Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference€™ and Deputy Principals’ Conference ‘School Leadership at the Crossroads’ Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September 2013 Kilashee

Principals’ andDeputyPrincipals’Conference‘School Leadership at theCrossroads’Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September 2013Kilashee House Hotel, Kildare

Sponsored by

4 colour Reportv9x_InTouch inner templates 23/09/2013 10:35 Page 1

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The vast majority of Irish primary school leaders reportbeing happy in their job despite a significant degree ofoccupational stress. The relationship between jobsatisfaction and stress is complex. Both are influenced by avariety of factors including the adequacy of resources,administrative support, the extent to which teachers areopen to new developments and challenges, school facilitiesand being a teaching principal or administrative principal.

Increasingly the key issue for school leaders, not just inIreland but across the world, is the volume and multiplicityof demands. These include instructional leadership,pastoral care, human resource management, schooladministration and management and the financialmanagement of ever diminishing resources. In most cases itis an injudicious mixture of all of these major roles resultingin part from increasing devolution of responsibility toschool level. As a result, increasing numbers of principalsreport feelings of workload pressure.

This is obviously unfair to the individuals placed in thisposition and is a risk to personal well-being and health andsafety. Equally, given the recognised importance of schoolleadership and the centrality of the principal teacher to theeducation system, the effective administration of theeducation system is compromised by this overload of keyindividuals.

At the core of this problem is a lack of role definition forthe principal teacher, a lack of support/resources to enablethe job of leadership to be effectively undertaken and fair

remuneration for the role. This conference is anopportunity for school leaders to examine those and otherissues, to share good practice and to pursue possibilities inother key areas such as staffing, management,administration and instructional leadership.

The policies of austerity have taken their toll on all –school leaders are no exception – and cutbacks to schoolstaffing and funding have impacted significantly. Schoolleadership is at a crossroads. Waiting for others to providesolutions is not an option. The challenge for us is to chart adirection and ensure the rebuilding of key aspects of schoolleadership.

This conference is one aspect of the INTO’s work in thisregard.

Yours Sincerely

Brendan O’Sullivan Sheila NunanINTO President General Secretary

Meet the Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Committee

Back row left to right: Michael Gallagher, District VI, Peter

Mullan, INTO Senior Official, Nuala O’Donnell, Senior

Official INTO Northern Office, Carmel Hume, District IX,

Catherine Flanagan, District V, Mario Gribbon, District II,

Martin Short, District I, Michelle Keane, District XV,

Margaret Scannell, District XIII, Valerie Monaghan,

District XIV, Luke Kilcoyne, District III, David Finnegan,

District X, Mandy Drury, INTO Executive Officer,

Gerard Ryan, District XVI

Front row left to right: Gerard O’Donoghue, District XII,

Declan Kyne, Leas Cathaoirleach (District IV), Breda

Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach (District XI), Ultan MacMathúna,

District VIII, Fergal Fitzpatrick, District VII

Fáilte

Dear Delegate,


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Agenda

12. 30 pm Lunch (sponsored by Prim-Ed Publishing) Rathasker Suite

1.30 pm Opening of Conference

Brendan O’Sullivan, INTO President and Breda Fitzgerald, PDC CathaoirleachRathaskar Suite

1.45 pm Effective School Staffing

Peter Mullan, INTO Senior OfficialRathaskar Suite

2.00 pm Discussion – breakout rooms

Boardroom 1, Belling Suite, Fountain Suite, Blue Room, Boardroom 2 and Osborne Suite

3.15 pm Keynote AddressRathaskar Suite

3.45 pm Tea and CoffeeTrade ExhibitionRathaskar Suite

4.15 pm Effective Management/AdministrationUltan MacMathúna, District 8, PDCRathaskar Suite

4.30 pm Discussion – breakout roomsBoardroom 1, Belling Suite, Fountain Suite, Blue Room, Boardroom 2 and Osborne Suite

5.45 pm Wine Reception (sponsored by Comhar Linn Credit Union)

6.00 pm Optional EventShould I Stay or Should I Go?Rathaskar Suite

9.15 am Opening of Conference Sean McMahon, INTO Vice-President Rathaskar Suite

John WaltersEvery Year is a LEAP YearRathaskar Suite

9.30 am Effective Assessment/Evaluation

Carmel Hume, District 9, PDCRathaskar Suite

9.45 am Discussion – breakout rooms

Boardroom 1, Belling Suite, Fountain Suite, Blue Room, Boardroom 2 and Osborne Suite

10.45 am Tea and CoffeeTrade ExhibitionRathaskar Suite

11.15 am Shane Martin – MoodwatchersLooking to the Future Rathaskar Suite

1.15 pm ReportsRathaskar Suite

1.30 pm Questions and AnswersRathaskar Suite

1.50 pm Closing

Friday 27 September

Saturday 28 September


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Effective School Staffing

2012 REV Selected wte €m Staff Nos end 2012 (Projected)

2012 REV Selected wte €m Staff Nos end 2012 (Projected)

Department of Education and Skills Education Expenditure

1. Overall expenditureCurrent Expenditure €8,242Capital Expenditure €430Total €8,6722. Current expenditurePay €5,351Pensions €1,103Non-Pay €1,788Total €8,2422.1 Pay 1st Level €2,376Teachers’ Pay €2,065 32,500 teachersNon-Teaching Staff Pay {Mainly SpecialNeeds Assistants (SNAs) } €311 8,510 SNAs2nd Level €1,876Secondary and Comprehensive/Community Teachers €1,148 12,845 Secondary, 4,230 C and C TchsVocational Teachers €565 10,590 teachersNon-Teaching Staff (mainly SNAs, VEC and C and C non-teaching) €163 2,065 SNAs 450 C and C staff, 1,930 VEC staff3rd Level €828Academic and Non-Academic Staff €828 17,940 staffOther €271Department Staff (Incl Psychologists) €77 1,220 staffState Examinations Commission €45 155 staffSkills Development (including Adult and Further Education) €131 1,075 FAS staffOther Bodies (incl. Redress, Special Education Council, National Council for Curriculum & Assessment, Royal Irish Academy of Music etc.) €17Total €5,3512.2 Non-pay1st Level €298Capitation Grant €186

School Transport (1st Level students) €1122nd Level €252Per Capita Garnts to Secondary Schools €103N/Pay Garnt to Vocational Education Committees €63N/Pay Grant Comprensive/Community Schools €28School Transport – (2nd Level students) €583rd Level €738Third level Student Grants €338Universities and Institutes of Technology €314Other Third level institutions €43Research and Development (3rd level) €39Strategic Innovation Fund €4Other €500Skills Development (including Adult and Further Education) €226Other Grants and Services (Special Needs etc, Temp Accommodation) €86Redress/Child Abuse Commission costs €76Public Private Partnership Current costs €50Teacher In Career Development €25Department Staff – Non-Pay costs €13Other Bodies (incl. Redress, Special Education Council, National Councilfor Curriculum and Assessment, Royal Irish Academy of Music etc.) €25Total €1,7883. Capital First and Second Level Schools €357Third-Level €65Public Private P’ships (Consultancy) €2FAS Capital €3Schools ICT €1Department’s IT Systems €2Educational Disadvantage (Dormant Accts) €1Total €43


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Primary School Staffing 31 December 2012

Category of teacher NumbersMainstream classroom teachersClassroom teaching posts allocated under staffing schedule including teaching principals and also classroom teachers in DEIS schools 20,750

Special needs and language support – mainly used in non-classroom settingsLearning support and language support (GAM/EAL – 4,137 posts) based on standardallocation of 5 hours support per week for each classroom teacher 4,760

Additional support given to schools with high concentrations of pupils requiring language support (EAL – 623 posts – due to reduce in line Budget 2010 decision)

Posts allocated to deliver NCSE approved resource hours for pupils with low incidence special needs such as autism etc. 3,000

Special schools and special classes in mainstream schools (precise numbers in this category to be verified) 1,914Visiting Teachers for Deaf and Visually Impaired 43

Category of teacher NumbersOther postsAdministrative Principals (1,240) and Administrative Deputy Principals (44) in mainstream schools 1,284

Historical legacy posts in DEIS schools from earlier disadvantaged schemes including the Support Project 199

Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) 224

Early Start Teachers 55

Secondments – mainly for teacher education support services AND to European schools 101

Posts allocated under a pilot project to a number of base schools to enable Teaching Principals in those schools and neighbouring schools undertake administrative duties (operates in lieu of employing separate substitutes for Principal release days) 20

Overall Total 32,350

A New Allocation Model for Additional Teaching Resources

The Minister for Education and Skills has requested theNCSE to establish a working group to develop a proposal fora new model for the allocation of additional teachingresources to mainstream schools.

It is proposed that the allocation of additional teachingsupports be in line with each schools profiled educationalneed, be sanctioned on the basis that planning is in place forthe students learning, be linked to the student’s learning, betime-bound and outcome focused.

The working group has begun a process of consultationwhich involves the following key questions:

n How can the educational profile of a school be built up toensure that all students with special educational need areincluded, without need for a diagnosis of disability?

n What information is available in the system to contributeto this profile?

n What outcomes for students with special educationalneeds should be recorded?

n How should these be measured?n How should they be reported?

All of these issues will have implications for schoolleaders and the way they work. The INTO has anopportunity to contribute to the consultation and needs tohear the views of principal teachers.

Among the issues that need to be considered are how arestudents’ learning needs to be identified/diagnosed/assessedto inform intervention/allocation of resources.

Among the indicators could contribute to the profile of aschool and be used to determine the level of need andintervention are standardised test results, the number ofstudents exempted from standardised test, the number ofchildren assessed with a disability through assessment ofneed process of Disability Act, information coming throughthe pre-school system and historic data from schools onlevels of special education allocations. Related issues includewhat weighting might be given to each variable, for whatperiod of time should resources be allocated, what flexibilityis required to meet needs of developing schools, what typeand level of external oversight is required and what kind ofappeals process should be in place and for whom.


School Funding

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Effective School Management/Administration

In March 2009 when the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility inschools was introduced about 53% of teachers had posts of responsibility. This hassince reduced to about 39%. However the effect on schools is not uniform withmany schools severely affected and other less so. The overall reductions andsubsequent alleviations in posts of responsibility are as follows:

Post type Post Primary PrimaryAssistant Principal -2,150 -751Special Duties -1,900 -2,276Total -4,050 -3,027

A limited form of alleviation is in place for Assistant Principal posts, the rate ofwhich is three times greater at second level than it is in primary.

Post type Post Primary PrimaryAssistant Principal 307 (14%) 38 (5%)

From the 1990s onwards the requirement for additional management positionsin schools to manage increasingly complex administrative, managerial, pastoral,leadership, educational demands was clear and was developed over time though aseries of national agreements. These additional positions of responsibility werethoroughly different from existing posts in that teachers were appointed on meritthough a competitive process, the duties attaching to the post were clearly definedand delineated and the post holders were accountable for their duties.

This significant progress allowed developments in the area of schoolmanagement and provided for the development of distributive leadership. Theeffect of the moratorium in schools affected by retirements or leave is significant.Principals report key tasks now being done in a piece-meal fashion if at all, anerosion of morale and goodwill and a significant increase in workload andresponsibility for school leaders.

Posts of Responsibility

School Size Capitation Grant Minor Works Cumulative % GrantNo. of pupils Reduction Grant Grant Reduction discontinued Reduction since 09/10

30 €1,440 €6,055 €7,495 42%60 €1,440 €6,610 €8,050 43%100 €2,400 €7,350 €9,750 36%200 €4,800 €9,200 €14,000 28%400 €9,600 €12,900 €22,500 24%

School Administration

There has been a significant increase in legislation that impacts on the role ofschool leaders with more to follow. Some such legislation includes the following:n Education Act 1998;n Education Welfare Act 2000;n Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004;n Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005;n Teaching Council Act 2001n Employment Equality Act 1998;n Equal Status Act 2000;n Data Protection Act 1988

In addition, principals need to have an understanding of statutory instrumentsthat may impact on their work such as:n S.I. No. 17 of 2002: Industrial Relations Act 1990 (Code of Practice detailing

Procedures for Addressing Bullying in the Workplace) (Declaration) Order 2002;n S.I. No. 146/2000 — Industrial Relations Act, 1990 (Code of Practice on

Grievance and Disciplinary Act 1997).

There are also national guidelines in many areas that also impact on the work ofschools and require careful attention from school principals. Some such examplesinclude:n Responding to Critical Incidents: Guidelines for Schools (NEPS);n Developing a Code of Behaviour: Guidelines for Schools (NEWB);n Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (DYCA,

2011).

The overall capitation grant for the year is paid basedon a school’s enrolment figure on the previous 30thSeptember. The current capitation grant is 176 perpupil per annum, less than a euro per pupil perschool day.

These funding cuts together with the abolition ofother grants come at a time when schools facefurther increases in running costs and at a time whenmore and more parents face financial difficulties andare unable to contribute voluntarily to schoolrunning costs.


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School Self EvaluationLast November, guidelines on school self-evaluation werelaunched. Most of us could be forgiven for being less thanenthusiastic about another Department of Education andSkills initiative for schools.

But this one just might have been a little different from theusual “do this and do that (by yesterday if you please)”initiatives that often arrive on school principals’ desks.

In the first place the guidelines are not a detailedprescription of practice for every school. This is welcomebecause rather than a big brother knows best approach itrespects the professionalism of teachers.

School self-evaluation asks schools to look at their ownteaching and learning, at what they do well and at what theyneed to work on to bring about improvement. It doesn’t askthem to adopt some other school’s practice or try and imposesome artificial achievement targets.

This is very different to what is being forced onto schoolsin many countries where the only thing that matters is testresults. Of course these are important but they are not the beall and end all of everything as they seem to be in somecountries.

This work is well underway in many schools.Disadvantaged schools have been doing this very well foryears albeit it with advice and support from the Department.

There are significant resource issues - schools have sufferedbudgetary cutbacks, there is less money, fewer promotedteachers and less training for teachers.

There is a lot that is familiar in self-evaluation project.Teachers have always reflected on what they do in class andworked out ways to try and improve this. Using this initiativethey will do this collectively as a school staff or learningcommunity. The new guidelines recognise this and I am surewould be welcomed in other countries where quick fixesdesigned by politicians are the order of the day.

The INTO has established a sub-committee to examinethe implications of school self-evaluation in schools and tooversee a consultation process with members. The sub-committee includes members of the PDC and its work willcontinue this year. It will include the preparation of bestpractice guidelines and other supports for schools, an audit oftime commitments and a survey of members’ attitudes to theprocess. Following this work a report will be prepared for theconsideration of the CEC.

The Professional Development Unit is also preparing aseries of packages for schools which will be available fromnext November.

Adapted from a newspaper article written by CarmelHume, PDC, District 9.

Whole-School Evaluation –Management, Leadership and Learning (WSE–MLL)

The DES is introducing, from this September, a new model ofschool evaluation called Whole-School Evaluation –Management, Leadership and Learning (WSE–MLL) to runalongside other forms of school evaluation. A full guide to theprocess has been published on the DES website and selectedschools will be contacted shortly.

Key featuresn Two weeks advance written notice. n Takes place over five days with most of the time in

classroomsn Inspectors visit a selection of lessons informing teachers on

morning of each day which lessons are to be visited.n Reduced emphasis on school plan – focus on self-

evaluation where this is underwayn School information form, child protection policy, school

self-evaluation reports, school improvement plans or actionplans, behaviour anti-bullying policy, individual teachers’plans/records/timetables, assessment records,rolls/registers, BOM minutes.

n Takes account of previous evaluations including incidentalinspections.

n Completion of parent/pupil and teacher questionnaires.n Teacher questionnaires (from 2014) – perspectives of staff

about own work, management, leadership and learning inthe school.

n In larger schools, may include visits to a sample of teachers.n Meetings with principal, BOM chair and PA Chair during

school hours.n Inspector(s) may request selected sections of the School

Plan.n Feedback meeting for principal, teachers, the chair of BOM

and PA.n A published report to focus on:‘ How good are the learning achievements of pupils?‘ How good is the teaching?‘ How well are pupils cared for and supported?‘ How effective are leadership and management?‘ How effective is school self-evaluation?

Effective Assessment/Evaluation


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Harnessing StrengthsDuring

Challenging Times

Every Year is a LEAP YearLEAPing into international educational

leadership via the Leading Educators

Around the Planet (LEAP) program

All professions are increasingly exposed to internationaland global trends; both through increased mobility andadvancing technology. Education is no exception. EmeritusProfessor Hedley Beare, poignantly recommended in 2010that educational leaders now needed to be looking outside“boundaries and borders – both geographically andmetaphorically”.

Through this comment, Beare was foreshadowing theneed for educational leaders to adopt a more global andinternational perspective. Effective educational leaders inthe 21st century need to become part of an internationalcommunity which is sharing and learning through directand personal international interaction.

Set against this backdrop of international and globaltrends there would seem to be a new challenge foreducational leaders: the provision of internationalisedprofessional development for principals that translates intopractice at the school level.

The Leading Educators Around the Planet program(LEAP), developed in 2009, offers principals theopportunity to participate in professional development,both within an international and a local context. LEAP ’sacademic partners (University of Western Sydney andMacquarie University) offer workshops on shadowing plusaction research, to further enhance the LEAP experiencewhile at the same time allowing LEAP participants theopportunity to hone their research skills. Participants selecttheir own area of enquiry for their action research.

LEAP provides participating principals with theopportunity to engage in internationalised professionaldevelopment that is embedded in an internationalshadowing experience. Through a combination of hostingand billeting, both in Australia and overseas, principalsconstantly reflect on their practice while simultaneouslybeing challenged by their international colleague. Theensuing professional dialogue, allows for each participantto gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of currentpractice; to investigate system practice globally; to criticallyanalyse local practice and develop initiatives applicable totheir local context.

Participation in the LEAP program is one professionaldevelopment activity for practising principals thatchallenges insularity and offers the opportunity to developa new mindset in an international context.

John Walters, a LEAP Fellow and newly retiredAustralian school principal, is currently visiting Ireland. Hewill be presenting a LEAP information session at the INTOPrincipals’ and Deputy Principals’ conference on Saturday28 September.

Shane Martin is a psychologist dedicated to teaching thevery best self-help psychology to empower people toenhance the quality of their lives. His first post as apsychologist was with National Learning Network (RehabGroup) where he provided support to adults with learningand/or mental health difficulties at centres in Cavan, Meath,Louth and his native Monaghan.

In recent years he has concentrated on the whole area ofwellness, happiness and resilience. His ‘Moodwatchers’ self-help psychology course has been delivered to the generalpublic at community venues in every county in Ireland overthe last decade.

Shane aligns himself to the school of Positive Psychologywhich investigates the strengths rather than weaknesses inpeople. He is passionate about the need for psychology to beapplied to help people become stronger and mentallyprepared for the inevitable crises that are part of life’sjourney. If we want to be happier, healthier and moreresilient, we have to work on strategies scientifically provento make a difference in these key areas. Moodwatchers setsout to teach everyone these essential life skills.

Shane is a leading psychologist within the area ofeducation. His Moodwatchers programme has beenadapted to reach teachers and children in hundreds ofprimary and secondary schools nationwide. He has workedextensively with principals, guidance counselors, learningsupport teachers and chaplains. He has been a keynotespeaker at numerous national conferences within the fieldof education. This is his first INTO Conference.

Lecturing part-time in DCU, he also provides training tomany leading organisations throughout Ireland within thepublic and private sector.In recent months, he has providedconsultancy and training to management teams within HSEand VEC sectors regarding ‘change management’ asamalgamations take place. He has provided training tomental health teams and multi-disciplinary teams attachedto hospitals and hospices.

Shane is a published poet of two collections – The DarkRoom and Stilling the Dance of Time. He is currentlyworking on his third collection entitled Thin Lines. Hispoems have been published in reputable national andinternational poetry journals. He has been a guest at poetryfestivals including the Patrick Kavanagh Weekend and hasread his poems at many school and community gatherings.

He is currently under contract with a leading Irishpublisher to write his first self-help psychology book, whichwill be in the shops in early 2014.

Shane Martin, email: [email protected]. Web:www.moodwatchers.com.


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INTO Seminars for School Leaders – Leadership inChallenging Times

Following on from the very successful seminars for schoolleaders during the last school year, and given the huge volumeof demand for more such seminars, INTO Learning is hostingfurther seminars this term. The aims of the seminars are:3 To provide up to date and relevant information to school

leaders on topical school issues.3 To enable school leaders to communicate more effectively

with the school community, particularly in respect ofdifficult issues.

3 To discuss the prevention and management of bullyingamongst pupils.

3 To facilitate query and answer sessions with the INTOLegal and Industrial Relations and Conditions ofEmployment teams.

3 To provide a forum for school leaders to share information.

Topics to be covered include the following:n Effective communication.n Areas in which effective communication is important, for

example in managing parental complaints or staff relationsissues.

n Key skills in managing difficult conversations.n Prevention and dealing with bullying amongst pupils.n The new anti-bullying procedures issued by the DES in

2013.n Best practice in dealing with bullying at school level,

including interaction with parents.n The provision of advice on best practice for school leaders

on engagement with staff with regard to sick leave.n Updates on issues including roll books/registers and

enrolment/admissions policies.

INTO Learning is arranging four seminars. Provisionaldates and venues are as follows:1. Wednesday, 16 October, Dublin North.2. Wednesday, 23 October, Sligo.3. Wednesday, 20 November, Athlone.4. Wednesday, 27 November, Kilkenny.

These arrangements will be confirmed at the conference. The DES has authorised the release of teachers to attend

these seminars but substitute cover is not provided for suchrelease.

These seminars are provided free of charge. However, afully refundable booking deposit of €40 will be charged witheach application and is refundable on attendance. Those thatdo not attend and do not cancel within 48hours will not berefunded. The seminars will be presented by INTO Officialsand run from 9.30am – 3.30pm. Lunch and refreshments willalso be provided.

Applications can only be made online and payment canonly be made using debit/credit card. Places will be allocatedstrictly on a first come first served basis. To apply for a placeon either seminar log onto: www.intolearning.ie. For anyfurther queries e-mail: [email protected].

Croke Park hour CPD packages are self-contained whole-school professional development and training packages. Theyaim to support school leaders and teachers who wish to useschool Croke Park hours to organise and facilitate whole-school professional development. Each package has threemain components as follows:

n Online CPD Session.n Resource Folder.n Guiding instructions for session facilitator (staff member).

The online CPD session is a virtual audio-visualpresentation that incorporates opportunities for groupdiscussion of the package theme/content and activities toincorporate learning from the session into school practice.The resource folder contains a copy of the online presentationas well as referenced materials. The contents aredownloadable for printing and archiving purposes. A set ofguiding instructions allows for a staff member to easily leadand facilitate the session. CPD packages available include:

n Child Protection.n Bookmaking.n Literature Circles.n Comprehension.n School Self Evaluation (a series of sessions from late

November).

With the exception of School Self Evaluation, the cost ofenrolment is €25 per school. This will facilitate access to theonline session until the end of June 2014.

The School Self Evaluation Package will open forregistration in late October. It consists of several virtualaudio-visual presentations staggered throughout the2013/2014 school year. These sessions will support schoolsthrough the SSE process from gathering and analysingteaching and learning evidence and evaluating it todeveloping a SSE Report and an implementation plan. Afacilitated discussion forum between sessions will allow forschools to seek advice and to share experiences. This packagecosts €100.

Croke Park hour CPD Packages


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Class Sizes 2012/2013 Latest DES figures

TotalMainstream

2012-2013 0-19 20-29 30+ Class % % %Pupils under 20 20-29 30+

Carlow 396 5,011 1,783 7,190 5.5% 69.7% 24.8%Cavan 989 6,668 1,482 9,139 10.8% 73.0% 16.2%Clare 1,887 8,029 3,585 13,501 14.0% 59.5% 26.6%Cork City 2,511 8,211 2,608 13,330 18.8% 61.6% 19.6%Cork County 3,611 29,219 11,623 44,453 8.1% 65.7% 26.1%Donegal 2,512 12,242 3,948 18,702 13.4% 65.5% 21.1%Dublin City 7,941 26,545 7,440 41,926 18.9% 63.3% 17.7%DLR 1,077 11,238 4,873 17,188 6.3% 65.4% 28.4%Dublin Fingal 869 24,732 8,456 34,057 2.6% 72.6% 24.8%South Dublin CC 2,889 21,638 7,716 32,243 9.0% 67.1% 23.9%Galway City 1,098 4,729 1,247 7,074 15.5% 66.9% 17.6%Galway County 3,417 12,657 5,091 21,165 16.1% 59.8% 24.1%Kerry 2,268 9,873 3,318 15,459 14.7% 63.9% 21.5%Kildare 929 19,400 7,675 28,004 3.3% 69.3% 27.4%Kilkenny 1,072 6,608 2,767 10,447 10.3% 63.3% 26.5%Laois 692 6,692 2,793 10,177 6.8% 65.8% 27.4%Leitrim 578 2,252 726 3,556 16.3% 63.3% 20.4%Limerick City 1,089 4,194 1,380 6,663 16.3% 62.9% 20.7%Limerick County 1,547 8,506 4,429 14,482 10.7% 58.7% 30.6%Longford 612 3,216 1,278 5,106 12.0% 63.0% 25.0%Louth 1,215 11,103 3,693 16,011 7.6% 69.3% 23.1%Mayo 2,992 8,680 2,674 14,346 20.9% 60.5% 18.6%Meath 945 16,795 6,694 24,434 3.9% 68.7% 27.4%Monaghan 836 4,335 1,984 7,155 11.7% 60.6% 27.7%Offaly 805 6,821 1,883 9,509 8.5% 71.7% 19.8%Roscommon 1,509 4,402 1,145 7,056 21.4% 62.4% 16.2%Sligo 1,066 4,360 1,576 7,002 15.2% 62.3% 22.5%Tipperary NR 1,177 5,896 1,131 8,204 14.3% 71.9% 13.8%Tipperary SR 1,513 6,632 1,762 9,907 15.3% 66.9% 17.8%Waterford City 428 4,638 991 6,057 7.1% 76.6% 16.4%Waterford County 564 5,278 1,828 7,670 7.4% 68.8% 23.8%Westmeath 964 7,636 2,046 10,646 9.1% 71.7% 19.2%Wexford 1,476 11,551 4,636 17,663 8.4% 65.4% 26.2%Wicklow 971 10,091 5,092 16,154 6.0% 62.5% 31.5%

TOTAL 54,445 339,878 121,353 515,676 10.6% 65.9% 23.5%


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PDC CONFERENCE

Should I Stay or Should I Go?INTO advice and support

The INTO deals with a large volume of queries on an ongoingbasis from teachers and principals who are contemplatingretirement and who wish to discuss the options available tothem.

We anticipate that, over the next number of months, thevolume of queries in this regard will increase significantly.Under the Haddington Road Agreement (HRA) a pay-cutcame into effect on 1 July 2013 for those earning over €65,000.However, those who retire prior to 31 August 2014 (the ‘graceperiod’) will have pension and lumpsum calculated on theirpre pay-cut salary.

The INTO Queryline has put the following measures inplace to manage these queries:

i A number of examples of the differences in retiring beforeor after the ‘grace period’ are on the INTO website.

ii A pension calculator is available on the INTO websitewhich allows members to generate estimates of pensionand lump sum.

iii A podcast is available on the website which ‘talks through’the examples referred to at (i) above.

iv A series of regional meetings will take place throughout thecountry. These are single topic meetings and are designedfor one specific purpose, namely to assist members inunderstanding the relevance of the ‘grace period’ whencalculating pension and lump sum. (See list below.)

v A full schedule of two day Retirement Planning Seminarswill also be run during the course of the 2013/14 schoolyear. These courses will be rolled out from Novemberonwards. The dates for these seminars will be carried in theOctober InTouch and application forms will bedownloadable from the INTO website.

vi The Queryline will continue to deal with calls and queriesfrom individual members. However, we would ask people

in the first instance to avail of the resources available onour website and to attend one of the ‘Should I Stay orShould I Go’ Seminars. Our retirement team will bespending significant time away from the office at meetingsand seminars and may not be readily available. We do, ofcourse, understand that some members will haveindividual or personal queries that cannot be addressed viathe website or at a public meeting and we will endeavour todeal with such queries as speedily and as efficiently aspossible.

Finally, we would like to reassure members that the INTOwill provide every assistance possible in relation to memberscontemplating retirement. Members have almost 12 monthsto consider the matter prior to giving notification to theBOM/DES by the end of May 2014. It is also worthemphasising that the ‘grace period’ is only one of the issues tobe considered in contemplating retirement and, on its own,should not be the decisive factor.

Should I Stay or Should I Go Seminars

n 27 September – 6.30 p.m. – Killashee House Hotel, Naas – PDP Conference.

n 17 October – 3.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Silver Springs, Cork.n 22 October– 3.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Regency Hotel, Dublin.n 24 October – 3.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Clayton Hotel, Galway.n 5 November – 3.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley.n 15 November – 6.30 p.m. – Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise – Education Conference.

Please note that these are an initial list of venues and others will be added as required.Members are requested to reserve a place on one of these courses by emailing theirname and preferred venue to [email protected].


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Head OfficeVere Foster House35 Parnell SquareDublin 1

Ard Oifig35 Cearnóg ParnellBaile Átha Cliath 1

Phone/Fón: 01 804 7700Fax: 01 872 2462Email: [email protected]: www.into.ieMobile web: m.into.ie


Documents

Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference€™ and Deputy Principals’ Conference ‘School Leadership at the Crossroads’ Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September 2013 Kilashee