Fury as school staffing cuts to affect most vulnerable children [Independent.ie]
- Published: 18 June 2011
Parents and teachers are furious about staffing cuts that will leave children with behavioural problems, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), without support in the classroom.
A cap of 10,575 is being put on the number of special needs assistants (SNAs) in schools, which means 227 of the 10,802 existing posts will disappear this year, while 475 will be held in reserve and allocated as needs arise.
It is a cost-cutting move brought on by the EU/IMF bailout and follows a value-for-money review that found that some SNAs were engaged in duties beyond what was originally envisaged.
The Department of Education has now announced new criteria for the allocation of an SNA, whose role is to help children with care needs, including toileting, mobility, feeding and challenging behaviour.
The new rules will give priority to children such as those in special schools, and those who are incontinent.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Two-year online course aimed at aspiring second-level teachers [Independent.ie]
- Published: 17 June 2011
People who want to be second-level teachers are now able to study for their qualification online.
A new flexible training course for what is popularly known as the HDip enables students to do most of their work from home.
It is the first time that what is now called the post-graduate diploma in education (PGDE) has been delivered in this way.
On top of a basic degree, a PGDE is needed to take up a teaching position in a secondary school.
The private Hibernia College in Dublin has started the online course in anticipation of what it predicts will be a growing demand for teachers.
The fee for the two-year course, which is expected to enrol about 150 students this autumn, will be €8,950 and qualifies for tax relief.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Irish students 'among the worst in Europe' for languages [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 17 June 2011
The number of third-level students in Ireland with proficiency in foreign languages is among the lowest in Europe, a new study has found.
Just five per cent of college graduates claim the ability to speak two foreign languages, which placed Ireland second from bottom in the table of 25 countries, ahead of only Turkey, the Irish Independent reported.
The newspaper suggested that compulsory Irish lessons at secondary school level may be partly to blame, as this means most pupils only end up studying one other European tongue.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
Department authorises the National Council for Special Education to allocate Special Needs Assistants for 2011/12 [education.ie]
- Published: 17 June 2011
All Schools will be advised next week in relation to their allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs).
The previous Government decided in December 2010 to cap the number of whole time equivalent posts at 10,575. At present there are 10,802 posts which is 227 over the cap to be reached by the end of 2011. This is primarily as a result of a commitment by the Department of Education and Skills to provide an additional 230 SNA posts in 13 new schools for children with autism (previously ABA Pilot centres). The Department is committed to meeting the cap figure of 10,575 by the end of this year, as per the requirements of the Employment Control Framework.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the Department have decided to retain 475 of the 10,575 posts in order to allocate them during the coming school year for cases such as emergency and reviews, acquired injuries, new entrants to schools, arrivals from overseas or new assessments of disability or syndromes during the school year which cannot be catered for from within the schools allocation of SNA support.
NCSE priority criteria for the allocation of SNA posts include:
- ensuring that the minimum SNA to special class ratio is maintained in special schools and special classes
- ensuring support for children with incontinence issues
- ensuring those schools which require full day cover for children receive full day cover
- deferring the allocation of additional SNA supports to schools for Junior Infant pupils for whom behaviour is cited as the rationale for SNA support, other than in cases of well documented extremely challenging or dangerous behaviour *(see note below)
- prioritise schools which have enrolled pupils with newly diagnosed care needs and which do not have any SNA support
- encouraging the effective use of SNA posts, for example where two or more posts have been deployed in a single classroom
Govt commits to stemming drain of brightest people from Ireland [siliconrepublic.com]
- Published: 16 June 2011
In light of the unemployment figures released today, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton, TD, has said Ireland needs to do everything possible to create opportunities for our brightest people so they won’t leave the country.
He is in on a week-long trade mission to the US, meeting some of the world’s largest IT companies in an attempt to secure new investment and employment for Ireland.
“The decline in the unemployment rate from 14.8pc in the last quarter of 2010 to 14pc in the first quarter of 2011 is to be welcomed, but today’s figures remind us once again the scale of the unemployment challenge facing a new Government,” he said.
