Taoiseach Launches “Get Active” Guiding Framework
September 9, 2013
Framework allows for a co-ordinated approach to physical education, physical activity and sport for children and young people.
The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, today formally launched the Get Active Guiding Framework, which aims to create a co-ordinated approach to physical education, physical activity and sport in school and community settings for children and young people.
Speaking at the launch, the Taoiseach said: “Physical activity is great for body and mind. This Government is committed to making Ireland a healthier place to live. To achieve this, provision for physical education, physical activity and sport must be focussed, effective and sustainable. If we do this well, our children and young people will enjoy better health, a more balanced education and a more equitable and inclusive society in the future. Get Active builds on the work of the Healthy Ireland framework to promote a healthy society with well-being valued and supported.”
Developed in partnership by the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Health, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Get Active seeks to promote children’s well-being and interests.
The Framework can be used by organisations and individuals according to their needs. It is not prescriptive or exhaustive in detail as it is more about encouraging dialogue and generating new ideas.
Kildare Gaelscoil opens its doors
September 6, 2013
THE new Gaelscoil in Kildare town began the first chapter of its life when it opened its doors last week.
Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha Principal, Norma Ní Chonchúir, welcomed 13 junior infant pupils on Thursday August 29.
The school is to be temporarily based in the former vocational school building in Kildare town and is to move to a permanent building at a new educational campus at Magee Barracks.
In March 2012, the demand for Irish medium education in Kildare town was recognised by the Department of Education, and it was announced that a Gaelscoil under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta would be opened.
Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha is a multidenominational Gaelscoil. The new school will start out with Junior Infants only this year but it is expected that it will grow rapidly.
Norma Ní Chonchúir, principal of Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha is extremely proud of what the school community in Kildare town has achieved to date.
“The parents have given me great support,” said Ms Ní Chonchúir.
“They have decided on a lovely uniform and have designed the school crest. I am really looking forward to the year ahead.
“It is a great honour for me to be the principal of Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha.
“There is a great demand for education through Irish in the Kildare town area, and it is brilliant that this new school is opening to cater for that demand.”
Schools across the county reopened over the past week.
It was a big change for pupils of the former Scoil Bhride Naofa and De La Salle Manistreach schools in Kildare town, as the new amalgamated St. Brigid’s Primary school welcomed both boys and girls at the former convent school building.
www.leinsterleader.ie
Celebrate a Celtic birthday with Fíbín
September 6, 2013
VERCINGETORIX HAS gone down in history as the Gaullish leader who in 52BC led the uprising against Julian Caesar’s conquest of his country.
Today he is revered as a proto-French patriot and there are memorials to him across France. However Vercingetorix will come alive in Connemara to narrate the history of the Celtic peoples.
Fíbín Theatre Company will bring a vast rock-face to life in Stair na gCeilteach/History of the Celts, a free outdoor videomapping spectacle on Friday September 13 and Saturday 14 at the Quarry, Furnace Road, Camus.
This action-packed story is told through the eyes of Vercingetorix, who is celebrating his 3,000th birthday. Stair na gCeilteach also marks Fíbín’s 10th birthday. The company is celebrated for its visual theatre which features masks, puppets, video projections, and shadow puppetry.
This is the company’s first sitespecific show and first time to use video-mapping, a state-of-the-art technology of mapping the contours of any surface and projecting moving images onto it. Stair na gCeilteach is directed by Rod Goodall and features music by the award-winning Galway choir Cois Cladaigh and soloist Sarah Grealish.
The show is a collaboration between Fíbín and video-mapping artists Improbable Films from Madrid and forms part of the programme for Culture Connects.
Tickets are free but must be reserved by contacting fibinteo@gmail.com or 091 – 593823. For more information see www.fibin.com
www.advertiser.ie/galway
Comórtas BEO!
September 6, 2013
Thosaigh BEO mar scéim idirbhliana sa bhliain 2009. With an annual prize fund of €10,000 Comórtas BEO has developed into a national competition.
Is iad seo a leanas aidhmeanna BEO:
- Bannaí ceoil óga Éireannach a chuir chun cinn
- Suim sa cheol a spreagadh i measc an idirbhliain agus daoine óga
- An teanga Ghaeilge a chuir chun cinn
BEO was founded by transition year students from Coláiste Ailigh , St. Eunan’s College, Loreto Convent and Errigal College. All of these schools are located in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.
BEO aims to get young people interested in music by encouraging them to organise a series of concerts in their local area. Students are in charge of every aspect of the organisational process – booking the acts, promotion of events, filming of concerts etc. This encourages an interest in live music, while helping students develop a wide range of organisational and communication skills.
This project also puts a firm emphasis on the Irish language and seeks to encompass it in the organisational process – “Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste, ná Bearla cliste”.
BEO’s involvement in an NDRC hosted competition over 6 weeks led to the student led development of www.beoireland.com
Following our success in this national competition we started our own National BEO competition backed by the Donegal VEC now Donegal NTB and Donegal County Council. Since its start, over 35 schools have participated in Comórtas BEO with winner Bridgetown Community School, Co Wexford in 2012 and Scoil Phól Kilfinane, Co Limerick in 2012.
Finalists were asked to make a presentation to some celebrity judges outlining why their school hosted the best concert. These were, Jackie Hayden from Hot Press ,well respected author of many music related books but perhaps is best known for the person who first signed U2, Paddy Mc Kenna musician and 2FM presenter, Mary O Hagan who is the senior Producer of the Matt Cooper show on Today FM, Cian Mc Carthy musician and Radio na Life presenter, Brian Fisher of Practice Makes Perfect Event and The Nerve Centre in Derry and Deaglan Mac Eamharcaigh In Their Thousands.
The first step in setting up a BEO programme is the formation of a BEO committee. The committee consists of a group of young volunteers who wish to see BEO succeed. Once a committee is formed, it is important to delegate jobs to each member that reflect their relevant strengths. Many of these roles complement skills that are developed in specific secondary school classes. Jobs include;
- Director Responsible for keeping the project moving forward, meeting deadlines and ensuring all aspects of the project are synchronized (Ideal work for Business students / students with excellent communication skills)
- Webpage coordinator Responsible for keeping BEO.com up to date with photos, calendars and video of recent activity (Ideal for computer class students)
- Graphic Designer Responsible for all poster, flyer, T shirt design and other advertising (ideal for art class students)
- Writers Responsible for writing for local newspapers see link www.donegaldaily/writingtips.com (Ideal for English and Irish class)
- Sales Responsible for ticket printing, sales and marketing (BEO can be funded by selling 140 ticket at €5 each) (Ideal for business class)
- Facebook personnel Responsible for promoting the facebook profile of BEO and participating bands (Good communication/web skills necessary)
- BEO blog Responsible for keeping a diary of all BEO activity. This could also translate to a BEO twitter account (Ideal for English and Irish clas)
- Oifigeach Gaeilge Responsible for accuracy of Irish used in the promotion of BEO (Ideal for Irish class)
- Photographers Responsible for keeping a photographic account of all BEO events for Facebook and webpage (Ideal for media or art students)
- BEO TV Responsible for recording and editing footage of BEO, conducting interviews of bands/ fans and uploading to Youtube www.youtube/tips.com (Ideal for media and computer students)
- Statistics Responsible for gathering statistical information related to BEO events. These statistics can be used to better plan upcoming BEO events using good questioning. See www.surveymonkey.com. (Ideal for students with an interest in maths or business)
- Construction Responsible for ensuring the stage area is in order. Keep in mind that a venue will always need a little work on the day of an event e.g bins, table for the doorman (Ideal for students familiar with musical equipment)
- Welcome committee Responsible for meeting visiting youth groups, bands and other guests. Prepare refreshments for group leaders and bands after a long journey and organise a tuck shop (Ideal for students who took part in mini-company)
This list is nowhere near complete and serves only as a rough guideline. BEO can draw on skills learned in almost every class in secondary school. It’s possible to run a BEO event with only a few of the above personnel, however, the more people that are involved, the greater the overall experience.
There has also been a concerted effort to increase teen social conscience with Wrockshops incorporated into the events (e.g. AA, Garda Road Safety, Aware etc).
BEO has grown each year and in 2014 aims to increase participation in Comórtas BEO to 50 schools nationally (North and South). A team is being prepared to visit 30 schools throughout the country. If you feel that your school is in a position to learn more please contact us ASAP as we have only a small number of spaces left on the calander.
Comórtas BEO 2013/14 will be launched in Scoil Phól Kilfinane, Co Limerick on October 4 (Eurovision style) with 70 Letterkenny based students travelling south to the event. The following day a presentation will be made as a part of FÉILTE, World Teachers Day hosted by The Teaching Council in Dublin.
2014 also see Bliain na Gaeilge and we are also hosting another national competition in conjunction with Foras na Gaeilge with a first prize of €3,000 for the writing and preforming of an original song in the Irish language. This competition is open to teenagers in schools and clubs all over the country. The final of this competition will be held during the Oireachtas.
Lastly BEO is a volunteer run operation(Carmel, Seosamh, Eoin and some egger TY students) with as yet no commercial backing and to this end we must thank our sponsors over the years, Donegal ETB, Donegal County Council, Foras na Gaeilge and Clr Dessie Larkin for providing funding to keep the Comórtas alive.
Contacts
www.beoireland.com
Seosamh Mac Ceallabhuí
0879068709
seosmac@gmail.com
Oifigeach Forbartha – Feachtas
September 5, 2013
Large class sizes a ‘black mark’ on Ireland’s education record – INTO
September 5, 2013
That almost a quarter of primary school children are in classes of 30 or more is a “black mark” on Ireland’s education record, according to teachers’ union, the INTO.
Departmental statistics revealed that more than 120,000 children, or 23.5 per cent, of primary school children in mainstream schools were in classes of 30 or more in the last school cycle. In certain local authority areas that percentage was closer to a third, with 31.5 per cent of primary school pupils in Wicklow and 30.6 per cent of those in the Limerick County Council area in classes of 30 or more pupils.
The largest class in the country recorded in the 2012/13 school cycle had 41 pupils in a Co Cork school. Three schools, located in Cork, Monaghan and Galway, each had one class of 40 pupils. The school that recorded the largest number of primary school children was St Mary’s parish primary school in Drogheda, Co Louth. The smallest school in the country, St Columbus National School on Inishturk off Co Mayo, recorded just three pupils.
Average class sizes
The average class size increased slightly from 24.4 in the 2011/12 school year to 24.7 in 2012/13.
The latest statistics were contained in the department’s annual census of mainstream primary schools conducted on September 30th, 2012.
Peter Mullan of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation noted that in the 2012/13 year there were more than 8,500 students in classes of 30 or more pupils than in the previous academic year.
“Class sizes have the biggest impact on children’s learning – all the evidence shows that in smaller classes of 20, which is the EU average, learning outcomes improve.
“The evidence also shows that younger children benefit from smaller classes . . . and the third piece of evidence that is very clear is that children from disadvantaged backgrounds do better in smaller classes,” he said, calling for a Government commitment to reduce class sizes.
Barometer
Larry Fleming of Ballinamere National School in Co Offaly and public relations officer with the Irish Primary Principals’ Network, said the “real barometer in any class is the quality of teacher but the simple fact of the matter is that the quality of a teacher, no matter how good, depends on the number of children they have in front of them”.
However, in a statement released yesterday evening, the Department of Education said there had been no change to the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools.
“Some 900 extra primary and secondary school teachers are being recruited this year to maintain class sizes,” a spokeswoman said.
“The pupil-teacher ratio of 28 to one in primary schools is unchanged under this Government. Class sizes are managed locally by the principal. There will inevitably be individual classes that are bigger or smaller than 28. It is also worth noting that about one-third of all classes have fewer than 25 children.”
Case study
‘In a class of 30 pupils where is the centre of the classroom anymore?’
When Mary Mother of Hope senior national school in Littlepace, Dublin 15, opened its school gates last year, 477 children poured through them.
As with any cohort in this relatively young Dublin suburb, the student population included a diverse mix of children with varying learning and language abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Almost two-thirds – some 64 per cent of pupils – ended up in classes of between 30 and 34 pupils. School principal Enda McGorman said such large classes pose a challenge for teachers trying to meet the diverse needs of all their pupils.
“The reality is the complexity of the classroom now is such that, with bigger class sizes, teachers are finding it hard to meet the huge variety of needs of children,” he said yesterday, after new figures revealed that almost a quarter of Ireland’s primary school children are in classes of 30 or more pupils.
“We have children with special education needs, children from newcomer backgrounds and you have a mix of socioeconomic circumstances as well, and you have all that in one class of 30 pupils – where is the centre of the classroom any more? Where do you teach to?
“If you focus your attention on one child, one group or cohort it is then really challenging to ensure the others are being as well attended to.
“In years past we could have pointed to the resource teacher, to English languages resource teachers, special needs assistants . . . but the supports aren’t there now and yet our class sizes are continuing to grow,” Mr McGorman said.
He said schools are using all the resources at their disposal, including the use of learning support teachers, to help ensure pupils’ needs can be more closely met.
“Smaller class sizes would give us closer proximity to the learning and needs of every child.”
www.irishtimes.com
Irish education has ‘long way to go’ to be world class
September 5, 2013
Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn has said Ireland has a long way to go to have the kind of “world class education system that we need to have”. He said before this goal was achieved it had to be recognised that “the assertion that was so frequently trotted out in the past, but which blatantly wasn’t true, was that we had one of the best education systems in the world”.
Mr Quinn said this was an “assertion based on no evidence whatsoever other than something of a feelgood factor that was communicated to us at home by the greater Irish diaspora who felt, for whatever reason, that it was better than what their children were experiencing in other parts of the world.”
Mr Quinn was speaking ahead of the opening of the Fifth National Conference on Research in Mathematics in Ireland (MEI5) at St Patrick’s College Drumcondra, Dublin. The Minister also said he will respect whatever decision secondary teachers make when they are balloted next week on the Haddington Road agreement. Industrial action could be initiated in second-level schools as early as next week if teachers vote to reject the deal. Ballot papers have been issued to more than 30,000 members of the ASTI and TUI unions this week. Teachers are being asked to vote on the deal brokered in May and already backed by the primary teachers’ union the INTO and other public sector unions. “It’s a matter for themselves. They’ve had the summer to reflect on changes in the system,” Mr Quinn said. “Most other people in the public sector have responded to the Haddington Road agreement and the opportunities and the constraints that it offers at a time when everybody in our country has been affected by the disasters of the previous government. “But it’s a matter for them to make their own choice and their own decision and I will respect whatever decision they make.”
With regard to pupil/teacher ratios, Mr Quinn said there had been “no change” since he came into office in the ratio for primary school pupils. “What has been the big change is the massive increase in numbers, which we have anticipated.” He said there had been a “kind of car-crash moment” two years ago when he had seen projections of pupil numbers. There was a €2.2 billion capital building programme to increase capacity and this year marked the second in the programme to get rid of prefabs in schools, he said. These were a “temporary” solution and were “not desirable”, particularly in winter. “We have, as you saw, 22 per cent of all of the pupils in classes of over 30, which makes it very difficult for teachers to try and get around to everybody, particularly if the class is mixed in terms of background and different ability. “So I’m aware we have a massive demographic growth. We would like to have more classroom space to enable principals to redeploy the teachers that they do have and teaching assistants.”
On today’s Cabinet meeting, Mr Quinn said the Government was “looking forward to getting back to work”. But he said the forthcoming Budget would be the “hardest” of the three budgets under the troika regime, because “everybody is taking a hit”. “We’ve got still more road to travel before we get back in control of our own economy and our own economic sovereignty. The choices become more difficult with each year because the easier difficult choices are the ones that are made first so it is going to be difficult.”
Mr Quinn said the misalignment of the fiscal year and the academic year meant all figures for his department’s budgetary purposes would not be available until the end of September. “So the baseline upon which we will have to make adjustments doesn’t clarify itself until very close to budget day itself. So that’s a new kind of difficulty that we have to encounter.” The theme of the conference in St Patrick’s College today and tomorrow is Mathematics Education: Crossing Boundaries. Mr Quinn told those in attendance the Government had taken a number of initiatives in recent years to develop mathematical understanding, knowledge and skills amongst young people and this work would continue.
Project Maths, supported by a significant investment in professional development for teachers, had been the most “radical curriculum development” on the academic calendar at post primary level since its launch in 2008. The maths syllabus for junior cycle would be reviewed in the near future, he said. He also welcomed the 58 per cent increase in the number of students taking higher level maths at Leaving Cert level, attributing it to the award of 25 bonus points for the subject. He paid tribute to his predecessor, former Fianna Fáil minister Mary Coughlan, for supporting that initiative. President of St Patrick’s College, Dr Daire Keogh, said the conference was dedicated to creating a forum for sharing ideas and best practices in the field of maths teaching and exchanging the latest research results. Distinguished speakers in mathematics education would, he hoped, spark “stimulating discussion” about the teaching and learning of mathematics. Presentations by teachers and researchers will also highlight effective classroom practices.
www.irishtimes.com
Cúnamh don bhéal triail
September 5, 2013
Primary school groups unite to fight further cuts
September 5, 2013
Primary school education groups have warned that educational spending could be a huge political issue in next year’s local elections.
The groups have joined forces to form the National Alliance for Primary Education in a bid to stop further spending cuts in primary education in next month’s budget. The alliance believes any attempt to cut primary education is essentially a direct attack on children and their constitutional right to education.
A postcard campaign, aimed at TDs and organised by the alliance, is to start this week. It calls on politicians to protect primary education in the budget so schools can contribute to the national recovery.
“Primary school children did not cause our economic crisis,” say campaigners. “They should not be forced to pay for it through education cutbacks.”
Áine Lynch, the chief executive of the National Parents Council–Primary, said: “We are calling on parents, teachers, principals, and the wider community to get behind this campaign.”
Paul Rowe, the chief executive of Educate Together, said children in primary schools bore no responsibility for the difficulties of the Government and financial system.
“We are asking the Government parties to be aware of the significance of the local elections coming up next year,” he said. “That this is a major political issue which has to be addressed.”
Brendan O’Sullivan, president of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, said more cuts in education were being threatened in the name of a discredited austerity regime but were not necessary.
“There is a choice being made here to make these cuts on the backs of children in primary school,” he said. “For any of us that is not acceptable.”
Brendan McCabe, president of the Irish Primary Principals Network, said Finland increased its education budget when the country was in recession and Ireland should do the same.
As reported in the Irish Examiner earlier this week, primary class sizes increased slightly in the last school year with no changes to the ratio of almost 25 pupils per teacher, even though there were no changes to how staff are allocated to schools. With schools accepting more pupils but not enough to be allocated extra teachers, 121,353, or almost one in four, pupils were in primary classes of 30 or more, around 8,500 more than the previous year.
The effects of counting guidance counsellors in secondary schools’ general staffing allocation of all contributed to a rise in pupil-teacher ratios from 13.5:1 to 13.9:1.
Gerard Craughwell, president of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, said schools operated with 650 fewer teachers than they should have, contributing to the loss of subjects such as physics, music, languages, and others.
www.irishexaminer.com
Ranganna Gaeilge an Fhómhair i nGaillimh
September 5, 2013
