CÉAD MÍLE FÁILTE
The Principal and the Collegiate
School
Collegiality
Leading People
“The most important part of the job is and
always will be, the people.
Treat them with dignity and respect and show
them that you value them.”
(Green, 2000)
Partnership
of Equals
Dual
Roles
Shared
Power
Capacity
Building
Rights &
Responsibilites
Communication
Ethos &
Culture
Systems Based
Group Activity
1. What would collegiality look like in practice
in our schools?
2. What are we doing already to promote
collegiality in schools?
3. Identify factors in schools which inhibit
collegiality in schools?
Challenge of Collegiality in the Irish Primary School Context
• Organisation Model of Schools
• In-School Management Structure
•Traditional Autonomy of Teacher
• Expectations of the Role of Principal
• Leadership V Collegiality Dilemma
• Challenge of Process
• The -Non- Team Player
Expressions of Collegiality
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teams …….task orientated
acknowledgment of responsibility
staff meetings….chair
sharing good practice with colleagues
induction of new staff
social events
Cultures of Collegiality…..
‘……rely for their success upon the emotional
understandings by all members of their
own motivations, purposes, commitments
and identities, and those of their colleagues’
Day, A Passion for Teaching
GO RAIBH MAITH AGAT
The Principal and the Collegiate
School
What would collegiality look like in practice
in our schools?
Responses from Groups
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Easier in small schools, Joint decision making process, Shared vision
Open/honest atmosphere, Appreciation, Happens spontaneously
Goodwill backing of leaders-, risk taking encouraged, no blame culture
Transparency, Innate in our schools, we can swim better together than
sink separately
Quality of time with staff /oneself, Need to have time set aside for it,
Professional and Personal development
Staff newsletter, Praise - Praise – Praise
Staff meeting – rotate chair- shared agenda – distributed on time
Whiteboards, Team meetings, Social occasions, Communication
What are we already doing to promote
collegiality in schools?
Responses from Groups
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Letters home signed by person responsible, public acknowledgement
Sharing of chair at staff meetings, Sharing decision making, Team meetings
(My) Our language, Appreciation – recognition, Socialising
Setting agenda – staff input, SDP – process – working groups
Creative practices, Everyone Valued, Everyone has a voice, Review of posts,
Sharing owrnership of tasks and responsibilities, Dignity at work,
Transparency, Encouraging – volunteer, Postholders and volunteer,
Appreciation, Well equipped staffroom, Wishlist To do list shared,
acknowledged, Communication – handwritten
ISM giving ownership of responsibility, Our measure as a leaders is the no of
leaders we leave behind, Staff nights out – clusters of schools,
Teams according to class groupings,
Celebrate, Encourage and give thanks for contributions/sharing talents
Everyones voice heard
Identify factors which inhibit collegiality
in schools?
Responses from Groups
• Personality differences, Benchmarking, Entrenched viewpoint,
Autonomy of teacher
• SNAs, Time, Under performance, Clique, ‘stuck’ staff members,
• Lack of Volunteerism , Strong union stance at times,
• Lack of communication
• Not confronting issues on time, Territoriality – Balkinsation,
Unprofessional practices
• ‘closed door’ teaching,
• Yard duty – not present at breaktime,
• Demands on principals
• Younger teachers not participating at staff meetings, No such thing as a
finished product,
• Language – lack of professional dialogue