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Looking at Our School The Leadership and Management Domains - Skills Development

Looking at Our School 2016: The Leadership and Management Domains - Skills Development

The ‘Looking at Our School 2016: A Quality Framework for Primary Schools’ outlines 4 domains as guides for teachers to step into management roles.

These 4 Domains are:

1. Leading Teaching and Learning

2. Managing the Organisation

3. Leading School Development and

4. Developing Leadership Capacity

While I have already written blog posts for each individual blog post (linked below) today’s blog focuses on the skills development necessary for stepping up to the next level in your career.

I ha…

Aug 13, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #Career, #Teacher, #Education, #Primary, #Quality Education, #education, #careercoaching & #Teaching

7 min read

Diary of a teacher career changer

I've finally found the courage to label my stage in life at the moment as a 'career change', not a career break or time out to travel or time to think but now is about changing career for me. My time in UCD's Innovation Academy has equipped me with the knowledge and that courage. It seems a huge step but many of my classmates are doing the same thing and so will I!

I will outline firstly, my recent wave of self-reflection and self-care leading to a realisation of my strengths and weaknesses. Se…

Aug 11, 2021 03:59pm

By Orla Dempsey

Under #News

8 min read

5 Mistakes to Avoid as you Begin your Teaching Career

Embarking on your NQT year can be full-on. Getting used to a new school, new colleagues, new pupils and new routines, can send your head in a spin! I didn't even have a proper place to stay for the first week of my first job as a qualified teacher! Think.. grotty hostel and you may get some idea of what my nightly 'refuge' was like after my working day was over! Luckily, that didn't last too long!

Giving 100%

In my first year of teaching, I began my NQT year laminating everything; the printer flyi…

Aug 10, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #News

6 min read

‘Looking at our schools’ interview questions

Using the 4 leadership domains from the Looking at Our Schools document is an excellent starting point from which to prepare for leadership interviews in education. Look at the domains (not as a rigid structure) but for BOMs and Interviewers to use as a framework from which to compose questions. Here I outline some questions and the domains under which they may fall under.

Leading Teaching and Learning

1. In what way have you used a curriculum area or other to promote a culture of improvement, col…

Aug 9, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #News

3 min read

Checklist for filling in your job applications

Here a few important things to bear in mind as you embark on filling in your SAF. This document will most likely be your initial introduction to a potential employer and it is worth taking the time to fill it in as well as you can. Consider the following points when filling in your form.

What are they looking for in a candidate?

Have you checked the job advert for clues as to what's important to the school? A job description will sometimes state the kind of person the school is looking for. The sc…

Aug 6, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #Teacher, #Job Applications, #Interview, #Interview Preparation, #Interview questions, #Primary and Post Primary Interviews & #Mock Interview Preparation Primary

5 min read

Looking at our School 2016- A Quality Framework - A Practical Guide for Teachers

The Looking at our School 2016 guide (available here ), is an essential tool to help you gauge your effectiveness as a teacher. In this blog post, I aim to give you a brief run down of what an effective or highly effective teacher looks, sounds and acts like. I have added some of the statements below with the key information on what makes for a highly effective outcome.

Learner outcomes

Motivation: If pupils enjoy their learning, are motivated to learn, and expect to achieve as learners as they wo…

Aug 5, 2021 08:00am

By Mary Dillon

Under #education, #primaryschoolteacher, #careercoaching, #cpd, #inspectorate, #ourschools, #nqt, #career & #teacher

6 min read

Things I like about the Primary level SAF

While I know that it can be frustrating for teachers at times, I am in favour of the form in general. Here are some reasons I feel that the Standard Application Form is a good idea.

The 3 x 150 word questions are short and functional. If it’s of primary importance that the BOM want to find out if you’re competent, can follow the school ethos and are happy to teach the school religious ethos - then the SAF does a good job at eliciting that information from you.
The universal nature of the form - At…

Aug 4, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #News

3 min read

Standard Application Form Reviews – The quick and easy way to get a teaching job

As a career coach, I have reviewed hundreds of Standard Application Forms for clients and I see many kinds of errors that can be avoided by having your SAF reviewed by a professional. Things like grammar and spelling mistakes, making your form look drab and dreary leading to troubles scanning the document and not giving yourself credit can impact how an employer sees your form.

The Employer’s View

I have spoken to many interviewers over the years, and they have informed me of the errors they see t…

Aug 3, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #News

2 min read

Preparing for interviews: Ask yourself ‘What else?’

There is one particular question I love to ask my clients when we are trying to figure out all of their talents and capabilities. That question is; What else? As many of the educators I meet are hardworking, modest professionals who show up and get the job done, they often find it hard to declare what is so great about themselves. Once we start to delve into their capabilities and strengths together, I ask them to delve deeper.

Identifying your strengths

Brainstorming is a great way to start to di…

Jul 26, 2021 08:00am

By Mary Dillon

Under #Teacher, #Confidence, #Education, #Psychometric Testing, #Growth mindset, Strengths, #careercoaching, #education, #primaryschoolteacher, #leadership, #jobapplications, #sellingyourself, #whatcanido, #postprimaryteacher, #primarymockinterviewpreparation & #primarymockinterview

3 min read

Primary Interviews - are they really all sewn-up?

Some applicants for teaching jobs can lose faith if they are not being called for interview and may feel that the school has already chosen a teacher for the position before the interviews even take place! For the jobs in August especially - you are in with a real shot when you remain hopeful, positive and optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead! It’s a great ideas to take a look at the situation from a different angle!

Your SAF and CV

If you are applying for tonnes of jobs on Education …

Jul 25, 2021 08:00am

By Orla Dempsey

Under #Interview, #Primary, #Post Primary, #SAF, #careercoaching, #primarymockinterviewpreparation, #primarymockinterview, #primaryschoolteacher, #postprimaryteacher, #education & #saf

2 min read

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Blog

Looking at Our School 2016: The Leadership and Management Domains - Skills Development

Diary of a teacher career changer

5 Mistakes to Avoid as you Begin your Teaching Career

Giving 100%

‘Looking at our schools’ interview questions

Leading Teaching and Learning

Checklist for filling in your job applications

What are they looking for in a candidate?

Looking at our School 2016- A Quality Framework - A Practical Guide for Teachers

Learner outcomes

Things I like about the Primary level SAF

Standard Application Form Reviews – The quick and easy way to get a teaching job

The Employer’s View

Preparing for interviews: Ask yourself ‘What else?’

Identifying your strengths

Primary Interviews - are they really all sewn-up?

Your SAF and CV

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