Protestors hit the streets to demand return of school bus [corkman.ie]
- Published: 13 October 2011
PARENTS and staff at Adair National School in Fermoy are to take their protest at the controversial axing of their bus service to the steps of Dail Eireann.
They will travel to Leinster House next Wednesday to further highlight their campaign to get the service reinstated amid fears that without a bus service the school could be forced to close down.
At the start of the current school term it emerged that Bus Eireann had axed the vital service – despite a claim by the Church of Ireland school that it did fulfil Department of Education criteria in relation to the number of pupils eligible to use the service.
The move prompted staff and parents at the school to launch a campaign to have the service reinstated, garnering widespread support from across the local community for their stance.
Full Story: www.corkman.ie
Marino offers new B.Sc in Education Studies [educationmatters.ie]
- Published: 13 October 2011
Marino Institute of Education has been offering initial primary teacher education programmes for over a century. Now, the institute has extended its provision to include a new undergraduate degree programme in Education Studies.
Thirty-four students are currently registered on the course which focuses on:
- Lifelong learning,
- Ethics and social justice,
- Education and culture,
- Policies and practices.
Children 'missed school because of UK wedding' [sligochampion.ie]
- Published: 13 October 2011
A FATHER told Sligo District Court that the reason his children were late going back to school was that he was in England at a wedding.
The father and his wife were summoned by the National Educational Welfare Board in respect of the non attendance of three of their children at school.
The case had been adjourned from a previous sitting to monitor progress but Mr. Eoin Armstrong, solicitor (for the Board), told the court that since the last court before the summer the youngest child had missed seven out of 23 days and the second eldest a total of eight out of 25 days. They didn't return to school until September 12th due to a wedding in England while the eldest child did not go back until the 19th. Since then the attendance had been reasonable.
The children's father told the court they went to England on August 25th for a wedding but they couldn't get back in time for school because he couldn't get nine tickets for the bus that was to take the ferry.
Full Story: www.sligochampion.ie
Irish Primary Schools Spring into Science [forfas.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2011
Irish primary schools excel in life sciences through the Greenwave movement
This year 153 Irish primary schools took part in the 2011 mass science project, Greenwave, managed by Discover Science and Engineering, which involves primary school students across Ireland tracking the arrival of spring as it moves across the country. The participating schools submitted 815 official records of common species and 4,572 weather observations during 2011. The project also allow schools to investigate whether the timing of spring is changing by noting the swallows arrival and other identifiers of spring. The results are submitted to the website, http://www.greenwave.ie/, and mapped to determine where and when spring started and the pattern in which it moved across the country.
When viewed from outer space, it is said that a 'green wave' begins in the south of Europe in February and as the temperature rises, it moves up across Europe travelling at approximately four miles per hour; similar to the speed at which a human walks.
Full Story: www.forfas.ie
One in 10 children miss class for 20 days [Herald.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2011
THOUSANDS of primary pupils are missing at least 20 days of school each year, the Herald can reveal.
The latest figures from the Department of Education show that almost 12pc of primary students are registering more than 20 absences -- a significant increase on previous years.
While 49,482 students missed more than 20 days in the 2006/2007 academic year, this figure has jumped to 55,259 students in 2008/2009.
And one of Ireland's largest teachers' unions has today warned that the figures show the education system is "taking its eye off the real issues".
All primary schools are obliged to report absences to the Department of Education in "specific circumstances" -- such as when pupils miss at least 20 days or where they are suspended for at least six school days.
Full Story: www.herald.ie
