Is Section 24 dealing withunderperformance

in schools?

SESS ‘Book BorrowingOnline’ Scheme

Optimising ICT in the Classroom

IPPN Conference 2013

Aiming High inMathematics

Counteracting BullyingWhose responsibility is it?A school has a major influence over children’slearning but it cannot be a one-stop-shop to curethe ills of society.

With thanks to Sponsor of IPPN Publications

+LeadershipTHE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF PRINCIPALS

ISSUE 73 ● MARCH 2013

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do not necessarily reflect the official

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Counteracting BullyingWhose responsibility is it?By Seán Cottrell and Gerry Murphy

P A G E 3

A school has a major influence over children’s learning but it cannot be a one-stop-shop to cure the ills of society.

There are few things as upsetting to a parent as discovering that your childhates going to school because they are being bullied. For two decades ormore, schools have been focusing on policies and procedures to bothprevent and counteract bullying behaviour. While we welcome theminister’s action plan, it does come with a cautionary note. There appearsto be high expectation that schools can rid society of bullying behaviour.Virtually every school in the country has developed anti-bullying policiesand procedures and are actively dealing with it on a day-to-day basis. Wecertainly hope that there is no expectation of starting from scratch with anew policy and action plan, for to do so would be unnecessary and a wasteof valuable time. Whilst of course schools have a role to play and must haveup-to-date policy and procedures in relation to bullying, parents andcommunities must shoulder at least equal responsibility.

Most principals will have encountered the situation where pupil A reportsbeing bullied, all the anecdotal evidence points towards pupil B but he/shewas not ‘caught in the act’. Pupil B sticks to his story. The parents are calledin. It is very clear that the ‘apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree’! These areextremely difficult and time-consuming investigations and often they arenot reconciled.

However difficult physical, emotional and verbal bullying may be toaddress, in the electronic era we are now challenged further to deal withcyber bullying. The issue is the same but the methodology is different andthe implications can be far-reaching.

There are two practical actions that are not in the ministerial ‘action plan’which we think should be considered as a key prevention strategy. In thecase of a child being bullied by text messages, instead of ‘fighting back’,the child should not respond. Instead the parents should take the SIM cardas potential evidence and supply a new SIM card and number which isthen shared with family and close friends only. Secondly, all the expertsagree that children should be 13 or more before engaging with socialmedia. Yet there seems to be a broad acceptance that it ‘does no harm’.Parents won’t move the car unless everyone has their seatbelt buckled. Theywon’t let their kids walk to school where there is dangerous traffic. So whydon’t parents have similar safety concerns about the internet? Is it because

they have a lack of knowledge about how the technology works and howto manage the risks or even what the risks are? Parents today are the firstgeneration whose children are ahead of them in their ability tocommunicate using technology. Many parents feel ill-equipped tochallenge their children about their use of social networking tools whichcome with so much inherent risk.

We must not forget that parents are the primary educators of their children.Our job is to support them, not replace them. Despite all that childrenhave, it’s tough being a child today and many parents acknowledge howchallenging parenting is. Education obviously is at the heart of a solutionand perhaps we need to review the nature and content of the interactionwe have with parents - on a one-to-one basis, in class-groups or with thefull parent body. The parent association, where in place, is an ideal platformto invite speakers and to open up discussion with outside objectivity. In thesame way that the Stay Safe programme was developed to provide abespoke resource for all teachers, a similar resource for parents in relationto bullying is badly needed. Virtually every school in the country has

developed anti-bullying policies andprocedures and are actively dealing with it ona day-to-day basis.

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Leabhrán CluichíCártaí focal / frásaí Clár Scóir

Cruinn Ceart

P A G E 4

Employment Law can be complex and extensive. It is governed by muchlegislative provision to include:� Teaching Council Acts 2001 – 2012� Safety and Health at Work Act 2005� Equal Status Acts 2000– 2011� Maternity Protection Acts 1994 – 2004� Adoptive Leave Acts 1995 – 2005� Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996� Industrial Relations Act 1990� Unfair Dismissal Acts 1977 – 2007� Data Protection Acts 1988 – 2003� Payment of Wages Act 1991� Qualification and Training Act 1999� Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 – 2005.

When it comes to dealing with teacher underperformance and misconduct,the procedure used is Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 as substitutedby S.6 of the Education Amendment Act 2012. This is a disciplinaryprocedure which could in a worst case scenario conclude with the possiblesuspension or dismissal of a teacher or indeed school principal. Section 22of the Education Act 1998 boldly states that it is the responsibility of schoolprincipals and boards of management (BoMs):

Section 22 (1)“The principal of a recognised school and the teachers of a recognised school, underthe direction of the principal, shall have the responsibility (…) for the instructionprovided to students in the school…”

Section 22 (2)“The principal and teachers shall (…) (d) (…) carry out these duties that; in the case of teachers, are assigned to them or at the direction of the principal and inthe case of the principal, are assigned to him or by the Board”.

If you need to deal with underperformance, or indeed non performance,you should always try to resolve matters in as sympathetic and focused amanner as possible. If diplomacy, support and patience do not deliver thedesired change, you will have no option but to commence a S.24 procedureor suffer the consequences of doing nothing.

DES circular 60/2009 implements the S.24 process. These revisedprocedures were negotiated as part of a document entitled ‘Towards 2016’by the trade unions, management bodies and the Department of Education& Skills (DES). In advance of commencing such a procedure you shouldalways notify the chairperson of the BoM. This procedure does not includeprobationary teachers or ancillary staff. Statutory Instrument 146 of 2000deals with all non-teaching staff. At the initial stage, get advice from IPPNand or your management body support office. The following chartsummarises the Section 24 procedure.

Professional Competence Issues Other Disciplinary IssuesStage 1: Verbal Warning Stage 1: InformalStage 2: Written Warning Stage 2: FormalStage 3: External Review Stage 3: Final Written Warning Stage4: Hearing Stage 4: Formal Hearing BoM actionStage 5: Appeal Stage 5: Appeal

Is Section 24 dealing withunderperformance in schools?

Legal Diaryby David Ruddy BL, Principal of Talbot BNS, Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Section 24 (3) Education Act (1998) DES Circular 60/2009 Summary

Teachers

ProfessionalCompetence

Issues

ProfessionalCompetence

Issues(Teaching Only)

Other DisciplinaryIssues

(Non-teachingactivities)

Admin Principals Only

Not Teaching

Curriculum

Other DisciplinaryIssues

Non-teaching

• Late • Posts of

Responsibility • Leave /

Punctuality • Conduct /

Behaviour

Principals

P A G E 5

The starting and finishing point of a Section24 is ‘fair procedure’, ignore it at your peril.Fair procedure includes:� Presumption of innocence� Allegations in writing and in advance� Opportunity to respond and challenge� Absence of bias� Representation� Act reasonably and fairly� Confidentiality� No intimidation or coercion of witness� Proportionality of sanctions� Dignity of employee.

It is crucial to identify which strand theSection 24 will address. The two strands areProfessional Competence Issues or OtherDisciplinary Issues. The competence issue isprobably the easier to address as it is moredetailed and involves the DES Inspectorate.Stage (4) is the most formal stage and involvesthe BoM in investigating and hearing the case.It also empowers the BoM to administersanction to include the following disciplinarysanctions:� Final written censure� Deferral of an increment� Suspension with pay� Suspension without pay� Dismissal.

In the case of an allegation of grossmisconduct, the BoM can bypass Stages 1, 2and 3 and commence at Stage 4 of theprocess. Gross misconduct can include thefollowing:� Theft � Fraud/ falsification of documents� Indecent emails/ text messages

(circulation)� Pornographic materials� Serious bullying / harassment� Violent / disruptive behaviour� Gross negligence / dereliction of duties

� Refusing to comply with legitimateinstructions resulting in seriousconsequences

� Incapacity under the influence of alcoholor un-prescribed drugs

� Serious breach of Health & Safety rules � Serious misuse of school property� Serious breaches of confidentiality.

At Stage 4, the BoM should again seek advicefrom the relevant management body and alsospecific legal advice. Always remember thatFair Procedure is at the core of our legalsystem and indeed S.24 procedures.

Any teacher unhappy with a BoMdecision/sanction can appeal to the Teachers’Disciplinary Appeal Panel (TDAP). Thefollowing are the grounds for appeal:� Agreed procedures not adhered to � Relevant facts not ascertained /

considered� Not afforded reasonable opportunity to

respond � Disproportionate Sanction behaviour #

disciplinary action.

Members of the (TDAP) are appointed bythe BoM. A member from the INTO panel,management body panel and DES panel areappointed.

If the appeal is successful/part successful,recommendations to the BOM could include:� No further action to be taken against the

teacher� Amendment of proposed disciplinary

action � Case should be considered to remedy

perceived breach in disciplinaryprocedures.

It is ultimately up to the BoM to take the finaldecision regarding sanctions. It would behighly unlikely for the BoM to disregard aTDAP recommendation.

If a teacher is suspended or dismissed, the DESmust be informed along with the TeachingCouncil. The Teaching Council will shortly bevested with new powers to deregister teachersunder the Teaching Council Act 2001. Thiswill prevent a dismissed teacher seekingemployment in another school.

SUMMARY – TRUST YOURJUDGEMENTThe Education Act empowers principals andBoMs to manage schools. Trust yourjudgement as it seldom lets you down. Followthe procedures closely and do not deviate fromthem. Develop a mindset that is not personal.This is business and part of your role as aschool leader. Competent advice and supportis critical. Schools that don’t manage get intotrouble.

Teachers’ Disciplinary Appeals Panel - Cases2009 to 2012 – Stage 5� 15 cases� 6 dismissals� 5 suspensions without pay� 1 demotion� 1 deduction of salary increments� 1 suspension without pay� 1 appeal ongoing.

There have been only 15 cases which havegone the full distance to Stage 5. Hundreds ofSection 24 procedures have commenced withthe majority resolving

issues at the earlier stages. Most cases do notpass stage 1 at verbal warning/informal stage.This would point to a positive experiencefrom a management point of view.We have nothad any judicial reviews in the High Court byan aggrieved teacher in a challenge againstthese procedures. High Court challenges thatpre-dated the commencement of theseprocedures have indicated that the Courts takea dim view of anyone trying to litigate againstschools where existing disciplinary procedureswere not utilised.

It is ultimately up to the BoMto take the final decisionregarding sanctions. Itwould be highly unlikely forthe BoM to disregard aTDAP recommendation.

Hundreds of Section 24procedures havecommenced with themajority resolving issues at the earlier stages.Most cases do not passstage 1 at verbalwarning/informal stage.

P A G E 6

Optimising ICT in the ClassroomBy Laura Leahy, Language Class Teacher, Scoil Naisiunta

and Chroi Naofa, Glouthaune, Co. Cork

Information and Computer Technology (ICT) inthe classroom has become a very influential partof the school day. Schools, teachers and childrenappear to be embracing all aspects of ICT that isbeing made available to them, includingInteractive Whiteboards (IWB), digital cameras,printers, voice recorders, fully-equippedcomputer rooms and iPads. The use of ICT inschools presents a number of pros and cons aslisted below.

Pros� The use of ICT adds another dimension to

lessons� There is more involvement for the children

– completely interactive� The children can learn from each other

when using the IWB, demonstrating thatthe child is learning/discovering forthemselves, and the children areteaching/learning from each other

� There is easy access to a world ofinformation from the internet

� Individual and group work can be done� ICT is a very good resource for project

work� The IWB is excellent for those with

sight/hearing problems� Children with special needs or behavioural

problems can benefit hugely from ICT, as itgives them a sense of responsibility andownership over the work they do

� It maintains the interest in the children� There is an extensive range of

methodologies, activities and gamesavailable

� It gets the children out of their chairs -movement breaks

� So many children are already accustomed tousing ICT already, so it feeds that interest

� Lessons on the IWB can be shared acrossschool networks and can be reused oredited for future lessons

� The IWB can be used in conjunction withdigital cameras, voice recorders, etc.

� There is variety in the teaching day for thechildren and the teacher.

Cons� There is a possibility of losing the hands-on

approach in lessons, when teachers becomedependent on the IWB in particular. Forexample, it would be more beneficial to thechildren to have concrete objects such asfood when talking about weight in maths, as

opposed to putting pictures on the IWB.� The children could become overloaded

with ICT, as many of them are comingfrom homes with technology such as iPadsand computer games as it is

� There is a risk of ICT resources not beingused to their full potential, for example,simply using the IWB as a regularwhiteboard/blackboard

� Financial overheads also need to beconsidered when using any ICT structurewithin a school. Outside the cost ofpurchasing ICT equipment, there is also thecost involved in teacher training,maintenance and repair, all of which add upsignificantly. Unless a school has a memberof staff experienced in the area of ICT, thenschools can end up paying out a lot in theupkeep of ICT within their schools.

Developing confidence in ICT in the classroomWe need to ensure that the ICT resources wehave in our schools are being used to their fullpotential. We also have to allow for the fact thatnot all teachers are confident in using ICT.Teachers need to be encouraged to learn thatthere are many activities that can be taught on the

IWB. Sometimes this involves the teacher playingaround with the IWB in their own time to get afeel for what can be done. Here are just a fewways that ICT training and developingconfidence with ICT can be facilitated:

� To aid the less confident teachers, teacherscould share their experiences and train eachother. Teachers should not be afraid to askfor help in using a particular ICT resource.In most schools, there may be at least oneteacher who can share their knowledge in aparticular area of ICT.

� There are also plenty of ICT summercourses available each year, which are welladvertised in advance.

� ‘Croke Park’ hours could be utilised intraining each other so as to give eachteacher a chance to maximise the use of theIWB.

Once teachers are familiar with how all of theICT resources available in the school can be used,these tools can only add to the numerousmethodologies and resources already available toteachers, and teaching and learning can becomemore fun and exciting for all!

P A G E 7

The following case studies, which are real cases involving caretaking staffin Irish primary schools, illustrate the importance of adequate health andsafety procedures and also of clear communication with staff and pupils.

FRACTUREThis case involves an accident involving the school caretaker. The schoolhall is situated such that there are three entrance routes into the hall.Each entrance is accessible via a set of double glass doors and peoplewould go in one entrance and out another as a short cut to get todifferent parts of the school. On this occasion, the caretaker pushed thedoor open with his hand and, as he did so, the door opened a certainamount and stopped suddenly causing him to fracture his finger.

There was a dispute in the evidence as to whether the plaintiff had madeany report or complaint in relation to the functioning or any problemwith this door. There was evidence that the door had been repaired andthe Judge indicated that she must accept the evidence as to how theinjury was caused by malfunctioning of the door, whether there was aprior history of problems or not. The big issue for the defence was thatthe closer was replaced and was thrown out so the insurance companywas not afforded the opportunity to inspect the item. Given the numberof screw holes in the door, it was evident that the closer had been movedor replaced on a number of previous occasions. The insurance companywas not in a position to produce any expert report on the actualequipment which was deemed to have failed and the Judge, who has tomake her decision on the ‘balance of probabilities, was left with littlechoice but to find for the plaintiff.

FALL FROM LADDER / POOR SAFETY PROCEDUREIn this case, a caretaker fell from a ladder while attempting to hang asign on a pillar in the local church in preparation for the forthcomingHoly Communion ceremony. There was a speaker on the pillar and it wasassumed that it was over this that the caretaker would hang the sign. Thiswas a relatively simple task and one which had been completed with nodifficulty on many previous occasions. The initial version of events givenwas that the caretaker fell when getting down off the step ladder.

On previous occasions the sign was hung with the help of a pole but thissystem had changed and a cable was wrapped around the pillar in aposition higher than the speakers and there was a considerable stretch toreach it. When examined, this system of work was criticised on a numberof fronts.

A step ladder was used but the plaintiff had to climb to the very top ofit and stretch the rest of the way in order to hang the sign. Two sixth classpupils were sent with him to assist him and really an adult should havebeen there to assist. The two pupils’ versions of events differed somewhatto that pleaded but they were not available as witnesses to the case. Theinsurance company had no choice other than to settle the matter on thebest possible terms.

In the next issue we will provide case studies of claims in relation to incidentsinvolving external contractors and external parties in the school and preventivemeasures that could have been taken to avoid them.

Health & Safety and School Insurance Sponsored by Allianz

On this occasion, the caretaker pushed thedoor open with his hand and, as he did so,the door opened a certain amount andstopped suddenly causing him to fracturehis finger.

Two sixth class pupils were sent with him toassist him and really an adult should havebeen there to assist.

RelationshipsBy Damian White, Principal of Scoil Shinchill, Killeigh, Co. Offaly

‘Almost all of our relationships begin, and most ofthem continue, as forms of mutual exploitation, amental or physical barter, to be terminated when oneor both parties run out of goods.’W H Auden.

Working on the IPPN Principal Advicehelpline often brings the maxim of RTÉ’sagony aunt Frankie Byrne from the heady daysof sponsored shows on Radio 1 to mind.Since her death, Frankie has been the subjectof a book and no end of articles on her ownoften tragic private life. She specialised inadvising women how to get farmer husbandsto take off their caps going to bed and men toat least put a cushion on the bale of straw inthe transport box when offering a lady a lift.Somehow, she managed to steer a pathbetween sensible advice and the moral policeforce so prevalent in Ireland in the 1960s and70s to inform and entertain us in equalmeasure. Her signature line, for under 45s orthose of us who can’t remember where theyparked the car anymore, was ‘this may not beyour problem today, but it could be yourssomeday’.

Many of the problems encountered on thehelpline are to do with relationships. ThePrincipal, as orchestra conductor, must keepthe parents in the string section sweet whilethe staff in the percussion section are bangingtheir drum. The DES people in the woodwindsection are constantly tooting their horns,sometimes excessively, and can change themood music if allowed to. The Board ondouble base are usually content to keep thebeat as long as the other sections are in line.So which relationships must you concentratemost on to ensure the music is more JamesLast than Johnny Rotten?

I’m going to stick my neck out and say thatthe most important relationship a principalmust work on is with the staff. Once staffrelations are good, all other relationshipsbenefit.

When our Inspector visited recently tocomplete a teacher’s diploma it struck me thatthe lasting impression he would have takenfrom our staffroom was that it was fun to bethere. If he had arrived the following day, he’dhave had to adjust his belt, such was the foodon display as a teacher was moving to pasturesnew. Good communications with staff on classallocation, resource sharing and commonapproaches to teaching subjects and subjectstrands means that the opportunity for discordseldom arises.

When it does, there are solid grounds forrebuilding the relationship more easily. Whenstaff relations are good, there is likely to be aclose adherence to commonly agreed schoolpolicies and plans. If parents see progressionand commonality of approach in the teachingof subjects areas and the application of schoolrules, this makes for better parent/teacherrelations. The relationship with children ispositively affected by seeing the adults atschool behave in a positive and mutually-supportive and respectful way around eachother.

When communications are good, problemsarising from issues such as teachers of differentgenerations, melt away. Experienced teachersare often energised by the drive and ideas ofnew teachers while in turn, younger staff can

feed from the rich pool of experience olderteachers bring. Older teachers often fill theinformation gaps for younger teachers onissues such as family history or procedure tohelp the younger teachers gain a clearerpicture of what they are dealing with.

The Board, who keep the beat, are generallyvery happy once the staff are happy andworking well together. As volunteers, the lastthing they want to do is deal with disputesbetween staff.

Relations with ancillary staff are best wheneveryone is treated as an important instrumentin the orchestra. In my view, staff nights outare just that – with all staff welcome andvalued. It is also important to remember thatrelations with staff can be over a much longerperiod, and at a more interdependent level,than any other relations in the school. Aretiring principal told me recently that he andanother teacher have worked almost 80 yearsbetween them in the same school.

So what of the Conductor? How does he/shekeep all the elements in tune withoutalienating, annoying, terrifying or undulyhassling any of the sections? It’s not alwayspossible but where it falls down, look at theissue that caused the problem. It will almostcertainly be around communication.

It may not be your problem today, but it willsomeday. And, my dear dear girls and boys,Frankie will be there to help you.

P A G E 8P A G E 8

The Principal, as orchestraconductor, must keep theparents in the string sectionsweet while the staff in thepercussion section arebanging their drum.

Good communications withstaff on class allocation,resource sharing andcommon approaches toteaching subjects andsubject strands means thatthe opportunity for discordseldom arises.

Experienced teachers areoften energised by thedrive and ideas of newteachers while in turn,younger staff can feedfrom the rich pool ofexperience older teachers bring.

www.ippn.ie – Latest resourcesIf your school has a policy or plan that is notavailable on ippn.ie, or which would supplementavailable resources, we would appreciate if youwould submit it for review by email torachel.brannigan@ippn.ie.

The following are the new resources available inthe different sections of the website:

RESOURCES

School Policies● Anti-Cyber Bullying Policy● Exemption from Irish Policy (revised)

Staff Management● Leave of Absence and Career Breaks Policy

(revised)

Forms & Templates● Airgead Bunscoile - Detailed Instructions &

Help with Excel Versions (revised)● Letter to Parents - PE Exemption

■ POR1 (amended)■ POR2 (amended)■ POR3 (amended)

● Supervision – 2012/2013 School Year -Teachers who have opted out of supervisionduties

● Travel Pass Scheme 2013 Application FormDES Circulars

2012/2013● 0001/2013 - Combined Post-Graduate

Diploma Programme of ContinuingProfessional Development for Teachersinvolved in Learning Support and SpecialEducation – 2013/2014 / ComhchlárDioplóma Iarchéime um FhorbairtGhairmiúil Leantach do Mhúinteoirí atá agobair i dTacaíocht Foghlama agus OideachasSpeisialta – 2013/2014

● 0002/2013 - Post-GraduateCertificate/Diploma Programme ofContinuing Professional Development forTeachers working with Students withSpecial Educational Needs (AutisticSpectrum Disorders) / ClárTeastais/Dioplóma Iarchéime um FhorbairtGhairmiúil Leantach do Mhúinteoirí agobair le Scoláirí le Riachtanais speisialtaOideachais (Neamhoird SpeictrimUathaigh)

● 0003/2013 - Graduate Certificate in theEducation of Students with AutisticSpectrum Disorders (ASDs) for teachersworking with Students with ASDs in SpecialSchools, Special Classes or as ResourceTeachers in mainstream Primary and Post-Primary Schools / Teastas Iarchéime inOideachas Scoláirí le Neamhoird SpeictrimUathaigh orthu (NSUanna) le haghaidhmúinteoirí ag obair le Scoláirí le NSUannaorthu i Scoileanna Speisialta, i Ranganna

Speisialta nó mar Mhúinteoirí Acmhainne imBunscoileanna agus in Iar-Bhunscoileannasa phríomhshruth – 2013/2014

● 0004/2013 - Occupational Health Strategyfor registered Teachers and Special NeedsAssistants In Recognised Primary and PostPrimary Schools / Straitéis sláinte ceirde domhúinteoirí cáilithe agus do chúntóiríriachtanas speisialta i mBunscoileanna agusin Iar Bhunscoileanna Aitheanta

● 0008/2013 - Budget 2012 – Public Service-Wide Review of Allowances and PremiumPayments (Gaeilge translation not yetavailable)

● 0009/2013 - Maternity Protectionentitlements for registered teachers (Gaeilgetranslation not yet available)

● 0010/2013 - Scheme of grants towards thepurchase of essential assistive technologyequipment for pupils with physical orcommunicative disabilities / Scéim deontaschun trealamh riachtanach teicneolaíochtacúnta a cheannach do dhaltaí atá faoimhíchumas fisiceach nó cumarsáide

● The following circulars were translated into Irish(in some cases) many months after the publicationof the English versions and have been availablesince the last issue of Leadership+ was printed: ■ 0043/2012 - Socruithe Do Shaoire

Bhreoiteachta Fhéin-Dheimhnithe DonFhoireann Uile (Ach Amháin MúinteoiríAgus Cúntóirí Riachtanas Speisialta) ImBunscoileanna Agus In Iar-Bhunscoileanna Aitheanta

■ 0042/2012 - Socruithe do shaoirebhreoiteachta fhéin-dheimhnithe dorúnaithe agus feighlithe i mbunscoileannaagus in iar-bhunscoileanna aitheanta

■ 0039/2012 - FéinmheastóirtóireachtScoile a Chur i Bhfeidhm –Bunscoilleanna

■ 0038/2012 - Múinteoirí ar conradhtéarma socraithe (sealadach), múinteoiríionaid agus múinteoirí páirtaimseartha abheith curtha leis an bPainéal ForlíontachAth-imlonnaithe

■ 0037/2012 - Socruithe Do ShaoireBhreoiteachta Íoctha Fein-DeimhnitheDo Chúntóirí Riachtanas Speisialta iScoileanna Aitheanta Bunscoile agusMeánscoile

■ 0036/2012 - Socruithe Do ShaoireBhreoiteachta Íoctha Fein-DeimhnitheDo Mhúinteoirí Cláraithe i ScoileannaAitheanta Bunscoile agus Meánscoile

■ 0019/2012 - Rátaí Pá Athbhreithnithe indáil le Maoirseoireacht/Ionadú le linnscoilbhliain 2011/2012

■ 0013/2012 - Comhchlár DioplómaIarchéime um Fhorbairt GhairmiúilLeantach do Mhúinteoirí atá ag obair i

dTacaíocht Foghlama agus OideachasSpeisialta – 2012/2013

Curriculum & School Planning● Basic Science Catalogue● Drama Resources● School Self-evaluation: Oral Language

Questionnaire

Acmhainní as Gaeilge (new Category)● Gaeilge - Achmhainní● Gaeilge - Inputs to the Scéim Bliana ● Gaeilge - Plean Scoile don Ghaeilge ● Gaeilge - Plean Scoile don Ghaeilge - scoil

sa Ghaeltacht ● Gaeilge - Plean Scoile don Ghaeilge II ● Plean Matamaitice

Infectious Diseases (new Category)● Infection in School - A Manual for School

Personnel

SUPPORTS

Leadership+● Leadership+ Issue 72 – January 2013.

ADVOCACY

Publications● Link to Leadership+ archive

Press Releases● 31st Jan 2013 - Survey shows rise in

emotional trauma among primary schoolchildren, says IPPN

● 29th Jan 2013 - School leaders welcomeGovernment’s Action Plan on Bullying

● 25th Jan 2013 - Reduce red tape burdenand back school leadership, IPPN tellsGovernment

● 24th Jan 2013 - Rising food poverty hindersprimary school pupils’ ability to learn -IPPN

● 22nd Jan 2013 - Use technology to improveprimary school teaching, IPPN tells ITLGsummit

● 5th Dec 2012 - Budget fails to tacklefunding crisis in primary schools - IPPN

EVENTS

Principals’ Conference● Principals’ Conference 2013 – this web page

contains links to all keynote speech texts(where available) and videos; seminarpresentations and related materials; ExhibitorDirectory; press releases and photos. Formore information, see page 15.

ABOUT US

Our People● Profiles of Support Office Staff● Profiles of Executive Committee members.

P A G E 9

On your behalfSince the last issue of Leadership+, IPPNhas continued our advocacy role on behalfof principals, through meetings, events andsubmissions in relation to the following:

JANUARY● Sarah Fitzpatrick, NCCA – standardised

report cards, ‘student passports’ andtransition to second level

● Minister Ruairi Quinn and Seán ÓFoghlú – principals’ workload, teachingprincipals, educational rationale foradministrators

● Brian MacCraith, President of DCU –bridging the ICT divide

● IPPN Executive Committee meeting● Niall Ó Donnchú, Dept of Arts,

Culture and the Gaeltacht – givingchildren a creative experience

● IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference,Citywest Hotel

● Irish Technology Leadership GroupConference – panel discussion on ICTin education

● Archways – preparation for symposiumin March.

FEBRUARY● Eamonn Conway, Mary Immaculate

College - Update

● NIPT consultative meeting –establishing agreement with relevantpartners

● Marino College - presentation tostudents and post-graduates re. applyingfor their first job

● St Vincent de Paul – child hunger● Education Matters – editorial

committee meeting

● Working Group on School Placement

● DCU and NUIG - EducationPosts.ie

P A G E 1 0

Principal AdviceReaching OutBy Angela Lynch, Principal Advice Manager

As principals, we think that we should be ableto be self sufficient, able to solve all problemsand handle stress effectively. When we areliving in tough times, it becomes more difficultto help yourself. If my time as principal hastaught me anything, it is that it is all too easyto become overwhelmed and reach a point ofcrises, both personally and professionally.

The honesty, openness and willingness ofprincipals, at Conference, to share theirvulnerability and reach out for help serves tounderline the serious situation faced by all ofus, in terms of our health and welfare.

We often speak of team in the school context.Team for me equates with Together EachAchieves More

The team at IPPN have much to offer by wayof supporting you. A number of differentavenues exist in accessing the support youneed.

Mailing lists such as networking @ippn.ieprovide you with advice and information on awide range of topics from fellow principalssubscribed to the mailing list.

Networking@ipn.ie is ideal for those dailyqueries and questions where the advice fromcolleagues on how they approach varioussituations and scenarios can instantly help youto make progress with your own situation.

Mailing lists such as newprincipals@ippn.ieand advice@ippn.ie are facilitated by membersof the Principal Advice Panel, who alone replyto postings. The replies are posted on themailing lists for all to view the advice offered.

There are times when more discussion andconfidential advice is needed. A call to theSupport Office will ensure that a member ofthe Principal Advice Panel will contact you fora confidential one-to-one discussion on asituation in your school, which may bedivisive, worrying or leaving you distressed insome way. There will be times also when youare overwhelmed by your workload or may beexperiencing a lack of motivation in your role.A conversation with an experienced Principal,who may themselves have dealt with similarcircumstances, is often what could be neededto re-focus and help you see more clearly theway forward.

Sometimes more sustained support is neededand this is where the Leadership RecoveryProgramme may be accessed. (See over page)

Let us support each other on this journey ofleadership. Contact the IPPN NationalSupport Office on 1890 21 22 23.

Angela LynchIPPN National Support Office

Mailing lists such asnetworking @ippn.ieprovide you with adviceand information on a wide range of topics from fellow principalssubscribed to the mailing list.

P A G E 1 1

Recent research carried out by IPPN tells us that growing numbers ofprincipals are being treated for stress, sleep problems and depression. Inthe National Support Office, we also know from the volume of calls wereceive that more and more principals are struggling to cope in the faceof increasing workload and decreasing resources.

Are you struggling to cope with your workload? Are you finding thedemands of principalship too great? Are you suffering with sleepproblems, stress, anxiety, depression or other stress-related conditions? Arethe demands of your professional life affecting your personal life?

IPPN offers a service called Leadership Recovery for principals who findthemselves in a critical situation and cannot see a way out. This serviceis designed to help you regain your health and wellbeing, giving you backthe confidence you may have lost.

All you need to do is call 1890 21 22 23, speak to a member of theSupport Office team and let us help. Your call will be treated in thestrictest confidence and will be referred to the Leadership Recovery co-

ordination team who will work withyou to put a support system in place.

We work with a variety ofprofessionals to tailor a programmespecific to your needs. Examplesof previous recovery strategiesinclude:� Provision of a stress-management

consultant to work individually withyou

� Dedicated practical support for the Deputy Principal while s/he isacting in the principal role

� Referral to counselling services� Ongoing mentoring from a member of the Leadership Recovery

team.

If you feel you need help please call the National Support Office on 1890 21 22 23.

“I had reached my breaking point,

things started to improve

with that first phone call”

IPPN’s Leadership Recovery Programme

Essentially School Partnership is about improved communication between the school and the college before and during the block of School Experience. Partnership will further develop the layer of support that is offered by shcools to student teachers and will offer opportunities for sharing ideas and new methodologies.

WHAT ARE SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS ASKED TO DO?

teachers from Hibernia College during the school year. Schools will still be able to agree as to which students they accept and at which times of the year

Co-operating teachers will have a short meeting with the Hibernia College partnership tutor ahead of the School Experience block about the process involved

Primary School Partnership Programme

Live. Learn.

BENEFITS OF PARTNERSHIPS TO SCHOOLS INCLUDE:

Being able to access CPD and other resources that will

Enabling schools to provide more streamlined support to student teachers

Allowing schools to shape the School Experience process

Allowing schools to gain recognition for work that they are currently involved in

Offering professional development opportunities to develop mentoring and leadership skills of teachers and building capacity within the profession

What Next? If you would like to discuss School Partnership or indeed any other issue please contact Mary Kelly, Deputy Programme Director and Head of School Experience on mkelly@hiberniacollege.net or by phone on her direct line at 01 7999 215.

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P A G E 1 2

‘Children who are hungry going to school cannot learn’Excerpts from Gerry Murphy’s opening address to IPPN Conference 2013.

While literacy and numeracy are undoubtedlyimportant and must be highly valued, it wouldbe wrong to focus on them exclusively. At arecent conference Andy Hargreaves asked: dowe ‘test what we value or do we only valuewhat we test?’ I believe it is at our peril that inconcentrating on the three ‘R’s we neglect the4th and critical new ‘R’ in education –relationships.

Our children’s ability to form and sustainrelationships and cultivate their emotionalintelligences is fundamental to their well-beingand to their development as human beings.Today’s child is faced with very complex socialchallenges with new forms of disadvantage –such as middle-class families losing theirhomes, cyber-bullying, early sexualisation,parental drug and alcohol abuse and itsassociated neglect of children. If our educationmodel tests only literacy and numeracy, wemust ask, how do we know if we are equippingour children for the life challenges they face?

Who would have thought that food povertywould be an issue in Irish schools in 2013?Children who are hungry going to schoolcannot properly access any one of the four Rs.In 2010 food poverty affected children in oneout of every ten families; it would be shamefuland irresponsible of policy-makers to ignorethis reality. Our international colleagues placeequal value on the well-being and resilience ofchildren in their efforts to improve literacy andnumeracy skills. We must do the same if weare to compete in the Literacy and NumeracyPremier League.

Ireland is increasingly becoming the Europeanhub of the global IT industry and we areconstantly reminded of our need to prepareour children for the ‘knowledge economy’.How does this vision for the future blend with

the reality for those children, who every dayin their classrooms watch their teachermanually entering data into the LeabharRolla? Why are schools in 2013 still manuallycompleting the Leabhar Tinrimh and the ClárLeabhar as they did in 1922? The answer isthat only those antiquated ledgers areacceptable to the Department as official schoolrecords – our school secretary spent six weekstransferring data from a very efficientelectronic system into the Clár Leabharfollowing an incidental visit from the inspector.It would be cost negative for the DES to trialand test the electronic school managementsystems already in use in some of our schools.This would create a saving of thousands ofwasted hours. It would provide a one-stopsource of accurate data and save theinspectorate the embarrassment of enforcingoutdated rules for National Schools. And westill have the situation that we have a databasefor almost every farm animal in the countrybut nothing for our school children.

I believe that principals are the key tosustaining an effective school. You and yourteachers are often the sole advocates forchildren at risk. For many of these children,schools are their only safe havens. SinceSeptember 2012 on RTÉ 1, we have had abird’s eye view of the daily lives andinteractions of five Irish primary schools. Iviewed those programmes with an enormoussense of pride in the generosity andprofessional concern of both principals andteachers towards the children. It is the mark ofthe true professional that, despite cut-backsand salary reductions, the education andwelfare of the child remain central to what wedo. Good schools are led by good leaders.

The task of the school principal today is one ofleading in challenging times. It would be soeasy to lose heart and to forget or neglect thecore skills of leadership. We must try toremember to balance the challenges of the rolewith the privilege we have to lead our schoolcommunities.

Great leaders know the importance ofcommunicating the value of a colleague’s workand how it matters in the context of the wholeschool. Communication is a two-way processand it’s important to have systems in place that

provide for that constant flow of information.It can be very difficult to communicate toughmessages effectively but we must not avoid it.It requires the leader to communicate with theteam in an honest but balanced and fairmanner. Issues that are not addressed in thismanner are very much like a superficial woundthat is plastered over, they can fester and growmore ugly and painful.

Celebrating success is a vital part of how wesustain relationships within our team and theentire school community. The celebration ofoccasions in the life of the school community,whether big or small, helps to maintain a highlevel of morale. We are all human and respondto that word or gesture of recognition. Weshould celebrate those who consistentlycontribute to the school community, week inand week out. The person who works with thesports teams, the choir, the band, the quiz team,the concert, the Board of Management and theParents Association, the person who goesabove and beyond. These team members needour affirmation, to be told that theircontribution is appreciated.

I like the quotation ‘Life is 10% of whathappens to me and 90% how I react to it’. Tome it means that I can choose how I respondto challenges. If I choose a positive response Ido so in the knowledge that it has a muchmore positive effect on those who see me astheir leader. We lead by example. Nobody getsit right all the time. But if we have mostly theright people on our bus and can facilitate themsitting in the right seats and facing the samedirection, then it can be a greatly improvedjourney for all.

Gerry’s full speech text is available on www.ippn.ieunder Events – Principals’ Conference – Principals’Conference 2013 – Keynotes.

Our children’s ability to form and sustainrelationships and cultivatetheir emotional intelligencesis fundamental to their well-being

I believe that principals arethe key to sustaining aneffective school. You andyour teachers are often thesole advocates for childrenat risk.

IPPN Annual Principals’

2013CONFERENCE

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‘We have asked a lot of you’Excerpts from Secretary General Seán Ó Foghlú’s addressat Conference 2013

We see IPPN as an important partner ineducation and I want to work to build on therelationships that have been fostered over thepast few years. I am conscious that we have askeda lot of you over the last two years. Theimplementation of the National Literacy andNumeracy Strategy, the roll out of School SelfEvaluations and the Forum on Patronage andPluralism have all introduced significant levels ofchange to the primary sector. The Action Planon Bullying will ask each of you to ensure thatwe work together to eliminate the scourge ofbullying from our schools. I’m aware that eachnew initiative brings new demands for you andthat the reduced resources available to you makethese demands even more pronounced. It is toyour credit that on school visits made byDepartment staff, we encounter happy schools,brimming with the creativity so evident in ourchildren. That environment is driven largely byyour leadership and your teachers. I commendyou for your continued commitment toimproving the education of all of our children.

The transition from pre-school to primaryschool is one of the first major transitions facedby our children. Within the pre-school sector, aplay-based curriculum is common practice.Within the junior and senior infant classrooms,implementing a play-based approach to earlylearning advocated within Aistear is a dauntingprospect. However, in the face of overwhelmingevidence of the effectiveness of such teachingmethods, we cannot afford to delay in embracingthis change.

A number of reforms which have begun inrecent years are designed to continue improvingthe quality of education in all of our schools.That is why we are implementing the NationalStrategy on Literacy and Numeracy. We haveensured that it is seamlessly integrated into thearrangements for School Self-Evaluation so thatboth initiatives are mutually supportive. TIMSS

and PIRLS clearly indicated that we areperforming better than most countries but stillhave some work to do if we want to join theranks of the best performing countries in theworld. That must be our ambition.

The new primary language curriculum will beready for children from junior infants to secondclass in September 2014. It will respond to theissue of curriculum overload, highlighted byIPPN over the last number of years. It will dothis by reducing the number of outcomes andby integrating language across the curriculum.

Improvements to initial teacher education andbetter continuing professional development arecentral to delivering the ambitious targets in theStrategy. The extra year (in teacher training) willallow colleges to change the focus within theirprogrammes to place a greater emphasis on thepedagogical skills of our teachers. The B. Ed.Degree programme will include longer andmore structured teaching practice. And we aremoving to bring all teacher training within sixcentres of education that can become centres ofexcellence in education. As they develop, theymust expand their capacity to support improvedleadership in our schools. We need IPPN to fullyengage with the development of Initial TeacherEducation – you will have a key role in buildingthe capacity of these institutions to help educateour present and future school leaders.

We are seeking to fully imagine and explore theclassrooms of the future to maximise the use ofspace for exciting learning; to provide innovativespaces that respond better to learning styles ofall children; to better harness the potential ofICT as a tool for learning; to design classroomsto be based on sound pedagogical principles. Wehave commenced a research survey of ourhighest quality recently-built primary schools.The results will inform my Department’s reviewof the current design guidelines for primaryschools.

The question of school ethos is one faced byparents when deciding upon primary schools.The Forum on Patronage and Pluralismhighlighted the need to survey the views ofparents in areas of stable demographics. It is clearfrom the surveys of five areas conducted beforeChristmas that a significant number of parentswant a broader choice of school ethos for theirchildren. Once a further 38 surveys are complete,we will examine how the change demanded byparents can be delivered.

We hope to commence work shortly, subject tothe availability of resources, on the developmentof a primary learner database. This will buildupon the current post-primary learner database.It will provide valuable information for thedevelopment of policy within the Department.It will also go some way towards reducing theadministrative burden on schools when it is fullyimplemented. There are other areas, such as thenature of roll books in our schools, that wewould like to invite the education partners todiscuss with us.

To conclude, I want to pay tribute to the roleyou play as leaders of our schools. Workingtogether, we can reduce the stresses and strainson our students and we can do so while alsoimproving the quality of their education.

Other topics covered include Action Plan on Bullying,Transition to Post-Primary, School Autonomy andFuture Planning; School Self Evaluation. Full speechtext is available on www.ippn.ie under Events –Principals’ Conference – Principals’ Conference 2013– Keynotes.

The new primary languagecurriculum will be ready forchildren from junior infantsto second class inSeptember 2014.

We are seeking to fullyimagine and explore theclassrooms of the future tomaximise the use of spacefor exciting learning

We have commenced aresearch survey of ourhighest quality recently-built primary schools. The results will inform myDepartment’s review of thecurrent design guidelinesfor primary schools.

IPPN Annual Principals’

2013CONFERENCE

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‘There is a gross imbalance between capacity and expectation’Excerpts from Seán Cottrell’s address at Conference 2013

SSE is one of the buzz words these days. Perhapsit would be timely if we were to focus on what aMinisterial Self Evaluation might look like.Thereare some obvious ‘Strengths’, including theplanned replacement of prefabs, building newschools, opening up the debate on schoolpatronage and a national strategy for literacy andnumeracy. The proposed Action Plan on Bullyingwill hopefully be a positive step in tackling thescourge of cyber bullying. And there are new levelsof transparency in Marlborough Street.

On the other hand we all know that there areseveral ‘Areas for Improvement’. Education wasan agreed priority for this government. Doesprioritizing education mean increasing class sizein schools with four teachers or fewer, reducingthe overall number of resource teaching hours andEnglish Language teachers, cutting capitation,getting rid of the minor works grant andsqueezing the summer works scheme?

I normally have the pleasure of thanking theMinister for providing substitution cover to enableTeaching Principals attend their professionaldevelopment conference. For the first time, subcover has not been provided. This decision isshort-sighted. It also questions the value placed onprincipals of smaller schools by the department.Cutting back on professional development whilstcontinuing to add extra responsibilities to theprincipal’s role is a dangerous game.

I could never understand why small schools led byteaching principals have the least administrativesupport. After all, the core responsibilities are thesame for all principals, regardless of school size. Ifwe are going to compare standards betweendifferent countries, fine. Let’s also compare thesupport schools have. In other countries, resourcesto employ administrators are ring-fenced, makingsure that principals can do what they do best –focusing on the quality of teaching and learning.Here, the ancillary grant has never been sufficientto hire the skilled administrators principals reallyneed. And that grant was cut last year. Even more damaging to principals’ workload isthe gradual scrapping of In-School Management.Can you imagine the impact on the department ifthey lost half of their assistant secretaries, principalofficers and advisors? This is exactly what ishappening in many schools.

There is a gross imbalance between the leadershipand management capacity in our schools and the

expectations of the department. To resolve thisimbalance, the department must prioritise fundingfor skilled administrators, a minimum of one non-contact day per week for the leadership andmanagement role of teaching principals and thereinstatement of in-school management posts. Thisis about getting the foundations right on whichwe can build an education system fit for the future.

If the principal is overloaded to the point of notbeing able to cope, it’s not long before it affects thequality of learning for children. There is a limitlessamount of work that can be done. A shared,coherent vision for primary education is badlyneeded. The cumulative effect of all the initiativesover the years has a profound impact on yourworkload and ultimately on your health – ‘Deathby initiative’. Some of the most obvious effects ofexcessive workload include stress, leading to illhealth; feelings of guilt; anxiety; depression and lowjob satisfaction. This has been confirmed by ourrecent survey, where nearly half report being onmedication for various conditions including bloodpressure, depression, anxiety and sleep loss.

No matter how competent or confident aprincipal may be, constant overload can erode theirsense of self worth to such an extent that some feelthey can no longer cope. We know how some ofour colleagues have suffered because they calledIPPN looking for urgent help. I dread to thinkhow many are suffering in silence, unable to takethat first step to look for help.

When workload affects the health of an employee,the employer, in our case the board ofmanagement, has a legal responsibility to act. IPPNhas recently raised this issue with the managementbodies and the DES. We raise the issue becauseIPPN, as a professional body, has a moralimperative to bring it to the forefront on behalf ofschool leaders. Failure to address this issue willadversely affect the quality of children’s education.

As a profession, we must redefine what it reallymeans to be a principal teacher. Ten years ago,IPPN commissioned the Hay Group to workwith school leaders in defining the role of theprimary school principal. As an extension of thatreport, our Executive is currently working on aframework which will enable us to redefine therole of principal in 2013, based on best practice.

The principals who thrive and not just survive intheir role have certain qualities that set them apart.

They rarely ask for permission but, guided bydoing the right thing, they rely on forgiveness.When faced with a challenge, they are notreluctant to lead.

They embrace change, provided it makes thingsbetter for the school, especially for the children.They look after their staff and pupils. They modelhope rather than despair, positivity instead ofcynicism. They have a strong moral compass and awell-honed instinct for doing the right thing –based on the needs of children. They have a lifeoutside of work. They have a confidence whichallows them to communicate the challenges oftheir role to staff, parents and board members.They have acquired the art of saying ‘no’.

As the leader of your school community, you havethe greatest capacity of all to determine thedirection and vision for your school - greater thanthe Minister, the board of management or thepatron. The department is incredibly fortunate tohave such a dedicated cohort of school leadersmanaging the learning of more than half a millionchildren week in, week out. If the governmentgenuinely wants to improve primary education, asthe Finns did when they had their economic crisis,there are three strategies that will deliver:

First – No more new initiatives unless schools areprovided with the necessary capacity to managetheir implementation. We have superb teachers –please let them teach.

Second – Give principals the administrativebackup they need to fulfil their primary functionof leading the quality of learning.

Finally – Trust principals. Give them the resourcesto run their schools and harness their capacity tolead.

Colleagues, we are leading our schools throughtough and unprecedented times. But this too willpass. The road ahead is challenging and uncertain,but by supporting each other, together we mustmake sure that we will have achieved the very bestfor the children in our care, preparing them for anuncertain future. In the words of Barack Obamalast Monday ‘we are made for this moment andwe can seize, so long as we seize it together’.

Seán’s full speech text is available on www.ippn.ie underEvents – Principals’ Conference – Principals’ Conference2013 – Keynotes.

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P A G E 1 5

Over 1,000 principals attended the IPPNconference in January. We are delighted to be ableto make keynote speech texts and videos as well asseminar materials available to all members via ourwebsite, as well as press releases and a photo gallery.

To access Conference 2013 materials go to ippn.ie,log in with your username and password then andclick on the Events tab. All materials are availablewithin the Principals’ Conference – Principals’Conference 2013 section. Alternatively, scan the QRcode below with your smartphone and you’ll betaken directly to the webpage.

KEYNOTE SPEECHESChoose from videos, speech texts and biographiesfor Conference 2013 keynote speakers:� Gerry Murphy, IPPN President� Ben Walden of Contender Charlie� Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the DES� Seán Cottrell, IPPN Executive Director� Fr Peter McVerry� President Michael D Higgins� Mark Patrick Hederman, Abbot of Glenstal

Abbey� James Whelton, co-founder of CoderDojo

SEMINARS:Seminar materials prove extremely popular, notonly among those who have attended the sessions,but also by principals looking for some practicalguidance on a particular issue. The followingpresentations are available to download:

� The Teaching Council’s revised Code ofProfessional Conduct - Brendan O’Dea,Deputy Director of the Teaching Council

� Supporting the disadvantaged student in non-DEIS schools - Clare Ryan

� On our best behaviour! : An Integratedapproach to behaviour management inschools - Ena Morley, Aoife Slacke, MiriamConway of St Ultan’s NS

� Internet safety - protecting children in thedigital age - Kyle Petrie, eSafety.ie

� Developments in Inspection and School Self-Evaluation: Listening to Principals about howexternal evaluation and school self-evaluationcan best impact on school quality - Gary ÓDonnchadha, Yvonne Keating of theDES Inspectorate

� Reading fluency: The ultimate goal of readinginstruction in the primary school - GeneMehigan, Marino Institute of Education

� Managing challenging behaviour across thespectrum of adult relationships in the schoolcommunity - Joe O’Connell, Director ofLimerick Education Centre

� Leading the use of Technology to supportLearning and Teaching - Madeleine Murrayand Mary McGarry, PDST

� Managing Challenging Behaviour (SESS) -Madeline Hickey and Ailbhe Dunne,SESS

� Child Protection - Keeping principalsinformed and children safe - Maria Doyle,IPPN

� School Self-Evaluation: Key Elements of aWhole School Approach to Effective LiteracyInstruction - Martin Gleeson, MaryImmaculate College

� Teaching Principals - Practical Methodologiesand Approaches - Micheál Rea & KieranHealy, IPPN

� Reporting to parents: What you need toknow - Noel Loftus, NCCA

� Leading, Teaching and Managing Maths inyour School - Seán Delaney, MarinoInstitute of Education

EDUCATION EXPO - EXHIBITORDIRECTORY:More than 125 companies exhibited at EducationExpo 2013. You can view a full directory ofexhibitors in the Conference web pages or throughippn.ie. Alternatively scan the QR code below.Please consider our exhibitors whenmaking purchases for your schoolover the coming year – theirsupport is vital to IPPN.

Additional resources:� Press Releases are available in the Advocacy –

Press Releases section� Photo Gallery – photos of conference

attendees, exhibitors and keynote speakers areavailable in the Principals’ Conference –Principals’ Conference 2013 section of thewebsite.

Presentations, videos, speeches and much more on ippn.ie

The Gathering By Damian White, Principal of Scoil Shinchill, Killeigh, Co. Offaly

Come hither you all from each part of the earthTo the broken sod which you’re adhered

to by birthMoney we need and we’ll shower you

with BlarneyFrom the great Malin Head to the

lakes of Killarney.Whoever came up with the latest grand plan

Probably thinks he’s a mighty great manBut principals are gathering for a great many years

To discuss education and drink a few beers.Yes, the government wants us to gather in force

Yet they pull sub cover to prevent such discourse.But forgiveness is but an add-on to permission

As four hundred teachers stuck with their missionTo them goes the credit for adjusting mid airAnd landing in Saggart with stories to share.

The clarion call to gather and greetSaw a thousand souls at Olivia’s feet

Once more she captured the mood of the roomWorking hard to deflect our deep sense of doom

Forensically calling our guests to accountTo back up their words with details of amounts,

Saying what it would cost to fund their grand plansIn this time of austerity and increasing demand,

Ballymurphy’s finest with words of rare silkShe’s our soothing blanket, our mother’s milk.

Our messages this year are clear and starkFunding for basics is wide of the markFor President Gerry, the Roll is a pain

Refilling the Rolla was a task for no gain.He talked of the hunger some children endureSuch a poor start in life makes the future unsureOur own Julius Caesar without the same fate

On the Ides of March as he heads towards the gateMaking way for the Royal, King Brendan of Tara

With the finest beard since Kevin O’Meara.Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears

Ben Walden had us aghast at his tearsThe power of Shakespeare laid bare on the stageGreat drama, like whiskey, improves with age.

As we looked round the room in search of a foxWhile the owls kept their counsel

Though they’re here in their flocks.Seán Cottrell bestrode the stage with élanDeath by initiative not part of his plan.

The food was quite lovely, both afternoon and night

With not an ounce of horse burger in sight.President Higgins inspired with his passion

Urged us to keep art and poetry in fashion.Fr McVerry kept the focus on youth

The man of God is the bearer of truth.The President/poet and priest were at easeTheir words a placebo for financial disease.

Glenstal’s abbot was a breath of fresh airMr Gradgrind’s facts bible caused him to despairHis thoughts a revelation; his humour sublime

A great educator ahead of his time.Then came a young man with wonderful news

The story of Dojos in his bright red shoesJames Whelton a lad with a shed full of wonder

He started by pulling old TVs asunderIT in Ireland young James says it sucksThe young Steve Jobs took no learning

from books.So the great conference gathering drew

towards an endNew and old faces, they’re all on the mendThe arrows of fortune, its outrageous slings

Mean we cannot afford now so many things.We head back north, south, east and west

Renewed and rebooted for what we do best.

IPPN Annual Principals’

2013CONFERENCE

P A G E 1 6

I have the greatest admiration for teachers whogive their lives to the children in their classroomand, as teaching has become more and moredifficult since I taught for two years at BelvedereCollege in the 60s, so my admiration has grown.Teaching was also my first introduction to socialjustice. As a rookie teacher, I was given the task ofteaching science and maths to every third streamclass in the school. I quickly came to realize howappallingly unjust that was: these pupils neededthe best of teachers, not the worst, but the attitudewas that since they were unlikely to be verysuccessful anyway, it didn’t really matter whotaught them, the best teachers should be assignedto the brightest pupils. I quickly became a strongopponent of streaming, on justice grounds.

A colleague invited me to visit the small youthclub in the flats behind the College. I went, I sawand I stayed. I later encountered a child whom Iknew from the flats sleeping on the streets. Hewas nine years of age. And the rest, as they say, ishistory.

One of the things that homeless young peoplehave in common is a tremendous lack of self-esteem. They feel that they are of little value.Rejected often by family, hassled by the police onthe street, kept at arm’s length by most of society,they feel they are a failure. Most were eithersuspended from school or simply stopped going.But how could they stay focused in school?Perhaps they had been up half the night whiletheir parents, well tanked up, had an almighty row,shouting and screaming at each other or any oneof a variety of dysfunctionalities that may havecharacterised their family. Attending school wasnot the most important issue in their stressed-outlives; indeed it was just another unwanted stress.

I came to realise that while we provideaccommodation and drug treatment andcounselling for young homeless people, we arereally trying to do something much moreimportant - we are trying to restore their sense oftheir own value. And if we are not doing that, therest becomes irrelevant. Perhaps that is what mywork and your work has in common.

Your job is to ensure, not only that every childleaves your school able to read and writeappropriately for their age, not only that they havehad the educational development which isappropriate for them, but even more importantly,to ensure that they leave school feeling good aboutthemselves. The greatest gift any of us can give a

young person is to enhance their self-esteem. Ifthat is missing or in short supply, then a youngperson’s future is very bleak, and society will sufferthe consequences.

When young homeless people return to us, theyusually say something like, “Thank you for beingthere for me when I needed you.” What theyremember, and what they value most, was therelationship: a relationship in which they felt caredfor, valued and in which they did not feel judged.They sometimes talk to us about their teachers.But they do not talk about the great teacher, theytalk about the kind teacher, the one who cared.And that is the task of every teacher, everyprincipal, every youth worker, everyone involvedwith young people. I often say that a good youthworker makes some of the young people theywork with feel important; a great youth workermakes all of them feel important. I’m sure it is nodifferent with teachers, or principals.

One of the lessons I have learnt from homelesspeople, particularly those whose behaviour is mostproblematic, is that there is always a story behindthat behaviour. When I feel like throttling them,or walking away, I ask myself: “Where are theycoming from?” It may take a long time todiscover, but the discovery is always revealing andsometimes harrowing. We judge people much tooquickly, because we don’t know what has gone on,or is going on, in that person’s life. Of course he’sgoing to be angry, distrustful of adults, and he’sgoing to bring that with him into school.

We tend to define ‘problem children’ as childrenwhose behaviour causes problems for us, asteachers or principals or citizens. Our criteria forsuccess becomes the measure in which theirbehaviour changes. What we call ‘problemchildren’ are better defined as “children with

problems.”The more difficult young people are,the more damaged they are and therefore themore that they need our help and our support.But often the more difficult and the moredamaged young people are the ones who get theleast help.

Your job and my job is, I think, to promote thedevelopment of young people by which I meanthe freedom to choose to live the kind of life wevalue. Expanding a young person’s vision of theworld through education, and above all promotinga positive self-image expands the choices open tothem in life. But what they make of those choicesis their decision, beyond our control. Our successis not measured by their external behaviours, butby their internal attitudes. I could not continue todo the work I do if I were to judge success andfailure by the criteria of this world.

When I started to work with homeless people, Ithought I was the one who had something to offerthem; I have long since learnt that they have somuch to offer me. Our dignity and sense of ourown value depends on us believing that we havesomething of value to contribute to the lives ofothers; for most people, their contribution isthrough their own family, through work, throughinvolvement in the community. But homelesspeople are always on the receiving end of things:everyone is doing something for them, gettingthem a bed for the night, getting them theirwelfare payments, getting them counselling.

Perhaps children are in the same situation. If youare always at the receiving end, everyone doingeverything for you, it destroys your dignity andsense of your own value. And so I think our job isto give young people the opportunity to give, aswell as to get. Even from a very early age, givingyoung people the sense that they are contributingto someone or something else is essential.

We are all, you and I, in the same business ofhelping people to acknowledge their owninherent dignity, to appreciate their own value andto recognise the value of each person aroundthem. We are teachers first and foremost by ourexample, much more than by our words.

Full speech text is available on www.ippn.ie underEvents – Principals’ Conference – Principals’Conference 2013 – Keynotes.Contact the Peter McVerry Trust at info@pmvtrust.ieor at their website www.pmvtrust.ie

‘Our job is to give young people the opportunity to give’Excerpts from Fr Peter McVerry address to IPPN Annual Principals’Conference 2013. Peter founded the Peter McVerry Trust –‘Opening Doors for Homeless People’ thirty years ago this year.

The greatest gift any of uscan give a young person is to enhance their self-esteem. If that is missingor in short supply, then ayoung person’s future isvery bleak, and society willsuffer the consequences.

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Sponsored by

Eileen Burns, Scoil Bhríde, Rochfortbridge, Co. Westmeath,winner of the Allianz All-Ireland Hurling Final weekend,courtesy of Allianz. Pictured with (L-R) Anthony Shannon, AlanBlack and Ciarán Whelan of Allianz

IPPN would like to thank our Education Expo exhibitors this year for their support in helping deliver ourannual conference and contributing to its success. Please consider our exhibitors when makingpurchases for your school over the coming year. A full directory of the exhibitors is available on theconference web pages or by scanning scanning the icon on the right.

Finally, we would like to thank the many principals who have referred companies onto the National Support Office andwho go on to exhibit at our Education Expo. Your support has helped us make Education Expo the largest trade event forschool suppliers.

Passport prize winners Olga Hyland (centre left), Cloch an tSionnaighNS, Ballycolla, Co. Laois and Elma Huggard(centre right), St John TheBaptist NS, Midleton, Co. Cork pictured with Ronan Browne (left) andJohn Power (right) from Crannóg Financial Solutions who sponsored aprize of 4 premium level tickets for Ireland’s Six Nations game againstFrance, with accommodation in the 5 star Raddisson Blu Saint Helens.

.

GROU PS O S

We would also like to thank the following companies for their kind contributions:

IPPN Annual Principals’

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We would also like to thank Edco and Scoiltel for contributing prizes for the passport giveaway

completed

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It is no exaggeration to say that our future is inyour hands. The young people who are in yourcare are the future of this country. Don’t allowanyone, politicians, economists, church leaders,anyone, to deflect you from your great purposewhich is the complete flourishing of every oneof the young people in your care.

Education should be the art of cultivating theemotional, physical, psychological and spiritualdimensions of the developing child. Anythingless is a betrayal of their trust in us. Every childis more than a future employee; every person'sintelligence and abilities are far more complexthan his or her scores on standardized tests. The curriculum devised for Primary Schoolsdating back to 1971 has been an overallsuccess. Obviously it can be improved and theteachers can be better trained to cope with it.But we should not start to panic and regress tomethods of the past in the interest of betterliteracy and numeracy. In the presenteconomic crisis it is too easy to cut off allsubventions for the arts in schools and toconcentrate attention on what are referred toas the basics. Such a short-term and pragmaticdecision will be seen as counterproductive inthe long run.

The full flourishing of the children in our care,in every aspect of their personal lives,including their ability to read and to calculate,should be the overall goal of our educationsystem.

Education, in the end, means a certain kind ofrelationship between a teacher and a pupil.From birth to adolescence, the human personneeds sheltered conditions and personal

attention for maximum growth. Small isbeautiful when it comes to schools. The secretof education is to have a lower teacher-studentratio: this is more important than havingexpensive facilities and up-to-date equipment. Communication between people is vital forany form of education, as the essential elementis person-to-person contact. Real education isa duet between the person of the teacher andthe person of the student. The genuineeducator is one who makes that introduction,that connection, without second guessing theconclusion or pre-empting the possible result.Geniuses don’t need education from anyone –they flower in spite of circumstances. Butgeniuses are few, and the average child needscare and individual attention from competentand dedicated adults in a small environment todevelop their own personalities. Unless sucheducation is available to our children then let’snot pretend that what we are offering is‘education.’ It is possible to impart instructionto any number of people, even by electronicmeans over great distances, but the secret ofeducation is transmission from person toperson. So, often, education is at present amatter of luck: meeting the right person at theright time. But such luck is more likely tohappen in a small environment where realeducational dialogue is possible.

We should not harness our children to thebusiness needs or the short-term economicgrowth of this country. Instead of making oureducational system fit the targets of someeconomic plan in terms of market needs andjobs on offer, we should be listening to thevoices of the children. These are the propheticvoices of the future. Teach the children how tospeak for themselves and then let’s listen towhat they have to say.

Our greatest natural resource is imaginativecapacity. We should be inventing ways ofeducating which would nourish andencourage this potential. The education systempresently in place in Ireland is potentially aweapon of mass destruction whereimagination is concerned. We must know bynow that the future, even ten years down theline, may be so different from the world wenow experience that our parents would findthemselves quite disoriented. We will find thatwe have trained our children in the wrong

direction. We should have been preparingthem for a world beyond anything we had everdreamed possible. Our children have no timefor dilly-dallying, no space for inner or outerexploration, no opportunity for dreaming.Every minute of every day is full up with‘learning.’ They have to get through the ‘coresubjects’ of the curriculum, they have to dotheir ‘homework,’ they have to practicecramming, they have to do their examinations,they have to aim for the points awarded forthese examinations – they have no time to bechildren, they’ve grown up before they wereallowed to know what was happening.

Who needs to memorise vast chunks ofinformation when we all have Google? Andwhat kind of job based on obedient followingof rules has not been computerised ordesigned for robots? The whole obsoletefactory model of education has to bechallenged and replaced.

Inspired teaching opens the realm of theimagination, so that the living of life becomesan ‘art’ in itself. This art releases our potentialand gives us the confidence to relate not onlyto ourselves but to all life around us. We alsobecome, through this release of creativity inourselves, problem solvers, lateral thinkers andlively entrepreneurial spirits, as a beneficial by-product for the economy!

Allowing children to engage with their owncreativity inspires confidence and engendersenthusiasm, spontaneity, fun; it provokescuriosity, and instils motivation at the sametime as providing a task-oriented self-discipline. Nothing focuses the attention morethan accomplishing a worthwhile creative task.

The full speech text is available on www.ippn.ieunder Events – Principals’ Conference – Principals’Conference 2013 – Keynotes.

‘Our future is in your hands’Excerpts from Mark Patrick Hederman’s address atConference 2013. Mark is Abbot of Glenstal Abbey.

The full flourishing of thechildren in our care, inevery aspect of theirpersonal lives, includingtheir ability to read and tocalculate, should be theoverall goal of oureducation system.

Inspired teaching opens therealm of the imagination, sothat the living of lifebecomes an ‘art’ in itself.

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The DES decision not to provide sub cover for teaching principals wasdeeply frustrating and impossible to understand. The increased workload that you have as a teaching principal and the continuous demandsplaced upon you to implement new initiatives makes it all the morefrustrating to discover their decision to withdraw conference sub cover.Even more so when we have learned that second level teachers attendingthe Institute of Guidance Counsellors’ AGM in March have beengranted sub-cover. We await the Department’s logic as to why the samewas not granted to teaching principals.

WHY WAS THERE NO SUBSTITUTE COVER FORCONFERENCE?In spite of intense lobbying and several meetings with the Minister andhis senior officials, the DES has withdrawn substitute cover for teachingprincipals as a cost saving measure. Last year, we were notified by DES that it would be the last conferencewhere teaching principals would receive substitute cover.

WHAT EFFORTS HAS IPPN MADE TO RE-INSTATESUBSTITUTE COVER? A number of meetings took place between IPPN Executive memberswith the Minister and his senior officials (March - July 2012). We madethe strongest possible case to change their mind and provide thenecessary sub cover. During each meeting, we reiterated our members’feedback.

Teaching principals are under extreme duress given the complexity oftheir role and lack of admin support. We also focused on the dearth ofprofessional development to meet the specific needs of teachingprincipals. We pointed out that the use of administration days to attendour National Conference was not what the days were intended for asthey are clearly required for administration purposes. We were bitterlydisappointed as the meetings proved unsuccessful. We subsequentlyreceived an e-mail from the DES – please read below and make yourown judgement of the department’s blanket refusal to provide substitutecover.

Not for giving up, we subsequently made a specific submission on behalfof teaching principals which focused on the prioritisation of leading andlearning in their schools. Please see link below with another responsefrom the DES.

I can assure you that no stone was left unturned in our negotiations.No amount of professional rationale, persuasion or debate will changetheir decision.

The agreed programme for government and its reference to theimportance of the role of principal with regard to school improvement,literacy and numeracy, DEIS etc rings hollow as the resources tounderpin this statement diminish before our eyes.

Le measSeán Cottrell

DES EMAIL

Substitute Cover for Teaching Principals Attending Conference

Folks,

Each of your organisations were informed last year thatthe Department could no longer afford to providesubstitution cover for Teaching Principals and DeputyPrincipals to attend conferences. This resulted fromBudget discussions in late 2010 that savings were to befound from the teacher substitution budget. The issue wasthe need to reduce substitution costs and not any issueabout the benefits of the conferences.

The Department wishes to clarify a primary school can,at the discretion of the Board of Management, decide touse some of the existing principal release days to facilitatethe attendance of their Teaching Principal or DeputyPrincipal at professional development conferences that areorganised by IPPN, INTO or management bodies.

Any such decision is a matter for the Board ofManagement of each school and it is up to it to make itsown judgement on whether this is the best use for theirprincipal administrative release days. There is no changein the overall number of principal release days which iseither 14, 18 or 22 days depending on the size of theschool (details set out in Circular 25/02).

The Minister has requested that any such conferences arescheduled as much as possible outside of the school year(either at weekends or during school holidays) so as tominimise the requirement for schools to use theirPrincipal release days. In this regard the Department’sprior approval of the schedule for the conferences will berequired.

Regards Hubert Loftus Principal Officer

A hardcopy letter issued by the DES on 24th October reiteratedmany of the same points. A PDF of the letter is available to viewby contacting the Support Office.

This article was originally issued as an e-scéal to IPPN members on 29thNovember 2012

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If a roomful of adults was asked to recount theirmemories of their days in primary school, Ihave no doubt that all of them would havestrong and enduring recollections of that periodin their life. For some, the question wouldawaken happy memories of friendships formed,talents nurtured and new interests awoken. Forothers, for a variety of reasons, their primaryschooldays might be recalled differently, somemay recall of sense of boredom, disengagementand a longing to be somewhere else.

And of course there are yet others for whomrecalling their primary schooldays will alwaysawaken memories of fear, anxiety, a sense ofexclusion. In so many ways the values of asociety inform the atmosphere of education atany particular time.

In so many ways for our young people, theirconfidence, character and ability to respect andvalue themselves is formed and developedduring those all important early years of theirlives. The achievement of good mental healthand the building of positive self esteem andproblem-solving abilities amongst young peoplemust happen in their primary years of educationand the school environment has a critical role toplay in promoting that positive mental well-being.

For all of us, our primary school days will haveleft a legacy; a footprint on the landscape of ourlives; memories and experiences whichcontinue to influence us long after we walkedout of the school gates for the very last time.

In recent years we have, perhaps, been too readyto measure our strength as a country in narrowand purely economic terms and there is alwaysthe danger of leaning on the educational systemand practice in a narrowly utilitarian way.Quantification and measurement are important,maybe particularly so at times of austerity; but

it is in such times too that the baselinequalitative essentials must be protected.However a country’s well being is so muchmore than its economic performance. Theability of people to relate as one equal citizen toanother to value our shared health and thenatural environment is a proper aim ofeducation and a true measure of a country thathas the mental well being of its citizens as itsconcern.

I read with the greatest concern this morningyour President’s findings from a survey ofprincipals that 1 in 5 principals are reportingmore pupils arriving at school hungry, in 2013,in our Irish Republic. The Irish people do notwant this.

The primary school is the foundation of oureducation system and our school principals havea critically important role in our work, as asociety, to attain a truly inclusive citizenshipbased on participation, equality and respect forall. School Principals have a major influence onyoung minds and they give examples ofpersonal and social values through word anddeed.

Principals, teachers, and parents know that aschool is not simply an educational institution;a building where classes are held and tests areadministered. The school setting is a placewhere our children interact, socialise anddevelop, gain confidence in their abilities;broaden their horizons, at different paces whichwe must recognise; learn to feel secure beyondthe safe confines of their family life; a place toembrace their individuality whilst alsorespecting the norms around them and theindividuality of others. Our schools are,however, places of vulnerability, and for somechildren, oases in a world of family pressures,conflict, stress and all the consequences ofunemployment, exclusion and the disastrousresults of the failure of the speculative relianceon unregulated markets which is affecting notonly Ireland but over all of Europe and so manyplaces of the world.

School should be a place where pupils have thepossibility and encouragement to forge strongfriendships, discover new and exciting truths,and create many happy memories. Literacy andnumeracy are, of course, extremely important

but in our efforts toward the acquisition of thesecrucial skills for participation we must alsoensure that our children are equipped to leadfull, rewarding and useful lives on their ownethical terms.

There can be no doubt that, in a modern andmulti-faceted society, the school principal mustoften walk a very fine line indeed; a line which,while recognizing and respecting parental rightsand responsibilities, must always put the childfirst by guarding the welfare of the pupils intheir care. This, and the many other challengespresented to us in a contemporary and rapidlychanging society, present school principals withan increasingly complex environment in whichto ensure that the school experience remains arelevant and positive one for the vast majorityof their pupils. I have every confidence in thedeep compassion, ingenuity, and instinct tosolidarity of our people, in their resilience; andI recognize it in the many principals I have met.

The title of this Conference ‘The Future isNow’ underlines not only the importance butalso the promise of working together towards afuture in which every school’s atmosphere,culture and conditions will enable an educationsystem that maximises the potential and realisesthe full possibilities of the next generation ofactive citizens to be sustained. In thesechallenging times, this is a very apt theme andit is imperative that we all plan so that ourprimary education is capable of meeting theneeds of our children and society today and intothe future, the needs of citizens who will takeethical charge of their lives together.

The full speech text is available on www.ippn.ieunder Events – Principals’ Conference – Principals’Conference 2013 – Keynotes.

Our primary school days -a footprint on the landscapeof our livesExcerpts of address by President Michael D Higgins tothe IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference

The primary school is thefoundation of our educationsystem and our schoolprincipals have a criticallyimportant role in our work

I have every confidence inthe deep compassion,ingenuity, and instinct tosolidarity of our people, intheir resilience; and Irecognize it in the manyprincipals I have met.

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Amongst the many challenging roles of principalsis the one of trying to ensure that staffs remain upto date with current research to meet the ever-increasing diversity and complexity of need thatarises in schools. In the case of Special EducationalNeeds (SEN) the mainstream teacher has primeresponsibility for the learning and teaching ofpupils with SEN. There is a need for individualteachers to update themselves in the diversity oflearning and teaching materials which now existfor SEN.

Mirroring this, the range of available continuingprofessional development (CPD) formats andresources is also diversifying. The oldest form ofinformation and advice resource for teachers isprobably the good-old-fashioned book.It has beenthe mainstay for centuries – something solid andauthoritative to be dipped into for dependablecontent from leaders in the field. In more recenttimes, however, the conventional ‘hard-copy’format has given way somewhat to a myriad ofnew digital, on-line and ‘cloud’ resources. Each hasits own place – its advantages and disadvantages.

Now, in a novel approach that combines theconventional with the modern, Special EducationSupport Service (SESS) has developed a ‘BookBorrowing Online’ scheme whereby books inhard-copy and other resources can be borrowedby teachers through their website.

With this creative approach many of thedisadvantages which have reduced the popularityof the book are eliminated – the need to physicallygo to a library or shop, the limited choice of titlesrelated to a specific specialist topic, and the cost.

The administration of the system is designed tooperate as simply as possible for teachers. Schoolsregister for a fee of €20. A subsequent annualcharge of €30 allows individual teachers to signup and borrow as many books as they wish for theyear. In effect, it gives teachers hassle-free access to

approximately 1,500 resources, free of charge.

A downloadable list of all available resources is alsoavailable on the SESS website, with separate listingsfor specific areas such as autism, challengingbehaviour, exceptional ability, dyspraxia, dyslexiaand sensory impairments.

The scheme was introduced on a pilot basis in2009 and its popularity – with now up to 1,000schools registered – shows that there is still a strongappreciation of the traditional hard-copy media. Inaddition, the service also has resources like DVDsavailable in its catalogue.

The development of the Book Borrowing Onlinescheme is based on SESS’ philosophy of makingCPD available to schools in as varied and accessibleways as possible. The Department of Educationand Skills established SESS as a service in 2003,with a remit of enhancing the quality of learningand teaching in relation to special educationalprovision and, in doing so, to co-ordinate, developand deliver a range of professional developmentinitiatives and support structures for schoolpersonnel working with students with specialeducational needs. In fulfilling that role, SESScurrently provide a range of CPD options toschools which are listed on their website. It was inthis context, according to Madeline Hickey,Director of SESS, that the Book Borrowing

Online scheme was setup: ‘In SESS we are keenly aware of schools’ supportneeds and we do our best to provide a CPDservice in as many ways as possible to suitindividual schools and teachers. As part of thatservice, the Book Borrowing Online schememeans that teachers can have expert books andresource delivered directly to them, free of charge.’

The availability of the Book Borrowing Onlinescheme means that principals have yet anothervaluable option available when developing theirCPD strategies and plans.

The books and resources, for example, could beused by individual teachers, groups of teachers orthe whole-school team working on a particulararea or topic. Similarly, the books and resourcescould be borrowed for use in particular CPDevents and initiatives taking place in the school.

By registering for the scheme and advisingteachers of how the scheme works, principals canhelp ensure that learning and teaching standardsin the school are developed and maintained to thehighest possible standard in relation to specialeducational needs. Full details and application procedures are availablefrom the SESS website at www.sess.ie/book-borrowing.

SESS is an initiative of the Teacher Education Sectionfunded by the Department of Education and Skills Cork Education Support Centre (CESC) is the hostcentre from which the SESS operates.Contact details:SESS, c/o Cork Education Support Centre, TheRectory, Western Road, Cork Tel: 1850 200 884 - Fax: 021 425 5647 - Email:info@sess.ie - Website: www.sess.ie

The SESS Book BorrowingOnline scheme givesteachers hassle-free accessto almost 1,500 resources,free of charge

‘In SESS we are keenlyaware of schools’ supportneeds and we do our bestto provide a CPD service inas many ways as possibleto suit individual schoolsand teachers. As part ofthat service, the BookBorrowing Online schememeans that teachers canhave expert books andresource delivered directlyto them, free of charge.’

SESS ‘Book BorrowingOnline’ SchemeThe Special Education Support Servicecombines the old with the new to providea unique book-borrowing schemeBy Madeline Hickey, Director, Special Education Support Service

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ScoilnuaGabriel O Cathasaigh

Tá an scoil nua tógtha is an bogadh thart. Áthas ar mhuintir Bhaile anChollaigh go bhfuil ré nua órga in ann do Ghaelscoil Uí Ríordáin leháiseanna den scoth i dtimpeallacht fíor álainn. Táimíd te teolaí agus an-chompórdach san fhoirgneamh gleoite seo.

On Tuesday 6th November after years of campaigning 530 happy pupilsalong with hundreds of parents and staff bid farewell to the old rentedbuilding at Cúl Rua and walked the 3 km journey to our new building atCarraig an Earra. This was a joyous and momentous occasion as we snailedour way through the beautiful village of Baile an Chollaigh. Shopkeepers,shoppers and onlookers alike wished us well as we finally locked the doorsof our rented accommodation which was our home for the past twentynine years.

Construction of the three storey, twenty four classroom building began onthe 16th January 2012 with completion date less than ten months later.Glenman Corporation was appointed the main contractor, with HealyKelly Turner and Townsend as project managers to deliver the school underthe department’s Rapid Build School Programme. It is a highly energy-efficient building, easily heated as all classrooms are facing either south orsoutheast and has a 2.8 air tightness measurement, ensuring the buildingretains its heat. Ceilings in the classrooms are 3m high with generousventilation and light. Rain water harvesting is central to the energyefficiency of this building.

Children (to their disappointment) no longer travel long distances to the

toilets but are compensated by enjoying PE classes in the spacious andcomfortable spórtlann.

While the size of the new building seemed daunting and we worried thatwe would miss the sense of community the old and overcrowded buildingprovided, the opposite has been the case. Communication, cooperation andsharing of resources between classes is easier due to the fact that each floorhouses a particular age group. Junior classes are at ground level, middleclasses on the first floor and senior classes on the second floor. The layoutof the building also ensures that there is more interaction between pupilsand teachers as they go about their day.

Táimíd ar fad ag dul i dtaithí ar aoirde na scoile agus ar na staighrí. Níbheidh orm dul go dtí an gym a thuilleadh mar go mbeidh mo chuidgleacaíochta déanta agam ar na staighrí agus mé ag dul ó sheomra goseomra. Comhghairdeas agus buíochas ó chroí le gach éinne a chabhraighleis an dtionscnamh seo a thabhairt chun chrích.

Construction of the three storey, twenty fourclassroom building began on the 16thJanuary 2012 with completion date lessthan ten months later.

Supplier of all weathersurfaces for games,athletic running tracks,indoor gym flooringand wet poursafety surfaces forplaygrounds

Tel: 061 395786info@mcsweeneysportssurfaces.ie

www.mcsweeneysportssurfaces.ie

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There has been outrage expressed by attempts by the NationalProcurement Service (NPS) to bring greater ‘value for money’ by gettingus all to buy from the one company – a company that has won a contractfollowing the NPS tender process. This may work for items whichcannot be bought locally such as electricity, gas, water and wastecollection. However, when you start expanding these procurement dealsinto areas such as photocopiers, stationery, janitorial supplies, inkcartridges etc., it’s not so clear.

Most of these products are being supplied to schools in the local townor village. It is quite common to see the local supplier providing suchproducts at a discounted rate because they want to give the best valueto their child’s school. Ten years ago the rush to purchase from aninternational mail order company (another word for Nordic raiders) wasshort-lived as people discovered some products were on offer as ‘lossleaders’ and other products were either dearer than normal or of inferiorquality. Principals place a high value on being able to ring their local

supplier, sometimes at short notice, and get a delivery first thing Mondaymorning. Dublin-based companies with fixed call out charges are nota lot of use when your oil tank is empty. Also, when it comes tosponsorship for your school raffle, inevitably it is the local businessesthat come up with the prizes.

Pressure to purchase only from NPS contracts could easily have theopposite effect to that intended. Yes, it may drive down some prices butcheaper will inevitably lead to inferior quality. A further consequencewill be the loss of hundreds of jobs in small businesses who are supplyinggoods and services to local schools. Compulsory purchasing driven bya national agency appears at face value to be a brilliant idea.

However compulsion isn’t always the right approach. Perhaps givingboards of management pricing frameworks which can then be used toget best value from local suppliers is the way to go.

ProcurementBy Seán Cottrell

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See www.gordondarcy.ie For details and to order your copy

OUT NOW!

The Redeployment PanelBy Virginia O’Mahony, IPPN Assistant Director

The IPPN Executive has for long beenconcerned about the effect the panel has on theworkload of the principal. Every September, fora number of years now, it is disturbing to hearfrom principals that the recruitment process hastaken up a disproportionate amount of time andenergy over the summer months and has evendenied some principals the time to take a familyholiday.

Last September, with a view to contributing toan effective DES review of panel regulations,IPPN consulted members of the NationalCommittee, IPPN Executive members andmany principals involved in the process in 2012.We then made the following observations andrecommendations to the DES with a view toimproving the general efficiency of the panelsystem.■ Separate subsidiary and supplementary

panels adds a further hurdle to theredeployment process so onesupplementary panel would be moreeffective.

■ Strong feeling exist among principals thatPanel Officers are not being appointedearly enough in the process. There is arequirement for a more clearly-definedand published timeframe for schools withvacancies to interact with theredeployment panels. This initial timeframeshould be followed immediately by theappointment of Panel Officers, who wouldthen deal with the redeployment of anyremaining teachers on the panel understrict and clearly-established criteria.

■ There is a definite lack of awareness inschools of the criteria and guidelines beingused by panel officers. We live in a worldwhere openness and transparency aresought and lauded. For the work of thePanel Officer to be effective and credible,their decisions must be transparent andmade with: ● lack of bias and ● observance of fair procedure

■ A huge discrepancy exists between thedecisions of different Panel Officers andthis lack of consistency must be addressed.

■ There is also a perception that pressure isbeing brought to bear by some Panel

Officers on Newly Appointed Principals,despite the fact that the final decision inrelation to recruitment always rests withthe Board of Management as theemployer.

■ In relation to criteria appropriate for thePanel Officer to use, consideration shouldalways be given to the extent to which aschool has engaged with the panel processboth in the current year and in previousyears.

■ A school that has a vacancy and also has ateacher in the school that is on thesupplementary panel needs to be givensome leeway in relation to its engagementwith the permanent panel.

■ The issue of schools that do not declare avacancy to the panel operator initially, andsubsequently advertise the vacancyimmediately the panel has cleared, shows adistinct intention on their part not toengage with the panel. This is most unfairon the schools that always comply with theagreed redeployment system.

■ A lack of clear understanding by someschools and teachers in relation to theoperation of the panel is obvious. A bettercommunication system needs to be put inplace for Newly Qualified Teachers inparticular. The existing panel bookletneeds to be urgently updated to include allrecent changes and to allow for the use ofemail in all correspondence with the DES.

■ The teachers on the panel are notinformed if they have secured panel statusuntil some days before the panel list ispublished. As this places such teachers andtheir schools in a difficult position, suchnotification should issue to teachers muchearlier.

■ Appropriate protocols need to bedeveloped in relation to the situationwhere a school opts to interview a numberof teachers on the panel before makingtheir decision.

■ The DES must ensure that all teachersinitially placed on the panel actually have

panel rights so that the initial panel listdoes not change.

■ Principals find that in the operation of thepanel the process is slowed down by thefact that the DES and some paneloperators do not share information quicklyenough.

■ There should be only one panelrequirement for Special Schools and whenthat is clear, schools should be thenallowed to advertise.

■ In a small number of cases the issue of theunderperforming teacher is still a live issuewhen schools are dealing with the panel.It can be the underlying problem whichcauses the whole process to grind to a halt.

Having raised these issues with the DES, it isgood to know that Circular 30/2012 and therecently reviewed panel regulations addressmany of the concerns of principals.

P A G E 2 5

EMS Copiers has been IPPN’s preferred supplier of printerand copier machines for schools for over a year now. EMS isan Irish company with a nationwide network. They havebeen supplying schools for over 20 years and already have astrong IPPN customer base.

Before choosing EMS, we consulted with several principalswho spoke highly of the value for money and quality ofcopiers and multi-function printers. EMS has a reputationfor excellent customer service and is now the sole supplier ofprinting and copying machines to the IPPN NationalSupport Office. In return for their support for IPPN, whichin turn helps to fund our services to members, we ask thatyou invite EMS to tender when you next require printing orcopying machines. EMS will guarantee to improve on yourbest quote for similar equipment.

If you are upgrading your office equipment, please inviteEMS to tender. We believe you will be more than pleasedwith the savings on offer.

You can contact EMS on 1890 770 770 or by e-mail toippn@emscopiers.ie.

EMS CopiersIPPN’s Preferred Supplier

P A G E 2 6

In 2008, Frank Walsh, director of AthloneEducation Centre and James Mulcahy, directorof Cork Education Centre had contacted anumber of universities in Ireland and the UKwith the intention of setting up and supportinga group of Irish teachers, interested in pursuinga doctoral programme in education. Followinga lengthy road of enquiry, they decided toregister the group with Lincoln University inthe UK, under Professor Howard Stevenson. InOctober 2008, I joined this group.

My main interest was mathematics. Over theyears I shared my colleagues’ disappointment,that some pupils who consistently scored 8-10in standardised mathematics tests in primaryschool, chose ordinary-level (OL) mathematicsfor the Leaving Certificate (LC). My mainquestion was: “Why do students presenting ashigh-achievers in mathematics in primaryschool choose not to study higher-level (HL)mathematics in post-primary school?” Toanswer this question I undertook a study titledAiming High in Maths (AHiM). The views of acohort of 321 senior post-primary studentswere sought using student questionnaires andessays, involving four midland post-primaryschools and fifty-two feeder primary schools.Achievement in mathematics of 223 of thesestudents was tracked using standardised testresults from primary school and stateexamination grades. In October 2012, Isubmitted a thesis “Understanding the Influenceof Previous Achievement, Student Choice andAttitude on Achievement Levels in Mathematics”.What did I learn?

Correlation between Standardised TestResults and Junior Cert OutcomesThere is a strong positive correlation betweenthe standardised test score and Junior Certificate(JC) grades. It is possible to be 95% confidentthat for a ten unit increase in the standardisedscore, the JC result goes up by one grade. Astudent with a standardised score of 110 wouldbe expected to get a grade C in HLmathematics in the JC. A student with astandardised test score of 120 would beexpected to get a grade B in HL in the JC.Students are performing consistent with theirstandardised scores in mathematics fromprimary; through to 3rd year in post-primary

school. However, by the time these students sitthe Leaving Certificate (LC), they are notperforming in mathematics at the level thatwould be expected of them. In 2012, while48% of students sat HL mathematics in the JConly 22% chose HL in the LC (StateExaminations, 2012).

With the new post-primary curriculum ProjectMaths the government aim to have 60% sittingthe HL paper in the JC and 30% in the LC(NCCA, 2008). Twenty-five per cent ofstudents would be expected to get astandardised test score of 110 or higher(NCCA, 2007). Teachers should be aware thatprimary school students with the ability toconsistently achieve a standardised test scorewithin the range of 110 or higher are potentialHL students for the LC. The AmericanChamber of Commerce in Ireland raised itsconcerns about the low uptake of HLmathematics for the LC, identifying this as abarrier to Ireland fulfilling its potential as aknowledge economy, causing seriousshortcomings in the skill sets required to attractUS businesses to Ireland (AMCHAM, 2009and 2010). To increase the percentage ofstudents choosing HL mathematics for the LC,it is critical to keep our high-achieverschallenged, motivated and interested inmathematics from a very young age.

While JC, state examination results remainedstable for the 2000 – 2009 periods (Cosgroveet al., 2010), Irish PISA results, on the contrarydeclined, with the country’s ranking in

mathematics falling from 20th in 2006, to 26thof thirty-four OECD countries in PISA 2009(Perkins et al., 2010). While recognising themerits and flaws of international assessments(Prais, 2003), data from these studies representsthe best attempts so far to provide reliable,comparable, educational data. Test results showthere is a clear disparity between the levelsIrish fifteen year-old students are attaining inmathematics nationally and internationally,highlighting a need to review the proficiencylevels and standards set for students here inIreland. The strong correlation betweenprimary standardised test results and JC gradesidentified in the AHiM study identifies a needto align pupil attainment levels in mathematicswith international standards, not only at post-primary level, but also at primary level.

Aiming High in MathematicsBy Una Feeley, Principal of Scoil Mhuire, Br an Chlochair, Co. Roscommon

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Over the years I shared mycolleagues’ disappointment,that some pupils whoconsistently scored 8-10 instandardised mathematicstests in primary school,chose ordinary-level (OL)mathematics for the LeavingCertificate (LC).

P A G E 2 7

With regard to standardised tests used inprimary school, the DES stipulate that “testschosen are normed for the Irish population”with no reference to proficiency levels, otherthan stating that tests must be consistent withthe primary curriculum (DES, 2011). Themain purpose of norm-referenced tests is toallow teachers, pupils and parents to compareany individual pupil’s mathematicalperformance with standards of mathematicalattainment nationally (NCCA, 2007). Acriterion-referenced test “describes the degreeto which the performance of an examineemeets an established standard, criterion, orproficiency level” (Shiel, Kellaghan and Moran,2010: 26). It should be noted that with norm-referenced testing, it is possible to have a highstandardised score, by reference to theperformance of others, but still to have acomparatively low level of knowledge about asubject. In PISA 2009, only ten of thirtycountries used norm-referenced tests. Seven ofthese countries, including Ireland, all scoredbelow the OECD average (OECD, 2011).Countries using criterion-referenced tests suchas Korea, Finland, Belgium, Estonia, Denmark,Japan and Germany all scored statistically,significantly above the OECD average. Theapparent preference by the DES that schoolsuse norm-referenced, standardised tests(normed on the Irish population), notcriterion-referenced tests, needs to be debated.

Student self-ratingIn the AHiM study both higher and OLstudents rating of their ability in mathematics,drops between the time they leave primaryschool and the time they are in the middle ofthe senior cycle, in post-primary school. Thisdrop in self-rating is more pronounced amongstudents pursuing HL mathematics for the LCthan students not pursuing HL and this is aconcern. This may be the result of studentsfeeling a ‘mismatch’ between primary andpost-primary curricula (Smyth et al., 2004).The DES is attempting to address this‘discontinuity’ through the development of theBridging Framework that connects the curriculaof primary mathematics with that of post-primary mathematics and the recentrequirement of primary school principals tosend a copy of the end-of-year student’s reportcard, including standardised test results to thesecond-level school to which a student

transfers (DES, 2011). There should be regularcommunication between primary and post-primary school staff with mathematics teachersin post-primary schools encouraged to share‘good practice’ with their primary schoolcolleagues and vice versa.

Teacher traits students are seekingStudent essays in the AHiM study showed thatif students perceive the teacher teaching HLmathematics as a ‘capable teacher’, they chooseHL, if not they choose OL. Thirty-six per centof AHiM participants pursuing both higherand OL mathematics indicated that ‘having agood teacher’ was ‘the most important thingthey needed to do well in maths’. Our youngpeople should always be guaranteed a ‘goodteacher’. It should be a ‘given’. Irish studentsare critical of examination-focused teaching,rote learning and teachers ‘teaching to the test’(NCCA, 2005). Data from student essays in theAHiM study identify the traits students wouldlike to see in their mathematics teachers: � Teachers who have a knowledge of

mathematics and are able to teachmathematics

� Teachers who demonstrate how maths isrelevant to every-day life

� Teachers who promote positive attitudestowards mathematics and encourage andmotivate pupils to learn mathematics

� Teachers who focus on pupils’understanding of mathematics – not ontest results or the ‘right answer’

� Teachers who sets tasks, slightly above thenatural ability of students, thusencouraging and motivating students todo their best

� Teachers who involve students inassessment of their own learning,encouraging them to set realistic targetsfor themselves

� Teachers who encourage the use of activelearning and group work, valuing peer-to-peer learning

� Teachers who demonstrate patiencewhen teaching students

� Teachers who ensure struggling studentsget help

� Teachers who ensure high-achievingstudents in mathematics are challenged

and motivated to achieve at and beyondtheir level.

Many students in the AHiM study wrote aboutthe importance of teachers ‘making maths fun’.As instructional leaders, principals should leadthe way in encouraging our schoolcommunities to see mathematics in the wayWilliam Rowan Hamilton, a famous Irishmathematician saw mathematics: “Mathematics is an aesthetic creation, akin topoetry, with its own mysteries and moments ofprofound revelation.” (William RowanHamilton)

His quaternion formulas scratched by him onthe 16th October, 1843 on Broomsbridge overthe Royal Canal, Dublin, play a critical roletoday in computer games, special effects inmovies and quantum physics (Ó Cairbre,2010:45). Right now we may have a buddingmathematician in our school. Who knowswhat he/she will invent or do in the future?As instructional leaders in our schools we needto ask ourselves: what we are doing to improvestandards in mathematics in our schools? Weneed to question what we are being asked toimplement by the DES and we need toquestion what we are doing as teachers atprimary-level to help increase the percentageof Irish students achieving at the highest levelsin the subject?

Bibliography available on request to editor@ippn.ie

Predicted Junior Certificate Grade Equivalent

Higher-level/Grade E or Ordinary-level/Grade B

Higher-level/Grade D or Ordinary-level/Grade A

Higher-level/Grade C

Higher-level/Grade B

Higher-level/Grade A

Standardisedtest score

90/95

100/105

110/115

120/125

130

Table 1.0: Predicted Junior Certificate Grade based on Standardised test score

The main purpose of norm-referenced tests is to allowteachers, pupils and parentsto compare any individualpupil’s mathematicalperformance with standardsof mathematical attainmentnationally.

There should be regularcommunication betweenprimary and post-primaryschool staff with mathematicsteachers in post-primaryschools encouraged to share‘good practice’ with theirprimary school colleaguesand vice versa.

P A G E 2 8

From Clarinbridge to ShanghaiBy Seán Holian, Principal of Scoil Mhuire, Clarinbridge, Co. Galway

Ni Hao! This has been a very different term tothe norm at Scoil Mhuire, particularly for the5th Class pupils. We are all aware of thegrowing relationship our country and indeedthe world has with the mystery country of theeast that is China. We were therefore delightedwhen a teacher, named Jia Li, who graduatedfrom Shanghai University and is now based atthe Confucius Institute in University CollegeCork, began to teach Mandarin to our 5th

Class pupils once a week. They have madeincredible progress in a very short time due tothe skilled, enthusiastic and inspiring teachingmethodologies Jia adopts. Hopefully thesepupils will have the opportunity to choose tostudy Chinese for the revised Junior Cert in2014.

During the Halloween break, the ConfuciusInstitute invited me and 24 other principals(mostly second-level) and educators in Irelandto visit Shanghai and participate in aprofessional training course aimed at increasingour awareness of Chinese teaching andlearning methodologies, teaching resources,Chinese culture and also to establish links withsome Shanghai schools. My Board ofManagement and the DES saw the benefits ofsuch an experience and approved my leave.The visit was paid for by Hanban, a Chineseeducational resources and training organisationfunded by the Chinese government.

Shanghai itself is the spectacularly beautifulmother of all concrete jungles. 24 millionpeople living in close proximity creates

enormous demands on the basic necessities oflife – accommodation, water, electricity andtransport - yet they seem to meet thesedemands effortlessly. The centre city areaknown as The Bund houses stunning buildings(recently featured on the James Bond movie‘Skyfall’) such as the Oriental Pearl TV Towerand ultra–modern shopping streets such as theNanjing Road which lead down to thePeople’s Square. Their road system featuresincredible feats of engineering as motorwayssuspended over other motorways lead out ofthe city, teeming with beeping vehicles. There’slittle or no road rage however, just a need to letall the other drivers know that they’re on theroad!

Principals and educators from Ireland,Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Belgium, Spainand Latvia were invited to this course. Ourbase was the East China Normal University insouthwest Shanghai. As well as teachingmethodology and resources, we studied thelanguage, Chinese script and even Tai Chi. Wevisited three schools and a typical southernChinese water-town called Zhu Jiajiao as wellas Old Shanghai, including the ChenghuangTemple.

My first visit was to a secondary school calledJiading District No. 2 High School. We weremet by a formal delegation including theprincipal and, following a tour through theirextensive and well-equipped building whichincluded a showcase science museum, we weretreated to an English lesson for 16 year olds.As with all visits to schools, the students wereprepared to perform but we were struckimmediately by the excellent behaviour of thelarge mixed class. All schools have whiteboardswith projectors, though unlike Ireland theydidn’t seem to be interactive. What struck all ofus was how hard-working the pupils were interms of concentration during class. Quitesimply, whenever the teacher spoke they

Shanghai itself is thespectacularly beautifulmother of all concretejungles. 24 million peopleliving in close proximitycreates enormous demandson the basic necessities oflife yet they seem to meetthese demands effortlessly.

What struck all of us washow hard-working thepupils were in terms ofconcentration during class.Quite simply, whenever theteacher spoke theywatched and listened.

Baode Primary School Staff

P A G E 2 9

watched and listened. They were afforded theopportunity to talk to us and to each otherabout the lesson but as soon as the teacherdemanded their attention, they immediatelylooked up. The lesson was about cartooncharacters. All the usual Western and someChinese heroes and their virtues (orotherwise) were discussed. The pupils wereimpressive, joked and were relaxed. They stoodup each time they answered. We wonderedhow staged a performance this was but mymuch more informal visits to the primaryschools convinced me that this respect istaught from the beginning and is part of theirculture. The Chinese people (except when incars or bargaining in shops with customers!)appeared to be very placid, calm, hardworkingbut unassuming when going about theireveryday lives. This was obvious in the schools,in the University and even on the streets.Despite the numbers, there was never a frenzyto be first in the queue!

Baode Road Elementary School, a U-shaped4-storey primary school built in 1990, was mynext stop. Principal Dai Quing welcomedmyself and a teacher from Cork, Ronan Lettisto this 400-pupil school. We had an interpreterwith us. Their PE facilities were extraordinaryby Irish standards, with a running trackenclosing all-weather basketball and soccercourts. The principal’s office and visitors’ roomwere modern and plush and the teachers’meeting room was like a boardroom that AlanSugar would be proud of! Leather seating andconference facilities were the norm. Inaddition, we saw state of the art dance rooms,music rooms with attached studios forrecording, computer and visual arts rooms andeven what they described as a ‘psychologicalgames’ room. Specialist teachers taughtspecialist subjects like music, dance, PE andArts. In this school, 27 pupils was the average

number in each class. It was obvious that thepupils here also paid total attention in allclassrooms whenever the teacher was directing.But they were afforded the freedom to discussand respond in pairs and groups also. A hotlunch was brought on trays to every classroom.The pupils moved freely and happily about theschool during lunch hour, while the intercomplayed traditional Chinese children’s music.They smiled and joked with us. Thoughhaving a longer day at school, they had a socialouting on one afternoon every week.

My third school visit was to the aptly-namedThird Centre Primary School of Zha BeiDistrict in Shanghai. The principal, Sun Lin,has been to Cork as Shanghai has formallytwinned with the Rebel City and there ismuch interchange of ideas and personnelalready established. It was a 900-pupil schoolencompassed in five storeys. Again, incrediblefacilities and resources were shown to us,including a beautiful concert hall and a school-based radio station. The English lesson we satin on was with second graders i.e. 8 year olds.It was staggering to hear the young pupilsspeak to such a high standard, far better thanthe 16 year olds. The teacher was supremelyconfident and used all the modern teachingmethodologies including a visual software

programme as well as paired and group workfor discussion and response. It seemed that thekey to their success was that other teachersspoke English to a high standard in this school,where the average class pupil number was 38.It was truly inspiring.

Where do we go from here? China has anexploding population, 1.5 billion and rising!The Irish Consul General, Austin Gormley,told us that there will be 15 Shanghais (interms of population size) in China by the year2025! It’s an enormous market that is nowreaching out to the world and Ireland has adefinite opportunity because of the growingrelationship that has been nurtured even thisyear by the new leader, Xi Jinping’s visit toIreland last February and reciprocal visits toChina by both our Taoiseach and President.The links will be further developed. There areabout 700 Irish working in Shanghai alone.

The Chinese government is obviously keen topromote the language around the world and itis a difficult language to learn. The phonicsteaching is crucial to its clarity as otherwiseyou could unintentionally and inadvertentlyinsult somebody or leave them baffled by yourexpression. As with all learning, much dependson the teacher and the enthusiasm they bringand generate. Who knows, with thetechnological age, it may not be necessary tomove to China but perhaps being in someways able to communicate in the language willbe an advantage that Ireland needs to grasp. Allgood communication is about building andfostering worthwhile relationships. If we don’t,the Bulgarians and Belgians and all the restwill jump in ahead of us! Our pupils inClarinbridge are getting a head start.

I’ve learned a lot from the Chinese and hopeI can pass some of this on in my school. Iintend to grow and develop our links with theschools I visited and see what happens. Thefuture is exciting in any case!

Wo jiao Sean Holian. Wo shi Ireland. Zai jian!(My name is Sean Holian. I am from Ireland.Goodbye!)

Originally published in the Galway Advertiser, 20th

December 2012

The English lesson we satin on was with secondgraders i.e. 8 year olds. Itwas staggering to hear theyoung pupils speak to sucha high standard, far betterthan the 16 year olds.

View of Baode Primary Schooll

P A G E 3 0

Digital Art Week15th to 21st April 2013

Digital Art Week gives primary school childrenaround Ireland the opportunity to share their artwith other children around the country andcomplete some fun visual arts activities. As it’sdigital, over the course of the week, schools willuse digital tools such as Twitter, Flickr, Wikipediaand more in order to learn about art and tocreate their own pieces of work. Started in 2011by teachers Simon Lewis (Anseo.net), DamienQuinn (Seomra Ranga) and Fred Boss (PDST),the project aims to give children and teachersthe opportunity to use technology in a simpleway to learn all about art.

There are four main parts to the project.Firstly, there is a shared gallery that all schoolswill upload images to. Secondly, there will be

an online Art Treasure Hunt. Thirdly, we willprovide a list of web sites that children can playaround with to gain an insight as to how some

famous artists worked. Finally, we are going toget conversations going about visual arts usingthe hashtag #artweek13 on Twitter.

Over 500 unique pieces of art have beenuploaded to digital galleries in the past fewyears. The project welcomes teachers who maynot have used social media like Twitter before.It also helps children create their own art andshare it with each other. Most of all, it willhelp hundreds of children around the countrylearn a little bit more about visual arts. Thisevent is completely free and makes no moneyfor any of the organisers or organisationssupporting it. We appreciate the support thatthe IPPN gave to the event last year and lookforward to their continuing support.

The Wonderland English Literacy Programme for Stages Three and Four comprises of four books:

Get Set! (Stage Three, Book 1) Let’s Go! (Stage Three, Book 2) Up and Running! (Stage Four, Book 1) Racing Ahead! (Stage Four, Book 2)

Each reader contains 20 extracts from published children’s literature, 10 fact units and 10 poems.

The extracts have been carefully chosen by peer reviewers and cover a wide range of reading genres. Each extract is followed by a series of activities.

The Teacher’s Notes that accompany each book include a comprehensive week-by-week, month-by-month scheme.

ICT is fully integrated throughout the programme.

English Third to Sixth Classes

The My Read at Home Book series develops reading fluency and comprehension skills by encouraging daily and independent reading at home. The series currently consists of four books: My Read at Home Book 3, 4, 5 and 6.

As this is an independent series, it can be used in conjunction with any reading programme.

Each book consists of 120 single-page units, arranged into 30 sections (one per week of the school year). Each page is a vibrant stand-alone piece, with a variety of styles and themes to appeal to all tastes and interests.

Read at Home Book

www.cjfallon.ie

Over 500 unique pieces of art have been uploadedto digital galleries in the past few years. The project welcomesteachers who may nothave used social medialike Twitter before.

AndFinally…BURNING THEMIDNIGHT OILThis is a true story and illustrates the ‘extreme variety’ inthe job spec. of a Principal/Deputy Principal. In 2005 ourstatus changed to co-educational and this involvedextensive internal/external renovation to our school. Anumber of contractors were on site with their machineryand materials. Despite best combined effort September 1stdawned and the tarmac work on our driveway wasunfinished. Machinery remained on site for completion ofwork at the weekend. Carpet cleaning was arranged forFriday evening and as our caretaker was on sick leave, Iagreed to return/lock up when the work was finished. Wehad guests for dinner that night and I raced away at 11.15,much to their amazement, to lock up, as agreed. Thecontractor said there was a lot of noise outside, withmachinery moving around the school for hours, but theywere probably trying to get the job finished.

My heart sank, my pulse raced and I chased outside. Thetractor engine was very warm and beer cans were scatteredin the cab. It certainly wasn’t the ‘tarmac man’ who hadreturned. His phone was off after his week’s work and hewas relaxing, as one would expect. I phoned the Gardaíhoping that they would remove the tractor for safe-keepingat the Garda station. Two guards arrived in the squad carand they both agreed that it was better to remove thetractor from the scene. I expected that one of them woulddrive the tractor to the station as it was only across the townbut there was no key in the ignition. Being from a farmingbackground, I quickly started the tractor using a coin. Both

guards looked at me as if I was a seasoned joy-rider! Thelarger of the two guards said that he hadn’t driven a tractorin forty years and wouldn’t even fit into the cab and theother guard said that he hadn’t a clue how to work such amachine.

Feeling cold, tired and weary I decided that I’d have todrive the tractor, it could not be left at the school. MyDeputy had also arrived on the scene. There were no lightsworking on the tractor so it was decided that the garda carwould drive in front, followed by the tractor and theDeputy Principal, Ms. Collery would follow behind in herfaded, red, ancient Opel Corsa. What a sight! Going outthe gates I almost rear-ended the squad car, as the brakesweren’t working. I drove through the town after midnightwith no lights, plumes of smoke billowing from the tractor’sexhaust and the squad car leading the way. Severalmotorists hooted at us and people shouted at the guardsthat there was a tractor behind them with no lights. Iprayed to God that the traffic lights would stay green. Ikept my head down and pulled the collar of my jacket upfor fear of being recognised and ridiculed forever. I wasglad that we reached our destination safely and with myreputation intact - or so I thought. The following day Iwas inundated with telephone calls from my friendsoffering me sponsorship for the late night tractor run inaid of St. John’s NS. Now there’s an idea for futurefundraising activities!

By Bernard Mulhern, St. John’s NS, Temple St, Sligo

‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.’Mahatma Gandhi

QUOTATIONS

‘ ’P A G E 3 1

MY HEART SANK, MY PULSE RACEDAND I CHASED OUTSIDE. THE TRACTORENGINE WAS VERY WARM AND BEERCANS WERE SCATTERED IN THE CAB.IT CERTAINLY WASN’T THE ‘TARMACMAN’ WHO HAD RETURNED.