17th Nov 2022: There can be no further prevarication on the unsustainability of primary school leadership. The time to act is now.
In his input at the IPPN annual principals' conference in Killarney today, IPPN President Brian O’Doherty focused on the current reality of primary school leadership setting out a roadmap to allow school leaders to focus on their core purpose of ‘leading teaching and learning’.
Launching a report based on research undertaken over the past two years by IPPN on the issue of sustainable leadership, he assured those present that ‘This is not an exercise in ‘woe is us’. On the contrary, the objective of the project is to enhance school leadership, which leads to more effective schools, which leads to better outcomes for children. It’s one of those rare opportunities where everyone could be a winner.’
IPPN's Statement on Teacher Supply
IPPN is acutely aware of and concerned about the challenges schools are facing with regard to recruiting their full complement of teachers for the new school year. As you know, over the last number of years, IPPN has consistently highlighted the issues school leaders have faced in securing substitute cover for teacher absence and we have sought and secured measures that would alleviate those issues. This year however, the issue of teacher supply seems to be reaching crisis level, especially in urban areas.
16th Nov 2022: School leaders are managing a crisis in staffing, lack of resources and supports for children’s mental health and special educational needs
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) hosts its annual principals’ conference at the INEC in Killarney this week. 1,000 primary principals have gathered for their first face-to-face conference in almost three years. The theme of the event is ‘REAL: Reflective, Empowered, Authentic Leadership’. Keynote speakers include Minister for Education Norma Foley, former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin, Chanelle, Lady McCoy, Director of the Centre for School Leadership Mary Nihill and CEO of the National Council for Curriculum & Development Arlene Forster.
Opening the event, IPPN CEO Páiric Clerkin paid tribute to the 'authentic, compassionate and resilient leadership' shown by primary principals over the past few years. Referring to a number tragedies in school communities, including Creeslough, the Ashling Murphy case in Tullamore, and the many schools supporting 8,000 primary-age children and their families fleeing the atrocities in Ukraine, he commented that principals 'continue to support those distraught communities as they endeavour to navigate their way through times of incredible sadness. Once again, the primary school principals of Ireland have risen to the challenge of leading our schools under extremely difficult circumstances, always putting the needs of the children in your care above all else'.
Primary school representative bodies raise concerns regarding support allocations for children with additional needs
Primary school management bodies Educate Together, An Foras Pátrúnachta, National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education (NABMSE) and the Muslim Primary Education Board, supported by the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) are today issuing a joint statement regarding teaching supports for children with additional needs in Irish schools.
The representative bodies note the publication last week of the Department of Education's staffing schedule for primary schools for the 2021/22 school year and information provided to schools regarding their Special Education Teacher (SET) allocation. In particular, they note that the Department intends to maintain the existing Special Education Teacher allocations for all schools for the 2021/22 school year and will not now conduct a re-profiling exercise in 2021 as was originally planned.
