EVERYTHING should be as normal as possible, says Sister June Fennelly, principal of St Angela's secondary school, at the Ursuline Convent, Waterford. She believes in trying to keep the atmosphere quiet and low-key during the exams.
This year, 149 students will sit the Leaving Cert and 136 students will sit the Junior Cert in St Angela's. Fennelly will be on duty throughout the exams, ready to deal with any emergency.
It's her job to see that the halls are ready and exam superintendents and assistants in place. The sports hall is withdrawn from use each year and converted to an exam hall. The groups which use it at night must wait until the exams are over to resume their activities. In addition, four other exam centres around the school must be prepared. Desks and chairs must be readied.
On the day, if a student is late or hasn't arrived, Fennelly will be called upon to deal with the situation. If a student decides to change the level of paper she has opted for Fennelly will once again be called upon.
It can happen that a student may wish to leave the exam to go to the toilet or because she feels sick - the superintendent will usually call the principal. If anything out of the ordinary occurs, the Department must be notified.
June Fennelly is also responsible for school discipline. "It's a very busy time." As to school uniforms she says that the uniform is part of the normal school situation and it's better to keep things as normal as possible. Girls in particular will worry what to wear, if they are not in uniform, she notes.
When it's all over for the students on Friday, June 27th, and they are taking a well-earned rest, Fennelly and her staff are left with the task of redistributing the chairs and tables in readiness for next September's student influx.
IF you think that the role of the principal in the Junior and Leaving Cert starts and finishes with the exams, think again. According to Pat O'Connor, headmaster of St Enda's Community School, Limerick, principals begin to focus on the summer exams at the beginning of the year.
The collection of exam fees can become a big issue in some schools. "It can be a chore," he says. "It seems an absurd task for educators to be involved with - especially when you consider that at third level there are no longer any fees."
Throughout the final year too, the principal is involved in discussions with teachers, counsellors, students and parents on whether students should be taking higher or ordinary papers.
During the year, principals are also responsible for organising the oral, practical and project exams. "These involve teachers being out of class," O'Connor explains. "We have to find substitutes if they're available, or if necessary become involved in supervision." Many principals argue that the orals, projects and practicals have become so disruptive of school life that they should be held after the written exams, he notes.
For the orals, O'Connor organises native speakers to come in and work with the students in the days just before the exams. On the day, he organises supervision and support.
St Enda's principal, along with the guidance counsellor, offers exam preparation classes which include stress-coping mechanisms and relaxation techniques. Then, just before the written exams begin, the school's four exam centres must be prepared, the exam supervisors met and outside students briefed.
Once the exams start, O'Connor's main role is to keep check of students who leave exams early. "There are two types," he says. "Those who are in crisis and those who simply give up. You have to support the people who are having trouble and if necessary encourage them to continue. You also have to ensure that the others don't disturb their colleagues." Principals have to deal with the unexpected - missing exam papers, a supervisor who is held up, a child who is sick or a whole class of students who are in distress because their papers were particularly difficult, for example.
"I wouldn't miss the exams for the world," O'Connor stresses. "It's the final goodbye and I like to feel that for some children my being there can make a difference."
A VERY stressful period is how Michael McCann, principal of Presentation Secondary School, Galway, describes the month of June when the Junior and Leaving Cert exams take place. This year, 165 of the school's 400 students are sitting either Junior or Leaving Cert exams. In many instances the principal is the only member of the school staff on the premises during the exam period. McCann, though, is lucky - he benefits from the support of a vice-principal.
"From the moment they move into the exam centre, students are the responsibility of the Department," McCann explains, "but before the exam, during lunch time and when students come out before an exam ends, they are our responsibility. It's ridiculous to expect a single principal to be responsible for a whole cohort of students." If the principal is sick or has to be away from school for a day during the exams, he or she is allowed by the Department to pay a substitute at the rate of £65 a day. "It's not a lot when you consider the responsibility," McCann says. "They have to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and over the lunch period. It's half the part-time rate for teachers."
According to McCann, many principals are annoyed that the Department recently launched information booklet on the Leaving Cert exams, makes no reference to the role of the school principal. "It states that the exams are overseen and administered by the Department's examination branch and inspectorate, but makes no mention of the work we do," he says.
Setting up exam centres - Presentation College needs up to five centres - involves furniture removal, checking on ventilation and heating and the installation of suitable clocks. It's the principal's jobs to appoint students to act as attendants during the exams and to liaise with the supervisors on the day before the exams start.
The fact that extra supervisors are often needed for the taped, aural section of language exams, can add an extra burden. This supervisor, who may not be a member of staff, is employed locally by the principal. "Rural schools often find it difficult to locate a suitable person," McCann notes.
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