Recent IPPN submissions
- Published: 03 December 2020
Over the past few months, IPPN has responded to a number of requests from various sections of the Department of Education, the Joint Oireachtas Committee as well as proactive submissions to the ministers for education, finance, and public expenditure in relation to Budget 2021.
The submissions to the DES and the JOC are in relation to the following topics:
- Draft procedures re. Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 re. Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018
- The use of reduced timetables in schools
- Ensuring that schools are open in a manner which is both safe and sustainable
- Department of Education Statement of Strategy 2021-23
- Inter-agency Good Practice Guidelines for Schools on Supporting Students with Autism
- Supporting the Safe Provision of Schooling
All submissions are available on the Advocacy/Submissions section of www.ippn.ie.
Consultation Process
Each submission has its own merits and is important in its own right. Each one also takes a considerable amount of effort, if it is to be of value to IPPN, to you our members and to the stakeholder that sought the feedback. IPPN has been very open with the Department and the JOC highlighting the fact that in many cases the very tight timescales compromise IPPN’s ability to engage with school leaders in seeking feedback from members on the proposals being put forward.
To address this, IPPN has sought a cohesive approach to such consultations with education stakeholders - the Department and all the education agencies - to request that future consultations be brought to the Primary Education Forum in the first instance. This would ensure that there was consideration given to adequate notification, timing, sequencing and prioritisation of all consultation processes across the sector. This would facilitate organisations such as IPPN in engaging with practitioners in schools, to gather and present feedback in a planned, coherent manner.
This would also ensure that the feedback and recommendations put forward are comprehensive, reflective of the situation across all types of school, as well as balanced and fair.
