IPPN

Published: 20 October 2022

IPPN input at Oireachtas Committee Debate on Mental Health Supports in Schools
Enda McGorman, principal of Mother of Hope SNS, Littlepace, Dublin 15 was the IPPN representative at the Joint Oireachtas Education Committee debate on mental health supports in schools (Tuesday, 18 October 2022). He and the other education stakeholders set out the challenges, potential solutions and discussed the matter in detail with the TDs and Senators on the Committee. IPPN sincerely thanks Enda for his superb input and for representing primary school leaders so passionately and eloquently.

Click here to view the video (the debate starts at 30:30)

Click here to view IPPN’s submission to the Committee

IPPN input at Oireachtas Autism Committee Debate on Autism Policy & Education
On 4 October, IPPN presented at a meeting of the Oireachtas Autism Committee and was engaged in robust debate with the politicians present. IPPN was ably represented by CEO Páiric Clerkin and Caroline Quinn, Leadership Support Team member and former principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel GNS in Johnstown, Killiney.

Click here to view the debate (Starts at 23:30; IPPN input starts at 01:50:00) 
Click here to view IPPN’s submission

Note: The Joint Committee on Autism was established in February 2022 to consider matters relating to the services and supports provided by the State for autistic people and will report to both Houses of the Oireachtas within nine months of the first public meeting.

Sincere thanks to those members who have provided input to IPPN on these topics in various surveys and fora. It makes submissions more compelling and complete when members from different types of school have helped to put shape to the description of the challenges and the proposed solutions. The new National Council committee for Advocacy & Communications will be a key way to gather information and suggestions from members in a timely manner in relation to future advocacy work.

Published: 20 October 2022

A parent comes to you with a complaint about an issue between their child and a teacher.

It has been well established that leadership is all about building relationships and good communication with all in the school community will determine the quality of those relationships. Having a professional conversation with staff is the first step in developing an understanding of how such a situation is managed. Thereafter it needs to be communicated/discussed with BoM and parent body.

Conflict occurs when communication breaks down, is poor, or not happened at all. As previously discussed, in order to create realistic expectations conversations are necessary. It will go a long way to ensure that each person understands their role and knows the procedures to follow in each case. It is always best to have these conversations when there is no issue needing resolution. The importance of having this conversation at a time when no issue exists, to ensure clarity, consistency of approach and giving staff confidence in the procedures, is essential preparation for an issue that can be complex and require difficult conversations.

“Let us find ways of working together to do what is best for your son.”
“We need to work together on this.”

It is necessary to keep using this kind of language in order to keep the focus on the child, who often gets lost in the process. Many of these issues are resolved amicably. However, there is also the danger that lack of clarity and understanding of the procedures can lead to entrenched attitudes among adults in seeking to resolve the matter. (Will be included in next week’s E-scéal)

Conversations at staff, Board and parent meetings could focus on:

• Procedures in place to manage parental complaints (Parental Complaints Procedures)
• Working through the procedures to ensure understanding
• Staff, parent and Board roles and responsibilities within those procedures
• Keeping the child at the centre of any discussion
• Understanding each other’s perspective
• Communication plan for all within the school community
• Resolving the issues at the earliest stage is vital. “Have you spoken with the class teacher?”

Ultimately, we need to keep reminding each other that parents need teachers, teachers need parents and the child needs us both.

As always, the Leadership Support Team is available to discuss issues of this kind and help in preparing you for these difficult conversations. Contact 021 4824070 or email advice@ippn.ie to arrange a call with a member of the team.

Published: 20 October 2022

As schools prepare for parent/teacher meetings, the Leadership Support Team had a number of calls for guidance on this issue. Building on the Planning Prompts in last week’s E-scéal, the following might be considered when making decisions about the structure of these meetings.

Sometimes difficult conversations take place during the course of parent/teacher meetings. Meetings are tiring for teachers, especially after a day’s work, parents may be anxious about their child’s progress or difficulties and while most meetings will not present any problems, there is always the possibility of tension. These are the situations where ‘what if’ conversations with staff prior to meetings could prove helpful in achieving a better outcome if one is prepared.

For the past few years, meetings have largely taken place virtually. Currently, face-to-face meetings are being facilitated. The preferred method is the first decision that you make with your staff. Many schools offer parents the option of face-to-face, online or phone conversation. No one size fits all and it depends on the school’s capacity and context.

Generally, the meetings take place over the course of a week with one particular day arranged to cover the majority of parents in a class. On this day, the school may close half an hour before the usual closing time. Circular 14/04 states: “In each school year there will be one formal parent/teacher meeting. This meeting will normally commence at 3.15 and will end at 5.45 pm unless otherwise agreed at local level between all relevant parties.” The existing commitment under to a two and a half hour parent teacher meeting outside of tuition time also remains. Croke Park hours may be used to extend the duration of this meeting or to provide for formal parent/teacher meetings on more than one afternoon/evening.

The conversation might include:

• Time for each meeting
  
•  Areas to be covered during the course of the meeting
  
• The language used by the teacher in communicating bad news from the parents’ perspectives
  
•  If follow up meetings are required
  
•  If a parent(s) become upset or even aggressive
• Support teachers meeting with parents – together with C/T or separately
• The preparation needed by teachers for the meetings (especially for NQTs)
• Recording of areas of concern
• Follow up to meetings where necessary.

Teachers may find this resource ‘Parent/Teacher Meetings - Guidelines for Teachers’ useful in their preparation for parent/teacher meetings.

Published: 12 October 2022

Currently the incidents of children who pose flight risks in schools appears to be increasing. With this in mind, it may be opportune to discuss two “what if” scenarios. Each school has its own unique context and capacity and the procedures agreed following discussion would vary from school to school.

What if a child runs out of school and goes missing ----------?
What if a child has been identified as a flight risk -------------?

The discussions might include:

• Protocols and procedures to be followed in the event of the first scenario including notification of Gardaí and who does what, where and when.
• If an incident has occurred in the school a review of the incident might consider what worked well and what we would do differently.
• Where a flight risk is identified, a Health and Safety audit ought to should be undertaken to identify of risk and how these might be minimized or possibly eliminated. The HSA website may be helpful in this regard.
• To whom does this then need to be communicated? All staff and the parents of particular children need to know the protocols put in place to manage these situations. As with all communication this is best done before an incident occurs.

Once the discussion has taken place record the decisions made and submit them to the Board for approval.

Being proactive in this regard will lead to better outcomes should such unfortunate incidents occur.