2010 Council Meeting Updated 29 July 2010

In the President's address to the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals in Irleland on October 16 2009, Ciarán McCormack looked briefly at the evolution of NAPD over the past decade and then focused in on the catastrophic effects of Budget ’08 on education over the ensuing year. Drawing on his experience at international level, the President reasserted the urgent need for Principals to be empowered and trusted to lead their schools.

(Published here with the permission of the NAPD.)

From small beginnings in 1998, NAPD has established itself as the voice of Principals and Deputy Principals and meets on a regular basis with all the organisations involved in second-level education. They include the teacher unions, the management bodies, the parents’ associations and the DES. In addition we meet with SEC, LDS, SDPI and NEPS, to name but a few. NAPD also works with ESHA, The European School Heads Association, and ICP, The International Confederation of Principals. NAPD this past year was invited to join the Post Primary Education Forum, PPEF, to campaign for additional funding for second-level education.

EFFECTS OF BUDGET ‘08
Last October members at the Conference listened in disbelief as the effects of the Budget on Education were filtering through. Within 24 hours members were alerted via our website to the areas that had been targeted.

After the Conference, regional meetings were held and either the Director or I attended those meetings. Members found it hard to believe that so many of the measures appeared to target the most vulnerable, with school book grants, transport charges and the cap on Language Support teachers being mentioned most frequently. Measures which enabled and encouraged the less fortunate to participate in school were being removed. Colleagues know that many families sought help from the St. Vincent de Paul Society to cover back-toschool costs. I wonder what those families are feeling when they hear about the excessive expense claims recently portrayed as the norm and within guidelines?

It was also announced that the Pupil-Teacher ratio was to be increased. NAPD predicated that this would lead to a loss of approximately 1000 teaching positions. We have yet to see the evidence that our forecast was in error. We pointed out that this measure would lead to larger classes and subject options being reduced.

Surveys conducted by ASTI and JMB in September have shown this to be the case with some schools unable to offer classes in Science, Business or Modern Languages. Higher and Ordinary levels are being combined. In other schools classes in fifth and sixth year are being timetabled together to enable subjects to continue.

DECREASE OF ECA
The rich experience that was a hallmark of Irish Education began to change after Christmas as extra-curricular activities decreased, because of the reduction in the categories of absence that could be covered by paid substitutes. Sports, debates, school trips all had a lower level of participation. This has continued into the current school year as evidence suggests that schools are limiting the entries into competitions.

‘IF YOU GET IT WRONG...’
Prime Minister Lee of Singapore, in his address to delegates at the ICP Convention this Summer stated –

“If you get it wrong for that whole generation of kids, you have no second chance with them, even if you fix it in the next generation. “

SHOULDERS RUBBED RAW
Principals and Deputies are supervising more classes than ever before. At the time of the last Budget one Minister suggested that people should “put their shoulders to the wheel”. Principals and Deputies have been doing that for years. They have been doing it for so long that their shoulders are rubbed raw by the constant friction. I suggest that they are worn down to the bone in many cases, a very tender bone at that. I am aware of colleagues who supervised class a number of times in the one day this term because no other cover was available. This is simply not good enough.

“How can we be Leaders of Learning in a situation like that?”

PROMOTIONAL POSTS
The Moratorium on the filling of promotion positions has had a disproportionate effect on schools, compared to other areas of the public service. There has been a significant number of teacher retirements this summer, the overwhelming majority of them being post-holders whose positions have not been filled. Consequently many schools are operating without Examination Secretaries or Year Heads for some year groups, and the quality of provision and experience for our students is diminished, not to mention adding more items onto the Principal’s already-overloaded desk. Our students are not piles of paper or files that can be dealt with days or weeks later. The issues that arise have to be addressed now. It is the pastoral care aspect of school life that is at risk. It is simply unreasonable to expect schools that have 4, 5, 6 or more promotion posts vacant to be able to function with the same level of care as before.

I urge the Minister, as he sits at the Cabinet table, to make a strong case for derogation from the Moratorium on promotional posts for the Education sector.

In previous years, colleagues would have forwarded the September returns to the DES by now. This year we were instructed not to send them in. Our public service colleagues in the Department are equally suffering from the Moratorium. Schools were notified in a recent bulletin from the Management Bodies that staff shortages in the DES are the main reason for the change in arrangements. It would be lovely to be able to deal with the students in such a manner. I pose the question, how are schools expected to cope when they have a number of vacant promotion positions?

200 RETIREES; 200 NEW LEADERS
This Summer, more than 200 Principals and Deputy Principals at second level retired. Many retired before their time I believe. We now have over 200 new leaders, many who were appointed to a different school, taking on their new role with a drastically reduced In School Management team.

“Many retired before their time I believe”

At a time when there was never greater need to in-service school leaders it is disappointing that many colleagues working in the Leadership Development for Schools team have been obliged to return to their schools. Investment in leadership is a high level activity which is vital to the effective implementation of curricular initiatives, and

PROGRESSING THE LEADERSHIP AGENDA
NAPD has striven to progress the leadership agenda. We have argued for an in-school management system that serves the needs of the school. It seems that the only promotion possibility in schools in Ireland is into administration. NAPD recognises that teachers have differing talents. We have suggested different strands of promotion.

Listening to Prime Minister Lee, this July, I began to wonder had he been at our Executive meetings. Prime Minister Lee, while describing the system in his country stated –

“We enhanced the career development of teachers. We created more promotion possibilities. We developed different advancement tracks. Not everybody wants to become an administrator.

Some teachers like to teach, love to teach, love to be in the classroom. There was a teaching track. We developed senior specialist tracks. We developed a leadership track for those who would become heads of department, school principals and cluster superintendents.

We created opportunities for further training so teachers could go back to school, attend courses, and be prepared for higher responsibilities.”

MARY HANAFIN’S INTENTION
Mary Hanafin, previous Minister of Education and Science, stated to delegates at our Conference in 2004 –

“It is not the intention that you should be administrators. It is the intention that you will be leaders of education in your school. And I am going to work with you over the next year to ensure that we can reduce that burden, to review ways in which we can reduce the bureaucracy, while meeting our obligations, just to ensure that you can get on to do the job that you are employed to do.”

THORNHILL ON MANAGEMENT
This summer, Dr. Don Thornhill, presented a paper at the McGill Summer School dealing with Irish Education. In his presentation he said –

“There is a concern at primary and secondary level that the burdens of management and legislative compliance fall disproportionately on school Principals... In many cases this leaves them with insufficient time to focus on learning outcomes... they need support in terms of being able to distribute responsibilities and tasks within the school team to those best fitted to carry them out.”

We welcome the announcement in the agreed programme that “This Government commits itself to no further increase in the pupil teacher ratio in primary and second level schools for the lifetime of this Government. “ They also state “We will provide 500 teaching posts between primary and second levels over the next three years.”

I welcome the additional 500 teachers in the system but I ask what effect will 500 positions, spread over 3 years, have when there are more than 4000 schools at first and second level?

The programme also refers to extra allocations for assistance for books, Transition Year, LCA, LCVP etc., but neither a figure nor a timescale was mentioned.

I give you this last quotation from Prime Minister Lee:

“Education is the most vital investment that societies can make for their future. In today’s knowledge-based world, it is the only sustainable basis for progress, for prosperity, for generating growth, and it is also a vital ingredient in building a sense of identity of values, social cohesion of who we are in a confusing and rapidly changing world. It is the way to lift and help disadvantaged communities and the poor to advance and to do better in the next generation.”

In June we had the incident with the Leaving Certificate English examination. Some facts that come to mind following the untimely issue of the wrong paper:

1. The younger generation has embraced new technology and uses it very effectively. Witness the speed with which word spread about the content of the paper.

2. The media did not cover itself in glory in dealing with this matter. They increased the pressure and tension for families with the level of reporting given to this story. It has been said that some journalists offered money to students, entering subsequent exams, cash in return for identifying the superintendent.

3. The systems that the SEC has in place actually do work.

4. The assumption that Principals and Deputy Principals would again step in and keep the show on the road.

PRUDENCE PUNISHED
Colleagues returned to school this August to find that they were being penalised for being prudent. We were told that any unused portion of the 08/09 grant, for the Supervision and Substitution scheme, would lead to a reduction of the 09/10 grant by that amount.

Colleagues had been operating the scheme for a number of years using the guidelines that were in operation then. The rules were changed mid-year. Colleagues, mindful of the effects this change would have in a full year, were careful in their use of a limited resource. Now they find they are being penalised for being careful. Can I remind you that it was the Spend-Spend-Spend!example of others who got us into the current mess.

WORKING WITH ICP AND IPPN
I have used extracts, a number of times, from the opening address delivered by Prime Minister Lee to the delegates at the Convention of the ICP held in Singapore this July. More than 1500 delegates from over 40 countries attended. There were presentations from many eminent speakers.

A Council meeting of ICP took place prior to the Convention. At this meeting, Virginia O’Mahony of IPPN, the Irish Primary Principal’s Network, was elected to the position of President of ICP. She will take up that position next year. We offer her our warmest congratulations.

We have worked with IPPN on a number of matters of common concern, most recently in relation to LDS.

2013
At the Council ICP meeting, NAPD, in conjunction with IPPN, put in a bid to host a future Convention. Cairns in Australia was the other bidding location. I am happy to announce that we were successful and that the ICP Convention in 2013 will be coming to Ireland. It will take place in the new Convention Centre on the Liffey. The Centre will open in 2010.

NAPD PREMISES
The economic downturn has resulted in a sharp decline in property values. At the moment the National Executive is exploring the possibility of investing in our own premises. Any move in this direction should be seen as a natural progression for a professional association representing members’ interests.

PLEASE TRUST US!
In my closing remarks our Symposium last March I said:

‘We are privileged because parents give their children to us to educate – THEY TRUST US.

‘Parents and Staff share personal details with us in the course of our interactions with them – THEY TRUST US.

‘The State Examinations Commission didn’t hesitate to contact Principals when they needed to organise an examination on Saturday – THEY TRUSTED US.

‘I ask the Minister to let us lead the schools and remove obstacles that are in our way – PLEASE TRUST US!’