IPPN

Last Updated: Thursday, 25 January 2007 01:00

Changing Ireland- past and present perspectives

A chomhghualaithe, a chomhpháirtithe agus a chomhghairmeoirí i saol an oideachais agus lasmuigh, a Aoíanna speisialta a tháinig chugainn anocht ó chian is ó chongar, A chairde uile atá anois mar chuid de chomhluadar IPPN, is ormsa a thiteann sé don dara uair failte mhór chroíúil a chur róimh uile chuig an tríú comhdháil déag de Líonra Phríomhoidí Bunscoile Éireann.

Tá an Chomhdháil seo ag bailiú nirt ó bhliain go bliain agus tá uasmhéid de 700 príomhoidí ag freastal ar an gComhdháil seo le linn na deireadh seachtaine. Ní beag san mar uimhir - agus ar ndóigh is mó go mór an tionchar nuair a cuirtear san áireamh go bhfuil an slua atá anseo bailithe bainteach le pobail agus paróistí oideachais ó iar-thuaisceart go hoir-dheisceart na tíre.

Táim tuisceanach agus dóchasach agus eolasach ar an tábhacht a bhaineann leis an gComhdháil seo daoibhse mar phríomhoidí, agus d'ár n-aíonna speisialta freisin, agus muid ag díriú isteach ar chaint agus díospóireacht ar athraithe atá tarlaithe agus le tárlu fós ar fud oileán na hÉireann.

I'm very pleased that almost 300 principals of the 750 present here tonight are at an IPPN Conference for the first time and particularly pleased that we have the highest ever number of teaching principals present. 'Changing Ireland' is our theme. We all have our own stories to tell. I'm a child of the 50's (mid- 50's, I might add). Some of you here are older, most of you younger. That's very noticeable actually!!

We can all however reel in the years and hopefully you will take time to share some of your own story with others as we reflect on a changed and changing Ireland and your diverse roles as leaders and agents of worthwhile change in our schools and education system.

What changes could we talk about?

We could compare the Ireland of emigration that haemorrhaged so many of its citizens to other countries with the Ireland that now plays host to 400.000+ immigrants. This is possibly the single biggest demographic change in Ireland since the famine. We often acknowledge and celebrate our Irishness in countries throughout the world that accepted and accommodated the Irish diaspora. How ready are we at school and system level to reciprocate and accept the challenges and opportunities that a multicultural society presents?

We could discuss the Ireland of the telephone kiosk and telephone operator that now looks on with increasing amazement at the Ireland of internet, e-mail, mobile phones, texting, Bebo, Utube and now the iphone being the latest technological innovation to be launched. How up to date, trained, resourced and supported are we in our schools and in our education system to utilise this technology?

We could bask in the glory of the Ireland that is synonomous with sport and take pride in the achievements of our many sports stars. How seismic a culture change is it that the GAA is now facilitating the exciting prospect of soccer and rugby being played in Croke Park? Who would have thought it possible 5, 10, 50 or a 100 years ago? Who would have thought we would have the GPA- a dedicated professional body for players?

Come to think of it, who would have predicted 10, 50 or a 100 years ago that IPPN would exist as the professional body representing school leaders?

It's only one of many changes we are witnessing. Our schools are microcosms of Irish society and are mirroring and adapting daily to challenges and opportunities in a 'Changing Ireland'.

Stories of our professional lives as teachers and school leaders in the educational context and landscape of a changing Ireland will no doubt also be shared. Enjoy the opportunity because you deserve to celebrate your role as a leader and driver of change in your school community. Multiply your individual effort by 3,300 and you will see the power and potential of what can be achieved collectively. This is the power and potential that IPPN has unleashed since its formation in 1999.

Nelson Mandela once said: " there is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered"

I want to return for a moment to tell a little of the story of my own school, Scoil Náisiúnta na Gráinsí, Cluain Meala and to let these pictures and observations help us to reflect on changes common to many primary schools.

The school you see in this photograph was built in 1857 and educated boys and girls schools for almost 100 years through and bad time and bad. You see here the Principal Teacher's residence built in 1858 and presented as a wedding gift to the then Principal of the Boys' School Thomas Hackett and his wife Bridget, who was Principal of the Girl's School - a perk of the job and a sign of the status given to the role of Principal.

Staff and 81 pupils move into their new school. You can see that hurleys are prominent. There is a certain irony still talked about locally that the principal who started all this was a Kerryman. One of his most famous past pupils was Michael 'Babs' Keating who left Grange NS in 1955, (and I'm speaking as a proud Tipp man here) to go on to enjoy a very successful hurling, football and managerial career.

Here you see the latest chapter in our story as the Minister officially opens our long awaited new extension of which we are all justifiably proud.

Here are my predecessors. Paud O Shea,on the left, a Kerryman born in, (I had better be careful here) Dingle-Daingean Ui Chúis-An Daingean? Who took over in 1948 from his predecessor Seamas O Maolchathaigh, who was appointed in 1904. I am only the 3rd Principal Teacher to serve in Grange National School in the last 100 years.

I can't see the next 100 years of education in Grange being led by just three principals. Can you for your school? I don't think that any one individual, no matter how good he or she is, will be willing or able to sustain the responsibility and challenge of principalship for periods of 40+years. Professor Michael Fullan's recommendation about offering new principalships on a 5-7 year contract seems like a viable solution.

I wonder what changes in the role of Principal we would talk about if we, the three principals, had the opportunity to reflect on education in a 'Changing Ireland'.

An bhfuil morán oibre ar siúl ag príomhoidí inniu? Sin ceist a chuirfeadh siad orm, b'fhéidir.

Where do I begin? I could start by showing them this diagram

Children -All 455,000 of them. They provide us with daily challenge and opportunity. -Newcomer children from other countries would have been rare in former times. -Corporal punishment has gone thankfully. Codes of behaviour and discipline are now the norm.

Teachers and other staff:
- They are the life blood of every school. - My colleagues would surely be impressed with the 23 volumes of the Curriculum that sit on every teacher's desk. -I could confuse them by talking about LSTs,RTs,VTs,ELTs,,RTTs and of course SNAs, Secretaries and Caretakers. -What would they think when I tell them that we are still paid on the basis of the number of teachers in the school regardless of how many SNAs and other staff we are responsible for!!!

Principal:
-We are still there leading the teaching and learning. -I would explain that we are also called CEOs, Administrators, Managers, Curricular Leaders, Organisational Leaders, Instructional Leaders, Transformational Leaders,

-With all these titles Paud and Seamas probably wouldn't be too surprised, or upset, to hear that Principals were looking for a Separate Salary Scale like all the other management positions in the public service.

DES: They would be familiar with buildings and payments and I reckon we could share a few good stories on inspections and WSE, Patron, Management Bodies, Diocesan Secretaries: Some new additions for discussion here such as Gaelscoileanna, Educate Together, Boards of Management: Only in since 1975 and now set within a legislative framework. Still totally voluntary. Plenty of material for discussion here.

Parents: Not too involved in past times. Proactive and generally supportive education partners now.

Community: Lots of changes but each community values its local school â€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦.no matter what size. It would be nice to know what the official policy is for the future of smaller schools.

Media: Plenty happening in education. IPPN and principals are getting the value of leadership message out.

Society: Celtic Tiger is setting the pace. The school is now a microcosm of society.

Unions: Common ground certainly. A common purpose - we're working on it.

Oireachtas Legislation/Courts: Not much of it in past times So much policy seems to be decided now in the courts.

Insurers: Can't risk being without itâ€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦..

Statutory Agencies: Not many of these in past times. All important and relevant now but heavily dependent on co-operation and commitment from principalsâ€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦..

Deputy Principal and ISM Team: The administrative and managerial workload was much less and easier to share in past times.

Having compared and contrasted the role and workload implications between past and present eras Seamas and Paud would probably be VERY VERY glad that they had passed on to their eternal reward!!!

I forgot of course to tell them about IPPN.

Are there any constants over the 100 years that we should value and retain in our profession?

Seeing as I am in the county of Kerry we could source an answer from Bryan Mc Mahon the author of that wonderful book 'The Master', who as a principal and teacher left ( and I quote) "the track of his teeth on a parish for three generations". We have the same potential to do good or harm in our role.

Bryan identified 'dedication', 'a love of learning, 'cultivating a sense of wonder', 'acting in harmony with the traditions and culture of the school area' and, I particularly like this one, 'pacing one's energy and maintaining economy of effort' as desirable characteristics. I'm sure we could all add to that list of significant characteristics and constants in leadership and teaching. My own constant would be respect. I try to show and earn respect in the way I fulfill my role as principal but I also expect to receive it from those I deal with.

Bryan obviously showed and earned respect in his role as Principal Teacher and radiated that in his conversation and stories. He, like any good principal, wasn't blind to or uncritical of the faults and inadequacies of the education system and brought about many worthwhile changes during his time in Listowel.

If Bryan was positive about his job so also are principals in general as is shown by the results of our pre-conference survey. Principals' main feelings are those of being challenged in the job, yet enthusiastic and happy about their work. Most principals feel valued and supported but are also tired, stressed, anxious and somewhat overwhelmed by the challenges of the post. Half of the principals responding to the survey are full-time teaching principals which of course is an added factor.

One of the reasons we can feel overwhelmed at times has to do with the requests and requirements contained in circulars and correspondence.

"Death by circular is the norm - it just arrives and my workload increases" was how one principal described it.

"How many of the drafters of Circulars have job shadowed a principal for a day or have been in a school?" was another question asked.

"Is there any chance of a victim impact statement or a risk assessment under health and safety regulations of all department circulars and other correspondence?" was a question that caught my eye.

These three boxes contain all the circulars, DES returns, salary claims, grant claims, correspondence to DES and other Education agencies, BOMgt correspondence, applications for teaching, ISM and SNA posts, reports, journals, junk mail, entries to competitions, surveys, requests for passport forms, references and work experienceâ€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦Ã¢€Â¦to name but a few that arrived in most schools in 2006. All these come with workload implications, even if it is only to shred some of them. As I pointed out to the Minister at a meeting in November last, "IPPN is solution driven and we never raise an issue without also proposing a solution".

With this in mind

I am recommending that every new circular and initiative from the DES and other agencies dealing with schools be given a "Principal Impact Assessment" by the DES, Mgt Bodies, INTO and IPPN prior to issue. It could be part of a health and safety risk assessment for principals that might become known as the PIA Process!!!

The basic message here is PLEASE don't send us out any circulars, correspondence or requests for information that increase our workload without also taking into account the time, capacity and resources, human and otherwise that are available and required in schools to deliver that workload.

What else needs to change? I believe we need to look closely at the potential of distributed leadership and In-School Management.

Our capacity to deliver as principals is very much allied to the model of distributed leadership that empowers and values the leadership potential of all members of staff, teaching and ancillary and let's not overlook the leadership potential inherent in children. The IPPN 'Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar' report to be launched tomorrow challenges principals and deputy principals to 'realise a shared leadership vision for schools'. Another part of that vision is the potential of In-School Management.

IPPN was invited to be a member of the DES Working Group on Principals' Workload and In-school Management. It has met irregularly over the past two years and has focused primarily on the revision of the ISM Circular, a review which was supposed to have been initiated at least 5 years ago. We persisted in having the Circular updated and revised. We consulted with you and provided a vision document on ISM for consideration by all the education partners and you our members. A revised Circular, with significant input from IPPN on the areas of time, appointment procedures and criteria was presented at our meeting in December but will now be finalized within the industrial relations arena between the DES, Management Bodies and our Trade Union.

This is one circular that could really make a difference if it addresses the need for teamwork and flexibility in sharing the day to day management and workload of the school through facilitating and requiring best practice in relation to ISM.

It is long overdue.

(Picture of child and calf ) No! You're not at the IFA Conference! I want to talk first about the calf in this photograph.

We have a Bovine Database to trace all cattle movements from birth to death or export. That calf within a few weeks of birth is tagged. The number remains with it right throughout its life. The farmer posts the details of that calf to a company authorised to operate the database on behalf of the Dept of Agriculture. Farmers, who have the IT capacity to do so, are now providing this information on-line. The information is then recorded onto the national database as are all further events relating to the animal.

Could we and should we have a national database for our primary schoolchildren?

I don't think I need to convince you of the value of having such data available to inform educational planning, policy and distribution of resources at school and system level.

In a changing Ireland that claims to be one of the leading countries in Europe I believe that it is time to harness the potential of the IT world to produce a national database for all primary school children. This already exists for secondary schools. Are we to be once again the poor relations? We have pressed this issue at different meetings with the DES and have offered to assist with research and piloting this worthwhile and necessary change. While we are aware that some discussion has taken place it is not good enough to be told that "we will look at it when we have the On-line Claims System (OLCS) up and running".

I am calling tonight for the introduction of a national database for our 455,000 primary school children as a matter of urgency.

Currently, we can more readily access information about this calf than this child! This is not acceptable in the 21st century.

As you know we have regular on-going meetings with the DES and the other education partners which is an acknowledgement of the importance and value of consultation with IPPN as the recognized professional association for school leaders. We are in there on your behalf asking the relevant questions and proposing solutions. Getting agreed consensus and support for worthwhile change is a real challenge and the voice of leadership needs to permeate all discussions on proposed changes on the educational landscape.

It is for this reason that we have requested the that IPPN should be granted 'Designated Status' which requires the DES and other statutory bodies to consult with IPPN as the officially recognised professional body for the leaders of Irish Primary School

It would be an important and welcome public acknowledgement of your key role as managers and leaders of teaching and learning in your schools and of IPPN's role in representing, resourcing and supporting you in those management and leadership roles.

On a personal note, I am really enjoying my term as President.

I have the privilege of meeting so many principals and deputy principals at our network meetings and events and in many cases in your schools. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Working closely with the national committee, executive and especially the dedicated team of support office personnel led by Seán is heartening and inspiring.

I really appreciate the good wishes and support the parents and community of Grange NS and most especially of the Board of Management. I am delighted to have the Chairperson Liam Ahearn here as our special guest tonight. I particularly want to acknowledge the leadership and commitment shown by acting Principal Louise Tobin, acting deputy principal Marie Keating and all the staff. You'll be delighted to know that the school is thriving in my absence - a good sign of distributed leadership.

I could not fulfil the role without the on-going support, encouragement and tolerance of my wife Sheila, my children, Catherine, Conor and Róisín and my friends and colleagues in Tipperary.

One of the highlights from an IPPN perspective in 2006 was the honour bestowed on IPPN's 1st President Jim Hayes in being awarded the Allianz Scoil Treasa Award for Services to Education. Jim was the first to state that this award was also "a tribute and acknowledgement of the success of the collective efforts of all IPPN members over the last 6 years". The recognition and acknowledgement of Jim's part in this is a particular source of pride to us all.

Another source of pride to us all is the recent appointment of Maighread Ni Ghallachóir to the National Council for Special Education. Many of you will know her as Maighread Benincasa from the networking@ippn.ie. Comhghairdeas.

Finally, as Principals we aspire daily to good quality leadership and management and for 7 out of every 10 of you good quality teaching also. IPPN will continue to challenge, resource and support you, and also the education partners, in our common role as drivers and practitioners of worthwhile change and best practice in a 'Changing Ireland'.Bainigí taitneamh agus tairbhe as na laethanta agus na hoícheanta seo le chéile.

ends