annual report - council for catholic maintained...

Annual Report2004 / 2005

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Corporate Objective 1 - Ethos and Values

Corporate Objective 2 - Advocacy and Partnership

Corporate Objective 3 - Reconcilation, Equality and Inclusion

Corporate Objective 4 - Raising Standards and Effective Management

Corporate Objective 5 - Plant

Corporate Objective 6 - Post Primary

Corporate Objective 7 - People and Welfare

Corporate Objective 8 - Organisational Development

CCMS Contact Details

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Chairman’s Remarks

A year in Education is a busy one and an Annual Report can onlyafford you a glimpse of the range of issues which have impactedupon the Council and the schools, Trustees, Governors, Principalsand Teachers for which it serves.

The ultimate objective for all of these partners and those involvedin the educative system is the support of parents in ensuring thattheir children derive the best possible outcomes from theirCatholic Education.

CCMS is a small organisation which I believe provides a model foreffective service delivery. I must again commend the commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of theofficers and the members of Council and its Committees for their outstanding endeavours to raisestandards on behalf of our children and of the Catholic Maintained schools sector.

This report is again presented in the format of the Council’s Business Plan. It reflects on key areas ofactivity under each of the Corporate Objectives and alludes to specific outcomes where appropriate.All of this work is of importance but I would like to refer in particular to the CCMS contribution to theLimavady Conference ‘Promoting Reconciliation Through Education’, organised by theConsultative Group on Catholic Education (CGCE).

This conference placed Catholic Education firmly in the context of building a community based on arecognition and respect for diversity, social justice, reconciliation and inclusion.

This demonstrates that Catholic Education can contribute with confidence to the Common Good in aShared Future.

Many challenges lie before us but the Limavady conference and this report gives me confidence thattogether much can be achieved.

Bishop John McAreavey

INTRODUCTION

The Council for CatholicMaintained Schools AnnualReport covers the periodApril 2004 to March 2005. Itwas a time marked by abeginning of vitality andoptimism for positive developmental change, butended with concerns as tothe capacity of the service todeliver even its basic provisions. Through this theCouncil has maintained a consistent stance of embracing positivechange, promoting the common good, improvingstandards of service and mitigating the impacts ofunder funding.

In the Introduction to the lastAnnual Report reference wasmade to the over ambitiousnature of the Business Plan2003/2004. In preparing theBusiness Plan for 2004/2005officers were mindful of thedifficulties associated withtrying to do too much. Acosting exercise aimed atconsidering the time requiredto carry out a range of majorfunctions was implemented.The results surprised manyofficers in relation toquantifying how much timecertain activities took up andin imposing a degree ofreality on what could be

achieved in the next plan.This exercise and theapplication of a RiskAssessment at an early stagein the planning of the newplan identified a significantdisparity between what theCouncil wished to do andwhat it was capable of delivering. The major difficulties were around theBuilding and Developmentresponsibilities and the implementation of the recommendations of the Post-Primary Review Group(Costello). There were other activities around the preparationof advice on educational andhuman resource matterswhich could not be completedwithin the limited resourcesavailable to the Council. TheBusiness Plan approved byThe Council continues to

identify all the activities deemed to be important forprogress and improvement ofthe sector but marked in redthose which could not becarried out due to a resourcedeficit. Regrettably noadditional resources weremade available and the finalplan was amendedappropriately.

The 2004/2005 BusinessPlan was divided into twoparts: Generic CyclicalBusiness and Key AdditionalBusiness Outcomes whichwere specific time-boundactivities sometimes requiringaction by other bodies. TheCouncil is pleased to reportthat the vast majority of theKey Additional BusinessOutcomes were achieved.

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Pupils from St. Colum’s Primary School, Portstewart

Some of these which werenot, became redundantthrough external decisionswhile others were linked todelays by other bodies in, forexample, producing reports.In a few cases objectiveswere not achieved becauseof the pressure of work orspecific Business Units orSections the Councilrecognised that the level andsometimes the nature ofservice provided undergeneric activities wereunsustainable within thestaffing complement and pressure of other business.This has led to somechanges in how advice isgiven and has, unfortunately,meant that officers are lessavailable for non-essentialactivities such as schoolbased events.

This report again describesthe Council’s activities underthe eight Corporate Objectivesset out in the Council’sCorporate Plan 2003-2006.It is intended to give anoverview of the work of theCouncil during the planningperiod along with key statisticaldata and comment onnotable outcomes.

Considerable time was givenby officers during the planning period to work with

the Department of Educationand other education partnersin the preparation of theDepartment’s StrategicFramework, a documentintended to provide an agreedrange of priorities for education development in linewith the latest governmentspending round whichextends from 2005 to 2008.This was an extensive consultation leading to a planfor the service against whichall proposed activities foreach educational body will bemeasured and resourced asappropriate.

The main planning implicationsfor the Council of the StrategicFramework approach is aneed to replace the existingCorporate Plan with a newplan to run in tandem with theGovernment planning andspending cycle of 2005-2008.A further dimension is theneed to present the nextBusiness Plan in a formatconsistent with that used bythe Department of Educationto show clearly how the activitiesof the Council are consistentwith the Department’s StrategicFramework.

The Council, like manyemployers, has to managechange within its own organisation as well as

promoting it in schools. The internal re-organisation outlined in the last report hascontinued. A StaffPerformance and ReviewScheme has now been established and will be fullyimplemented over the nextyear.

A Business Plan is devisedwith as much performanceand vision as possible butthere are inevitably issueswhich take up more resourcesand time than anticipated andothers which simply cannotbe delivered for a range ofreasons. Some new mattersemerge and the Council hasto be responsive to suchsituations.

The Council was anticipatingthe confirmation of theCommon Funding of schoolsbut not the impact of theallocation of resources for the2005/2006 school year. Inaddition to implementing aworking protocol withEducation and Library Boardsfor addressing budget deficitsor excessive surpluses.Officers had to help schoolsinterpret the actual impact ofboth the new formula and thequantum of resources available for the provision ofservices. The work led to theidentification of a significantly

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larger number of redundanciesby schools and this processwill extend into the 2005/2006planning cycle. The fundingissues in two Board areasimpacted in various ways onsome Catholic Maintainedschools and this required anadditional commitment of officer time and expertise.

The lack of funding to implementthe recommendations of thePost-Primary Review Groupand the absence of a consistent and sustainedcommunications strategy onthis and the RevisedNorthern Ireland Curriculumcaused many difficulties in

the post-primary sector mainly through declining enrolments, related budgetreductions and subsequentdeficits and the inevitable limitation of subject andcourse choice for pupils. TheCouncil sought several remedies to these situationsbut progress was slow anddifficult.

The Council Executive andSenior Officers continued tolobby the Department ofEducation for sufficientresources generally butspecifically for the Buildingand Development sectionwhere comparatively inferior

staffing levels with other bodieswas shown to be impactinginequitably in terms of capitalprovisions. This was one of several themes brought to theattention of the Minister at ameeting in October 2004.

In conclusion the Councilwishes to express its thanksto those officers who have leftCCMS during the past year topurse new interests. Itwelcomes many new officersand particularly thosechildren born to officers. It isfor these and all the childrenin our schools that the workof the Council is so important.

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CCMS Staff

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 1– Ethos and Values

In recognition of the richtradition underpinningCatholic education and itspositive contribution to thecommon good, the Council,working in partnership withthe Trustees and others, willcontinue to articulate andpromote the vision ofCatholic education, itsethos and values. The promotion of the ethos andvalues of Catholic educationis fundamental to theCouncil’s raison d’etre.

The Council has continued totake and develop opportunitiesto promote Catholic Educationand its contribution to theCommon Good through anumber of initiatives andworking groups. These haveincluded participation on theConsultative Group onCatholic Education (CGCE),engagement with Trustees oncritical issues, work with St.Mary’s University College,Diocesan Advisers and charitable bodies on areas ofcommon interest and thepublication of INSIGHT.

The Council has also contributed to the preparationof a report to Senior Trusteeson the development of a corporate vision for CatholicEducation and the developmentof a strategy for the dissemination of that vision.

Officers of the Council havealso sought opportunitiesover the planning period toattend school and other functions celebrating theachievements of school andteachers.

The Council has again collaborated with schools inpromoting Catholic SchoolsWeek. This year schools wereencouraged to activelyparticipate in the celebrationof Catholic Schools’ Week atthe Diocesan Autumnmeetings with schoolprincipals and to identify andforward newsworthy items forthe CCMS magazine ‘Insight’.

Catholic Schools’ week wasparticularly successful in ourprimary schools.

During the planning period,officers of the Council onceagain worked in collaborationwith the Regional TrainingUnit (RTU) in providingspecific modules andextended reading onleadership in catholic/faithbased schools for theProfessional Qualifications forHeadship (PQH) programme.

There were two editions of‘Insight’ produced during theplanning period and theCouncil would acknowledgethe contribution of the pupilsand staff of LismoreComprehensive in Craigavonand St Malachy’s HighSchool, Castlewellan in takingthe lead in the preparation of‘Insight’.

St. Francis Primary School Pupilsattending Mass

Insight Magazine

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 2 –Advocacy andPartnership

The Council will act as anadvocate for the CatholicMaintained Sector as wellas contributing to the widerEducation System. In itsstrategic role, The Councilwill, through thedevelopment of policy anddialogue, contribute to aneffective Education Systemwhich embraces a cultureof partnership, empowermentand respect for diversity.

Throughout the period of thisplan, The Council hascontributed to thedevelopment andimplementation of EducationPolicy by responding to policyinitiatives which impact uponthe Education Service and/orthe Catholic MaintainedSector.

The Council responded to theEducation and Library Boardson the effects of concessionarytransport and developed aresponse to address theimpact. The Council alsosubmitted responses to theconsultation exercise on theDraft Single Equality and to thereview of Early Years Provision.

A paper was also preparedfor Trustees in respect of therole and operation of theStrategic Investment Board inCapital Procurement.

The Council submitted aresponse to the Departmentof Education regarding thePublic Spending Review2005/08 highlighting thefinancial implications associated with Post PrimaryReview, Strategic InvestmentBoard, Education ActionZones, School SupportProgramme. The Review ofFurther Education, TheConsultation on a SkillsStrategy, Fit for Purpose andvarious Health and Economic

Left to Right - Bishop Donal McKeown, Duncan Morrow (Chief Executive of Community Relations Council), Professor GeraldGrace, Archbishop Sean Brady, Dr Eddie Rooney (Deputy Secretary of Department of Education in Northern Ireland), BishopHegarty at the Limavady Conference

consultations. Review ofCommon Formula, NILGOSC,Teacher Welfare and theIndependent Inquiry Report.

The Council also contributedand made representation tothe LMS Review of theCommon Formula reflectingappropriate fundingarrangements for TargetingSocial Need and engagedwith the Review of PublicAdministration teamsubmitting appropriateresponses at each of thestages.

The Council has soughtduring the current period to

be represented on allsteering, advisory orimplementation groups whosework will impact on theCatholic Maintained Sectorand the education sector as awhole. The extent ofinvolvement has beendetermined by the resourcesavailable and the significanceof the group.

Team members representThe Council on a wide rangeof bodies and committees.These include groups andcommittees of the Health and Education Action Zones,

Partnership Boards,Neighbourhood RenewalGroups, the SecondaryStanding Conference,Bureaucratic Burden Group,Programme ManagementBoard for the Implementationof the Revised Curriculumand Health and SocialServices. Through this workofficers of the Council havebeen able to exert influenceon policy and practice and towork collaboratively with colleagues from other statutoryand non-statutory bodies inthe interests of schools generally and of theMaintained Sector specifically.

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Archbishop Sean Brady, Dr Eddie Rooney (DENI), Louise Ward Hunter (DENI) at the CGCE Conference

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 3 –Reconciliation,Equality andInclusion

In keeping with the philosophy of Catholic education, the Council,through its practices, willseek to promote inclusion,equality, respect fordiversity, social justice andreconciliation.

This Corporate Objectiveincludes a range of issueswhich touch upon otherobjectives. In considering theCouncil’s activities over theplanning period there must berecognition of the extent ofengagement with other partners.

Throughout the period of thisplan the Council has soughtto promote inclusion, equality,respect for diversity andsocial justice through its worktowards embedding a Cultureof Tolerance philosophy,working in partnership withrelevant bodies to promotethe inclusive agenda, developing links withTransferors, Churches, PSNIand others, representingCouncil policies and views

within the wider public sectorand complying with therequirements of Section 75 ofthe Northern Ireland Act.

Inclusion has a range ofdimensions and the Councilhas engaged in many ofthese over the past year. TheCouncil provides advice toprincipals and Boards ofGovernors on specificprocedures such asSuspensions and Expulsionsschemes, Open Enrolmentprocesses and Special NeedsProvision. Officers of theCouncil also attend PupilConsultative Meetingsregarding future educationalprovision and maintainrecords of all suspensionsand expulsions.

During the planning period agroup was established toconsider the impact of theSpecial Educational Needsand Disabilities (SEND) legislation. The group provideda report to the EducationCommittee of the Council.

Proposals were also submittedto the Consultative Group onCatholic Education (CGCE) inrelation to disseminating theunderpinning philosophy of“Building Peace, Shaping theFuture”

The Council supported theConsultative Group onCatholic Education (C.G.C.E)in the organisation of the‘Promoting reconciliationthrough education’conference in Limavady. Theconference looked critically atthe role of Catholic Educationin respect of social andcommunity developments inNorthern Ireland. It broughttogether the family of CatholicEducators along with therepresentatives fromGovernment, the TransfersCouncil, CommunityRelations Council and othersectors from education.

Following the guidance givento schools on dealing withissues related to disabledaccess appropriate provisionhas been secured in a number

Duncan Morrow (Chief Executive ofCommunity Relations Council) atCGCE Conference in Limavady

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of locations and further requests for minor workshave been processed in thepast year.

Council Officers deal with anumber of child protectionand related pastoral mattersas part of normal activity.This work is very sensitiveand sometimes distressing.The incidents of suddendeath, accidents and suicidesrequire the Welfare Staff andmembers of the DiocesanTeams to become involved ingiving advice and providingsupport.

CCMS, as the employer ofteachers, engages at a number of levels with TeacherUnions. Often this interactionis collaborative with the aimof improving terms and conditions of teachers or representing their interests.On other occasions theinvolvement requires negotiations, sensitivity anddiplomacy on the part of allparticipants. Such work isseldom seen and sometimesnot appreciated as a majoractivity of the Council increating a positive working environment in schools. Reverend Ian Ellis (Secretary of Transfers

Council)

Teachers from Sacred Heart College, Omagh

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 4 –Raising Standardsand EffectiveManagement

The Council will continue toraise standards throughproactive involvement inthe development of strategies and initiativesthat seek to raise thestandards of achievementwithin Catholic MaintainedSchools and by promoting a culture of empowermentby developing governorsand school leaders with avision for and acommitment to CatholicEducation

The raising of standards inCatholic Maintained schoolshas been a key objective ofCCMS since its inception aswell as being one of itsstatutory functions. Themeans by which this isachieved has changed overthe years to reflect changingpriorities and, in particular,the increased range ofinformation which is nowavailable to schools andincreasingly to the Council.One of the key objectivesduring the past year has beento set up a CCMS Database

consisting of performancedata for each school. Whileprogress has been made onthe technical side theavailability of and access toinformation has been slower.A major difficulty has beenaccess to the C2K Database.This is protected through theData Exchange Agreementwhich must be approved bythe Boards of Governors ofeach school. UnfortunatelyCCMS was not included inthe list of bodies initiallycirculated to schools and theCouncil has over the planningperiod sought to secureagreements from schools.

This process is now almostcomplete and C2K will shortlymake access available to theCouncil.

Officers have continued toaccess performance and other data from direct sourcesto monitor performance. Thisinformation has been used toassist schools and Governorsto monitor key areas of activityin schools. Officers have provided advice and guidanceto specific schools but theyhave also provided generaladvice on the use of performance data to settargets, monitor progress and

Pupils from Sacred Heart College, Omagh

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establish priorities for actionthrough the SchoolDevelopment Plan. The maindata used is concerned witheducational outcomes suchas Key Stage test results,GCSE and other publicexamination results and therange of subject choice.Significant use is made ofother data more related to thepastoral aspects of educationsuch as attendance, levels of suspensions and expulsions,policies and practices oninclusion and teacher attendance. Once again thisyear the Council is delightedto report further progress oneducational outcome asexemplified by the informationin figures 1 and 2 (Page 13).

Officers have a direct role insupporting Governors andPrincipal’s in the raising ofstandards and in the effectivemanagement of schools butsome of this work can bevery effectively influenced bythe decisions of theDepartment of Education andother education partners.Officers devote a considerabletime to sharing their expertiseand to promoting the common good as well as theneeds and interest of CatholicMaintained schools throughmembership of bodies suchas the Council for CurriculumExaminations andAssessment (CCEA) and itsvarious committees, theRegional Training Unit (RTU)

various local Education andLibrary Board WorkingGroups and increasinglythrough bodies devoted tocross-sectoral working tosecure whole communitydevelopments.

There are now three majorcross-sectoral initiatives withthe broad objective of community development andrenewal. The Health ActionZones which are linked to theInvesting Health Strategy isthe best established. TheCouncil have worked closely, particularly with the LimavadyPartnership and the Northand West Belfast Health Truston a number of initiativeswhich have includedextended schools, fruit inschools, traveller inclusion,self-harm initiatives and youthbased activities. A particularaspect throughout theplanning year has been theefforts of a sub-group tosecure resources from theIntegrated Development Fundfor two initiatives in the Colinarea of Lisburn City and theNorth and West of Belfastaimed at improving educationaloutcomes for a range ofsocially disadvantagedgroups. The development ofthe Education Action Zoneshas been much delayed andindeed significantly changed

Exam Results

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from that announced by thethen Minister Jane Kennedy.Officers have, however, contributed to the design ofprojects in all of theEducation and Library Boardareas which should begin toroll out over the next year.The third strand is theNeighbourhood RenewalStrategy managed throughthe Department for SocialDevelopment. The acceptedwisdom of Neighbourhoodrenewal is that education hasa key role to play. With overthirty ‘partnerships’ inplanning across NorthernIreland under three areaplans, it is going to be difficultfor CCMS to play a major rolein these. The strategyadapted by the Council is tocontribute and influence at astrategic level and provideoperational support in keyareas only.

The management of schoolbudgets has been both oneducational and a politicalissue during the planningperiod. The Council’sBusiness Plan had identifiedsupporting schools in the efficient and effective management of school budgets as a Key AdditionalBusiness Outcome. A workingprotocol was drafted andshared with the Educationand Library Boards to ensurea regional approach to gathering and sharing dataand to addressing criticalissues within a policy framework. The difficulties ofbudget management werefurther compounded by theindustrial action by TeacherUnions in 2004 which significantly depleted manyschool surpluses. The introduction of the CommonLMS Formula did impact

on some schools asadjustments came into effectbut the poor level of fundinggoing into the educationservice through the latestbudget caused seriousdifficulties for schools andhas required considerablecommitment from officers toprovide advice and support.

In the last Annual Report reference was made to theCouncil’s document onSchool DevelopmentPlanning, a feature which willbecome a statutory requirement in September2005. The Council wishes toacknowledge the support ofthe Education and LibraryBoards for a series of full dayPrincipal and Governor

Gerry McGinn (Permanent Secretary,Department of Education forNorthern Ireland) attending HealthyEating Day

Pupils from St. Patricks and St. Bridgid’s Primary School, Ballycastle

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Meetings to launch and disseminate the document.The feedback from schoolson the straightforward andpractical advice has beenvery positive. The Councilhas provided advice to theDepartment on a publicationwhich it too is planning on boththe legislation relating toSchool Development Planningand the process itself.

Officers have continued toprovide advice and support tothose schools involved in theSchool Support Programmeincluding three schools designated as Group One.This is a key improvementinitiative which Councilbelieves offers significantadvantages to schools in fast-tracking improvement initiatives. Information provided by the

Department of Education hasshown that the vast majorityof Catholic Maintainedschools coming through theProgramme maintain theirimprovements beyond theProgramme and that the figure for the sector is higherthan for other sectors.

Officer support to schoolsduring the inspection processremains a key area of activity.Figure 3 (Page 14) tabulatesthe extent of involvement ininspection activity by theCouncil but this does notadequately reflect the volumeof work by officers in helpingschools respond to theoutcomes. the Council ispleased to note the increasingnumber of schools wherethere are no major issues tobe addressed but is alsoaware that it is part of its role

as well as that of Governorsto address issues before theymight be identified throughthe inspection process. Inthis regard the Council hasfully supported the increasein self-evaluation strategiesbeing developed by schools.The ETI are very willing toengage in quality assuranceprocess to support schools indeveloping their own internalmonitoring and evaluationstrategies. The Councilresponded to an invitationfrom ETI to comment on anumber of new models ofinspection.

The demands on officers timecontinues to be excessive butteam and self-developmentremain key areas of theCouncil. A large number ofindividuals and bodies attendedthe Education SectionMeetings throughout the planning period and their contributions were bothappreciated and valued.

St. Comgall’s College Board ofGovernors 2005

Pupils from Blessed Patrick O’Loughran

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The key stage 1 and 2 statistics are unavailable thisyear due to industrial actionby teachers.

Key stage 3 results, split byDiocese and subject areshown below. 55% of CCMSpupils achieved level 5 ormore in English while forMaths and Science the percentage was 56% and51% respectively. While thesefigures are slightly below theNorthern Ireland average of57%, 58% and 54% theyshould be considered in conjunction with the FreeSchool Meals percentageindicative of level of socialdisadvantage which forCCMS schools is 14% higherthan the controlled sector and7% higher than the NorthernIreland secondary average.

The percentage of pupilsachieving Grades A* - C infive or more GCSE’s in theyear 03/04 has stayed constant with last years atthirty nine percent (39%). Thisis higher than the overall NInon-grammar figure of thirtyeight percent (38%). Thereremains a concern however,that seven percent (7%) ofpupils achieved no GCSE’sand while this is above the NIfigure of six percent (6%),schools in the maintainedsector have a significantlyhigher percentage of pupilsfrom a socially disadvantagedbackground.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Secondary Schools No ofSchools

% FSMEnglish Level 5+

MathsLevel 5+

ScienceLevel 5+

CCMS

Controlled

Integrated Schools

Total Secondary

Diocese

Armagh

Clogher

D & C

Derry

Dromore

Total CCMS

No ofSchools % FSM

English Level 5+

MathsLevel 5+

ScienceLevel 5+

76

72

14

162

36%

22%

22%

29%

55%

59%

61%

57%

56%

58%

63%

58%

51%

54%

65%

54%

12

8

30

18

8

76

34%

32%

36%

40%

31%

36%

57%

57%

49%

58%

63%

55%

65%

58%

51%

56%

59%

56%

59%

56%

46%

50%

58%

51%

Secondary SchoolsNo of

Schools % FSMAchieved

5+ GCSEsA*- C

CCMS

Controlled

Integrated Schools

Total Secondary

Diocese

Armagh

Clogher

D & C

Derry

Dromore

Total CCMS

No ofSchools

% FSM

76

72

14

1

36%

22%

22%

36%

39%

35%

47%

40%

34%

34%

33%

60%

7%

6%

2%

0%

12

8

30

18

8

76

33%

31%

36%

40%

31%

36%

47%

51%

32%

39%

40%

39%

26%

33%

38%

35%

32%

34%

5%

1%

8%

8%

5%

7%

Other Maintained

163 29% 38% 34% 6%

Achieved1-4 GCSEs

A*- C

Achieving No GCSEs

or OtherExams

Achieved5+ GCSEs

A*- C

Achieved1-4 GCSEs

A*- C

Achieving No GCSEs

or OtherExams

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DENI INSPECTION DOCUMENTSRECEIVED1 APRIL 2004 - 31 MARCH 2005

Notified Inspections

Notification letters for maininspection activities receivedfrom DENI during this period = 64 — 1 of which wasissued in error.

Inspection Reports received during this period

Figure 3

Inspection Reports received during this period

Focused Inspections

GeneralInspections

63 1

Focused Inspections

GeneralInspections

63 1

Survey ofLibrary

Provision

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Professor Gerald Grace, Marion Matchett (Chief Inspector of Department of Education in Northen Ireland) and Jim Clarke(Deputy Chief Executive CCMS)

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 5 –Plant

The Council will continue towork to secure appropriateaccess for children to aconducive learning environment through thedelivery and provision of anappropriate network ofCatholic MaintainedSchools capable of providing for their education needs from pre-school to post-16.

There has again been significant activity throughoutthe period of this plan in relation to the core businessof the Building andDevelopment Section andDiocesan Management Unitsin relation to this objective.

Officers have continued towork with and throughTrustees to provide an appropriate educational environment by respondingto, advising on/and supportingTrustees on reviews of provision in a Parish, LocalArea, or at Diocesan level.

Officers have also beeninvolved in carrying out mapping exercises, consultations and briefings on

matters relevant to provision on behalf of the Trustees, TheCouncil and whereappropriate the Departmentof Education.

Work has also been ongoingthroughout the period in co-ordinating with trusteesand the Department ofEducation the use of Capitalworks to address accommodation shortfalls anddeficiencies within theCatholic Maintained Sector,including the development ofprovision which supportsinclusion.

During the business period,Officers have monitored and

reviewed the implementation of the Two Year Plan for Minor Capital Works andimplemented the revised procedure in respect of themonitoring and evaluation ofthe out-workings of the newProject ManagementFramework for Major CapitalWorks.

The Council has alsoprovided project and ContractManagement support toTrustees in respect of HolyCross College, Strabane.

A full report of progress in arange of proposals in theCatholic Maintained sector isprovided later in this section.

Under construction at St. Oliver Plunkett Primary School

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BIG LOTTERY FUND(Formerly Community Fund &New Opportunities Fund)

Council officers contributedagain this year to the NOFPE and Sport AreaPartnerships by working withprimary, post-primary andcommunity members todevelop application for thoseschools which were invited toStage 2. At the end of March2005, 44 schools within theCatholic Maintained Sectorhad letters of offer issued tothe trustee. This representedan investment of £4,397,854.CCMS, along with developing3 projects within the 30%, arecurrently assisting thosesuccessful in their bidsthrough the grant managementphase.

OUT OF SCHOOLHOURS LEARNING

The third and final year of theOut of School Hours learningprogramme continued tofinancially support-innovativeand creative ways of learningin 23 schools throughout the5 Dioceses. The programmewas due to be completed atthe end of December 2004but due to staff absences wasextended for a further 4months. Schools’ evaluationof the programme wouldindicate that pupils do learnthrough fun.

Lottery Funded

“Check Mate”

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 6 –Post Primary

In the context of the PostPrimary Review, TheCouncil, in consultationwith Trustees, will seek todevelop partnerships andbuild consensus inbringing forward innovative proposals acceptable toparish/local communities.

The most important educational development inthe previous planning periodwas the acceptance by Government of the recommendations of theWorking Group on the futurePost-Primary arrangements inN. Ireland chaired by Mr.Stephen Costello. The‘Costello Report’ endorsedmuch of the Council’s policyin relation to Selection and itsresponse to the ‘Burns’consultation.

The realisation of the Costelloproposals presents a majorchallenge to the Council.Senior officers have pressedthe Department to establishthe proposed structures toencourage the process, communicate these to theeducation sector and to the

community at large and toidentify resources to be madeavailable to the Council toimplement the proposals. Thedemographic downturn iscontinuing to gather pace,budget constraints areimpacting significantly andthe range of pupil choice isbecoming more limited. Theneed for major change isincreasingly obvious.

Throughout the period of thisplan officers have contributedto the implementation of theCostello Report proposalsand have sought to provideadvice to Trustees, Governorsand Principals on theeffective and efficientdevelopment of post-primaryCatholic education through

advising, supporting andresponding to Trustees onany matter pertaining to post-primary provision in theDioceses throughout N.Ireland and specifically onany structures to implementthe proposals. Officers of theCouncil have been nominatedto contribute to the work ofthe Strategic Advisory Group.

Officers worked at local levelwith Trustees, Governors andPrincipals to raise awarenessand to begin the processes ofestablishing communicationwith interested partners,examining local circumstances and consideringalternative approaches tomeeting the needs of children. A preliminary

The Costello Working Group

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mapping’ of post-primary provision to ensure a ‘best fit’while meeting the specificneeds of the area, has beenundertaken in certain parts ofthe Dioceses. Meetings havetaken place with Trustees andtheir representatives to discuss education provisionand future requirements incertain parishes. This workwill be ongoing.

The Council has continued tobe involved in supporting theestablishment of Holy CrossCollege, Strabane, which will be the first new provisionwhich can meet all of thepolicy requirements of theNew Post-PrimaryArrangements. The creationof this school was significant.

In addition to work on thedesign of the school and insecuring of services, stafffrom the three mergingschools have worked hard ona large number of policy andoperational issues. Theschool has imaginative andforward looking curricular andpastoral policies. This hasallowed the interim Board ofGovernors to adopt a logicalmanagement structure for theschool. Support has beengiven during the planningperiod to the Principal andGovernors in drawing up job descriptions and makingappointments to managementposts.

The full amalgamation of thethree schools will take place

in September 2005. Studentswill continue to be accommodated on the threecurrent school sites until thenew school building becomesavailable.

The Council will provideadvice to the Department ofEducation on arrangementsnecessary to effect post-primary change based on theexperience of Holy CrossCollege, Strabane. TheCouncil regrets that it couldnot make more progress inthis area but resources werenot available to do so.

Senior Management meeting at the Holy Cross College

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 7 –People andWelfare

The Council, as a majoremployer of teachers, willwork in partnership withother bodies to promote strategies and operationalmechanisms to proactivelyaddress key issues affectingrecruitment, retention,development, performance,welfare and working conditions of teachers,thereby developing a workforce capable of fostering the philosophy ofCatholic education andmeeting the spiritual,pastoral and educationalneeds of children.

The employment of teachersin the Catholic MaintainedSector is a major responsibilityof the Council. There aremany dimensions of theemployer function includingwelfare, industrial relations,appointments and redundancies.Specific aspects of this workare carried out primarily bythe Personnel Section andthe Diocesan ManagementUnits.

In discharging its responsibilitiesas an employer the Councilwas represented at

• Management Side, • TSNC, • JWP, • Management of Threshold,

Teacher Wellbeing StrategyGroup,

• Inter Board Welfare Group, • Regional Training

Management Board, • Managing Attendance

Working Group, • General Teaching Council,

Inter Board Training Group,Designated Officers forChild Protection inEducation Group

• ACPC.

The level and extent of representation on thesegroups was determined by available resources. APerformance Review andStaff Development schemewas agreed and the processof implementation began.This involved the developmentof a support mechanism forthe Governors of CatholicMaintained schools throughthe recruitment and trainingof external advisers to assistin the establishment andmonitoring of targets.

Teachers from Sacred Heart College, Omagh

20

The Council provided adviceand guidance to principalsand governors in relation to arange of employer functionsduring the period. Theseincluded attendance, appointments, child protection, discipline andgrievance, efficient discharge,financial management, industrial relations, health andsafety, salary policy, management structure andsuspensions and expulsions.Industrial action by teachersimpacted differentially acrossthe system. The Councilworked actively with otheremployers, the Department ofEducation and teacher unionsto resolve the issues andreturn to normal working forthe new term in September.This action placed significantadditional pressure on officers in supportingGovernors and Principals inmonitoring an effective service for children. Officerprovided advice to Governorsand Principals on the successful implementation ofthe Upper Pay Scale forteachers.

During the period of the plan,the Council developed a practical guide for schools inrelation to the managementof critical incidents.

Overall there were 516appointments in the period toPrincipal, Vice-Principal andTeacher positions. This figureshows a decrease from 653in the previous year. Thenumber of principal appointments fell by 2, thenumber of Vice-Principals by17 and the number of teachers by 118.

A total of 25 applicants forill-health retirement wereprocessed during the period.This figure was down from 44in the previous period. Thedetails are set out below:

DIOCESE NO. OF RETIREMENTS

ARMAGH 6

CLOGHER 2

DOWN & CONNOR 9

DROMORE 1

DERRY 7

TOTAL 25

CCMS Staff

CCMS Appointment Panel

21

PRINCIPALS POSTS

There was a slight decreasein the percentage applicationsfrom female candidates from46.26% to 45.56%. The appointments of female andmale were equally balancedat 51% and 49% respectively.The percentage of femaleappointments in the previousperiod had been 66%.

TOTAL No OF APPLICANTS

Female 108 (46%)Male 129 (54%)TOTAL 237

SHORTLISTEDFemale 89 (45%)Male 111 (55%)TOTAL 200

NOT SHORTLISTEDFemale 19 (51%)Male 18 (49%)TOTAL 37

APPOINTEDFemale 19 (51%)Male 18 (49%)TOTAL 37

VICE-PRINCIPAL POSTS

The percentage of femaleapplicants decreased in the2004-05 year compared tothe previous year (42% from47%).

The percentage ofappointments awarded tofemale candidates was 61%down slightly from theprevious high of 64%






TEACHER APPOINTMENTS

The number of applicationsprocessed during the yearincreased to 6555 from 6028the previous year despite afall of 118 in the posts available. The low number ofmale appointments continuesto be a source of concern.Only 11% were appointed inPrimary and 25% inSecondary this year. Schoolsand Colleges will need todevelop a strategy to addressthis issue. A full report isavailable on the CCMS website.






Donal Flanagan (Chief Executive CCMS) joined by new principals

22

ProfessionalQualificationfor Headship (PQH)

The Council continued to promote the PQH schemewithin is schools and torecognise the qualification inshortlisting criteria for prescribed posts during thecurrent period. Of the 120candidates who graduatedthis year, 40 were from theCatholic Maintained Sector.

PQH Graduates 2005

* Catholic Maintained Sector ............................................40

* Controlled Sector............................................43

* Governing BodiesAssociation (GBA)

............................................27

* Integrated Sector (NICIE)..............................................9

* Irish Medium Sector..............................................1

WELFARE

Once again this year theservice had a very busy yeardealing with a diverse rangeof issues. The main issueswere relationship difficultiesat school, ill-health retirementsand stress related illness.

The retirement seminars continued to be popular and

an extra venue had to be included this year. Officersfrom the Welfare Section metwith a group of teaching principals to discuss areas ofconcern and to identify possible solutions regardingthe ongoing issue of workload.

The report from the TeacherWelfare Strategy is due to bereleased for consultation atthe end of June and thereport and itsrecommendations areexpected to form the bulk of

the Welfare Business Plan for the coming year. During thecurrent period a staff surveywas carried out and theissues raised have begun tobe addressed. A staffappraisal scheme and apolicy on carer leave havealso been drafted. TheWelfare team were alsoinvolved in organising thememorial service for BrendanSmyth and the collection andpresentation to his wife andson. The evening was verysuccessful and over 300 people attended.

PQH Group

Brid O’Neill (CCMS Welfare Officer)

23

Redundancy Management

The year 2004-05 has been aparticularly challenging yearfor some schools which havehad considerable financial deficits to manage. As a consequence levels of redundancy have remained high and are likely to be evengreater for the 2005-06 yearas the impact of budgetaryconstraints is felt in schools.

See Figure 4

Primary Secondary TotalAppointments

Total

Teacher

Vice-Principal

Principal 25

20

204

249

12

13

242

267

37

33

446

516

Diocese Compulsory Transfer TotalVoluntary

Armagh

Clogher

Down & Connor

Dromore

Derry

Total

21

14

67

20

23

145

0.4

0

0

0

0

0.4

5

1

6

0

14

26

26.4

15

73

20

37

171.4

CCMS Teacher Awards

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Litigation

The Personnel section continued to manage thecaseload for CatholicMaintained Schools comprisingclaims of discrimination,unfair dismissal, equal payand complaints to theCommissioner for Complaints.During the year the IndustrialTribunal introduced its revisedRules of Procedure. One ofthe most significant was theintroduction of CaseManagement Hearings. Thishas greatly increased theworkload associated withcase management. In the2004/05 year a total of 7 casemanagement hearings wereattended and it is anticipatedthat this number will increasein the next year.

SUMMARY OF LEGALCASES

NEW CASES

Sex Discrimination 4Equal Pay (Sex Discrimination) 1Unfair Dismissal 1Disability Discrimination 1Unfair Dismissal 1Religious Discrimination 1*

*Whilst the above claim felloutside the jurisdiction of theFair Employment Tribunal, theCouncil was still required toexamine the case.

Cases Concluded

Cases Still At Hearing

One case of alleged Disability Discrimination has been partlyheard during the year and has been adjourned until furthernotice.

Case No Outcome

Sex Discrimination

Sex Discrimination

Sex / Religious Discrimination

Unlawful Deduction from Wages

Sex Discrimination / Breach ofContract

Disability Discrimination

Settled

Withdrawn

Settled

Withdrawn

Withdrawn

Heard by Tribunal - dismissed

1

2

1

1

2

1

Teachers from Blessed Patrick O’Loughran Primary School

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CORPORATEOBJECTIVE 8 –OrganisationalDevelopment

The Council will promote a culture of continuousempowerment within theorganisation and seek tosecure and effectively manage appropriatehuman, physical and financial resources.

The Council’s most valuableresource is its own staff. TheOrganisation Review carriedout in a previous planningcycle, made a number of recommendations intended to

make the Council as efficientand effective as possible,within its limited resources,while protecting the welfareand working conditions of itsofficers.

Many of the recommendationswithin the OrganisationReview concerning human,physical and financialresources have been implemented and a CorporateServices Unit has beenestablished. This unit hasdrawn together officers fromprevious discrete sectionsforming one team with theemphasis on service delivery.

In pursuit of this objective officers have continued to

implement the planning andoperating framework in amanner consistent withCCMS Strategic Themes.

In keeping with its objective ofimplementing sound financialsystems and procedureswhich incorporate appropriatechecks and controls and valuefor money processes,Corporate Services developeda new Internal Audit programmeduring the period of the current plan. Awareness raising training was providedfor Council members andstaff on the new internal audit programme and in respect ofCouncil’s Risk ManagementStrategy.

CCMS Education Group

26

Pupils from St. Ciarans, Ballygawley

Pupils from Glendermott Ballyshasky Primary School, Derry

27

Throughout the planning period officers have endeavoured to develop andimplement appropriate financial policies, promote aclimate of probity and propriety in relation to operation and business andto provide an efficient, effective service for Councilmembers and staff.

Officers have also sought tocomply with all aspects of theFinancial Memorandum andthe Memorandum ofGuidance, to be associatedwith the Accounting Officer ofthe Department of Educationon matters relating to thegrant and grant in aid beforethe Public AccountsCommittee and/or AssemblyCommittees and to monitorand evaluate the implementationof the PPP Scheme.

During the year a Staff andWelfare audit was conductedof all Council staff and proposals developed to support staff. The surveyresults were very positive andissues which were raisedhave begun to be addressed.A Staff Appraisal scheme hasbeen drafted and will comeinto operation before duringthe next planning period. Apolicy on Carer Leave hasalso been drafted and presented for approval to theFinance and PersonnelCommittee and is currentlygoing through the consultation

process. The current flexiworking scheme is also beingreviewed.

Council held a two-day residential conference for allstaff at the Hilton Hotel,Templepatrick. The conference, facilitated by theRegional Training Unit, hasMr Tom Frawley, Chair of theIndependent Panel of Expertsof the Review of PublicAdministration as one of several contributions. MrFrawley adequately outlinedthe RPA process and some ofits possible implications forCCMS as well as the publicsector as a whole.

The following business outcomes have also beenachieved during the planningperiod • management of the BDS

review in relation to thesalary compatibilityexercise with regard tospecific posts

• the submission of the in-year bid for additionalresources

• on-going negotiation of theterms of reference andengagement with theDepartment of Education inorganising review and jobevaluation. Regrettablythere has been no progressin this area and movementis unlikely with the Reviewof Public Administrationunderway.

During the next business period Corporate Serviceswill seek to develop aCommunications Strategy,develop a cost control systemfor Business PlanningProcess and to implement anICT Training Programme.

Council is proud of what hasbeen achieved during theperiod of this Corporate Plan.It is aware that much stillneeds to be done but it isconfident that the achievementsin this period will be replicatedand exceeded in the nextplanning cycle.

Members would wish toacknowledge the professionalism,commitment and dedication ofthe Council’s staff and placeon record their appreciationof their work.

Blessed Patrick O’Loughran pupils atwork

28

Above and below Blessed Patrick O’Loughran pupils at work

Contact Details

CCMSHEADQUARTERS160 High StreetHolywoodBT18 9HT

Tel: 028 9042 6972Fax: 028 9042 4255

Armagh DiocesanEducation Office1 Killyman RoadDungannonBT71 6DE

Tel: 028 8775 2116Fax: 028 8775 2783

Clogher DiocesanEducation Office8 Darling StreetEnniskillenBT74 7EP

Tel: 028 6632 2709Fax: 028 6632 7939

Derry Diocesan EducationOffice1A Millar StreetDerryBT48 6SU

Tel: 028 7126 1931Fax: 028 7127 1368

Down and Connor DiocesanEducation Office193 - 195 Donegall StreetBelfastBT1 2FL

Tel: 028 9032 7875Fax: 028 9032 7866

Dromore DiocesanEducation Office56 Armagh RoadNewry BT35 6DA

Tel: 028 3026 2423Fax: 028 3026 6703

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30

Notes

www.onlineccms.com

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