Govt 'cannot force schools' to offer healthy food [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 05 January 2012
The Department of Education has stated there is nothing it can do to prevent schools installing vending machines that offer unhealthy snacks to pupils.
A spokesperson from the government said it is a matter for each school to draw up guidelines for the food that is available on its premises, the Irish Examiner reports.
However, Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood Ireland said there is a problem with this approach due to a conflict of interest.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
Union: Pupils will lose out over changes to learning support [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 05 January 2012
SCHOOLS may lose special teaching hours next autumn, it has been claimed.
A union said red tape could see teachers driving between schools instead of being in class.
The Department of Education last month announced reforms to the way it allocates learning support and resource teachers who work with children with common learning difficulties such as dyslexia or those who need extra help with reading and maths.
For almost a decade, primary schools have been given such staff based on pupil numbers, taking into account factors such as if a school has high numbers of disadvantaged children.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
Over quarter of kids under 10 bullied for being fat in diet obsessed society [Independent.ie]
- Published: 05 January 2012
ALMOST a quarter of children under 10 consider themselves overweight, according to a survey.
Some 28pc have been bullied because of their weight while 26pc have skipped a meal in the hope of losing pounds.
The poll of 1,500 young people aged seven to 18 also found that more than 40pc of under 10s worry about their weight and almost a quarter (23pc) have been on a diet in the past year.
Two thirds (66pc) of this age group admit to weighing themselves, with 37pc doing so regularly.
And 38pc say they are influenced by a "diet obsessed society".
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Parents 'penalised' for choosing fee-paying schools [IrishTimes]
- Published: 04 January 2012
PARENTS WHO send their children to fee-paying schools are being “penalised’’ for their commitment to their children’s education, a school principal said yesterday.
Ken Whyte, principal of Presentation College, Mardyke, Cork, said parents who decided to commit after-tax income to their child’s education instead of spending it on something else were the focus of unfair criticism.
His comments came as Department of Education officials begin an audit into how fee-paying schools spend the estimated €120 million they receive in gross fee income.
The audit has been ordered by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn amid concern among Labour grassroots about the additional €100 million in State subsidy received by the sector to pay teacher salaries.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland has welcomed the inquiry into what it termed “this huge subvention of privilege”.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Guidance Counsellors meet to discuss budget cuts [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 04 January 2012
Guidance Counsellors from around the country will be meeting in Dublin this afternoon to discuss the Budget cuts and to organise a campaign of protest.
As of next year, schools will lose the separate allocation they have for guidance and counselling and guidance provisions will therefore have to be managed by schools from within their standard teacher allocations. Counsellors who are currently available full-time to second-level pupils will have to fit counselling duties in between teaching classes.
Prior to these proposed changes, each school got one or more counsellors based on numbers. Guidance Counsellors are concerned that the loss of a separate allocation for guidance and counselling will mean that schools will be under strong pressure to favour subject teaching over counselling and that vulnerable students who need support will suffer most.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
