IPPN

Published: 15 June 2023

NPC understands that, as Principals, you have a great responsibility to manage the different stakeholders in the school community while still putting the children in the centre of it all. NPC is proud of its growing large base of member Parents’ Associations across Ireland and would like to share some of the success stories of schools where the partnership in the school community has resulted in innovative projects and better outcomes for children.

Every year National Parents Council recognises the innovative partnership work between schools and parents, which supports children in having the opportunity to reach their full potential through the Fred O’Connell - NPC Innovation Award.

Click here to learn more about The 2023 Fred O’Connell NPC Innovation Award 

The closing date for the 2023 Award is the 8 September.

The NPC Innovation Award 2022 took place at the NPC AGM on Saturday 24 September 2022. Below are some of the activities NPC member Parents’ Associations conducted:

• Implementing a car free zone outside the school entrance, with Parent Volunteers at the entrance to the school, new double yellow lines, refreshed road markings and signage designed with the support of the school.
• Culture Week: The purpose of this week is to create an inclusive event that aligns with the ethos of the school, welcoming the diverse community to share and celebrate their identities while learning about each other's diverse backgrounds. As part of this week, the children learn about their classmates' national traditions, dress, sports, languages and food. They were encouraged to dress in national dress or colours and each class is allocated a country to explore together. The Parents/Guardians and Teachers Association (PGTA) aimed to involve parents/guardians in this week, recognising that food and cooking are central to every family in the community. Families were invited to share their favourite dishes from around the world, contributing to the creation of a recipe book and includes photographs of families eating and cooking together.
• School Uniform Engagement Project: Many comments/issues have been voiced by parents regarding the school uniform for many years, but these issues were never addressed/resolved. The perennial issues of cost, quality and comfort were raised. The Parents’ Association (PA) endeavoured to try to resolve the issue and find a longer-term fix. The PA decided to solicit detailed, usable feedback regarding school uniforms and research alternative options to present to the Board of Management (BOM), with the aim of encouraging change.

These are just some of the examples of the many innovative initiatives member Parents’ Associations have made possible given the two years away from school due to COVID.

To learn more about how NPC can help your school community, you can call directly on 01-8874034 or email at info@npc.ie.

Published: 15 June 2023

The DE has confirmed that the supports implemented for this school year to support Ukrainian students with SEN will continue for the 2023/2024 school year. Schools will be advised in June of their starting allocation for the new school year and this will be based on the data from POD and PPOD as of 31 May. In mid-September, the enrolment data for each school will be reviewed. Updated temporary allocations based on change in enrolments or new enrolments will be the issued to schools before the end of September for the first term of the new school year. Where Ukrainian students are relocated from a school to a different school during any school term, the resources will be transferred to the new school automatically as part of the regular updating of temporary allocations based on the enrolments at that point. Enrolment data and subsequent resource allocation will be reviewed on a 6-week basis throughout the 2023/2024 school year to ensure that schools have the resources to support the number of students enrolled.

Click here for DE Guidance on Supporting Ukrainian Students with SEN [English] [Irish]

Published: 15 June 2023

As schools are about to finish for the 2022/2023 school year please make sure the TextaParent account email is up to date. To check this

• Log on to the account using the Principal’s Profile (P)
•  Go to the admin area which can be accessed by clicking the name on the top right of the screen
•  Go to ’School Profile’ – the email address that is entered here will receive all purchase invoices and communication from the TextaParent team.

Published: 08 June 2023

IPPN welcomes the recent announcement by the Minister of a pilot to provide counselling supports to children in emotional distress. Phase 2 of the pilot aims to establish psychotherapeutic supports in schools for children, staff and parents.

In 2016, IPPN facilitated a symposium to raise awareness and put wellbeing at the heart of each school community. Since then, IPPN has worked with the Wellbeing for All group (Ombudsman for Children, Teaching Council, National Parents Council, NAPD and IPPN) to influence a culture of emotional wellness in schools, ensured that this area become a priority at every event for members, made a submission and attended the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Mental Health (JOC), advocating for school community-based mental health supports to help children directly, where they learn.

The mental health problems experienced by children since the pandemic have underlined even more the urgency of addressing the needs of children, their parents and school staff. Early intervention, joined-up thinking, an integrated approach across health and education and timely access to supports for children are urgently needed.

The pilot is a first step in what is hoped will become a mental health support infrastructure available to all schools nationally. IPPN is committed to supporting the schools involved in the pilot, as well as working with all the stakeholders involved to ensure a successful outcome. This close working relationship between all parties is a welcome development.

Click here to view IPPN’s Submission