In Service Training

October: CRED Awareness

SEELB Primary Principals

COMMUNITY RELATIONS, EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY: POLICY AWARENESS

SEELB Headquarters 26th & 27th October 2011

D:\Docs\2018-04-07\0dba5802b00619693df4b8f858f45673.doc 1 October: CRED Awareness

1. AIM AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Aim: To familiarise Principals of Primary Schools in the SEELB area with the Department of Education’s Community Relations, Equality and Diversity (CRED) Policy and support them to explore the implications of this policy for their practice

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the training event participants will have:  Been made aware of the background to the CRED policy  Increased understanding of the Department of Education’s CRED policy  Reflected upon the implications of the CRED policy for their work

2. METHODOLOGY The Awareness workshop took place within two generic SEELB Primary Principal information events hosted by the SEELB’s CASS unit. The intention of this was to encourage an understanding of the new policy as being integrated within general practice rather than “yet another policy” on top of a plethora of policies and initiatives. The training took the form of a presentation followed by small group discussion and concluded with a question and answer session. At the end of the event participants were asked to complete an evaluation questionnaire to assess both the extent to which the Learning Outcomes had been met and the quality of the training/trainer.

3. REGISTERED ATTENDEES

NAME SCHOOL 1. Joyce McMeekin All Children’s Integrated Primary School 2. Katryna Hunter Ballyvester Primary School 3. Colin Elliott Brownlee Primary School 4. F Greer Carr Primary School 5. Valerie Little Carrickmannon Primary School 6. H Brown Carrowdore Primary School 7. J Harper Derryboy Primary School 8. N Stevenson Downpatrick Primary School 9. Janice Marshall Drumlins Integrated Primary School 10. J Milligan Glasswater Primary School 11. P Brown Kilcooley Primary School 12. S Shannon Knockmore Primary School 13. M Ferguson Loughries Primary School 14. P Good Meadowbridge Primary School 15. L Patterson Millisle Primary School 16. J McCann Newcastle Primary School 17. Joanne Irwin Redburn Primary School 18. P McParland Sacred Heart primary School 19. John Hennessy St Anne’s Primary School 20. Marie Cassidy St Caolan’s Primary School 21. Kenneth Conlan St Joseph’s Primary School (Strangford) 22. John Magee St Mary’s Primary School (Dunsford) 23. Eamon Fitzsimons St Nicholas Primary School 24. Mark McGrath St Patrick’s Primary School (Saul) 25. Alison Stevenson Tonagh Primary School 26. Susan Patten Victoria Primary School (Ballyhalbert) 27. Sarah Luckman McKinney Primary School (Dundrod) 28. P Artherton St St Brigid’s Primary School 29. Debbie Crookshanks Holywood Primary School 30. Andrew Armstrong Dromara Primary School 31. Chris McCann St Joseph’s Primary School (Carnacaville) 32. Stephen Moore Academy Primary School 33. A Craig Alexander Dickson Primary School 34. Ralph Magee Andrews Memorial Primary School 35. L Magown Ballinderry Primary School 36. S Gray Ballymacash Primary School 37. Karen Small Ballymagee Primary School 38. C Darcy Ballynahinch Primary School 39. Jayne Jeffers Ballywalter Primary School 40. N Watson Belvoir Primary School 41. D McCartney Brooklands Primary School 42. A Geary Bunscoil Bheanna Boirche 43. Lynne Campbell Cairnshill Primary School 44. B Preston Carryduff Primary School 45. Sinead Beare Christ the Redeemer Primary School 46. Maureen Maybin Comber Primary School 47. F Moffett Crawfordsburn Primary School

48. Edwin Barr Donaghadee Primary School 49. John Knaggs Downshire Primary School 50. Julian Byers Dundonald Primary School 51. C S Anderson Fort Hill Integrated Primary School 52. Mandy White Grange Park Primary School 53. Alan Boucher Killinchy Primary School 54. Fiona Crory Killowen Primary School 55. L Spence Killyleagh Primary School 56. John Mann Kilmaine Primary School 57. Fiona Douglas Leadhill Primary School 58. Philip Monks Lisnasharragh Primary School 59. Carol Mairs Moira Primary School 60. J Stewart Newtownards Model Primary School 61. Hugh Kelly Our Lady & St Patrick’s Primary School 62. G Cherry Pond Park Primary School 63. Julie Hardy Rathmore Primary School 64. Trevor Carruthers Riverdale Primary School 65. Ellis O’Neill Scoil Na Fuseoige 66. T McClean St Aloysius Primary School 67. Kieran McTaggart St Bernard’s Primary School 68. Mary Devlin St Colman’s Primary School 69. Joanne Burns St Kieran’s Nursery School 70. Brian McAlea St Kieran’s Primary School 71. Stephen Rafferty St Malachy’s Primary School, Bangor 72. Paul Coulter St Patrick’s Primary School, Ballynahinch 73. Rose McDonald St Therese Nursery School 74. N Cahill The Good Shepherd Primary School 75. Eileen Quinn Tullycarnet Primary School 76. A Duncan West Winds Primary School 77. N Meharry Seymour Hill Primary School 78. C Curran Holy Family Primary School 79. D A Hewitt Ballyholme Primary School 80. Maria Gough St Joseph’s Primary School, Lisburn 81. Anne Nixon Our Lady Queen of Peace Primary School 82. D Donnelly St Joseph’s Primary School, Carryduff 83. C Latham The Wallace High School 84. Mairead Weir St Mary’s Primary School, Killyleagh 85. Mary Merron St Patrick’s Primary School, Ballygalget

4. EVALUATION

The events were attended by a total of eighty-five principals from Controlled and Maintained primary schools (on 26th thirty-one Principals of ‘small schools’ attended and on 27th the event was attended by Principals of larger primary schools).

Twenty nine evaluation questionnaires were completed and handed back. The results from these are as follows:

4.1 Achievement of Learning Outcomes

4.1.1 Awareness of Background to CRED Policy The evaluation responses indicated that participants generally felt much better informed about the background to the development of the policy – although two negative responses were returned. These two responses were both returned from the group on 26th October – the negative response to this question was consistent with negative responses from the same two respondants to all the questions asked in the evaluation questionnaire.

HAVE YOU BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE BACKGROUND TO THE CRED POLICY?

18 S E

S 16 N O P

S 14 E R 12

0 YES NO

4.1.2 Understanding of the CRED Policy The evaluation responses indicated that, as a consequence of the training, all participants had developed an increased understanding of the CRED policy.

HAVE YOU DEVELOPED AN INCREASED UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S CRED POLICY?

18 S E

S 16 N O

P 14 S E R 12

0 YES NO

Whilst the overwhelming majority of respondents felt “Well Informed” or “Very Well Informed” about the CRED Policy following the training around one fifth were unsure and three respondents (including the two identified earlier) felt that they had not increased their understanding of the CRED policy – it is not clear whether this indicated that the training had failed to enlighten them or that they had already been conversant with the Policy before the training commenced.

HOW WELL INFORMED DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CRED POLICY AFTER THE PRESENTATION?

E 10 S N O P S

0 1 2 3 4 5 NOT INFORMED VERY WELL INFORMED

Comments included:  A useful information session. Thanks.  Informative summary of CRED Policy.

4.1.3 Reflection on Policy All participants who completed evaluation questionnaires felt that the training event had provided them with an opportunity to reflect on the implications of the CRED Policy for their work.

HAVE YOU REFLECTED UPON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CRED POLICY FOR YOUR WORK?

S 16 E S N

O 14 P S E

0 YES NO

Some of the comments included:  Perhaps training of a key co-ordinator, although I am aware we all need to take ownership.  As a rural school, funding is necessary to bring the pupils together in each others schools which are 2 miles apart.  Much more detail and planning by the policy makers and developers before schools can become involved.  I need more time to investigate policy and see where it sits in school at moment – only in post four weeks.  Need to evaluate and reflect.

Some respondents also made suggestions as to what they would require in order to more fully implement the policy:  Staff training.  Money and time.  Cluster/training sessions re: tips for successful applications for funding.  Funding to continue to develop existing effective practice.  Existing links should be given priority.

 Still interested in funding opportunities to support implementation of this policy even though applications closed.  Website going live and guidelines made available.  More guidance on how to break down protestant and catholic barriers.  Exemplars/examples of type of work undertaken.  A lot more information on the policy.

4.2 Training Relevance and Quality

The evaluations returned indicated that the respondents had generally found the training to have been relevant, well prepared, well paced and that the materials used had been appropriate. One typical comment was, “Clear succinct powerpoint”.

There was however some inconsistency between these results. Over 2/3 of respondents assigned each of these questions scores in the three highest possible categories – two respondents had reservations in respect of the relevance of the training. One of these participants mitigated his/her negative response:  This is not a criticism of the presenter’s delivery nor preparation.

Whilst the second commented:  Thank Jehovah I’m near the end of my career!

HOW RELEVANT HAVE YOU FOUND THE PRESENTATION?

6 S E S N O P S E R 4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NOT VERY RELEVANT VERY RELEVANT

HOW PREPARED DID YOU FIND THE PRESENTATION?

6 S E S N O P S E R 4

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NOT WELL PREPARED WELL PREPARED

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