Irish Language and Cultural weekend in the Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht
September 5, 2013
For those interested in improving their Irish in a pleasant, relaxed environment, Gael Linn are organizing an Irish language and cultural weekend for Adult Learners in the Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht, Co. Meath from Friday 11 – 13 October 2013. This is the sixth consecutive year for the organization to run this highly successful event, in partnership with the local co-operative, Comharchumann Ráth Chairn. The weekend will coincide with the annual Éigse Dharach Uí Chatháin festival this year, and participants will have the opportunity to experience the rich cultural heritage of this living Gaeltacht at first hand. The Ráth Chairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1937 when families from Conamara transferred to the area under a land commission scheme, and is situated between Trim and Athboy in Co. Meath – just an hour from Dublin !
Among the activies planned for the weekend are conversational Irish language classes ( intermediate level ), workshops on sean-nós Irish singing, a tablequiz and plenty of ceol and craic with the local native speakers in the evenings ! Full board accommodation will be arranged for participants in the locality and the all-inclusive fee for the weekend is a very reasonable €180 per person!
Further information and an application form is available in the enclosed attachment, and also on www.gael-linn.ie or from Seán Ó Ceallaigh at 01:6753299 (seanc@gael-linn.ie).
Children Shouldn’t Pay – Protect Primary Education
September 4, 2013
The National Primary Education Alliance, comprising all the partners at primary level, has come together to call on Government to stop any further cuts to primary education in this year’s Budget. The Alliance believes that any attempt to impose additional cuts on primary education is essentially a direct attack on children and their constitutional right to primary education. The children of today and tomorrow should not be forced to pay for this country’s troubles or economic crisis. The Alliance is urging Government to prioritise primary education, thus enabling it to support our national recovery. How can schools equip today’s generation for tomorrow if they are drained of vital resources. Cuts to primary education are short-sighted, represent bad value for money and will have devastating consequences for Irish society.
The Alliance is asking the members of your local school community to contact local TDs and ask them to protect primary education. Postcards for use in direct mailing to elected representatives have been sent by the Alliance to each school to be distributed to each family, together with a list of local representatives to whom the postcards may be circulated. The National Primary Education Alliance is calling on schools, teachers, parents, communities and the people of Ireland, to stand together and resist these cuts and protect primary education for our children.
The National Primary Education Alliance includes: An Foras Pátrúnachta, Church of Ireland, CPSMA, Educate Together, GAELSCOILEANNA TEO., IPPN, INTO, NABMSE, NPC.
You can download the postcard here: Cárta Poist 2013
Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha in the newspapers
September 4, 2013
Leinster Leader: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=525045150905291&set=a.221395217936954.54298.185008058242337&type=1&relevant_count=1
Kildare Nationalist: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=525047977571675&set=a.221395217936954.54298.185008058242337&type=1
Cainteanna ar litríocht agus chultúr na hóige
September 4, 2013
Commuter-belt pupils face most crowded classrooms
September 4, 2013
Enrolments at highest in 20 years
Almost 25pc in ‘supersize’ classes
ALMOST one-in-three school pupils in some parts of the country is now in a “supersize” classroom of more than 30 children.
The children of commuter- belt families are suffering the most overcrowded classrooms, new figures confirm.
As primary-school enrolments rise, average classes are getting bigger almost everywhere throughout the country, with a spike in the number of pupils in classes of 30 or more. But some communities are being hit much harder than others, according to the latest figures from the Department of Education.
Wicklow tops the table with 31.5pc of children in classes of 30 or more, slightly ahead of Limerick county at 30.6pc. This means that almost one-in-three pupils in those areas is being taught in so-called “supersize” classes.
Children living in areas of rapid population growth on the outskirts of Dublin, and neighbouring counties, are also among the worst affected. There is also a big squeeze in classrooms in Cork county and Waterford county, parts of which experienced a population boom in the past decade.
In contrast, class sizes are generally stable, or falling, in many rural areas and in cities, reflecting trends in population.
The average class size rose to 24.7 in 2012-13, up from 24.5 the previous year. It compares with an EU average of 20. However, the slight increase in the national average masks a shocking jump in the number of pupils in classes of 30 or more, the precise impact of which depends on where a family lives. Primary pupils in Wicklow and Limerick counties are almost twice as likely to be squeezed into a class of 30 or more, when compared with those in the largely rural Cavan and Roscommon, where the rate is 16.2 pc.
However, teachers in small rural schools may be dealing with the complexity of more than one class in each classroom.
At the other end of the scale, the department’s figures also show a drop in the number of smaller classes in schools. In Dublin Fingal, only 2.6pc of pupils are in classes of under 20, down from 3pc a year previously. This compares with 21.4pc in Roscommon.
Pushed
Overall, 13 areas stand out as having the most crowded classrooms – a combination of the highest proportion of children in classes of 30 or more and the lowest proportion of pupils in classes of fewer than 20. They are: Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown, South Dublin, Fingal, Kildare, Meath , Wicklow, Wexford, Laois, Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford county, Cork county and Limerick county.
The 70,000 junior infants starting in primary schools this week have pushed enrolments to their highest levels for more than 20 years – and about 10,000 more than last September as more children pour into schools, the number in classes of 30 or more has risen by 8,000 since 2011/12 to over 121,000 in 2012/13. It is up from 97,000 in 2010/11.
That amounts to an overall average of 23.5 of primary pupils – almost one in four or – in “supersize” classes, up from 22.3pc the previous year, as a result of growing enrolments and cuts in staffing in small primary schools. At the same time, the proportion of pupils in classes of fewer than 20 has dropped to 10.6pc, from 11.9pc in 2011/12.
Faced with rising enrolments, at both primary and secondlevel, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has made a commitment to provide a school place for every child and this term has seen the opening of seven new primary schools to serve growing populations.
But while schools are being built to accommodate numbers, classrooms are getting more crowded.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) said that at the same time as class sizes were rising, non-class teachers were being cut from the system.
“More and more responsibility is being put on the class teacher to meet the needs of children with little English, special needs or disadvantaged backgrounds,” said INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan
According to the INTO, smaller classes are most important when children are young.
www.independent.ie
Minister Quinn publishes draft Admission to Schools bill to regulate the admission of children to primary and post primary schools
September 3, 2013
Minister Quinn publishes draft Admission to Schools bill to regulate the admission of children to primary and post primary schools
Proposed regulations would underpin a fair and transparent enrolment process that precludes school places being allocated on the basis of waiting lists and stops schools seeking deposits or payments as part of the admission process.
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, has published a draft General Scheme for an Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, 2013 as well as draft regulations for discussion ahead of enacting legislation.
The heads of bill, approved by the Cabinet, propose a new parent-friendly, equitable and consistent framework to regulate school admissions policy for all 4,000 primary and post-primary schools. If enacted, this framework will improve access to schools for all pupils and will ensure there is consistency, fairness and transparency in the admissions policies of all schools.
The Minister aims to improve the admissions process to ensure that the way schools decide on applications is structured, fair and transparent. The draft bill seeks to remove the burden from parents of appealing school decisions to refuse a place to their child – this will see an end to the current complex system of appeals to the Department under Section 29 of the Education Act, which sometimes leads to court cases.
The proposed measures empower the Minister for Education and Skills to require schools to co-operate where disputes around admissions arise. The Minister could also ultimately appoint an independent person to operate the enrolment process where a school refused to amend its practices in accordance with the legislation.
The draft regulations seek to bring a level playing pitch for families newly settled or returning to live in an area and to ensure a parent’s income or ability to pay admission fees cannot be a factor that will determine school admission. The regulations will also bring an end to the “soft barriers” that can affect children with special educational needs.
Under the proposals:
- Schools would not be allowed to accept applications for admission before October 1st of the year preceding the year of enrolment with a longer period allowed for boarding schools.
- The Minister may regulate that no admission fees may be sought or charged as a condition of application for admission to a school.
- Schools would not be able to conduct interviews with parents and children ahead of enrolment
- Schools that can establish that they have waiting lists in place may, under a derogation, be allowed to clear those lists over a period of a few years
- Schools will be allowed to prioritise places for an applicant who is a sibling of an existing or former student
- Appeals to be dealt with at school level under simplified arrangements.
“I believe there is a better way of dealing with school admissions. These measures are about what might be described as ‘good housekeeping’ and will bring about greater transparency, fairness and consistency in the way schools operate their admission processes,” Minister Quinn said.
“While I don’t want to overly intrude in day-to-day school management the proposed new regulatory framework strikes a balance between school autonomy and fairness in our education system and would require schools to provide a better service for parents. The framework constitutes a significant public service reform aimed at substantially improving the experience between the public and schools on student admission.”
The draft General Scheme and draft regulations will be issued to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection today, to allow a full public discussion, including inputs from parents and the education partners.
“I hope the Committee gives this early consideration so that we can proceed to the next stage of legislation as soon as possible” the Minister said. “Throughout this process, I have been anxious to ensure that we have a fair and balanced school admissions process. I know that many parents are happy with the schools their children attend. But there are cases where there is disappointment and dissatisfaction, with limited means of dealing with this.”
The publication of the heads of bill and draft regulations follows a public consultation process held in 2011.
“I would like to thank everyone who has engaged with the public consultation on this matter to date, and I am confident that we can continue to work together to change the system for the benefit of all students, schools and families,” said Minister Quinn.
Current appeals process for enrolment decisions-
The existing provisions of the Education Act, 1998, limit the options available to the Minister to resolve difficulties that may arise on the ground. The legislation does provide a power for the Minister to regulate the “admission of children to schools”. However this power is general and the Act does not set out explicitly the extent or scope of such regulations.
The other relevant provisions of the Act specify that establishing and maintaining an enrolment policy is a function of a school, and allow for an appeal process under Section 29 of the legislation.
There are at present effectively only two remedies provided for in law for resolving difficulties relating to school admission practice. One is the Section 29 appeal system noted above. The second allows for the patron of a school or the Minister to exercise powers that bring about the removal of the board of management where there is a concern about how a Board has discharged its functions. Suspected malpractice in relation to school admission could be classed as a concern.
While Section 29 does provide an appellate process for parents and students it is a one size fits all approach and does not distinguish between a refusal to enrol simply because the number of applications exceeds the number of available places (oversubscription) as distinct from a situation where a student cannot get a place in any school in an area. The Section 29 process had triggered multiple appeals in oversubscription cases and has created a significant administrative burden for schools.
Ráiteas GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. maidir leis an nDréachtbhille do Ligean Isteach ar Scoil
September 3, 2013
Education groups welcome proposals
September 3, 2013
Admission Bill would transfer appeals process back to schools
School management organisations have concerns about impact on administration
Plans to eradicate school waiting lists have been welcomed by education and parents’ groups: Plans to eradicate school waiting lists and booking deposits for school places have been broadly welcomed by education and parents’ groups.
The proposed Admission To Schools Bill would also make it more difficult for schools to discriminate on the grounds of limited resources in cases where children have special learning needs.
“For too long, young people with special educational needs have been deprived of the opportunity to attend the school of their choice and the proposed legislation should eliminate this discretionary practice,” said Michael Moriarty of Education and Training Boards Ireland.
However, school management organisations have expressed concerns about how the changes might impact on administration. The draft Bill proposes to remove the current system that allows parents to make an appeal to the Department of Education where they are unhappy with a school decision on student admission, known as a section 29 appeal.
The new scheme, details of which were published by the Department of Education yesterday, would transfer the appeals process back to schools.
Religious patronage
Ferdia Kelly of the Joint Managerial Body, which represents 400 voluntary secondary schools with religious patronage across the country, says his members are not in favour of a “cumbersome” appeals process.
“We don’t want an appeals process that will bog us down in bureaucracy. The section 29 appeal process is working well. There are fewer than 300 appeals lodged each year, out of well over 100,000 admissions, and less than half are successful. This is because most schools’ admission policies, as they currently stand, are working.”
Mr Kelly said it was important not to create false expectations for parents. “In a situation where demand exceeds supply, someone will always be disappointed.”
Booking deposits
Don Myers, president of the National Parents Council – Post Primary, said he welcomed “some aspects” of the Bill.
“We get a lot of queries from parents regarding the demand for booking deposits and we feel they should not be charged.
“I understand that schools have an issue with parents putting their child’s name down on a number of lists and that may be why this practice has developed.
“However, it works both ways, and often parents don’t get that money back if a place is not offered.”
However, Mr Myers said the Bill would not do away with undersupply in a small number of key schools where problems arise.
“Where you have a number of schools in an area, one will be seen as the best. Not everyone can get in there.”
Draft Bill
Áine Lynch of the National Parents Council – Primary, said yesterday’s draft Bill had “moved the discussion on”.
“Booking deposits were never an issue at primary level, but recently they have become a major feature. This bill, if enacted, would do away with that problem.
“The inability of some students to access certain schools may be a problem for a minority, but for those it affects it is very significant.
www.irishtimes.com
Fresh air and exercise books at Crann
September 3, 2013
Meath pre-schoolers started their education ‘al fresco’ yesterday in three of only four outdoor schools in the country.
Nearly 60 children will learn how to count with stones and create with muck and water at the open-air facilities in Navan, Trim, and Ballivor. The only other such school in the country is in Co Donegal.
In Meath, the initiative was started nearly three years ago in Navan by the Crann Support Group and further branches were opened in Trim and Ballivor last year. All schooling is done through Irish.
According to CEO Marie Daly: “In Denmark, the bus arrives for the children at 8am and takes them up the mountains to the woods for their pre-school day. It’s been long acknowledged in Scandinavian countries that the outdoors is far better for building up immune systems. The children love it — it’s the mindset of parents that we have to change.
“After all, there’s no such thing as bad weather — just inappropriate clothing! However, in cases of high winds or bad frost, the school management do take precautions and delay bringing the children out to the garden until the weather improves.
“The children wear special thermal and waterproof gear and stay in the garden for most of the day. We have no plastic in the outdoor school, just things like an old Aga cooker and pots and pans, where they can cook with muck and water.
“The young students sit on logs and learn how to count with stones. There is an old Traveller wagon for story-time as well. It’s the exact same programme as pre-schoolers learn indoors — only we do it inside-out.”
Ms Daly said many parents have seen the benefits of outdoor education in their children’s health — especially those with respiratory ailments. “One parent told me that their child was hospitalised four times with asthma last year but since they started here, they only had one minor attack,” she said.
All schools are approved by the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme for free places. The Crann Support Group provides sustainable and affordable community childcare in Co Meath. More on the pre-schools and the group’s childcare services can be found at www.crannsupportgroup.ie
www.irishexaminer.com
Overhauling school admission
September 3, 2013
A commitment to introduce a fair and transparent admission system for primary and secondary schools represents a small advance.
The draft legislation from Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn is likely to be regarded in some quarters as an attack on the autonomy of fee-paying schools. But it will have wider implications in promoting greater diversity and transparency in the way in which all State-funded and fee-paying schools operate their intake policies.
The Bill will go to an Oireachtas committee for consideration and Mr Quinn has signalled his willingness to respond to “reasonable suggestions for improvement”.
In view of the critical surveys and consultation processes that underpin these proposals further changes are likely to be small. The measures will apply to all 4,000 primary and post-primary schools and are designed to remove discriminatory practices against the admission of children with disabilities, from poor backgrounds or from immigrant and ethnic groups. Legislation will also provide for a parent-friendly appeals system.
The Bill goes further than addressing the elitist practices of most fee-paying schools. It identifies various forms of discrimination, exclusion and preferment that have operated right across the education system.
Specifically, it states that schools may not refuse admittance because of special education needs, sexual orientation, family status, race, faith or religious tradition. In addition, schools will not be allowed to charge application fees; operate waiting lists or interview parents or their children for school places. Fee-paying schools, in particular, have been accused of operating “soft barriers” to exclude children with special educational needs; of maintaining long waiting lists and of operating enrolment policies that are not transparent.
While not wishing to “overly intrude” in the day-to-day operation of schools, Mr Quinn has made it clear institutions receiving State funds will have to introduce fair and transparent admission policies.
Schools will be required to publish enrolment criteria and, where waiting lists exist, they will be asked to phase them out within five years. It sounds like a tough approach and, considering the disjointed system that exists, it is. However, schools that consciously discriminate through intake practices are unlikely to come out with their hands up.
At primary school level, once enrolment priorities have been published, such as living near the school, having a sibling as a former pupil or ensuring the characteristic spirit of the school, old systems may continue. Religious ethos can be used to prioritise membership of a particular church as a condition for enrolment. That is likely to cause social friction because of a rising birth rate and Catholic Church control of 90 per cent of primary schools.
www.irishtimes.com
