About IPPEA

Aims Structure Committee Constitution Membership of IPPEA TEPPEN

The Irish Primary PE Association was founded in 2002 by and for primary teachers who were particularly interested in the subject of physical education. The IPPEA is an association dedicated to heightening awareness of PE issues in primary schools and it aims to promote physical activity in an educational context.

The IPPEA aims to:

Represent and support the needs of primary teachers involved in Physical Education
Support the promotion of Physical Education and healthy lifestyles in primary school
Hold, organise and participate in conferences and workshops for the purpose of promoting PE at primary level
Keep members up to date on the latest issues and developments in PE and related area
Liaise with other organisations involved in the promotion of PE, Physical Activity and Sport

The organogram below highlights the structure of the association and gives an overview of the various sub-committees involved. Membership of these committees, along with membership of the executive committee, is determined during the AGM.

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IPPEA Committees

*Membership of more than 1 Committee is allowed

Name of Committee	Composition of Committee	Function of Committee	Approx no. of meetings p.a.
National Committee	Chairperson, treasurer, secretary + 1/2 rep(s) from each Committee below	– Oversee all work of Association (each Committee will report progress at meetings) – Approve membership	Twice annually
Policy/Advocacy (formerly PE Action Group)	As many as interested (4-6)	– Continuing work of PEAG in policy and promotion in PE and PA – Responding to media/other public sources in relation to PE/PA matters	At least twice annually or as necessary
PR	As many as interested (4-6)	– Developing website and termly newsletter	At least twice annually or as necessary
Membership	Treasurer and 1/2 others	– Managing membership data and advising National Committee – Informing final year students in the colleges of education about IPPEA	At least twice annually or as necessary
CoP	Regional Committees will be set up here and may consist of a number of members	– Managing/organising regional workshops/seminars with local primary school teachers	Twice per school term
Annual Conference	Approx 2-4 people	– Organisation + management of the IPPEA Annual Conference	As necessary

Name	Title	Description
Jason Byrne	Co-Chairperson	Jason Byrne IPPEA Co-Chair is a primary teacher in Scoil Chroi Iosa in Galway City. Jason has a particular interest in PE and whole school community wellbeing. Jason is a PDST PE & Wellbeing Associate since 2019 and a committee member of the Irish Primary PE Association (IPPEA) since 2018.
Pete Lavin	Co-Chairperson	Peter Lavin IPPEA Co-Chair is a teaching principal and PDST Health and Wellbeing facilitator. He has delivered seminars on the PDST Move Well Move Often programme and has helped to coordinate the European School Sports Day initiative for the IPPEA over the past few years. He has been a committee member of the Irish Primary PE Association since 2017 and has an interest in all things PE and Sport related.
Edel Murphy	Co-Secretary	Edel Murphy IPPEA Co- Secretary is a primary school teacher in St. Mary’s CS, Enniskeane, Co.Cork and is currently seconded to the PDST as a PE advisor. She is passionate about developing quality PE in our schools and promoting the crucial role it plays in nurturing and enhancing the overall wellbeing of children.
Niamh Boylan	Co-Secretary	Niamh Boylan (IPPEA Co-Secretary) is a Primary School teacher working in Dublin. Niamh is very interested in the area of PE and completed her major specialism in PE as part of her undergrad degree. Niamh has also recently joined the PDST as a local facilitator and is looking forward to working with others in the PDST. Niamh joined the IPPEA team in 2022 and enjoys working with the other members of the team.
Niamh Dunney	Treasurer	Niamh Dunney is a teaching principal from Kildare. She teaches in St. Mary’s National School, Drumlea in Co. Leitrim. She teaches 3rd to 6th class and has a keen interest in the subject area of P.E. She is an associate with the PDST Health and Wellbeing team and also works on the primary P.E. team. Niamh really enjoys interacting and engaging in developing pupil wellbeing through P.E. She is a newly appointed member of the Irish Primary PE association. Niamh is looking forward to her new role and hopes to bring energy and enthusiasm to this position.
Caitriona Cosgrave		Caitríona Cosgrave has been involved with the IPPEA since its inception in 2002. She has been teaching for over 20 years in a range of classes and settings and lectured for 11 of those years in PE at Marino Institute of Education. She has been a facilitator with the PDST Health and WellBeing team and delivers CPD workshops and courses to primary teachers in schools and as part of Marino summer programmes. Caitriona has been involved with the Active School Flag as an advisor, primary development officer and accreditor. She is currently teaching in Scoil Áine, Raheny Dublin.
Susan Marron		Susan Marron is a lecturer in physical education at the School of Arts Education and Movement at the Institute of Education, DCU. Susan taught physical education for 12 years in a secondary school before taking a career break to live in France for six years. Susan is a long standing IPPEA committee member. She represents the IPPEA on the European Physical Education Association (EUPEA).
Liam Clohessey		Liam Clohessy is a primary school teacher from Bunscoil Rinn an Chabhlaigh, Cobh, Co.Cork. He is currently seconded to the Professional Development Service for teachers as a Physical Education Advisor.
Ciara Delaney		Ciara Delaney is a primary school teacher from Galway, Team Leader for the PDST Primary Health and Wellbeing Team and co-author of the Move Well, Move Often Physical Literacy Resource for Primary Schools
Helena O’Sullivan		Helena O’Sullivan is a primary school teacher working in Co Louth . Helena has a keen interest in Health Promotion, Wellbeing and PE and has completed a postgrad in this area. Helena has also recently joined the PDST as an Associate and is looking forward to working with them. Helena joined the IPPEA team in 2022.
Seán Stafford		Seán Stafford is a primary school teacher from Co. Wexford. He is a huge advocate of quality PE at primary level and has a strong passion for physical literacy informed PE to promote lifelong physical activity. Seán has also been involved with the Active School Flag Team as an ASF Accreditor. He greatly enjoys working as part of the IPPEA team.

Constitution of Irish Primary PE Association (Nov 2020)

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Click here Membership Link to Join

Members of the IPPEA receive the following benefits:

Access to Members area containing notes from annual conferences and all Community of Practice workshops
Full members only have the right to attend and vote at the IPPEA AGM

PLEASE NOTE! IPPEA membership runs for one calendar year from the date a member joins unless they have taken the recurring membership option.

If you choose the ‘recurring’ membership option, your card will automatically be charged each year to renew your subscription.

If the card used for payment expires before the following year, your subscription will not automatically renew and you will be required to renew manually.

Some members wishing to renew their membership have had difficulty in completing the online transaction. If this happens, please email ippeamembership@gmail.com

As the IPPEA is a non-profit organisation, membership subscriptions are used to promote physical activity in primary schools and to raise awareness of PE issues in schools and throughout the wider community.

Membership Categories

1) Member: Full Membership may be granted to: (a) Individuals who possess an approved professional qualification in primary teaching. (b) Physical education lecturers in the colleges of education. Annual fee = €10.

2) Student: Student members are required to be engaged in a course of study in higher education leading to an initial qualification in primary teaching. Student members receive all the benefits of Individual Members, including reduced fees for conferences, and are exempt from a membership fee. Student members do not have voting rights.

3) Associate: Associate membership is open to individuals who have a specific qualification to teach P.E., individuals who work in the area of sport and recreation and whose interest and work supports either PE or school sport. Associate members do not have voting rights and are not eligible for election to the Executive Committee. Annual fee = €10.

4) Retired Members: Retired members are classed as members who no longer receive an income (ie. those living solely on a pension). Please email ippeamembership@gmail.com to request membership.

5) Honorary Members: Honorary Members are individuals who do not qualify for membership but whom the Association wishes to honour in an appropriate manner. Honorary Members do not have voting rights.

6) Professional Membership: Professional Membership is available to professional associations, libraries, colleges, teacher centres and other bodies who the executive committee deem suitable for inclusion in this category. They will be informed of all IPPEA activities, but do not have voting rights. Annual fee = €50.

The Executive Committee may also at their discretion admit to membership in any class any person who, although not otherwise qualified for a particular class, is nonetheless in their opinion a specially suitable and desirable person to be so admitted.

Online Membership Application

Click here to pay online membership

The Teacher Educators Primary PE Network (TEPPEN) has replaced CEPEC due to developments in Universities and Colleges of Education related to restructuring and incorporations and in recent years.

CEPEClogo

The Colleges of Education Physical Education Consortium (CEPEC) held its first meeting in December 2006. The group is currently comprised of representatives from the Physical Education Teams in four Universities – School of Arts Education and Movement, Institute of Education, St. Patrick’s Campus, DCU, Drumcondra; Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; Maynooth University Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education and Marino Institute of Education. The group aims to progress issues relevant to primary physical education within the Republic of Ireland across the continuum of teacher education, with a particular focus on pre-service teacher education.

Members of CEPEC 2017 from L-R: Dr. Deirdre Ní Chroinin (Mary Immaculate College); Susan Marron (DCU), Dr. Frances Murphy (DCU); Dr. Maura Coulter (DCU); Dr. Bronagh McGrane (DCU); Dr. Richard Bowles (Mary Immaculate College); Suzy Maken ( Marino Institute of Education); Tony Sweeney (Maynooth University Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education); Missing from pic: ) Dr. Elaine Murtagh (Mary Immaculate College)

CEPEC work includes:

Assessment in Physical Education Lessons…a Teacher online Resource

Phase one of CEPECs assessment research work can be read in the journal ‘Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy’. The journal article title is ‘Implementing formative assessment in primary physical education: teacher perspectives and experiences’. (2012, pages 1–15, iFirst Article).

The recommendations from this study informed the development of an online assessment resource for teachers. With the cooperation of three practising teachers whose lessons we filmed, a series of video clips on assessment in PE lessons was launched in December 2016. The clips can be found in the ‘Members section’ of this website.

CEPEC Policy Document

Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) in Primary Physical Education

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