Transcript CSP presentation on voluntary sector

Voluntary Secondary Schools in the
Republic of Ireland
Contexts, Strengths and Future Challenges
November 2013
Why do Research on the Voluntary
Sector?
1.
2.
3.
To create an important foundation for understanding the future role of Catholic
secondary schools.
To develop a deeper sense of the voluntary sector for all stakeholders in the
Irish second-level education system given its complex history and
organisation.
To facilitate the further development of the voluntary sector both in its own
right and in its various relationships with the public sector.
Social Structure in Western Democracies

Public Sector

Private Sector

Voluntary Sector
Public Sector & Private Sector
Public Sector

Run by the State and often covers areas of social action where profit-making institutions
have never been involved, not least because there is little or no hope of making a profit.
Private Sector

The private sector is driven primarily
by the need to make a profit.
Voluntary Sector



It is private in the sense that it is not established or run by the State but it is
quasi-public in that it is not for profit.
A tense space to occupy.
If you break the link between a voluntary body and its founding vision it is likely
to evolve inevitably into a public or private entity and so falls within either the
public or private sectors.
Public Sector
Founding Vision
Private Sector
Founding Vision
Unique Selling Point


Here we have a private reality
established and run by citizens
who are not acting as
employees or agents of the
State but whose primary goal is
driven not by the desire to make
profit but to provide some public
benefit based on a mission or
vision as articulated by some
individual or group.
The mission is a living and
breathing reality, not something
set in stone.
Summary of the Sectors
Sector
Origins
Function Funding
Public
The State and
agents of the
State
To cover areas of
social action of
little or no
interest to profitmaking bodies
The public finances of
the State
Private
Profit-making
individuals or
companies
To create profit
Resources of private
individuals or
institutions
Voluntary
Citizens with a
mission and
vision intent on
addressing a
particular need
To provide some
public benefit
Sought from both the
public and private
sectors
Characteristics of the Voluntary Sector
1.
Mission
2. Ownership
3. Governance
Different Types of Voluntary
Organisations in Ireland
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Type 1
Type 2
Type 3
Gemma Donnelly-Cox and Andrew O'Regan, “The Irish Voluntary Sector: A Case-Based
Exploration of Organisational Growth Patterns and Organisational Dynamics”, International
Society for Third-Sector Research, Conference Working Paper Series, Vol 1, 1998.
Type 1 – Organisations dealing with
newly emerging issues.

There are a lot of volunteers and a dependence on private donations and fund
raising, low overheads and very adaptable to changing circumstances and
fluctuations in funding, little networking with other organisations in similar
contexts and the State does not usually provide on-going support because the
need being addressed is not of sufficient scale or of such moral importance to
place a responsibility on the State to support it.
Type 2- Organisations dealing with
needs which are well established

Private individuals and corporations are the sources of most funding. There are
a large number of volunteers as well as some paid staff. The latter provide
managerial expertise and network with other organisations – public, private and
voluntary.
Type 3 - Voluntary organisations
dealing with areas of traditional need

The State accepts that it has responsibilities in funding these organisations.
The voluntary body often appears to be an agent of the State and many
stakeholders, even including staff, can be unaware of its voluntary status.
Professional staff are employed and they exercise significant power within the
organisation.
Voluntary Schools in Ireland – Type 3
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The vast majority of schools in Ireland belong to the voluntary
sector. The number of State schools is few in comparison.
The Churches and Educate Together are the main voluntary
providers at primary level covering virtually all schools (99%)
The Catholic and Protestant voluntary bodies provide about
50% of post-primary schools directly and about another 20% in
partnership with the State through agreements with Education
and Training Boards.
The State itself provides about 30% of post-primary schools.
The Structure of Irish Second-Level Schooling by
School Type in Republic of Ireland- September 2013

The overall structure of Irish second-level schooling is notably complex. It can be
represented in diagram form as follows:
Catholic Voluntary Secondary Schools Strengths and Challenges.
Are we offering
something unique or
just appearing so?
Challenges

Do we effectively appear
as an agent of and for the State?
The originality of the initial founding vision may
become diluted as a result of the school’s
administrative tasks. How do we avoid this?

Challenges
Can parents and
teachers articulate how
their voluntary school is
different from the State
school up the road?
Do we have
strong clear
leadership?
If the founding
vision is not
embedded in this
organised
structure with
clearly
designated roles,
it will not carry
any real power.
Challenges

The State has an
ever increasing
input on staff pay
and recruitment
procedures.
Funding from other
stakeholders apart
from the State,
needs to be
maintained.
There may be a loss of control of resources.
There can be a loss of
control of the vision to
professionals in terms
of what they value
and how they use
their decision-making
power within the
school.
Schools and their
trustees will need to
direct their own
finances to services
within the school
community which they
deem essential to
their mission.
Challenges

As a type 3
organisation a
voluntary school
will experience
great difficulty
from both within
the school and
externally if
attempts are
made to introduce
change.

There are
differing agendas
at work
simultaneously.
Challenges


There is a temptation to focus
training and education in the areas
of mission and moral legitimacy on
the school principal and teachers of
Religious Education. In the future,
all stakeholders need this training
i.e. BOM, professional staff,
parents, students and the wider
community.
People need to be motivated to
participate.
Challenges

How the
voluntary
sector and
State proceed
and engage in
the
rationalisation
of schools is
vital.

How the State
perceives
voluntary
secondary
schools needs
to be
addressed
and
challenged.

The
Is there enough
support in Irish
society to retain
the voluntary
sector because
of sympathy with
the “founding
intention”, or do
people want to
support this
sector because
of its perceived
success?
level of dialogue between Church, State
and society on the future role of voluntary
secondary education is limited. How do we
improve this?
Round Table
1.
2.
Has the presentation helped clarify anything for you about
schools in the voluntary sector?
What do you think about the importance or otherwise of the
founding intention/vision of your school?