Mr. Eddie Ward:

I will address some points that were not dealt with. Regarding boards of management, the Education Act sets out their broad legal framework and allocates specific roles to a variety of people. A negotiated model of the rules and procedures is now in place, and these are reviewed from time to time. There is also a budget for the training of boards that is agreed, and priorities are agreed annually through a consultation model. Perhaps that is something that we can look at in terms of emphasising governance roles and responsibilities more. I agree that boundaries are blurred and there needs to be clarity for everybody concerned.

Mention was made of ETBs and the administrative workload, in a variety of ways, of principals. There is a push for public sector reform and it is happening within the Department. In that context, we are conscious of the expectations and demands placed on schools. One of the significant reforms that have been put in place is the system of reporting on teacher absences at school level. A paper mountain no longer moves through the system because it is now done on a computerised basis. There is a lot of potential for ICT to improve the system.

In terms of the potential of ETBs, yesterday I attended a presentation by an ETB on its model of ICT support in a school. Not only has it taken over a lot of the school administration tasks; it is also heralded as a means to promote and facilitate teaching and learning in a school. ICT is never an end in itself but there are improvements to be gained in how teachers use ICT effectively for teaching and learning. I refer to an all-inclusive model. The Department is preparing an ICT digital strategy for teaching and learning and it is something that we will look at because of its potential.

Mention was made of the way the Department oversees leadership. We have in place a consultative format whereby we invite the partners to talk about CPD priorities and what we are doing about particular matters. We are engaged currently in bilateral negotiations with the NAPD and the IPPN, which have been very fruitful as they have generated very good ideas. We are looking closely at the coaching-mentoring gap that has been identified in the kind of mapping work that is going on.

With regard to the culture and expectation of leadership and the setting of boundaries - the following is probably true of the whole public service, but particularly of schools - we need to accept that everybody in the system and in a school has a responsibility. Leadership is not just the concern of a few, which is a point that is reinforced more and more in research. Although there is more international research available on the matter, the research emphasises the point very strongly. However, there needs to be clarity around the subject.

Certain practices have developed under the model that is currently in place and we need to show openness towards new ideas. One of the positive aspects of the circumstances in which we find ourselves is that they make people think about how we are doing things, what our vision should be and what point we want to reach. The Department is open to examining these issues, and the spirit of partnership shown by the bodies representing principals is very good news in that regard.