IPPN

E-sceal 535 - Parent/Teacher Meetings: What if scenarios

Published: 08 November 2018

Every year, as schools begin to organise their parent/teacher meetings, school leaders seek clarity from the IPPN Support Office in relation to a number of issues. We have identified these main areas in order to provide support and guidance. 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. There are the situations where “what if” conversations with staff prior to meetings could prove helpful in achieving a better outcome if one is prepared.

What if a parent becomes upset and/or aggressive during a P/T meeting ---------?
What if a parent wants to record the meeting ---------?
What if more than the allocated time is required--------?
Discuss and agree the procedure to be followed in these cases.

When should parent-teacher meetings be held?
A formal parent-teacher meeting will be held at least once during the academic year in each school. DES Circular 14/04 notes that the meetings will normally commence at 3.15pm and end at 5.45pm. This is subject to change, based on agreement between the relevant parties at local level. Normally the school will close a quarter of an hour early to facilitate staff and they commence a quarter of an hour after school normally finishes, leaving a half hour break in between. Most schools allow 10/15 minutes for each meeting. Some teachers use time in the morning before class contact time or after school in the same week, to meet parents if this suits both parties. Additionally, Croke Park hours may be used to extend the duration of parent/teacher meetings or to facilitate these meetings on more than one afternoon or evening.

Please note that parent-teacher meetings should not be arranged for the day immediately preceding or immediately following the school breaks as set out in the standardised school year calendar.

How to accommodate different family structures?
This requires some co-ordination. A blank timetable with 10 minute intervals is created for all classrooms. From school records, the family with the largest number of children is timetabled so that the parents can meet all teachers in the one session. It is a good idea to allow one 10-minute slot free, so that any delay doesn’t have a knock-on effect. This central timetabling is co-ordinated for families with e.g. 4, 3, or 2 children in the school. Each classroom timetable is then given to the class teacher who schedules appointments with the parents of the remaining children.

In instances where parents (guardians) have separated, individual meetings may need to be facilitated.

Do all teachers need to attend, including Support Teachers?
Normally parents of children availing of additional support will want to meet those teachers. This can be arranged as a follow-up to meeting the class teacher or involve both teachers at the same time. These arrangements will depend on the school context and procedures.

Resources
Click here to download DES Circular 14/2004

Parent/Teacher Meetings - Guidelines For Teachers

Record of Parent/Teacher Meeting

E-sceal 535 - Research: An evaluation of the patronage and management of Irish primary schools

Published: 08 November 2018

A former principal and Mayo native, Rita McHugh is undertaking PhD research with the University of Lincoln. Principals of primary schools of all demographics, including acting principals, are invited to voice their opinions on the patronage and management of Irish primary schools. This timely piece of research also facilitates a comprehensive evaluation, by primary principals, of their current work environment and their perceptions on its effect on their holistic wellbeing.

Please click on the link to participate in the study

The study will identify what works well in the current Church/State management model of Catholic primary schools, while also highlighting areas for improvement from the perspective of the principal. This study will update former ESRI and Hay Report findings along with bringing new information to light on principal satisfaction levels with the Church / State management model of Irish primary schools. It will be referred to as the Lincoln Study of Irish Primary Principals and should yield some interesting and useful findings.

About the researcher
A Mayo native, Rita is currently working as a Research Supervisor and Assessor on the Master’s Degree Programme at Hibernia College of Education, Dublin. She also sits on the Board of Examiners at Hibernia College. She holds two Master’s degrees – a Master in Education with Distinction from the University of Ulster and a Master of Arts in Education with Distinction from the University of Lincoln. She also holds a Bachelor of Education (Honours) from St. Patrick’s College of Education, Drumcondra, Dublin along with Diplomas in Inclusive and Special Education, Music and Religious Education. Rita previously held two leadership positions over a combined period of almost 20 years before moving to Higher Education. Rita is currently completing a PhD in Education at the University of Lincoln, England.

If you have any queries, please contact Rita by email to ritamchugh@gmail.com or by phone to 086 7759979.

E-sceal 534 - Children’s Wellbeing Research – First Study in Ireland

Published: 25 October 2018

Louise Fleming, an MSC Research Student, Dept of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies, CIT, is conducting research as part of a greater international study on children’s wellbeing. A sample of 3000 primary school children is required to be included in the international dataset.

The proposed study forms the Irish section of the Children’s Worlds Project which is an international study of children’s well-being. The current phase of this research includes 40 countries. This will be Ireland’s first year participating in the project.

A questionnaire will be used for data collection in school children of different ages, (8, 10 and 12 year olds) totalling at least 1000 children in each age group. The structure of the questionnaires is age appropriate.

If you are interested in your school becoming involved in the research, please contact Louise Fleming by email (louise.fleming@mycit.ie) or mobile (083 1780679).

E-sceal 534 - Leadership & Management – Collaborative Clusters

Published: 25 October 2018

CSL Schools are invited to participate in a pilot scheme to assist schools to further develop their leadership capacity by harnessing and optimising internal leadership and management capacity at all levels. This is an initiative of the Department of Education and Skills in association with CSL and the Education Centres.

How to maximise Leadership Capacity in your School:

Clusters of schools to work together on innovative projects to enhance their leadership potential
Forty-two clusters nationwide in the initial phase
Each cluster containing between a minimum of three and a maximum of six schools
Information sessions in every Education Centre in November
Support from Third Level Institutions and from the Business World
Substitute Cover for Cluster Coordinators
Expect a communication from your Education Centre directly after midterm

The scheme will comprise a national programme of projects operating at a local level. Each project will explore approaches to school leadership and management that involves and empowers all members of the senior and middle leadership teams in the participating schools.
Schools will be invited to engage in innovative clusters with a shared vision for school improvement.

For the purposes of this proposal, a cluster is defined as a collection of between three and six schools who collaborate in the design, delivery, evaluation and dissemination of the outcomes of these innovative projects.

The pilot, including the application stage, will take place from October 2018 with a view to implementation of the projects in January 2019. The pilot phase will run until June 2020.

Clusters will be hosted by Education Centres, who will establish panels of personnel from third level and business and industry to provide advice and to support schools. Access to DES support services and to the Centre for School Leadership(CSL) will also be available to school clusters.
Each cluster will appoint a Cluster Coordinator who will be the single point of contact for the Education Centre
The Cluster Coordinator will be responsible for managing the day to day operation of the project and will receive substitution cover of one day per month to achieve this.

Click here for Further information