I'm SNA for two kids in two rooms [IrishTimes]
- Published: 27 September 2011
MY EDUCATION WEEK: Noeleen Brennan, special needs assistant, St Colmcille’s National School, Knocklyon, Dublin
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th
What a brilliant start to the weekend. Ireland beat Australia. My son was in New Zealand to watch the match. My other son Ciaran’s Dublin under-21 team lost last weekend’s All-Ireland hurling final. Tomorrow I will be in Croker. Hopefully the footballers will beat Kerry and make amends. Our school is GAA mad, and everyone is looking forward to seeing Bryan Cullen arriving with the Sam Maguire.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th
Two in a row! I hope this roll I’m on continues for the week.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Muslims claim sons discriminated against at two top Catholic schools [IrishTimes]
- Published: 27 September 2011
FOUR MUSLIM families have alleged their sons are being discriminated against at two leading Catholic boys secondary schools in south Co Dublin.
In two instances, the Department of Education has overturned decisions by each school – St Benildus and Oatlands Colleges – not to enrol Muslim boys when parents appealed under section 29 of the 1998 Education Act.
However, of the four Muslim families who have daughters, they said they have encountered no difficulty in enrolling them in girls’ secondary schools in the same Stillorgan area.
Azzedine Medbou and his wife are from Algeria and have been in Ireland since 1999. Their five daughters and one son attended Our Lady’s Grove primary school on Goatstown Road, with the older girls progressing to the nearby Jesus Mary College.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Teachers oppose assessing own junior pupils [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 27 September 2011
TEACHER group leaders have said they oppose members marking their own students as part of the new Junior Certificate testing — even though hundreds are already doing so.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said it favours reforms of the exam system but the introduction of assessment of students by their own teachers is not acceptable.
As part of an overhaul of the three-year junior cycle, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has proposed that 40% of marks in all subjects would be based on portfolios of students learning. But the projects and other studies that make up those portfolios would be marked within each school, subject to samples being checked by the State Examinations Commission to ensure fairness and the maintenance of standards.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
Parents face jail over poor school record [enniscorthyguardian.ie]
- Published: 27 September 2011
A COUPLE whose children have a poor record of school attendance face jail sentences unless there is an improvement, Judge Gerard Haughton told them.
Proceedings taken by the National Educational and Welfare Board (NEWB) were called in the District Court on Wednesday. Appearing for the board, solicitor Caitriona Walsh told the judge that convictions had already been recorded against the pair for failure to ensure that their son and daughter attended lessons.
Ms. Walsh said that the daughter was now aged sixteen and attending a Youthreach programme. The fourteen year old son had recently shown up in school on eight out of 14 days and he was late on five of the eight.
Full Story: www.enniscorthyguardian.ie
School features on Prime Time special [enniscorthyguardian.ie]
- Published: 27 September 2011
ST. SENAN'S primary school featured prominently in last week's ' Prime Time' special about special needs education on RTE television. With the school losing five special needs assistants from its autism unit, the programme took a look at the implications of the cuts.
Among those who spoke to Miriam O'Callaghan and her crew were SNA Patrick Jackman, who explained the nature of his work, and school principal Dr. Henry Goff. Margaret Wickham told of waiting eight years to hear her autistic son Dylan speak his first word while Margaret Nolan described how her Liam has painstakingly learned to write.
Full Story: www.enniscorthyguardian.ie
