Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT)
- Published: 02 June 2022
Additional resources and supports are available to schools through REALT. Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) are hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally based education support personnel. The primary role of the REALT is to build on existing regional education support structures and the initial focus will be on assisting families in securing school places. REALT will also support schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support the Department of Education in developing new capacity where required, and to co-ordinate the provision of education services to schools and families across their defined area. These teams will ensure that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to people arriving from Ukraine.
Click here for email and phone contact details for REALT in the 16 ETBs and ETBIs
End of Year Reports
- Published: 02 June 2022
These days, teachers and principals will be signing off on end of year school reports to parents. A school report, when done well, should give an accurate statement of where the child is at, as regards their learning and development journey, as well as where they need to go ‘next’ to continue down that road.
It must be fair and kind to the child in the first instance. It should be such that when placed on the fridge door at home, or on Gran or Grandad’s fridge, they would be proud of it. It should of course be accurate and not ‘over-inflated’ so as not to cause difficulty for transfer to next year’s new class grade.
Some points to note:
- Timeframe for issuing reports to parents – 16 June (suggested to give parents time to respond before school closure)
- Utilise Leadership Team – Consider delegating report sign-off to other members of the ISM team. In larger schools, signing off on reports can be a time-consuming and onerous task. Consider involving other members of the leadership team to assist. They of course sign off in their own name.
- NCCA New Templates for Reporting
New end-of-year reporting templates are now available. These templates enable you to report on children’s learning needs and goals and show how children have progressed throughout the year.
“It’s ok to cheer for the kids who came in first, but make sure to stick around for those who finish last. They ran the race too!” - Anon
Webinar REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
- Published: 02 June 2022
‘Supporting Schools Practical Guide to NCSE Services, SNA and SET’ is a collaborative webinar by IPPN and NCSE. It will take place on Thursday, 16 June from 3.30pm – 4.30pm. Mary McGrath, Principal Officer and Head of Operations at the NCSE will host the webinar.
The webinar will reflect the content of the seminar session that Mary was scheduled to deliver at IPPN’s Principals’ Conference in Citywest. To ensure that the webinar covers the key questions school leaders have about SEN and the engagement with NCSE, please submit your questions by email to project@ippn.ie by tomorrow Friday, 3 June. Mary will endeavour to address as many of them as possible in her presentation.
Click here to REGISTER for the event
Education Summit 2022
- Published: 26 May 2022
The second year of the Education Matters Summit will take place on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May 2022. The summit features 42 authors from Ireland’s Education Yearbook, along with guest speakers, delving deeper into the big issues they explored in the Education Matters Yearbook.
IPPN Past President, Damian White, Author of Living in the Shelter, not the Shadows, of Each Other (Ireland's Education Yearbook 2021) will discuss Traveller culture with Breda Mayock, artist and musician, Louise Ward, member of the Travelling Community and Siobhan Fitzgerald, Primary School Principal, Eglish National School, Co Galway.
Click here for more information and to register for this free event
Panels & Filling a Vacancy
- Published: 26 May 2022
Schools are required to notify panel operators of permanent or fixed terms positions in the school. This includes schools that are awaiting decisions on CID applications from the Department. Fixed term vacancies of 24 weeks or more for the 2022/2023 school year are required to follow normal recruitment and appointment procedures. A school cannot proceed with filling fixed term vacancies until permission has been received from the panel operator. This is to ensure that fixed term vacancies are not required for the redeployment of permanent/CID holding teachers from the main redeployment panel.
