The Minister for Education and Skills, Mr. Ruairí Quinn T.D., today outlined his response to the report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector.
Meeting with the main education partners, the Minister said he broadly accepted the recommendations on divestment made by the Advisory Group and had requested that the process leading to divesting of patronage in areas of stable population begin immediately.

Minister Quinn said, "For many parents this will be the first time they will have a real say in the type of primary school they want their children to go to, whether it is denominational, multi-denominational, all-Irish or other. Surveys of parents will begin in the first identified town areas in the autumn."
Parents will be given ... click to read full post & comments

New Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 20/06/2012.
Tags: Teachers Education And Politics

The Teaching Council has today (20 June 2012) published a new Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers
which will guide teachers’ professional judgement and practice. The Code sets out the standards of professional knowledge, skill, competence and conduct which are expected of registered teachers. In all, there are 33 such standards which reflect the complexity and variety of teaching and cover areas such as communication and relationships, equality and inclusion, compliance with national and school policies, professional development and pupil/student welfare. The standards are underpinned by four core values - respect, care, integrity and trust.

The new Code of Conduct replaces the existing Code which ... click to read full post & comments

DES issues Circular on implementation of new Literacy & Numeracy Strategy

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 16/05/2012.
Tags: Teachers Education And Politics

The Department of Education and Science has issued new Circular Letter 0018/2012 to schools setting out the reporting processes for the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy announced by the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD, last year.

The circular sets out the background to standardised testing and details the NCCA report card templates and the reporting processing along with the grants available.

The INTO has issued a statement that they have had discussions with the DES re the provisions and have clarified the following ... click to read full post & comments

Schools urged to join global anti-bullying event

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 01/05/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health Teachers

Friday (May 4th) will see schools across the world join together to show their support against bullying.

Stand 4 Change Day aims to raise awareness of the problem and school communities are asked to stand together for five minutes at midday, as a pledge to work towards creating a safe learning environment.

... click to read full post & comments

Quinn announces funding of €14m allowing almost 80 schools to replace prefabs with permanent classrooms

Posted by Schooldays Newshound on 24/04/2012.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers

177 schools around the country have been given the green light to replace rented prefabs with permanent classrooms.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., announced the first round of approvals for schools in an initiative to replace rented prefabs with permanent accommodation.
The 77 schools can now proceed with construction of the new buildings. 
This round of funding will result in a total of ... click to read full post & comments

Govt looking to use schools for cheap childcare

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 23/04/2012.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers

Working parents could soon benefit from a new after-school care initiative proposed by the government in a bid to support those returning to employment.

The Times reports how officials are considering using vacant school buildings as a venue for cheap childcare, which will be offered to those with youngsters aged seven and up.

... click to read full post & comments

Survey reveals 1 in 5 kids go to school hungry

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 17/04/2012.
Tags: Parenting Kids Health Teachers

The results of a new survey have revealed one in five children in Ireland have gone to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home.

According to the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey 2010, younger kids and those from lower social class groups were significantly more likely to go without food.

... click to read full post & comments

Guidance Counsellors meet to discuss budget cuts

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 04/01/2012.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers

Guidance Counsellors from around the country will be meeting in Dublin this afternoon to discuss the Budget cuts and to organise a campaign of protest.

As of next year, schools will lose the separate allocation they have for ... click to read full post & comments(1)

Send the gift of Education this christmas with Irish Charity Camara

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 09/12/2011.
Tags: Family And Leisure Parenting Teachers

Camara Education, an award-winning charity and social enterprise, is providing the ideal gift this Christmas to show friends and family how much you care in a unique and meaningful way - by sending the gift of a computer to an African school on their behalf for only €15.

Camara Education is an Irish NGO that works to alleviate poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by using technology to enhance the quality of education in disadvantaged schools. Its vision is that of a world where even the poorest have access to quality education. Education is the key to solving Africa's problems. Harnessing the power of technology in education can ... click to read full post & comments

Education Sector Cuts Announced

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 06/12/2011.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers Parenting

A range of measures that will affect the education system been announced as part of yesterday's (December 5th) Budget statement from the government.

As of next year, schools will lose the separate allocation they have for guidance and guidance provisions will therefore have to be managed by schools from within their standard teacher allocations – the Department estimates this will yield net savings of 500 posts when provision is made for the reduced staffing schedule for DEIS schools.

The Back-to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance has also been ... click to read full post & comments(2)

Axing Guidance Counsellors Would Have Serious Consequences

Posted by Days Newshound on 02/12/2011.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers Parenting

Axing Guidance Counsellors Would Have Serious Consequences for Young People’s Job Prospects, Lives . Responding to a report that the Government may cut the number of Career Guidance Counsellors in second-level schools, ASTI General Secretary Pat King today said:
“It is unthinkable that at a time of high unemployment and when the Government is publicly stating that its number one priority is ... click to read full post & comments(1)

Gifts for the teacher

Posted by School Run Mum on 30/11/2011.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting Teachers

Somehow or other, December is upon us and as the Christmas lights start to flicker and flash in streets and houses across the country, my thoughts turn, once again, to Christmas gifts for teachers.

I had a conversation with a teacher about this at the end of the last school year, proudly telling her all about the lovely homemade bouquets of tissue-paper flowers which my children had taken in for their teachers and the homemade biscuits they’d painstakingly decorated at Christmas. She laughed and told me how funny it is that parents think the teachers will prefer a cute little homemade gift, but actually, all they really want is a nice bottle of wine or anything in a Brown Thomas bag.

I left the conversation feeling ... click to read full post & comments(6)

Education cuts - Parents’ deepest fears

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 28/11/2011.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers Parenting

A representative for parents of second-level students has said further education cuts will push many schools to breaking point.
 
Speaking at the launch of the Post-Primary Education Forum (PPEF) pre-budget submission today, the President of the National Parents’ Council Post Primary, Tommy Walshe said: “The impression that schools are coping with education cuts is a false one. After three years of cuts I think you could say that ... click to read full post & comments

IVEA Welcomes Provision for 100,000 Permanent School Places

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 10/11/2011.
Tags: Education And Politics Teachers

The announcement today by Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn that €2.2 billion in capital funding for schools is to be made available over the next five years has been welcomed by the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA). IVEA General Secretary Michael Moriarty says:

"The announcement of the provision of over 100,000 permanent school places, which includes over 80,000 additional school places, is very welcome. It is good to see ... click to read full post & comments

Cap on Junior Cert Exam subjects not for 2012 states Minister

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 21/10/2011.
Tags: Teachers Parenting

Speaking at the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) annual conference, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn stated that the proposal to limit Junior Cert students to eight examinable subjects will not be implemented in second-level schools in 2012. He now says that it will not be a requirement until 2014, -- for pupils doing the exam in 2017.

While the Minister has now stated that there would be no compulsion on schools to change in 2012 or 2013, he would ... click to read full post & comments

Annual Christmas Shoebox Appeal by Charity Team Hope

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 20/10/2011.
Tags: Teachers Parenting

The annual Christmas Shoebox Appeal has been launched nationwide, by Irish charity Team Hope. Schoolchildren, mums, church members, businesses and households nationwide are being asked to create gift filled shoeboxes of Christmas presents and beat last year’s number of 180,000 which went to needy children in Africa and Eastern Europe – to countries where families have to live on as little as €1 a day! The aim this year is to send Christmas shoeboxes to thousands more needy children.
 
Organised by Irish charity Team Hope it is hoped that the numbers of shoeboxes will increase significantly, by at least 25% this year. Shoeboxes can be ... click to read full post & comments

Secondary school inspections to start this month

Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 13/10/2011.
Tags: Secondary School News Teachers

Secondary schools will begin seeing the arrival of inspectors examining the standards of education at the facilities from later this month.

The one-day visits will be focusing on aspects of teaching, student achievement and the support services available to pupils.

... click to read full post & comments

The Price of Education

Posted by School Run Mum on 07/09/2011.
Tags: School Run Mum Parenting Education And Politic Teachers

Last week, my eldest child started Senior Infants. One of the discussions taking place among parents at the school gate was whether we had enrolled our children for secondary schools. Some had, I hadn’t and a mild panic set in when I was advised to get onto it straight away, otherwise my, now six-year-old, might not get a place in our preferred school when the time comes.

Trouble is, we don’t really know which is our preferred school. As parents who were both educated in ... click to read full post & comments