IPPN

Online workshop registration will be available in May 2011.

Child Protection - Doing what's right for the child – Maria Doyle

As educators we are acutely aware of the fact that we are responsible for the learning, safety and well being of the pupils in our schools. School personnel hold a position of trust and both pupils and school personnel must work together to provide a secure and happy environment for all. 

Ensuring that appropriate structures and procedures are in place to maintain this environment is paramount and knowing what to do in the event of a child protection concern being highlighted in your school is essential. 

This workshop aims to bring participants through strategies to ensure that the whole school community is aware of school policy on child protection and the agreed procedures that are in place to manage concerns that may arise.

Developing your role as Deputy Principal - Gretta O'Shea
The workshop will focus on three elements of the role of the deputy principal that is to

• Develop yourself personally in terms of your own knowledge and skills
• Develop your role in the school to be as effective as possible
• Develop and expand your voice at a national level

The workshop will 

• Provide an opportunity for deputies to deepen their understanding of the role as a
  school leader and the management of expectations in the role. 
• Examine their leadership role in developing quality teaching and learning and nurturing positive relationships with pupils, teachers and parents.
• Reflect on the role of the DP in different school contexts and responsibilities involved.
• Explore strategies for working more effectively with Principal and staff.
• Share ideas in developing a voice for deputies nationally.

Exploring Approaches to In-class Support - Fiona King

This seminar will address the issues surrounding in-class support including its advantages and challenges. It will also look at where to start when embarking on in-class support and it will provide practical examples of models of good practice in this area.

Manage your Stress - Improve your Performance – Karen Belshaw

Manage Your Stress and Improve Your Performance workshop will be delivered by Karen Belshaw from Stress Management Ireland.  This exciting presentation is interactive, entertaining and enlightening.  The aim of the workshop is to teach practical Coping Skills to deal with everyday stress and stressors.  This is achieved by first understanding what happens in our brain and body when the stress response is triggered.  After a brief explanation of the fight or flight response in action, Karen uses simple techniques to demonstrate levels of awareness, perception, personality types which promote stress related responses in many individuals.  Karen will teach popular coping skills such as deep abdominal breathing, visualisations, controlling self talk, and progressive muscular relaxation. You will leave this workshop relaxed, confident and energised.

Typical content includes:

• Getting The Balance Right
• Getting The Best Out Of Yourself
• Perception & Awareness
• How To Recognise Symptoms & Sources of Stress
• Personality Types
• Simple Coping Skills
• Wellness Programmes
• Top Tips

School Evaluation - Gary Ó Donnchadha & Yvonne Keating
This session will explore recent developments in whole-school evaluation (WSE) and incidental inspection at primary level and will facilitate discussion of school improvement issues. It will provide information in relation to:

• recent changes in the WSE model at primary level
• the Inspectorate’s analysis of the outcomes of incidental inspections in primary schools

It will also facilitate discussion on supporting improvement in teaching and learning in schools and the leadership role of the principal in school improvement.