Hanafin to receive report on principal

THE report of an inquiry into the performance of a Kilkenny second-level school principal’s performance is expected to be delivered to Education Minister Mary Hanafin before the end of the year.

Among the allegations facing Cathy McSorley, principal of Kilkenny City Vocational School, is that she paid students to turn up and that she failed to comply with the orders of County Kilkenny Vocational Education Committee (VEC), which manages the school.

Ms McSorley has at all times rejected any claims of wrongdoing and the inquiry was only set up after she secured a High Court injunction last year preventing the VEC from suspending her.

Ms Hanafin appointed a former senior member of the Department of Education inspectorate last February to probe allegations against the principal.

Torlach O’Connor is also investigating Ms McSorley’s alleged failure to effectively apply the school’s disciplinary policy, her alleged bullying of staff, her administration of the school with regard to the recording of roll books and human resource management at the school.

He interviewed a number of school staff before the summer and has been meeting with a number of other parties since the school term began earlier this month.

Among those to have met Mr O’Connor is Co Kilkenny VEC chief executive Rodger Curran, who is believed to have brought a prepared statement to the meeting.

However, it is understood Ms McSorley has not yet been formally interviewed.

The principal was expelled from the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) in 2003, while two other staff members of Kilkenny City Vocational School are currently suspended for what the union executive deemed as unworthy conduct in December 2004.

It is understood that student numbers at the school have dwindled from almost 400 two years ago to about 50 children, including just a handful who began first year in recent weeks.

Two independent reports to Co Kilkenny VEC in the past two years raised serious concerns about the running of the school, the atmosphere among staff and the payment of up to €50 a week to students at one stage in 2004.