Threat to withdraw pupils over school bus row [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 10 June 2011
PARENTS have threatened to withdraw their children from a school on the Cork-Limerick border if the Government goes ahead with controversial proposals to change the way it operates school buses.
Angry parents and students demonstrated outside Kildorrery National School yesterday, one of six schools in Co Cork threatened by the withdrawal of a Closed Schools agreement.
Under this agreement when small rural schools were closed and children were bused to larger, amalgamated schools, their bus travel was provided free.
Now, under the new proposals, all students will be charged a minimum of €50 to use the service but, if they live within two miles of the school, the fee will be €200.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
82 inspection reports published on Department's website [education.ie]
- Published: 09 June 2011
A total of 82 school inspection-reports were published today (9 June, 2011) on the Department of Education and Skills' website.
- New inspection reports on the web today comprise:
- 18 whole-school evaluations (WSEs) at primary level
- 4 whole-school evaluation (WSEs) at post-primary level, including 14 subject inspections
- 36 stand-alone subject inspections
- 1 programme evaluation within WSE
- 5 stand-alone programme evaluations
- 4 evaluations of Centres for Education
Since 6th February 2006, school inspection reports such as WSE and subject inspections are published on the Department of Education and Skills' website at regular intervals throughout the school year.
There are now 4,643 school-inspection reports on the website, representative of 1,868 schools and centres for education.
WSE reports comment on the school's management, planning and management of resources, the effectiveness of teaching and learning, its arrangements for student assessment, supports for students, provision for minority groups and home-school links.
Full Story: www.education.ie
Minister for Education and Skills is to meet with book publishers to address high cost of school books [education.ie]
- Published: 09 June 2011
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn T.D., today told the Dáil that he would meet with book publishers and representatives of parents shortly to discuss the high cost of school books.
Speaking in the Dáil today, the Minister also expressed his concern at the frequent rate of revisions to school books made by publishers.
He said, “I sympathise with parents who are experiencing difficulty in paying for school books. The harsh economic reality in Ireland means money is tight for many parents.”
“I will see what role my Department can play in ensuring that revisions of books are kept to a minimum.”
The commitment from Minister Quinn comes on foot of concerns being raised by organisations such as the St Vincent de Paul, as well as teacher organisations and parents.
Full Story: www.education.ie
Quinn to meet schoolbook firms over frequency of new editions [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 June 2011
EDUCATION Minister Ruairi Quinn is to meet the publishers of schoolbooks in an attempt to stop the frequent appearance of new editions.
Mr Quinn has been under pressure from parents, teachers and welfare organisations over the cost imposed on families who have to buy new books.
As highlighted in the Irish Independent last month, new editions appear regularly even though there have been no syllabus changes in most subjects for years.
And teachers have little choice but to put a new edition on the book list because the former edition is withdrawn from sale.
It means parents may not have the option of passing down the version of the same book used by an older sibling.
The changes contained in the new editions are frequently only cosmetic and may amount to nothing more than different photos or other illustrations, or an updating of statistics in one section.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
UK :: NSPCC-Backed App Aims To End Cyber-Bullying [sligotoday.ie]
- Published: 09 June 2011
A new phone app is being launched with the aim of putting an end to cyber-bullying of children via texts and mobiles.
The Block'em app was thought up by Helen Perry, who was herself subjected to harassing calls on her mobile as an adult.
"I found it all very unpleasant, as an adult, and I couldn't stop looking at the messages," she told Sky News Online.
"Then I started to imagine what it would be like for a child to experience it."
Full Story: www.sligotoday.ie
