Teachers 'not being told' about child abuse allegations [Irish Independent]
- Published: 15 January 2009
Source: Irish Independent
By John Walshe Education Editor
Thursday January 15 2009
A major row has erupted over the implementation of child-abuse guidelines in schools.
The Irish Independent has learned that allegations of abuse against teachers, which frequently turn out to be false or malicious, are being passed on to the Health Services Executive (HSE) without the individual teachers being informed.
In some cases, the first the teachers know about the allegations is when they are "confronted" by personnel from the HSE, according to a confidential paper drawn up by the three teacher unions, INTO, TUI and ASTI.
The paper says the present arrangement, where allegations are referred to the HSE without the slightest check, is patently unfair. It can do great damage to a teacher's good name, professional reputation and confidence.
The original guidelines for schools said that a designated liaison person should be appointed in schools who would have to satisfy themselves that there were reasonable grounds for a referral of allegations.
Despite this requirement, allegations have not been referred by the Department of Education to the school in some cases, but rather have been referred only to the HSE.
Allegations
"The first knowledge on the part of the school about such allegations has been upon receipt of a phone call from or visit by HSE personnel," it says. "This failure to inform the school has led to great distress for the teacher concerned and has placed the school designated liaison person and the employer in a very difficult position."
Allegations made directly to the department are automatically referred to the HSE. But the unions say this compromises the right of fair procedure, as required by the guidelines.
In a submission to the department, the unions recommend the "unfair practice" of automatic referral be ended.
Reasonable grounds should be established before an allegation be passed on to the HSE. The unions also called for a definition of what constitutes abuse, based on the "children first" principles.
The submission also criticises the retention of files by the department and HSE where the allegations turn out to be false or malicious. In such cases, it says the name of the teacher should be removed and it should be explicitly noted that the allegations were found to be false or not substantiated.
It is understood the department has not yet responded to the unions' submission.
- John Walshe Education Editor
Issue 3 of SESS Newsletter CABHAIR [SESS]
- Published: 15 January 2009
Source: SESS
Issue 3 of SESS Newsletter CABHAIR
The third issue of the SESS newsletter, CABHAIR, is currently being sent to schools. Included in each newsletter is also an insert entitled ' Inclusive Schools: Developing a Practical Approach'.
Teachers vow to fight wage drop [Irish Independent]
- Published: 15 January 2009
Source: Irish Independent
By: Fergus Black
Teachers last night vowed to fight pay cuts "by all necessary means", writes Fergus Black.
Unions representing more than 55,000 teachers last night added their voice to the growing clamour against pay cuts in the public sector.
With public service unions already warning of ballots for industrial action if the measure is imposed by the government, teachers' leaders threw their weight behind the mounting opposition.
INTO general secretary John Carr condemned what he called a "declaration of war" on the public service and said such attacks were offensive and demoralising to hard-working public servants.
"Rather than continually scapegoating public servants, government must move to protect essential services like education and ensure that contributions to recovery are made by those with the means to do so," he said.
- Fergus Black
Concern over rise in bullying of school principals [Irish Examiner]
- Published: 14 January 2009
Source: Irish Examiner
THE level of bullying against principals by colleagues and parents is on the increase and those recently appointed to the position are being particularly targeted, it has been claimed.
The Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) said it has noted a disturbing increase in the number of calls for help from members being bullied either by individual teachers or groups of staff, or from other members of the school community.
It said very little help is available to those affected by the problem, apart from the organisation's own supports.
'While it may come as a surprise to some that principals are being targeted, the reality is that they are no different from those in other leadership positions in that, because of the isolated nature of the role, they are increasingly likely to suffer hurt, anxiety and desperation as a result of targeted bullying behaviour,' said IPPN director Sean Cottrell.
'Newly-appointed principals in particular have borne the brunt of increased instances of such behaviour, much of it the residue of the appointment process, but they are not alone as principals of many years' experience are also bearing witness to such behaviour,' he wrote in the IPPN's Leadership magazine.
Mr Cottrell acknowledged that, in a small number of cases, principals can and have abused their own powers by bullying members of their own school community over the years. He also said it is other staff, parents, school board members or the wider school community who are the sources of bullying against principals.
The IPPN is particularly disturbed that bullied principals are reluctant to come forward and look for help.
'The reason for this may be that there is an additional embarrassment factor linked to the fact that the principal is perceived in many quarters as the strong, able leader, the bulwark against challenging and threatening behaviour, and indeed, the protector of others targeted in such a manner,' Mr Cottrell said.
But while the organisation offers advice and support, he said there is a very real lack of help from elsewhere.
One in three calls made in the first year to a helpline set up in 2006 as part of the Department of Education employee assistance service related directly to work, including stress, job anxiety, classroom management and relations with other staff.
A 2006 survey by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), whose members include 3,300 primary school principals, found that more than two-thirds of teachers and principals reported a lot of bullying or that the problem was widespread or fairly serious in their schools.
Second-level students get lost in transition [Irish Independent]
- Published: 14 January 2009
Source: Irish Independent
By: Kim Bielenberg
Schools across the country are set to slash transition year activities as the Budget cutbacks take effect.
School outings, field trips, workshops and other activities that incur extra costs are all under threat because many schools can no longer afford them.
In schools where the activities are retained, principals may pass on the extra costs to parents, with an extra bill of €100 considered likely.
There are also fears in education circles that some schools will simply scrap their TY programmes completely because of the expense. Increasingly, the year is being seen as a middle-class luxury.
The ending of the €100 annual grant for TY students may not have been a headline grabber at the time of the Budget. But it could have a profound effect on education.
Under the Budget provisions, schools were paid a proportion of the grant to last them until December, but now they will rely on the small increase in general capitation grants to schools as compensation. That money is not ring-fenced for transition year.
"It is already having an effect,'' says Noel Buckley, a TY co-ordinator at Presentation Secondary School in Clonmel. "I would have liked to take students to the Young Scientist Exhibition, but I had to look at my budgets. So, I couldn't do it.
"The real problem will come with next year's programme, when there will be no grant at all. Some schools will be deciding whether they can still afford transition year.''
At least one school in the Dublin area, which was planning to introduce TY from September, has now decided not to go ahead with it.
Noel Merrick, principal of Naas CBS and president of the Joint Managerial Body for Secondary Schools, said the TY cut was likely to put huge financial pressure on schools and parents.
According to Mr Merrick, it is not just the end of the grant that is affecting transition year.
"We have fewer teachers in schools as a result of the Budget. So we have to look at how many we have in transition year.
"There is also the issue of substitution cover for teachers on field trips for transition year. That has gone. So we are relying on the goodwill of other teachers to cover for them when they are away on a trip.''
A comprehensive TY programme can be expensive. Taking students on a day trip usually costs around €500 for coach hire. A typical TY event such as an interview skills workshop costs a school €300. There are also substantial equipment costs.
In most schools, parents pay significant fees to cover the cost of outings.
At Naas CBS, parents pay €300 per student -- and the fee includes a trip to an adventure centre in the West.
"It is very difficult to ask parents to pay more, because we are a non fee-paying school,'' says Mr Merrick. "Also, you have to consider that many parents have financial pressures of their own at the moment as a result of the recession.''
Noel Buckley, from Clonmel, said many parents may decide to exclude their children from transition year because they can't afford it.
"It is a great shame that this hugely important education experience is being endangered at the stroke of a pen,'' said Mr Buckley.
Young Social Innovators is one of the numerous national programmes aimed at TY students. Students are encouraged to take part in voluntary projects aimed at raising social awareness.
Rachel Collier, chief executive of Young Social Innovators, is concerned about future participation in the scheme.
"We would hold regional events where transition year students come to make presentations. They are accompanied by teachers. There is also a national showcase, where students travel to Dublin. The cutbacks are likely to be a problem, because schools may not have the funds.''
Critics tend to see transition year as a "doss year'', but there is a growing consensus among teachers, school principals and education experts that it benefits pupils academically and in other ways.
At one stage, the Government was planning to make transition year available in all schools, but this is now considered most unlikely.
TY is seen by its supporters as one of the few antidotes to the rote learning and exam obsession that continue to dominate the junior and senior cycles.
A report by the Economic and Social Research Institute showed that students who do transition year tend to score significantly higher points on the Leaving Cert. Taking social background into account, the average CAO points advantage is 25. Among middle-class students, the dividend is higher.
The ESRI research also shows transition pupils are more likely to go on to third-level education. Dr Gerry Jeffers, lecturer in education at NUI Maynooth, says students also gain from transition year in their social and personal development.
"The whole idea of transition year is to extend the learning environment beyond the classroom. It has to be a hands-on experience.
"For biology, you are taking students to the sea shore; for art, you are bringing them to the gallery to see the paintings. The problem is that this costs money.
"In practical terms, students have to get a bus, and trips often require more than one teacher.
"With the cutbacks, there is a danger that the more ground-breaking, adventurous features of transition year will be dropped.''
The year of learning differently ...
â— Just under half of all pupils at Irish second-level schools do transition year, and it is now available in 75pc of schools.
â— The TY programme has three main aims:
1. Education for maturity with emphasis on personal development, including social awareness and social competence.
2. The promotion of general, technical and academic skills, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary and selfdirected learning.
3. Education through experience of adult and working life as a basis for personal development and maturity.
- Kim Bielenberg
