IPPN

My name is Paddy Ford. I am Principal of a small urban school in Dunedin ,New Zealand. I have won a scholarship from the local Principals Association and am visiting Ireland from the 12 -21 september. I would love to vist some schools and in particular I am interested in looking at schools that have merged together or been consolidated on one site...either urban or rural. I am on a self drive tour and can get around by myself. In particular I would love to have a school to visit in Galway.

New Zealand has been going through a process of merging several rural schools onto one site with accompanying loss of staff, identity and local culture. I promise not to take up too much of your time but would be interested in your perspective on Small schools and teaching principalship.

If you'd like to have me visit your school please contact me at paddyf@nzpf.ac.nz

EDUCATION Minister Mary Hanafin has rejected criticism that her department has failed to provide adequate levels of support to teachers who have to deal with disruptive students.

Ms Hanafin yesterday promised that she would give strong backing to any legislative changes which might be recommended in a forthcoming report by a special task force set up to examine the problem.

The minister said she was also open to the possibility of establishing special facilities known as student referral units whereby disruptive pupils would be removed from their normal classes.

However, Ms Hanafin said the experience of such units had so far failed to provide positive proof that they helped to address the problem.

Her comments followed complaints by the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) that the Government had ignored the recommendations of several earlier reports which also examined the problem of disruptive pupils.

An interim report by the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools published earlier this month highlighted how 5%-10% of second-level students are believed to be engaged in disruptive behaviour, although only "a very small proportion" were involved in extreme misconduct.

ASTI president Susie Hall yesterday issued an appeal to Ms Hanafin that it would not "go the way of previous reports" and not be put into practice.

Ms Hanafin said the solution rested with the involvement of the whole school community, including the parents of pupils in tacking disruptive behaviour.

She promised the task force's report was "certainly not going to sit on a shelf".

Click here to access the article on the Irish Examiner website - www.irishexaminer.com

ALL schools will have broadband access before the end of the next school year, giving free, 'always on' high speed links to the Internet.

Seven contractors have been appointed to connect the 3,925 schools as part of an €18m joint government and industry deal and work got under way last month.

All schools will be have their broadband connections by March next year.

A National Schools Network has been established to provide managed internet access, email, security controls, content filtering and other services designed to enhance the educational process.

The National Council for Technology in Education (NCTE) has also set up a help desk for schools and, along with the schools network, brings the value of the programme to €30m over the next three years.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin said that the provision of broadband access to all schools represented a crucial element in the Government's policy of integrating information and communications technology (ICT) into teaching and learning.

Click here to access the article on the Irish Independent website - www.unison.ie

The Ministers for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey T.D. and for Education and Science Mary Hanafin T.D. today updated progress in relation to the Schools Broadband Access Programme. The Programme is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18m joint Government IBEC / TIF (Telecommunications and Internet Federation) Fund targeted at local connectivity provision to schools. In addition local connectivity would be moderated through a National Schools Network providing a range of security and content filtering facility for schools and schools assisted and advised on the process through a National Service Desk.

A public procurement process was undertaken in 2004 designed to achieve the optimal solution for each school having regard to the broadband delivery technology options available. This has now been completed and a mix of broadband technologies will be utilised in schools, including wireless, fixed line and satellite technologies.

Further to the announcement earlier this year on the results of the competitive tender process, all seven successful operators have concluded contracts and are working to connect all schools across the country as speedily as possible in what is a complex and multi-faceted project.

The breakdown by delivery technology will see the delivery of connectivity to 841 schools by fixed line (e.g. DSL), 1,507 by Wireless and 1,577 by satellite and a full schedule listing the services to be provided to individual schools can be found on the web-sites of both Departments. Eircom will supply routers to some 3,393 schools while BT Ireland will supply same to three further schools.

These Operators will be installing connectivity and routers over the Summer, throughout the Autumn and up to March 2006 to Primary and Post-Primary schools nationally.

The National Network has been established within HEAnet and the National Service Desk created under the NCTE and operated by Cara Computing Ltd. The overall cost of the programme, including the contribution from Industry will be in the region of €30m over the next three years.

Both Ministers acknowledged the part being played by the Telecommunications Sector in the provision of broadband connectivity to schools in relation its contribution to the €18 million joint IBEC-TIF / Government fund and re-iterated their thanks to the contributing companies which include BT Ireland, Digiweb, Eircom, eNet, Irish Broadband, MCI, Meteor, NTL O2 and Vodafone

Minister Dempsey noted that 'the Broadband for Schools Programme marks a significant step towards extending the broadband community across the country and showcasing the possibilities that broadband can bring to the learning generation.'

Minister Hanafin said that 'the provision of broadband to schools represents a crucial element in the Government's policy of integrating ICT into teaching and learning at first and second level. I have every confidence that both teachers and pupils will derive great benefit from this additional and worthwhile facility.'

Click here to access the article on the DES website.