New NICE guidance on school-based methods to prevent children and young people smoking [nice.org.uk]
- Published: 26 February 2010
Public health guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published today (Wednesday 24 February) focuses specifically on school-based methods to prevent children and young people from starting to smoke.
One in two long-term smokers will die prematurely as a result of smoking, and half of these deaths will be in middle age. Research shows that children who start smoking before the age of 16 find it harder to quit and are twice as likely to continue to smoke as those who begin later in life – and are more likely to be heavier smokers.
Full Story: www.nice.org.uk
Review shows no SNA concerns [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 26 February 2010
SCHOOL inspectors have not outlined any concerns about more than 40 special needs assistant (SNA) posts at more than a dozen schools visited in the last 15 months.
The findings in inspection reports published by the Department of Education yesterday and last month appear to contradict Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe’s insistence that many schools have kept SNAs employed after the pupils they were working with left or no longer needed them. An ongoing review of SNA posts in all 4,000 primary and second-level schools could result in almost 1,200 of about 10,500 jobs being axed.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
Rain harvesting should be a requirement in all new schools [labour.ie]
- Published: 26 February 2010
Rain harvesting systems should be a requirement in all new school building programmes, according to Senator Dominic Hannigan.
Speaking in the Mansion House at Labour's Sustainable Planning Conference, Hannigan told the audience that water provision should be an integral part of all new school building.
Senator Hannigan said: "Rain Harvesting systems can be used to collect rainwater for future use in the toilet cleaning systems within the school. This means the ongoing costs of water to the school are reduced.
Full Story: www.labour.ie
'To sow the seeds of an entrepreneurial nation we need to start in the schools' [Independent.ie]
- Published: 25 February 2010
THERE is something about the way Microsoft Ireland managing director Paul Rellis describes Ireland's way out of the economic morass that suggests while things aren't perfect, things aren't all bad either.
His tone indicates urgency but also a kind of exasperation that, as a country, we need to select areas we're good at and, fundamentally, we need to start believing in ourselves.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Children with special needs are being abandoned by this Govt [labour.ie]
- Published: 25 February 2010
Speaking on Private Members Motion on withdrawal of SNAs from schools nationwide
For me, the most disappointing aspect of the recent Budget, in the area of education, was the lack of progress on the implementation of the EPSEN ACT, 2004 (Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004)
I think it is scandalous.
So does the DFI, the Disability Federation of Ireland. In its Special Budget 2010 Newsletter it states:
“The Department of Education and Science decision to reduce the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) budget by €2.3 million (21% of budget) targets special education needs and demonstrates yet again the lack of commitment to implementing the EPSEN Act 2004.”
Full Story: www.labour.ie
