Teachers may be balloted over school inspections

THE Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) is considering balloting members over a decision, taken last month at its annual congress, not to cooperate with school inspectors.

The union’s central executive will meet next Friday to consider the interpretation of the motion, demanding INTO direct members not to cooperate with whole-school evaluation (WSE) inspections.

The inspections are undertaken at around 300 primary schools each year. They involve department inspectors visiting schools to examine delivery of the curriculum, school planning and policies.

The surprise move was taken amid concerns among teachers that the planned publication of the reports on the Department of Education’s website would identify individual teachers, particularly principals or staff in smaller schools.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin last year announced plans to make the reports publicly available to give parents more information about schools.

But although the congress is INTO’s supreme governing body, its decision that members should not cooperate may be superseded by industrial relations legislation, which requires a ballot of all members who might be expected to take part in industrial action.

Other issues for consideration by the union’s executive include the likely impact of any action on pay increases due under the final phase of the Sustaining Progress partnership agreement. The last 1.5% increment is due on June 1 and is worth at least €1,250 a year extra for a teacher with 15 years’ experience.

It is unclear whether the education sector Performance Verification Group (PVG) would be in a position to consider the agreement had been breached if industrial action is not directed before that date.

However, Ms Hanafin has made clear that any directive would be a clear breach of Sustaining Progress, therefore putting pay increases on hold at the very least.

Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly this week acknowledged that small schools are already subject to more intensive unofficial scrutiny than their urban counterparts.

“While I do not advocate the level and labyrinthine complexity of the UK inspection and reporting system, it is the case that smaller schools in the UK are not subjected to publication of performance reports, although these are available to the parents concerned,” she told the Irish Vocational Education Association annual congress.

But Ms O’Reilly repeated her support for the publication of Junior and Leaving Certificate results.