Staggering cost of renting prefabs [con-telegraph.ie]
- Published: 11 October 2010
A sum of €1.93 million was invested by the Department of Education in the provision of prefabricated classrooms in Mayo schools over the past three years, it has been disclosed. Education Minister Mary Coughlan revealed a total of 120 prefabs were rented in the county in 2010 and 2009 at an overall cost of €1,109,581. Exactly 112 of them were in respect of primary schools while just eight related to post primary schools. A further 10 prefabricated structures were purchased for schools in Mayo in 2008, 2009 and 2010 in an overall investment of €819,000.
The minister said the overall policy goal of her department is to ensure the highest standard of permanent accommodation for all schools.
She stated: "In the context of a rapidly increasing school population and competing pressure on the capital budget available to my department, it is necessary to make use of temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools.
"This temporary accommodation is suitable for use as classroom accommodation. It is important, when additional teacher posts are sanctioned by my department, that schools are facilitated to appoint and accommodate them as soon as possible.
Full Story: www.con-telegraph.ie
Revealed: Northern Ireland's grammar school entrance test lottery [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 09 October 2010
The Belfast Telegraph is for the first time publishing the full details of the grades and test scores of pupils accepted by all of the 67 schools that ran independent entrance exams last year.
The figures show the postcode lottery facing parents of children seeking grammar school places.
The breakdown highlights the fact that where your child lives has a huge impact on their chance of securing a place at Northern Ireland’s popular grammar schools.
The list will make essential reading for every parent in the province and is very timely as thousands of P7 pupils prepare to sit the next round of entrance exams in just a few weeks’ time.
We are providing test results of pupils accepted by each of the schools which ran exams set by the Association for Quality Education (AQE) and GL Assessment.
The schools that signed up for the tests — against the advice of Education Minister Caitriona Ruane — are mainly grammars, but also include some integrated schools.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.ukClare Schools Receive Top Marks [clare.fm]
- Published: 09 October 2010
Clare schools have performed well in the latest round of whole school evaluations.
The inspections, carried out by the department of education, found that the four clare primary schools evaluated merited praise for their standard of teaching and their status within the community.
The WSE reports inspect a school's management, the effectiveness of teaching and learning and supports for students.
Lakyle NS, a 33 pupil school was praised for it's strong partnership with parents and the community and particularly the dedication of its pricipal - while St. Fachnan and St. Attractas in Kilfenora, a larger school of 58 students, was found to be excellently resourced in terms of IT.
The evaluation for Crusheen national school, with 110 pupils, stated the school demonstrated a high level of committment to each of its pupils but did recommend that the board of management provide suitable accommodation for its special needs teachers.
Full Story: www.clare.fm
Sexual connotations to bracelets targeting 5-year-olds [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 09 October 2010
While either answer could fall into the category of the latest children’s craze, the fact that it is the former that parents should be more concerned about may come as more a surprise.
Available in a variety of shapes from dinosaurs to farm animals, the cheap colourful bracelets known as "Silly-Bandz" have been flying off the shelves in toy shops and discount stores in recent months.
The appeal for children – apparently – is that bands look similar to coloured rubber bands while worn around the wrist, but when taken off return to their original shape.
For many parents, the phenomenon is nothing more than the latest playground fad, no different to Pokemon or Justin Bieber.
Primary teachers defend benefits of homework [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 09 October 2010
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network had told TDs and senators that it can cause stress between parents and children, eats into quality time at home and that inexperienced teachers often give too much homework.
They also said some teachers admit giving homework only because they think parents expect it, but can lose teaching time when correcting large amounts of homework.
While the IPPN recommended to the Oireachtas education committee that serious research and analysis is needed on the role of homework, an INTO spokesman said it remains the most regular and one of the most important links between home and school.
"It allows a parent or guardian to become involved in children’s school work and see on a regular basis how they are doing in school. It also allows teachers to assess learning and extend it beyond the classroom," he said.
Many schools suggest guidelines on the amount of homework for pupils, ranging from 10 or 15 minutes for infants up to about an hour for children in fifth and sixth class. But, the INTO says, these are only guidelines and some children will have the work done in a fraction of the time while others will struggle to do it in twice that time.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
