(Gaeilge) Cleas Act ar TG4
November 7, 2016
New school site is ‘too cramped’
November 7, 2016
A drive is developing to persuade Education Minister Richard Bruton to allow Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin to remain at its current site rather than moving to Merrymeeting.
A petition was started late on Friday night and already had over 200 signatures at the time of going to press, while Independent TD Stephen Donnelly has also lent the campaign his support.
Calls are being made to allow the school remain at the site of the old Abbey Community College rather than moving to the Merrymeeting site which critics say is too cramped.
Deputy Donnelly said he has been contacted by a large number of constituents over the proposed building of a new school at Merrymeeting.
‘I visited the site earlier this week and it appears that the outdoor space available to up to 500 students will be the size of two basketball courts and a playground even smaller in area.
‘This is simply not acceptable.
‘It is difficult to understand why, in a county such as Wicklow, the Department of Education has decided to place this school on such a cramped site.
‘The school is currently located on the former Abbey Community College site. Although this site is not perfect, and further works will be required, compared with the costs associated with building a new school, they are tiny. Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin have been waiting for almost a decade for a new school, but this is simply not the correct site.
‘I am calling on Minister Bruton to act to ensure that the school is located on a site with both the appropriate outdoor area for students and room for expansion.’
Supporters of the campaign to remain at the Abbey site also point out that 52 per cent of Gaelscoil pupils live in Wicklow town, 24 per cent in Rathnew and 24 per cent in surrounding areas.
So far the petition with over 200 signatures has only been launched online at Facebook, but campaigners plan to call door-to-door looking for further signatures.
The petition will then be presented to Education Minister, Richard Bruton, later in the month in a move to try and change his mind regarding a suitable, permanent home for the school.
‘Be safe and be seen’ as ESB visit two local schools
November 7, 2016
Dublin-based ESB staff have presented high visibility vests to Junior Infants at two Fingal schools in recent weeks.
The safety initiative has been rolled out at Gaelscoil Bhrian Boroimhe in Swords and at Gaelscoil Ros Eo in Rush.
ESB Networks have partnered with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to distribute over 80,000 high visibility vests to Junior Infants students across the country who started school this year.
The RSA and ESB Networks are calling on parents, guardians and teachers to make sure road safety is top of the school checklist this year.
The high-visibility vests will help children be seen in the dark winter mornings and even darker evenings and is a welcome initiative from the ESB and the Road Safety Authority.
Carmel Hanrahan from the ESB had the pleasure of visiting Gaelscoil Ros Eo to hand over that school’s allocation of high-visibility jackets while it was the happy duty of Noeleen Daniels to deliver the vests to the children at Gaelscoil Bhrian Boroimhe.
(Gaeilge) Moladh déanta ag Bord Fhoras na Gaeilge maidir le ceapadh Príomhfheidhmeannaigh
November 4, 2016
New Laois bilingual secondary school will provide diversity in Portlaoise said Irish language patron
November 4, 2016
The Irish language group that will co-patron Portlaoise’s new secondary school say the new school in Portlaoise will provide diversity in being both co-educational and multi-denominational.
An Foras Pátrúnachta and the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board were approved as a trustee partners of a new school by the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD.
Caoimhín O’hEaghra is General Secretary of An Foras Pátrúnachta.
“We are delighted to have been approved as a trustee partner for this new secondary school in Portlaoise. We look forward to working with Laois Offaly Education and Training Board who have a long history of excellent education provision in this region.
‘‘Choice is very important to An Foras Pátrúnachta and we are delighted that parents’ preferences were considered as part of this patronage selection process. The new school in Portlaoise will provide diversity in being both co-educational and multi-denominational.
‘‘Our aim is provide Irish-medium education to every child who wants it. The Irish-medium unit will ensure that there is more diversity of language provision and we will use our expertise to grow the Irish-medium unit in the new secondary school into an independent Gaelcholáiste under the co-patronage of the two organisations,” he said.
The other applicant for patronage was the Catholic Schools body CEIST.
New Portlaoise secondary school will teach in Irish and English
November 4, 2016
Portlaoise’s new secondary school, due to open in September 2017, is to offer classes in Irish as well as English.
The patron of the new school was announced today, November 3 as Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (ETB), partnered with An Foras Pátrúnachta. It will include an Irish language unit, Aonad Lán-Gaeilge.
The patron was chosen by the Department of Education, with one other submission by the Catholic organisation Ceist, which is already patron of Scoil Chriost Ri and St Mary’s CBS.
Laois TD and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan, welcomed the announcement.
“The development of a fourth secondary school marks unprecedented progress in the education sector in Portlaoise and will ensure that Portlaoise will have an excellent suite of first class schools”
“There has been a rapid population increase in Laois which has put severe pressure on the secondary schools in the area. Construction of a further secondary school in Portlaoise will ensure that there are sufficient school places available for pupils in the Portlaoise area. The priority now is to ensure that the school building is commenced without further delay,” he said.
The school will open in temporary accommodation for first year students, with the location not yet announced.
A permanent new building is to be constructed, which once fully operational, will cater for 1000 students.
Minister Flanagan noted that many other schools around Laois need repairs.
“I am acutely aware that a number of schools around the county are in need of repair and upgrade. In addition, it is essential that the new school building for St Francis Special School is progressed without further delay. I am working with the Department of Educationto ensure that these issues are addressed,” he said.
The patron was chosen by the Department of Education, with one other submission by the Catholic organisation Ceist, patron of Scoil Chriost Ri and St Mary’s CBS. A submission was withdrawn by Educate Together following a lack of local support in their proposal.
(Gaeilge) Meánscoil ilchreidmheach nua fógartha do Phort Laoise
November 4, 2016
Comhdháil 2016 – Clár ar fáil anois!
November 4, 2016
Coicís fágtha go Comhdháil 2016! Beidh reimse leathan cainteanna agus ceardlann ar siúl i mbliana: Clár – Comhdháil Oideachais 2016
An bhfuil tú cláraithe? http://www.gaelscoileanna.ie/comhdhail/
Minister Bruton announces patronage of 9 new Post-Primary schools to be established in 2017 and 2018
November 3, 2016
The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D., today announced the patronage of the nine new post-primary schools to be established in 2017 and 2018. In all cases the Minister accepted the recommendations of the New Schools Establishment Group. These schools were announced in November 2015 to serve a number of locations nationwide under increased demographic pressures. Minister Bruton said “The basic aim of this Government is to use our economic success to create a fair and compassionate society. In few areas is there as much capacity to deliver on this as in education. As part of this, we are determined to provide more choice for parents. As a country we are experiencing a significant, ongoing, increase in our school-going population. The establishment of these new schools forms an essential part of plans to ensure that sufficient new school places are in place to cater for the growing cohort of pupils at post-primary level over the coming years. Additional places will also continue to be provided by extending existing provision, as included in the Six Year Programme of Capital Investment in Schools 2016-2021”.
The Minister observed that, “Parental preference has become a key determinant in deciding the patronage of new schools and I’m pleased to say that the views of parents as expressed through the process are strongly reflected in the decisions I have made on the patronage of these nine new schools”.
Patronage of the new schools in Limerick City & Environs (East); Malahide & Portmarnock; Firhouse Dublin 24; and Dublin South City Centre is being awarded to Educate Together. Education and Training Boards have been awarded patronage of the new schools for Limerick City & Environs (South-West) (Limerick and Clare ETB), Swords (Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB) and Portlaoise (Laois and Offaly ETB, with An Foras Pátrúnachta as Trustee Partner). The Edmund Rice Schools Trust has been appointed patron of the new school to serve Carpenterstown and Castleknock. The remaining school in Lucan, Co. Dublin will involve a partnership approach with Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board and a new entity, Scoil Sinead Ltd.
These new schools will provide significant additional pupil places in the areas they will serve and between them will have capacity to cater for up to 8,200 additional post-primary pupils when fully developed.
The Minister also stated that in making his decisions he was particularly conscious of the clear parental demand for diversity of provision in many of the areas where the new schools are being established. All applications were assessed on the basis of published criteria, including the extent of diversity in existing schools and the scale of diversity to be provided by the new school or schools.
Minister Bruton said “The best and quickest way of providing diversity and choice for parents is by providing additional multi-denominational schools for parents. I have committed to trebling the rate of delivery of these schools to reach 400 multi-denominational and non-denominational schools by 2030. I am very pleased with the range of patrons involved in these new schools being announced today and that eight of the nine schools will have a multi-denominational ethos. I am particularly pleased that the outcome of this process has resulted in the inclusion of a new player at post-primary level, further increasing diversity of provision in our post-primary school system. I am confident that these new schools will give parents and students real choice.”
Following consideration of feedback from patrons on previous patronage processes, the process has evolved to incorporate the medium of instruction of a proposed new school as part of the assessment process. This makes parental preference for Irish-medium instruction an integral part of the patronage assessment and recommendation process. It is open to all prospective patron applicants to propose provision of Irish-medium education in their application for a new school. Parental preferences for each patron, together with the extent of Irish provision, if any, currently available in the area, are key in relation to the outcome of this process. In this regard, prospective patrons were requested to submit completed parental preferences indicating the language through which parents would prefer their children to be educated.
The assessment process analyses existing Irish-medium provision in the area and also takes into account existing Irish-medium provision in the adjacent school planning areas. Consideration is given to demonstrated demand and long-term sustainability, including provision of a sufficient range of subjects.
Minister Bruton stated “I am pleased that parents had an opportunity to express their preference as to whether they wish their child to be educated through the medium of English or Irish. I am very pleased that as a result of the parental preferences and assessment of existing Irish-medium provision in each area, the new post-primary school to serve the Portlaoise area will have an Aonad Lán-Gaeilge and that consideration is being given to the establishment of another Aonad Lán-Gaeilge in Carpenterstown/Castleknock.”.
The Minister expressed his gratitude to the members of the New Schools Establishment Group for their valuable input to the process, ensuring an objective and transparent process. The Department will be contacting each of the patron bodies in relation to the logistics of the establishment of these new schools.
All of the schools are being established to meet an identified demographic need.
Two distinct areas of growth within the Limerick City school planning area were identified – Limerick City and Environs (South-West) and Limerick City and Environs (East). Given this, it was decided to open two schools, each with an initial capacity of 600 pupils to meet the anticipated demand in the area. In this regard, a new 600 pupil post-primary school for Limerick City and Environs (South-West) is due to open in September 2017 and a new 600 pupil school for Limerick City and Environs (East) is due to open in 2018.
Details on the arrangements which apply to the patronage of these new schools are available on the Department’s website.
The detailed Assessment Reports for each of the areas concerned are also published on the Department’s website.
New Schools Establishment Group
The patronage process for new schools is overseen by the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG). This independent advisory group was set up in 2011 to advise the Minister on the patronage of new schools following its consideration of a report prepared by the Department on the applications received. The group is chaired by Dr. Seamus McGuinness (retired senior lecturer in the Education Department at Trinity College Dublin) and also includes Ms. Sylda Langford (retired Director of the Office of the Minister for Children) and Prof. Seán Ó Riain (Sociology Department, NUI Maynooth).
Minister Bruton accepted the recommendations of the Group in all cases.
National award for Limerick pre-school
November 3, 2016
Limerick Pre-School Naíonra na nÓg has won the title of ‘Best Indoor Learning Environment in Ireland’ at the Maternity and Infant Early Education Awards.
Now located in Shannonvale on the Old Cratloe Road, Naíonra na nÓg was established 16 years ago and director Yvonne O’Sullivan said that the award has highlighted the team’s dedication to early childhood learning.
“I’m delighted to receive the award on behalf of my amazing team and that their dedication and passion for providing stimulating, challenging, playful environments for our children has been recognized. We are always striving to improve our practice and be an Early Years Centre of Excellence so this award means so much to us.”
Yvonne’s team at Naíónra na nÓg includes Clara O’Dwyer, Bernie O’Loughlin, Sara Darcy and Niamh Breen, along with Sarah McGee and Edel Lavin of Once Upon a Time Montessori (also under the stewardship of Yvonne) which relocated to the Shannonvale premises this year from Scoil Chríost Rí Caherdavin.
A judging panel of industry experts was appointed by early years childcare experts Canavan Byrne who adjudicated the awards down to a shortlist and included a site visit by industry expert judges to the Limerick school.
One of the judges Imelda Graham said how she “loved the fact that the school environment promoted independence, self-directed learning and creativity.”
Naíonra na nÓg Pre-School was established in 2000 in Caherdavin by Yvonne, who last week graduated with a Bachelor of Education from Mary Immaculate College.
Yvonne said that their service has “grown from humble beginnings to a custom-built state of the art premises when the school relocated to Shannonvale in September 2015.”
The new school contains three large zoned classrooms of two Naíonra classrooms and one Montessori classroom that encourage children to develop holistically through play, a sports hall for physical education, and walled garden for outside play.
For more information on Naíonra na nÓg visit www.naionrananog.ie
