Mr. Hubert Loftus:

I thank the Chairman and committee members for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Department about the role of primary school boards of management and their relationship with the Department. The role and responsibilities of boards of management are set out in the Education Act. A board is responsible for the overall management of a school and accountable to the patron and the Minister. In performing its functions the board is required to operate in accordance with policies determined by the Minister. The school principal is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school and accountable to the board for that management.

Boards of management operate on a voluntary basis and their membership is typically drawn from the local school and its surrounding community. Boards of management are supported with guidance documentation, advice and training provided by the relevant management bodies and the Department, and also through the work of the school principal, who typically acts as secretary to the board.

The composition of boards of management is based on centrally agreed arrangements between the relevant stakeholders. The composition of boards of management at primary level was last changed in 1997 following consultation and agreement. Under the revised composition the patron no longer appoints a majority of the board and provision was made for the inclusion of community representatives.

The number of boards that have a lay chairperson is steadily increasing. Currently, over 57% of boards have a lay chairperson. The term of office for boards of management in primary schools is a four-year period. The current boards of management of primary schools were formed in December 2011 and are next due to change in December 2015. The Department has recently commenced the consultation process with the relevant stakeholders in relation to any updating that is required to the documentation that is provided to new boards of management regarding the constitution of the new boards and their rules of procedure. This documentation includes a useful overview of the role of the board and an outline of some key activities in which effective boards of management routinely engage, such as school planning, self-evaluation, teaching and learning, and management of resources in its role as employer.

The most effective boards are those that have a clear understanding of their governance role and are fully aware of the importance of good communications with the school community, including, in particular, parents. Changing how schools engage with, listen to and respond to parent concerns will be an important part of a parent and student charter for which the Minister plans to make provision in law as part of an amendment to section 28 of the Education Act. Providing parents with the rationale for any decision is important. If schools help parents to understand the basis for a decision, parents are more likely to accept the fairness of the decision.

The Department recognises that if boards are to be fully effective in their management role and are to be a real support to school principals, they need to have access to support and training themselves. In this regard, the funding provided by the Department to the various management bodies plays an important role in the provision of training, guidance and advice to boards of management.

In summary, the Department recognises that boards, and the volunteers that serve on them, play a key role in the successful running or our schools. The Department's approach is to guide and support the work of boards as best as possible within the constraints of our budgetary parameters.