New post-primary selection policy guidance issued [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 06 July 2010
Fresh transfer guidance on admissions to post-primary schools in Northern Ireland has been published.
The Department of Education reiterated its opposition to testing. “State-funded post-primary schools' boards of governors should not exclude children through the use of the socially divisive and educationally unsound practice of ‘academic' selection,” it said.
Transfer test policy has been mired in controversy with Sinn Fein determined to scrap selection and the DUP adamantly opposed. Many schools have set their own independent tests.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Trainee teacher to challenge denial of education grant [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 06 July 2010
The High Court heard that Rhona McDermott applied to the council a grant after she enrolled in Hibernia College's Higher Diploma in Arts in Primary Education for the academic year 2008-09.
However she was informed by Roscommon Co Council she did not qualify for one on the basis that her course was not full time and that Hibernia College is not one of the approved colleges under the Higher Grants Scheme.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Ban on filling assistant principal posts is eased [Independent.ie]
- Published: 06 July 2010
SCHOOL managers have given a cautious welcome to the long-awaited easing of the ban on filling assistant principal posts in September.
But they warned that schools with less than 500 pupils will be unable to appoint a year head for each year group.
Spokesman Ferdia Kelly said the middle-management posts were vital in schools. He added that Education Minister Mary Coughlan's announcement was welcomed as a recognition that schools could not continue to function indefinitely with ever decreasing numbers of post holders.
The moratorium has meant about 700 assistant principal posts and hundreds of special duties posts have not been filled. New criteria will allow them to fill some of the vacant assistant principal posts.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Alarm as ministers told to plan for 40% cutbacks [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 05 July 2010
Treasury ministers were accused yesterday of being "alarmist in the extreme" by announcing that they are instructing all but a few government departments to plan for 40 per cent cuts in their budgets.
Cuts on that scale would exceed anything ever done by a democracy and result in hundreds of thousand of public employees losing their jobs and a severe drop in the quality of public services. So long as the figure of 40 per cent sticks in people's minds, when they learn that the worst-affected departments are having to cut their budgets by 30 per cent or more, it will sound as if they have been spared the worst.
Today, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, is expected to announce cuts totalling £1.5bn, with £1bn to be slashed from the Department of Education budget. That means scrapping plans to rebuild 700 schools, and cutting back on youth clubs and projects such as Sure Start.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Schools can't take cuts says Killicomaine head [portadowntimes.co.uk]
- Published: 05 July 2010
Speaking during the school’s recent prize day, Hugh McCarthy said schools should be exempt from the cuts in education budgets.
“All political parties state that they will protect front line services – it’s a well worn easy sound bite – but what does it mean in relation to education? We in schools have an uneasy feeling that when it comes to cuts all parts of the system will be cut equally DENI, RTU, CEA, boards and schools,” said Mr McCarthy.
“Although not directly comparable, 84 per cent of educational expenditure in England goes into the classroom, in Austria it is 90 per cent and in Northern Ireland it is.. 62 per cent.
Full Story: www.portadowntimes.co.uk
