Policy on Supporting Staff Development St. Ita s and St. Joseph s
Supporting Staff Development in St. Ita s and St. Joseph s Background and Introduction Legislation and circulars from the Department of Education and Skills have highlighted the importance of Continuing Professional Development for all staff. For example: The Education Act, 1998, Section 9: Functions of a school ensure that the needs of personnel involved in management functions and staff development needs generally in the school are identified and provided for, The Education Act, 1998, Section 23 The Principal shall be responsible for the creation, together with the board, parents of students and the teachers, of a school environment which is supportive of learning among the students and which promotes the professional development of the teachers, Circular Letter 0033/2007 (Primary) Teacher Fee Refund Scheme The purpose of the Teacher Fee Refund Scheme is to provide funding towards the cost of course and examination fees incurred by Primary and Post-Primary teachers on successful completion of in-career development courses approved by the Department and school authorities. All enquiries should be directed to: The Administrator, Teacher Fee Refund Scheme, St. Patrick s, Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue Dublin 9. Tel: (01) 8535102 (01) Fax: (01) 8535114, e-mail: madge.bulger@mie.ie Our understanding of development in the context of this school Development is open to all staff in St. Ita s and St. Jospeh s: o Teaching staff o Post of responsibility holders o SNAs o Ancillary staff o Nominees of the Board of Management. 2
Staff development includes o Workshops/seminars for whole staff on issues relevant to the school as a whole o Staff members attending courses relevant to the identified needs of the school o Courses specific to particular roles within the staff (e.g. teachers, management courses for staff members in leadership roles; courses for SNAs) o Personal professional development for individual staff members (e.g. graduate courses) o Any combination of these o Opportunities for development within the school context e.g. mentoring, team teaching. The Board of Management/Principal support and promote staff development by: o provide financial assistance to defray cost of fees, travel, subsistence etc where the course is approved by the principal and has been identified as part of the priority needs of the school o pay for substitute cover to enable staff members to attend courses where necessary and as school funds allow o acknowledge/celebrate achievements of staff members who have successfully completed courses o making use of the experience of staff members who have extended their professional development. Staff should share their experiences and expertise at staff meetings o circulate information on available courses, bursaries, job sharing opportunities on the school notice board and/or server. o Identifying School Needs: As support is to be targeted at school/pupil needs, these will be identified by: priorities arising from school review 3
recommendations from the Inspectorate, staff, principal, Parents and Friends Association or the Board of Management itself o Budget: Will be dependent on availability of funds from year to year Professional development will be funded by the school management grant and/or fundraising events Staff where applicable may apply for available grants from the Department of Education and Skills. o Responding to multiple applications in any one year: If a board has to choose, how many people will be individually supported in any one year, the needs of the school and the pupils will be prioritised The impact on the normal operation of the school will also need to be considered e.g. absence of a number of teachers at any one time, availability of appropriate substitute cover etc All staff will be entitled to apply for specific support and no category of staff will have precedence over others: Principal, classroom teachers, post of responsibility holders, special needs assistants, ancillary/support staff, members of parents committee, board of management nominees. o Dissemination of learning to others: For those who complete professional development, material will have to be shared with others in the school community, e.g. demonstrations for colleagues, reports/assistance at staff meetings, reports to board members, parents association, and/or preparation of information to be displayed on the school website o Applications and accounting: All staff can apply to the school principal. Attendance of staff at professional development events will be made known to all staff via the school notice board in the staff room. For courses of significant length i.e. for one week and over a letter of application should be written to outline the proposed course and its 4
relevance to school, date for application and the time frame within which it takes place Recipients will need to account for spending of funds received by handing in receipts as well as submission of a progress report (for courses of one week and over) on what is being learned through the individual s attendance at the course. Funding will depend on attendance as well as successful completion of course/programme of study All staff should hand in certificates of attendance for professional development undertaken to reception in line with school policy. Equality During the Equality Review in our school it was recommended that we should include the following in all our school policies and plans in the future: Our school will not discriminate on any of the nine grounds named in the Equal Status Act and any processes and procedures will not be applied in a discriminatory way. The school is committed to positive action for those who are disadvantaged or who need assistance that others do not need and the school should be alerted to the fact that support is needed so it can be put in place. Discrimination under the nine grounds or harassment including sexual harassment is prohibited in our school. Ratification and Communication This policy was ratified by the Board of Management on the 03/12/13. It is to be communicated via the school server and on our school website. 5