Teachers need more time for ‘activities and planning’

TEACHERS must be given more time for planning and other activities outside the classroom if schools are to improve their service to students, a school managers’ leader said yesterday.

Sr Marie Céline Clegg, president of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS), said the Department of Education must acknowledge the work done by staff outside of teaching time.

In her address to the ACCS annual convention, attended by Education Minister Mary Hanafin, Sr Clegg said second-level education was notorious for the lack of formal time allocation for what the Department considers to be of major significance.

She cited the importance of recommendations from inspectors in their Whole School Evaluations (WSE) reports, often suggesting the drawing-up of school plans to be managed by a designated team and co-ordinator within the school.

Sr Clegg said such measures can strike terror in the heart of a principal and lead to frustration in the entire school community.

The ACCS president also referred to the question of time lost in class when teachers are sent on in-service or professional development for training on new subjects or updated courses.

There are 91 schools in the community and comprehensive sector, attended by around 52,000 students, or almost one-in-six of the country’s second level population.

ACCS general secretary Ciarán Flynn told delegates their schools were facing changes to practice in a number of areas under the terms of the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement.

These include a review of posts of responsibility and middle-management jobs and use of performance management indicators to evaluate the work of special needs assistants.