate as normal. Our Leadership Support team will continue, as always, to develop resources that meet your needs and to provide advice and guidance to all school leaders. Whether you are newly appointed or very experienced in the role, always know that we will respond to your call as quickly and effectively as possible.
Leadership Support Service
If any school leader needs support in their leadership role, please don’t hesitate to contact the IPPN Leadership Support Team, who helped over 200 school leaders in December alone with their leadership and management challenges at this anxious time. You can contact the team by calling 021 4824070 or by emailing info@ippn.ie. Office hours are Monday to Friday 08:30 to 17:00.
Out of hours support for Special Schools and schools with special classes
Further to this evening’s announcement, IPPN’s Leadership Support Team will provide an out-of-hours service this evening specifically for special schools and schools with special classes. The IPPN Leadership Support Team are available by calling 021 4824070 or by emailing info@ippn.ie until 9pm this evening Wednesday 6th January. From 7th January, if any school leader whose school will be opening on Monday needs support outside office hours in relation to COVID-19 cases among the staff or pupils in the coming days, you can use covid@ippn.ie to contact us. During office hours, please use the Leadership Support service as outlined above.
Beir Bua
Damian White
IPPN President
