Many children 'at risk of back pain from school bags' [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 18 October 2011
Carrying school bags that are too heavy could be leading many school children to experience pain in their back.
This is according to chief executive of BackCare Sean McDougall, who stated that because kids' bones are still relatively soft as they are still growing, youngsters should ideally be carrying no more than ten per cent of their body weight over their shoulders.
However, he noted that some children, particularly girls aged around 11, could be hauling around double this limit.
"It gets even worse because in many schools, children carry that weight on one shoulder and increasingly children are carrying their bag in the crevice of their elbow," Mr McDougall added.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
VEC replacement boards to have extra powers [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 18 October 2011
ALL schools could have access to the buying power and other expertise of the education boards that will replace VECs from next year.
The bill, to be published early next year by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, gives new powers to the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) that will replace 33 city and county VECs.
But there is dismay in the VEC sector at the reduced number of local councillors and community nominees, with more than half of about 350 councillors to lose out. The current committees include between nine and 17 councillors each that will serve until after the 2014 local elections.
The ETBs will then have just 10 local authority representatives each, with the minister free to choose the number from each council in the board’s area of up to three cities or counties.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
Cutbacks and special needs [IrishTimes]
- Published: 17 October 2011
Sir, – Due to cutbacks, the allocation of special needs assistants (SNAs) in our school has been reduced by 50 per cent. As an SNA my time is now shared between two pupils in different classes, pupils whose care needs warrant full cover. In addition, a number of new entrants have been identified as having specific care needs. However, under new procedures they are not assigned support prior to starting school. Applications have been submitted without a response to date.
Under these circumstances I feel unable to do my job properly. There is a lack of continuity of care which will hinder the children achieving their full potential.
I would have been an advocate of the inclusion of children with special needs in a mainstream setting. However, due to the lack of adequate support I wonder whether their needs would be better served in special schools.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Special needs education to be discussed by Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education [oireachtas.ie]
- Published: 17 October 2011
Current and future proposals regarding special needs education will be discussed at a meeting of the Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education at its meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, 12th October.
Among the key issues to be discussed at the meeting are current and future proposals regarding:
• Special Needs Education with specific reference to the use of Special Needs Assistants (SNA)s;
• Traveller education from primary level to further education;
• Resource teacher allocation; and
• Number of resource hours available to children with downs syndrome.
Full Story: www.oireachtas.ie
Is Facebook a no-go for teachers? [IrishTimes]
- Published: 17 October 2011
Social networks can blur the boundaries between student and pupil and present serious problems in the classroom
FOR MOST PEOPLE of a certain age, Facebook is one of life’s necessities. It’s how you organise a night out when people are working to different schedules. It’s an easy way to send good wishes and see the photos if you missed a birthday party or a wedding and it’s great for keeping in touch with recent emigrants to Canada and Oz.
According to figures published earlier this year, 44 per cent of the Irish population have a Facebook account. Add Twitter, Linkedin and Google Plus into the mix and it’s clear that networking and socialising have changed for good.
But how does a teacher manage? With so many of your photographs and details going up online, there is an increased risk that a student or a parent will see something they don’t like. There have already been problems in Britain. Six primary school teachers made headlines last May when one posted photographs of a rowdy hen party on the social networking site, without making the photographs private. A parent came across them, printed them out and distributed them in the neighbourhood with a letter that included the question: “What does this tell you about this school and how it is being run?“
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
