Continuous Professional Development Programme 20202021 Role and function

Continuous Professional Development Programme 2020/2021 Role and function of Board of Management 1

Promoting a consistency of approach in governance matters across its member schools Who should attend? Principals, Secretaries, Chairpersons & Members of the BOM including new Board members. Board of Management Training Events 2020 Governance Webinars The Work of ACCS, The Legislative Framework, GDPR & New Developments in Education (Admissions/P&C Charter) 7 th September 2020 7. 00 p. m. – 8. 00 p. m Health and Safety in Schools & Financial Guidelines 5 th October 2020 7. 00 p. m. – 8. 00 p. m. The Employer & HR Issues in School 2 nd November 2020 7. 00 p. m. – 8. 00 p. m. Curriculum, Planning & Evaluation & Care of Students 7 th December 2020 7. 00 p. m. – 8. 00 p. m. 2

Board of Management & ACCS 3

What is ACCS? The Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools Ø 96 Boards of Management q. Community Schools (82) q. Comprehensive Schools (14) Ø Head Office - Full-time secretariat Ø Schools pay annual subscription + DES assistance (A Company Limited by Guarantee with Charitable Status from Revenue) 4

Staffing changes in ACCS Head Office 5

General Secretary: John Irwin Assistant General Secretary: Áine O’ Sullivan Director of Human Resources: Anne Marie Dillon Data Protection Advisor: Hilary Treacy Director of Further Education Support Unit: Catherine O’ Sullivan School Site & Building Projects Manager: Jim Twohig Vetting Administrator: Susan Cunniffe ACCS Supports + Finance: Financial Services Support Unit Procurement: Schools Procurement Unit Health & Safety: State Claims Agency 6

ACCS Communications q Telephone & Written communication q ACCS Info. Bulletins q Newsletters q Annual Convention & Convention Handbook q Area/ Regional information meetings q Special Convention/ Seminars q Continuous Professional Development Programme (Online 2020) § Board of Management (Chairperson, Secretary, Other) § Principal & Deputy Principal § Assistant Principals § Teacher Leaders Schools are reminded to update school details. On the 2 nd of March, new login credentials were issued to the Secretary, Board of Management by email from accsmemberadmin@screenzest. com 7

The work of ACCS Secretariat is directed by: Annual Convention Regular meetings of the Executive Committee Meetings of the Officers of ACCS & of the Executive Subcommittees ACCS delegations and deputations The ACCS CPD programme including annual Education Conference & annual In-school Management Conference. Meetings at school, area/regional & business level Working Parties/Task Groups established for particular tasks/purposes 8

Facilitates & assists member Boards in execution of their responsibilities Acts as representative & negotiating body on behalf of member Boards or, on request, of individual Boards ACCS Co-operates with or enters into agreement with other bodies having similar objectives Applies the funds of ACCS in carrying out these objectives (Schools pay annual subscription + DES assistance) Conducts research, development & training 9

Board of Management & the Legislative Framework 10

The Legislative framework The Identity of Community & Comprehensive Schools …pioneering the delivery of an innovative model that continues to combine comprehensive, co-educational, multidenominational & accessible education for all in the community. . . (Deed of Trust& Articles of Management) Local Autonomy/ Partnership Community Led/ Dimension State Indemnity 11

Community & Comprehensive Schools Community Schools represent a coming together of the two traditions in post-primary education — the secondary and the vocational. The 82 schools are owned by the Minister for Education and Skills, who vests the ownership in trustees. These schools are multidenominational in ethos or characteristic spirit. Comprehensive Schools consist of Catholic and Protestant comprehensive schools. In the case of both, the joint patrons (trustees) are the local bishop and the Minister for Education and Skills. The 14 comprehensive schools are denominational in ethos. The Legal Responsibilities of the Patrons (Trustees) The patron of a school shall carry out the functions and exercise the powers conferred on the patron by this Act and such other functions and powers as may be conferred on the patron by any Act of the Oireachtas or instrument made thereunder, deed, charter, articles of management or other such instrument relating to the establishment or operation of the school. (emphasis added) The 1998 Act, Section 8(6) This makes it clear that the patron has two masters; the 1998 Act and the Deed of Trust. 12

Parent Nominees (2 elected, 1 mother) Teacher Nominees (2 elected) Corporate Responsibilit y Religious Order/Dioces an nominees/ Educate Together (3) Local ETB Nominees (3) Commu nity School BOM *Nominees* Principal (Non Voting member & Secretary) Term of office 3 years 13

Bishop of Diocese Parent Nominees ETB Nominees (2) (1) CE of ETB (2 elected, (Male & Female) (1) Catholic Teacher Nominees (2 elected) Secretary = CE / Principal Comprehensi ve BOM Principal will normally attend all meetings *Nominees* One other may be co-opted Term of office 5 years 14

Parent Nominees (2 elected, (Male & Female) Teacher Nominees (2 elected) Secretary = Principal Church Nominees (6) CE of ETB (1) Protestant Comprehensiv e BOM *Nominees* Principal entitled to attend meetings (no vote) Term of office 5 years 15

Board of Management & Trustees/Patrons 16

Trustees / Patrons The 3 strands of Management Board of Management Executive 17

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Trustees/Patrons Community School Comprehen sive School Community School Religious Order(s) &/ Local Bishop Educate Together Local ETB The Minister for Education & Skills Local ETB 19

Joint Patronage: a shared responsibility Joint patrons must exercise their functions jointly, and must decide how they will arrange this partnership. • Joint Trustees/Patrons for a particular school should agree a Liaison Trustee nominee who will liaise with the Board of Management and others, on their behalf during the course of the lifetime of the Board of Management. • The Liaison Trustee, acting on behalf of all the Trustee interests, having secured all nominees to the Board of Management, duly appoints the Board of Management to assume its responsibilities for its term of office. This may be executed by the issuing of a formal letter appointing the nominees to the Board of Management. Trustees should receive a copy of the minutes of the Board of Management meeting after these have been formally adopted by the Board of Management. 20

Role of Trustees/Patrons … • One of the patron’s primary responsibilities under the 1998 Act is to appoint a Board of Management. • The patrons also have the power to dissolve the Board of Management if necessary. • In a nutshell, the patrons establish the schools and appoint the boards, but after this the running of the school is a responsibility passed to the boards. BOM should inform trustees when the life span of a particular Board is close to termination (3 years) and seek nominees to a new Board. Nominations and Elections to BOM – see www. accs. ie School Management Tab 21

Role of Trustees/Patrons … Ensure the Characteristic Spirit/Ethos is upheld Vested owners of land & property Ensure School policy conforms to Nominate members of the Selection Committee for staff appointments & promotions School Ethos 22

Entering the Boardroom Door. . . Inside Focus Leave Outside • Nominator’s Interests • Personal Interests • Operational Intervention • Acting Collectively • Strategic leadership • Policies • Directors’ Duties • Delegation • KPI’s (outcomes) • Positive Challenge • Risk & Compliance • Transparency • Accountability …. Being clear about collective responsibility and for what end. 23

• Ensure meetings are held at least once per term • Ensure there is a Quorum (minimum of 5 voting members present) Community/ Comprehensive School Boards: • Follow rules re. termination of membership o Resignation o Failure to attend meetings for one year o At discretion of nominating body 24

Role of Board of Management § § § § § The authority in the school Ensure the educational needs of pupils are met Ensure the School ethos/characteristic spirit is upheld Implement all relevant legislation The employer of staff Manage school finances School Plan & Policy formulation Final authority on school discipline Manage school assets & property Be accountable to the Trustees & DES 25

Presides over meetings Consults with Principal/Secretary on the Agenda Contact person between Bo. M & Principal Role of Chairperson Official public representative of Bo. M May exercise the authority of the Bo. M between meetings Has casting vote (seldom to be used!!) 26

Role of the Principal Secretary to the Board Professional Advisor to the Board Professional Manager of the school 27

Principal as Secretary • Acts as Secretary… no vote • Prepares agenda in consultation with Chair • Ensures notice of meeting is received • Records minutes of meetings • Prepares documentation for members • Receives correspondence and deals with it on instructions of the Board • Principal entitled to be a member of any and every sub-committee appointed by the Board 28

Principal as Advisor to the Board of Management • Briefs members on issues • Convenes, in consultation with chair, emergency meetings if required • Convenes committee meetings • Has all relevant information for meetings • Keeps accurate records • Keeps Board informed • Liaises with: DES, ACCS & Selection Boards 29

Principal as Principal Day to Day Management of the School • Education and welfare of students • Curriculum • Behaviour/Discipline • Staff Management • Financial Management • Facility Management 30

Partnership or Conflict Board • Support the Principal • Question decisions when necessary • Trust the Principal to do the job Principal • Recognise Authority • Provide information willingly • Earn the trust of the Board 31

Major recurring tasks • • • Employment of staff Enrolment of students Curriculum and organisation Student discipline – suspension, expulsion Section 29 appeals Financial control management Site and building management Staff management (Section 24. 3 processes) Industrial relations (complaints procedures, appeals) 32

Site Management DES devolved projects, e. g. Additional Accommodation Applications, Furniture and Equipment, EWG, SWS See other funding sources: Ø Sports Capital Programme Ø National Energy Efficiency Upgrade Pilot Programme for Schools (SEAI monitoring & reporting obligations) ACCS Advisor to schools: Jim Twohig (Technical Guidance and support) 33

Child Protection Procedures CL 65/2011 & 81/2017 Board of Management oversight : • Display DLP & DDLP names in prominent position • Ensure time for staff training is scheduled • All school personnel including BOM members: Tusla & PDST on-line resources • New appointments – ensure training complete. • Training: DLP & DDLP (PDST 1 day seminar) • TC Registered teachers: Mandated Persons/Mandated reports 34

Child Protection Procedures CL 65/2011 & 81/2017 Board of Management oversight : • Implement revised procedures since December 2017 • Ensure: • Ratification of roles • Child Protection Oversight Report in Principal’s Report at each BOM meeting (Covid 19) • Proper structures are in place in school organisation • Compliance – CPSI 2018 (See Cl 41/2020 & ACCS Info Bulletin 56/20 re CPSI 2020/21 - During the first term of the 2020/21 school year, the Inspectorate will carry out a number of Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspections) (+ Covid 19 H&S Inspections) • Use relevant templates when preparing, publishing & reviewing Child Safeguarding Statement (From 11 March 2018 - requirement to have Child Safeguarding Statement replaces previous requirement to have Child Protection Policy) 35

Garda Vetting for students • Student Work Experience and Vetting of students engaged in relevant work in primary schools – Template Joint Agreement & Statutory Declaration and Form of Understanding Docs. • Vetting requirements & Host Families - All persons aged over 16 years, residing at an address used to accommodate students engaged in exchange programmes must be Garda Vetted. For full details on Host Families and the relevant Garda Vetting requirements, please see Info Bulletin 48/18 36

Key Dates: C/L 007/20 • Template Admissions Policy • Template Admissions Notice Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 • Commencement of certain sections of Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 – FAQs ------- • AJP Characteristic Spirit Template • AJP RI Opt. Out statement (Religion in our schools) • 1 st February 2020 – Schools have 3 months from this date to draft their admission policy • 30 th April 2020 – The draft admission policy must be submitted to the patron for approval by this date --------- • 15 th September 2020 – The date by which the admission policy must be fully approved and returned to the Board by the patron • 1 st October 2020 – The first day that schools can start accepting applications for the intake group for the 2021/22 school year 37

A New Framework for the Board of Management: Looking at Our School 2016 Leadership & Management Domain 1 Leading Learning & Teaching Domain 3 Domain 2 Managing the Organisation Leading School Development Domain 4 Developing Leadership Capacity 38

Board of Management & Data Protection 39

Data Protection - a Human Right • GDPR since May 2018 • All EU member states. • It gives individuals more rights, control and understanding of how their personal data is processed. • Ultimately responsibility of the Board of Management as the data controller. • Everyone in the school has a role to play in ensuring people’s privacy is respected. • Important that everyone involved in the school’s undertaking understands the role they play in protecting privacy. www. gdpr 4 schools. ie 40

Data Protection Key Points The Board of Management is the “Data Controller”. The board has the legal responsibility for the compliant processing of personal data in the school. ACCS produced a Data Protection Policy in 2019 – The policy is in your school and covers all of the definitions and responsibilities. It is also available on www. accs. ie This policy satisfies the requirement for schools to be transparent about what they do with personal data. It may be made available to individuals (staff, parents) on request. 41

Data Protection Key Points Individuals have more rights and more control over their data since the GDPR came into force. We are seeing an increase in awareness of rights amongst staff and parents. Data Access requests are on the rise and may be made directly to the board. Individuals may write to the BOM requesting a copy of an excerpt from minutes in which they/their child have been referenced. It is a good idea to anonymise people’s name in BOM minutes. 42

Data Protection Key Points Some access requests may be for CCTV footage. The data subject (the person making the request) may only request footage in which they are captured Schools must be careful that no footage with 3 rd parties identifiable in the background is released to anybody without a) the consent of the 3 rd party, or b) without first redacting or pixelating their image. Footage may be viewed on site in the school, but if an individual is insisting on a obtaining a copy, then the school must comply. 43

Data Protection Key Points Some other requests we have seen not coming from the individual: • Garda requests • Social Protection requests • Revenue requests Any state agency requesting data should still refer to the legislation which gives them the power to access it. The school’s duty is to the individual and they are legally obliged to protect their data first, no matter who is seeking access to it. 44

Data Protection Key Points Personal data must not be retained for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was gathered. A Data Retention Policy has also been produced by ACCS and has been rolled out to schools. This policy lists the different categories of personal data held in the school and the length of time it should be retained. The principal should be implementing the policy and applying it to legacy data also. 45

Data Protection Key Points Schools publishing photos or other information such as achievements of students on social media is permitted under the Data Protection Policy. These are seen as pursuing the legitimate interests of the school in promoting itself and its good work. Schools with websites which are using it for gathering personal data must have a privacy statement on the website also. 46

Additional data gathering is now required in schools for contact tracing purposes, and for compliance with public health guidelines. Data Protection Key Points Covid Schools may be asked by a parent, staff member or visitor to explain their legal basis for such data gathering. Schools are required to gather this data in compliance with their legal obligations, but for health data particularly they must comply with their Data Protection and Data Retention Policies around limiting who has access, and about erasing the data when it is no longer required. 47

CCTV policy and signage Data Protection Services & Documentation available from ACCS Support with responding to Data Access Request (DARs). DARs must be attended to! Current Data Retention Schedule Data Privacy Statement for Website Template Data Protection Policy Also available to visit onsite with schools for audits and support, and attend BOM meetings for training, discussion etc. 48

Board of Management & Further Education & Training 49

FET (Further Education and Training)in Community and Comprehensive Schools PLC (Post Leaving Certificate) and BTEI (Back to Education Initiative) courses are FET courses funded by SOLAS and delivered in ETB and non-ETB schools and colleges. Schools receives a staffing allocation and capitation for PLC delivery and a dedicated budget for staffing and other operational costs associated with BTEI provision. PLC courses are full-time programmes for young people who have completed their Leaving Certificate and adults returning to education. BTEI courses are part-time programmes mainly for people who have not completed the Leaving Certificate. Yearly course activity reports and financial reports are submitted to SOLAS 50

Self Financing Part –time Adult Education Programmes (SFAE) • SFAE programmes are delivered on a part-time basis as evening courses in ETB and non-ETB schools. The DES provided support in the form of Posts of Responsibility and a reduction in teaching hours in some cases to schools involved in the delivery of SFAE. • Adult Education activities are required to self-finance all costs (with the exception of post of responsibility allowances) any surplus remaining after operating costs are met are to be used for reinvestment in the adult education programme (Circular 46/00) 51

PLC, BTEI & SFAE at a glance Type of Provision No of School No of enrolled Learners PLC 14 950 BTEI 1 50 SFAE 33 26300 The BOM is responsible for Oversight & Governance in relation to: 1. Finance 2. Human Resources 3. Teaching and Learning 4. Risk Management associated with the delivery of the above programmes in ACCS schools. 52

PLC, BTEI & SFAE – Board of Management Responsibilities Quality and Qualifications Ireland – QQI Role of the BOM – Governance and Oversight QQI Core Statutory Guidelines require schools / centres delivering the above programmes to establish structures which enforces separation of responsibilities between those who make decisions and those who approve them. The BOM is responsible for approving decision relating to: programme development, validation, assessment providers QA procedures. The BOM approves Learners Results prior to submission to QQI requires the Chairperson of each individual Board of Management to confirm that the BOM has assurance from the Quality Committee that the human, pedagogic and physical resources necessary to deliver programmes are present in the school and the Board authorises that the programmes be delivered. 53

SOLAS • BOM will engage with the grant assurance process. The aim of which is to support due diligence as part of the overall corporate governance relating to FET Grants, to confirm economy, efficiency and effectiveness and to promote excellence and improvement in FET. BOM Further Ed. & Adult Ed. Oversight - Best Practice 1. Yearly Financial and Course Activity reports to be presented to the Board of Management. 2. PLC / BTEI / SAFE as an agenda item on each BOM meeting. 54

Board of Management & New Developments in Education Parent & Student Charter 55

Parent and Student Charter Bill 2016 The purpose of the Act: Is to set out the principles that will guide how schools engage with parents and students When published guidance and templates will be prepared by ACCS Requires each school to have a Parent and Student Charter Affiliatio n to NPCpp / PACCS 56

Consult Publish Invite Parent and Student Charter Bill 2016 Provide Use Publish Provide • Consult students & parents regularly in relation to school costs and work to avoid costs acting as a barrier • Publish a school financial statement to include info. on use of vol. contributions • Invite feedback from parents and students • Provide a fair & accessible mechanism for resolving complaints, incl. through mediation • Use formal grievance and complaint processes as a last response, except in the most serious cases • Publish a number of complaints made, the reasons for the outcome in each case, and how the outcome was reached by the school • Provide better information about School Management, School Policies including on admission, information on extracurricular activities and school performance Acknowledge 57

John Irwin jirwin@accs. ie 086 2438088 Anne Marie Dillon amdillon@accs. ie 086 7959168 ACCS Contacts Head Office 01 - 4601150 Míle buíochas Áine O’Sullivan aosullivan@accs. ie 086 6016583 Hilary Treacy htreacy@accs. ie 083 3474562 Catherine O’Sullivan cosullivan@accs. ie 083 3551034 Jim Twohig jmtwohig@gmail. com 086 8158518 58 58