Gaelscoil Chnoc na Re cuts criticised by Council [sligotoday.ie]
- Published: 19 October 2011
Following the decision by the Department of Education to cut the number of teachers by two immediately at Gaelscoil Chnoc na Re in Ballydoogan, Sligo Borough Council were told that the ratio of pupils to teachers could dramatically dis-improve if staff numbers are cut later this month due to budget cutbacks.
Council members decided unanimously to back an all-party approach formulated at a meeting earlier on Monday between the school and public representatives, local and national.
There are 177 pupils enrolled and speakers variously told the Council meeting 181 or 183 pupils would be needed to retain two additional teachers in post at the end of month.
Full Story: www.sligotoday.ie
Commitment to rural school transport questioned [IrishTimes]
- Published: 19 October 2011
CHURCH OF Ireland members in parts of the State have expressed “deep concern . . . about long-term commitment on the part of the Department of Education and Skills to sustained provision of school transport in rural areas”, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin Michael Jackson has said.
“Were this to be withdrawn, a very real possibility would be school closures by parental decision to have their children educated at schools geographically closer to home beyond and without our particular system,” he said.
A survey last June showed “overwhelming support for Church of Ireland national schools”, he added. “Our eyes are open to the realities of recession, our ears are constantly bombarded by the rhetoric of recovery; we fully accept the need for relevance in education – yet many of us bemoan the turning of the educational experience of young people into a commodity, the definition of the worth of which is its capacity to deliver for the professional labour market.”
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
In My Opinion: The eight-subject limit in 2012 is putting the train before the tracks [Independent.ie]
- Published: 19 October 2011
In the coming weeks a number of second-level schools will hold open days/evenings for parents of prospective students. These events aim to give parents a feel for "what it's like to be a student here".
It is unfortunate, therefore, that schools have been left in an information vacuum in relation to what subjects they are offering next year. This is due to the recent announcement that students entering second-level schools in September 2012 will be limited to eight examinable subjects in their Junior Certificate. The problem? No school in the country knows how this will work.
Who will decide what these subjects are? Will they be the same for every student in a school? Will subjects be dropped by schools? What will fewer subjects at Junior Cert mean for the Leaving Cert? These are the questions causing concern amongst parents, schools and teachers.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
School amalgamation a step closer [newrossstandard.ie]
- Published: 18 October 2011
IN ANOTHER step forward in amalgamating the town's three primary schools, a design team are due to meet with local principals on site in the next two weeks.
According to CBS Primary School Principal Brian McMahon, who has been campaigning for a new primary school for over fifteen years, the design team are currently embarking on six months of planning, technical and design work on the site in Castlemoyle.
Once the plans are drawn up, they will then be submitted to the Department of Education's technical department to be given the go-ahead before going out to tender, according to Brian.
Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe together with Cllr. Victor Furness met with Brian McMahon, Michael Street NS Principal Elma Sutton, the Chairman of St. Joseph's Board of Management David Maher and the Chairman of the CBS BOM Aidan Kent yesterday (Monday) for the Minister to be fully briefed on the history of the project to date.
Full Story: www.newrossstandard.ie
Only a dozen SNAs allocated despite 475 posts held back [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 18 October 2011
JUST over a dozen extra special needs assistants (SNAs) have been allocated to pupils who need care in the classroom despite the withholding of hundreds of posts by the Department of Education.
As part of a limit on SNA numbers to 10,575 by the department, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) reviewed provision of these staff to all schools with hundreds complaining that children have lost their SNA or have had the level of access cut since last year.
The department also ordered that 475 posts be held back before the start of the school year to allow for late or emergency applications for SNA support.
The Oireachtas committee on jobs, social protection and education heard concerns from Fianna Fáil education spokesman Brendan Smith that the allocation of the additional SNAs was taking too long.
