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INTO Presentation to Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection
22nd October 2014
The relationship between Boards of Management and the Department of Education & Skills (DES) is determined by their respective functions. These functions are governed by Education Act 1998- 2013 and various other legislative provisions, the Rules for National Schools, DES Circulars, and the Constitution of Boards & Rules of Procedure. Boards of Management of primary schools ensure that schools are managed in a spirit of partnership, on behalf of the Patron of the school. Local Boards ensure that local voices and concerns are reflected in the management of the school, and that the interests of pupils and their parents, staff and the community are represented. It is the duty of the Board to manage the school on behalf of the patron and for the benefit of the students in order to provide an appropriate education for each student at the school . By and large, the Boards of primary schools carry out this duty, and enjoy the confidence of the school community. In a recent High Court decision, Judge Iseult O’Malley stated
“The structure by which most schools in the country are run, with a professional staff managed by a voluntary board representative of the parents, the community, the patron and the staff, is an admirable one which gives an opportunity for all those groups to participate in this most important field. However, it is a model that does place burdens on those involved. The voluntary members of the board will often be people without any particular experience in the range of matters, from budgeting to health and safety to management of staff, for which they must take responsibility. It is necessary for the board to respect the expertise of its staff, while ensuring that it does not abdicate its responsibilities”
It is worth noting that the most recent Report by the Chief Inspector found that “over the period 2010-2012, they judged that in 88% of cases, the overall work of boards was satisfactory or better”
Boards of Management are bodies corporate, with statutory functions, including those under Sections 15 and 24 of the Education Act. These functions include inter alia the upholding of the characteristic spirit of the school, enrolment and the appointment and dismissal of teachers. Boards are also responsible for determining a range of matters vis-à-vis school policy, such for example as may relate to pupil behaviour, health and safety, child protection etc. Indeed Boards of Management are statutorily obliged to have policy in these matters. It is INTO’s position, and for the most part it is our experience that Boards carry out their statutory functions in consultation with Principals and where necessary the teaching staff.
Primary teachers are committed to working with parents in an open and transparent manner. It is the case that schools facilitate and encourage best practice in relation to the promotion of home/school links….whether through informal discussion with parents every day on the school premises, through homework journals, scheduled parent/teacher meetings, newsletters, the involvement of parents in curricular and extra-curricular activities, liaison with the Parents Association, and on request meetings with individual parents. The extent of opportunities and channels to dialogue with parents is indicative of teachers high regard for the role of parents in their children’s education and in their openness and willingness at all times to address any matters which may arise early and effectively.
In this regard, the most recent Chief Inspector’s Report stated
“Whole-school evaluations indicate that the overall quality of most schools’ communications with parents is good. High proportions (95%) of the parents surveyed as part of the WSE process during 2010-2012 agree that schools are welcoming of them. Inspection reports frequently note a range of other strengths in parent-school communications such as regular parent-teacher contact, school newsletters to parents and up-to-date informative school websites. The vast majority (94%) of parents viewed positively the schools’ arrangements for parent-teacher meetings”.
Where parental complaints arise, there is an established Parental Complaints Procedure, agreed between the INTO and Management bodies which is utilised where necessary. This procedure focuses on early and informal resolution of complaints as far as possible, while also providing a formal procedure for deciding complaints. Boards also have a statutory role in the formal stages of the disciplinary procedures for teachers, prescribed under Section24.3 of the Education Act 1998.
Boards of Management and teachers, in particular principal teachers, have on-going dealings with the DES in relation to key issues such as school staffing, funding, school accommodation. The DES Inspectorate carries out a number of statutory functions in schools, in supporting, advising and evaluating schools. Whole school evaluations, the reports of which are published, include questionnaires for parents and pupils. Schools are accountable to the DES, both through the Inspectorate, and also through other statutory functions. For example , one of the functions of the Secretary General of the DES is to establish an appeals committee for parents who wish to challenge Board of Management decisions in relation to enrolment, suspension or expulsion.
Similarly schools liaise with other agencies – for example with the National Council for Special Education and/or its agents in respect of resources for children with special needs, with the Child & Family Agency/TUSLA in respect of school attendance and child protection, with the Teaching Council in respect of the registration and vetting of teachers and various educational matters. For its part, the Teaching Council has published a Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers which the INTO fully supports. The Code emphasises the values of respect, care, professional integrity and trust on the part of teachers. In addition, it is expected that the Fitness to Teach provisions of the Teaching Council Act will be commenced in the near future which will entitle any person to apply to the Council for an inquiry into the fitness to teach of a registered teacher.
The Office of the Children’s Ombudsman (OCO) is entitled to enquire into a school matter when requested to do so and in that regard, INTO encourages schools to fully co-operate with all such enquires and/or investigations. INTO notes the recommendations contained in Reports by the OCO in relation to improved communication between Boards and parents. We believe that this is an area which could be improved through increased training and support for Boards. Boards of Management comprise lay volunteers, who give of their time for the sake of their local school and their children’s education. Recent years have seen and increased level of devolution of responsibilities to Boards, from the DES and other agencies. Boards must be supported with appropriate training, which is accessible and relevant to Board members. While the DES has provided funding for the training of Boards, concerns remain about the take up of such training, and this must be addressed. Boards also require appropriate “back office” in areas such as health and safety, human resource management and the management of building projects.
The INTO itself has always been to the forefront in promoting and engaging with relevant educational initiatives – whether that be in the areas of numeracy and literacy, special education and/or disadvantage. We continue to lobby for adequate resources for primary schools – including reduced class sizes – since it is our steadfast view that it is the quality of interaction between the teacher and the pupil – and the available time for that quality interaction – which makes all the difference. We look forward to engaging with the Oireachtas committee with whatever proposals or thoughts you may have in these matters.
END.