Cyber Bullying Booklet
As per the latest Newsletter, you can now download the Cyber Bullying document that was issued to all Conference Delegates in October.
NAPD Conference Press Release
‘The next emergency in education will be a shortage of school principals’ – NAPD President
- NAPD Annual Conference opens in The Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny today, Thursday, 17 October
- 600 secondary school leaders to discuss how our education system can progress and adapt to new regulations and a persistent lack of adequate financial resourcing from Government
- Key speakers to include Dutch psychologist Professor Mark van Vugt and Dr. Anne Bamford, an international expert in the education of the arts
- Conference to demo new ‘digital classroom’
- NAPD comment: “There is an issue with the recruitment and retention of our school leaders. There are too few applicants for the position of principal, and we cannot ignore this.”
A shortage of school principals will be the next crisis facing the Irish education system, according to Kieran Golden, President of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD).
According to Mr Golden: “There is a significant issue with the recruitment and retention of our school leaders. There are too few applicants for the position of principal, and we cannot ignore this. We need to take serious notice of the impact of an ever-expanding workload on the welfare of our school leaders.”
To alleviate this growing workload, the NAPD is asking for the allocation of additional deputy principal posts and clerical staff posts based on an incremental sliding scale rather than a clinical cut-off point of 700 pupils, which takes no account of the wider context of the school.
Mr Golden will deliver a keynote speech at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, opening in Kilkenny today (Thursday).
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘An Bradán Feasa – Essential Knowledge for Today’s School Leaders’ and it will explore how our second-level education system must adapt to the key issues of education funding, recruitment and retention challenges, The Student & Parent Charter, curriculum changes, GDPR, and technology.
Over 600 principals and deputy principals are expected to attend the two-day conference, which commences at Kilkenny’s Lyrath Hotel from 10am today. Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD will make an address on Friday morning.
The conference programme includes a number of leading Irish and international educational experts and business leaders who will debate and present on the challenges facing our current education system and the innovative ways in which these issues can be overcome.
Digital classroom
Students from Le Chéile Secondary School, Tyrellstown will showcase a model of digital classroom, highlighting the latest innovations in digital education. This includes lessons in coding, digital skills, maths, business, music, geography and virtual field trips. The classroom will be an example of how IT can be used to enhance digital learning in the classroom and can be achieved using either Apple, Microsoft or Google technology.
Key-note presentations include:
- ‘Making the implicit explicit – bringing the learning home’
- Tomás O’Ruairc, Director of the Teaching Council
- ‘Follow the Leader – but at what cost? – Models of Leadership in human and non-human societies’
- Dutch academic and evolutionary psychologist, Professor Mark van Vugt
- ‘The How Factor: Ensuring culture and art education for all students’
- International expert in the arts, education, emerging literacies, and visual communication, Dr Anne Bamford
Other key areas to be examined over the course of the conference include:
- The renewed importance of arts education at second level
- The adoption and roll out of the new Student & Parent Charter
Commenting ahead of the conference, National Director of the NAPD, Clive Byrne, said:
“We look forward to welcoming NAPD members to Kilkenny today for our Annual Conference. The conference comes at a time where the education system is coming under increasing strain due to a growing student population and the need for parallel Government investment.
“For example, while Budget 2020 was, on balance, received as a positive Budget for education, the provision of 150 new mainstream teaching posts will have little impact on Ireland’s growing student-teacher ratios.
“We are also hoping to address many of the more complex issues that our principals face day-to-day in our schools, such as the interaction between school management, parents and teachers, GDPR, and the challenge and opportunities that come with keeping pace with new technologies.
“Despite these challenges, our second-level education system has adapted. Many schools have successfully rolled out Physical Education as a Leaving Certificate subject and many more have embedded Computer Education within our curriculum. With increased funding, we will be able to implement these changes nationally in due course. However, we are currently a considerable distance away from making this happen.”
ENDS
For media enquiries, contact:
Paddy O’Dea | paddy@pr360.ie | 01 637 1777 | 086 357 3365
Barry Murphy | barry@pr360.ie | 01 637 1777 | 087 266 9878
Allianz – Weather Warning and Tips
Storm Lorenzo is likely to hit Ireland on Thursday. Although it is not possible at this time to predict the magnitude of this storm when it does hit, it is always a good idea to be prepared. To assist with this, we refer you to Allianz website to view tips on preventing Storm and Flood damage to your School https://www.allianz.ie/schools/weather-tips/#position_78983
We have also detailed the steps to take in the event of such damage occuring:
- Please contact the Allianz claims team and quote your policy number.
Property Claims Dept. – Phone No (01)6133377
Allianz will appoint a loss adjuster to visit the property as soon as possible.
- If it is safe to do so, remove any undamaged property to prevent further loss.
- Obtain estimates for repair or replacement as soon as possible
If you need any further information, please contact the Allianz Support Team at 01 6133966, your Local Allianz Representative https://www.allianz.ie/schools/school-insurance/local-representatives/ or you Insurance Intermediary.
Principals congratulates Leaving Cert students on results, urges renewed focus on senior cycle reform agenda
Principals congratulates Leaving Cert students on results, urges renewed focus on senior cycle reform agenda
Comment from Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD): “Amidst the excitement and emotions of today’s exam results, it is important that we don’t lose sight of the pressing issue of Senior Cycle reform”
The director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), Clive Byrne, has offered his congratulations to Leaving Certificate students receiving their exam results today, while also highlighting the need for Leaving Certificate reform.
Commenting, Mr Byrne said: “On behalf of Irish principals, deputy principals and the NAPD, I would like to congratulate all those students receiving their Leaving Certificate results today. Today’s results represent the culmination of two years of hard work and dedication from our students, and their achievements should be celebrated, and the support of their families recognised.
“For those students who have been fortunate enough to match or exceed their expectations, today will represent a happy and very affirming conclusion to their second level schooling and a positive launching pad in their pursuit of third level education or other career opportunities. For other students who may be feeling disappointed, I would encourage them to remain positive. Thankfully, there are more pathways than ever before into third level education and their chosen careers beyond that. Additionally, today’s employers are becoming increasingly open to sourcing talent from non-traditional disciplines and do so with a greater appreciation, than ever before, for the diverse experience and skillsets this can bring.
Senior Cycle Reform
“Finally, amidst the excitement and emotions of today’s exam results, it is important that we don’t lose sight of the pressing issue of Senior Cycle reform. On 30 July, we saw the publication of National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s (NCCA) interim review of the senior cycle. While these findings may have helped re-invigorate a national dialogue on Leaving Certificate reform, we all have a responsibility as educators and policymakers to ensure this discourse is not in vein. This means working together to progress this dialogue into coherent and achievable action points capable of delivering upon the desired reforms. To this end, we in the NAPD look forward to working with the Minister on the development of a sustainable and modern senior cycle programme in the period ahead.”
ENDS
Celebrating the work of schools committed to entrepreneurial education
Junior Achievement Ireland announces Microsoft as partner for the inaugural TESA Summit 2019
The Summer Edition of the Leader Magazine out Now!!
Summer Edition of the Leader in all schools and online now!
Bloomsday marks the start of summer, as does the arrival in your letterbox of the summer edition of Leader Quarterly. We’ve combined the two, by featuring James Joyce on the back cover, in a collage from a Creative Engagement project. All in all, you’ll have twenty items of serious summer reading to peruse in Leader.
David Forde and Deirdre Hanamy report extensively on the FET Symposium, Towards the FET College of the Future, held on 2 April in Dublin. We cover the John Hattie Symposium and the Mike Hughes & Graham Powell workshops.
Leader pays close attention to the Legal Fees Indemnity Scheme, one of the newer services available to NAPD members. Paul Byrne looks at how middle management might be strengthened in our schools and looks to the expansion of NAPD to include Associate Members drawn from aspiring leaders, such as Assistant Principals.
We consider some schools that can claim our interest – St Andrews College, the Catholic school, the Rosses Community School – each for different compelling reasons.
Click here to download
Join Now or Renew your NAPD Membership for 2019-2020 Today!
As we come closer to the end of term, we look forward to a new one.
By now you should have all received the NAPD Magazine The Leader in schools along with a renewal form for the next Term ahead.
Please note the term of membership will be 1st September 2019 – 31st August 2020.
You can also complete this form by clicking on the link: https://forms.gle/Kr9qgkQxhMtiW3HQ9
Benefits of being an NAPD Member:
- The only professional association to represent all post-primary principals and deputy principals
- A major voice in Irish Education with The Department of Education and Skills, IPPN, Management Bodies, NCSE, NCCA, Teaching Council, Teacher Unions, College Awareness Week, BeLonGTo
- Key Contributing partner with the Centre for School Leadership (CSL)
- Legal Expenses Indemnity through DAS
- Mentoring through the NAPD Local Support Service
- Full Access to the NAPD Website, Very Useful Guide and the monthly Bulletin
- Eligibility to attend the Annual Conference and Regional Branch Meetings
- Dedicated specialist sub-committees and working groups, including Further Education & Training
- Access to Leading 4 Learning Workshops
- Access to arts-in-education funding through Creative Engagement
- Free Quarterly Journal – NAPD Leader
- Discounts for NAPD Publications
- Pre-retirement advice and access to NAPD-Retired
NAPD would like to wish you all a happy and well deserved Summer Break! And we look forward to working with you and supporting you through the new Term.
Post – Primary Inspector with the Department of Education and Skills
Interested in becoming a Post-Primary Inspector with the Department of Education and Skills? The Public Appointments Service launched a recruitment competition for Post-Primary Inspectors of Irish, Chemistry and or Biology, Italian, Geography, History and Computer Science on 24 May. The closing date for applications is 13 June 2019. Full details available on www.publicjobs.ie
An bhfuil suim agat a bheith i do chigire iar-bunscoile leis an Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna? D’fhogair an Coimisiún um Cheapacháin Seirbhísí Poiblí comortas earcaíochta do chigirí iar-bhunscoile Gaeilge, Ceimice agus nó Bitheolaíochta, Iodáilise, Tíreolaíochta, Staire agus Ríomheolaíochta ar an 24ú Bealtaine. Is é an 13ú Meitheamh an data deireanach d’iarrataisí. Tuilleadh sonraí ar www.publicjobs.ie
School Payments – Easy Payments Plus powered by Payzone
School Payments
Following a lengthy tendering process Easy Payments Plus were selected by the Education Procurement Office to supply payment solutions to both primary and post primary schools.
For more information please click here
Mental health campaign aims to help young people preparing for exams – Breakingnews.ie
The HSE has launched a new phase of a mental health information programme called Mind Monsters for young people preparing for exams.
The Mind Monsters campaign was initiated in 2018 and aims to help adolescents and young adults through tough times with their mental health.