Tag Archives: schools

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Labour education minister Jan O’Sullivan

Labour education minister Jan O’Sullivan spoke to the Irish Independent yesterday about Catholic schools giving preference to baptised children.

She said:

“I don’t think anyone should feel forced to baptise their children, if it is not something that they want. And I don’t think the church want that either.”

The paper reports that her comments prompted the following responses from her Fine Gael colleagues.

“We need to focus on the economy and job creation in the run-up to the election instead of coming up with ideas that are going to ruffle feathers in parts of the Government.”

– Fine Gael Junior Agriculture Minister Tom Hayes

“From an election point of view, now is not the time to have a debate you can’t win because you are not going to make everyone happy by doing it.”

– Fine Gael Cork North West TD Aine Collins

“The problem with enrolment in my constituency relates to bricks and mortar not the signs hanging over the door.”

– Fine Gael Dublin North TD Alan Farrell

There you go now.

FG TDs attack O’Sullivan for criticism over school baptism (Irish Independent)

Previously: Educate And Party Together

Pic: Laura Hutton/Rollingnews.ie

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Locations of multi-faith primary schools (top) and those of Catholic ethos (above).

Jay.

Kers.

Gráinne writes:

I think your readers might be interested in theese screen grabs of Dept of Education’s website, showing the results of searches for multi-denominational primary schools and Catholic ethos primary schools.

The visual is quite striking, and nicely illustrates the point that most families in Ireland have no choice but to attend schools controlled by the Catholic Church. In a secular state religious run schools should be the exception, not the norm….

Find A School – Department of Education

Previously: Ask A Broadsheet Reader

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This morning.

Ministers Brendan Howlin and Jan O’Sullivan announce the building of four new secondary schools – St Mary’s College Dundalk, Co. Louth; St Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla, Co Clare; Comeragh College, Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary and Skibbereen (Replacement) School, Co Cork.

Ministers Announce Construction of Four New Schools through Public Private Partnership

Pic: Brian O’Donovan

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Fr Michael Drumm of the Catholic Schools Partnership this morning at Warrenmount School, Dublin 8

“The aim of this new report is to demonstrate that Catholic voluntary schools are a key part of our whole educational enterprise that they make a distinct contribution to the development of Irish society and that they want to work in partnership with all of the stakeholders in second-level schools.”

Via Independent.ie:

A paper presented by CSP [Catholic Schools Partnership] chairperson Fr Michael Drumm said that Catholic secondary schools were severely disadvantaged in terms of finance in comparison with community/comprehensive schools and schools under the umbrella of Education and Training Boards (ETBs), formerly Vocational Education Committees (VECs)

The basis on which the State provides money to Catholic schools is different from that applying to the other sectors and Fr Drumm said Catholic schools receive “significantly less funding”.

According to [the paper] the patronage structure that supports Catholic schools received no State funding, which was “clearly unjust”.

Catholic schools seeking end to ‘unjust’ treatment by State (Katherine Donnelly, Irish Independent)

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Oi.

Getbackintoclass.

Etc.

Teachers and members of the Association of Secondary School Teachers of Ireland  (ASTI) outside St Paul’s CBS  on STRIKE during their lunch break (yes) part of a nationwide lunch break stoppage today to protest against changes to the Junior Cert.

The teachers claim different schools could have a different idea of what constitutes a B grade compared to an A grade under the changes.

Thus unleashing anarchy.

Quinn ‘frustrated’ by teacher protests (Irish Examiner)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Meanwhile…

quinn

Splutter.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn gets photobombed by a lewd, grade-dropping tyke [on a school trip] at government buildings  this afternoon.

No respect.

(Laura Hutton/Photocall ireland)

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[a Portobello Educate Together protest in 2010 outside Leinster House]

“The Roman Catholic school is a little further away. My son is 117th on the waiting list. His name has been down since he was a baby, but date of application is not relevant there, the principal told me. The letter turning him away from there said siblings of current pupils were prioritised. This is understandable and “all 17 such applicants are being offered places”.
‘The remaining 17 places are being offered to Catholic children resident within the Catholic parish . . . We regret that we are unable to offer your child a place in our junior infant class for 2014’.”

Kitty Holland, Irish Times

 

Kevin O’Riordan writes:

Every now and then this topic arises here on Broadsheet. Sometimes I add a comment along the lines of ‘we had our child baptised due to our local school option’, and various other commenters don’t seem to believe this is a valid reason, presumably because they have a good secular option near them, or because they don’t have a dog in the fight. So I thought I’d just point out this article (above), which details someone’s actual experience. I’m sure we can have some civilised, insightful, and even entertaining discussion on this…

Gulp.

For children with no baptismal certificate the school gates seem to be closed (Kitty Holland, Irish Times)

1003172_606644659376211_2033798167_nFurther to that JobBridge vacancy for a primary school teacher in Athlone.

There’s more…

Teachers
Ard na gCrath NS, Walderstown, Athlone, Co.
Westmeath
Kilbonane N.S, Aherla, Co. Cork

Teachers Assistant/Assistant Coordinator for PE/ICT
Shercock National School (St. Patrick s National
School), Shercock, Co Cavan.

Speech Therapists
Scoil San Phroinsias, Headford Road, Galway
Saplings Special School Carlow, The Laurels Barn,
Church Road, Graiguecullen,

Classroom Assistants
Brannoxtown N.S., Brannockstown, Ballymore
Eustace, Co. Kildare
Scoil Fhionain, Falcarragh, Co DonegalScoil
Fhionain, Falcarragh, Co Donegal
Killygarry National School,
Killygarry, Cavan, Co Cavan
Scoil an Bhaile Nua, Newtown, Kilmacthomas,
Waterford, Co. Waterford
Stiofan O Morain,Scoil Phadraig,Westport, Co Mayo
St Andrews National School, Newcourt Road, Bray ,
Co Wicklow
St Pius X Girls National School Fortfield Park
Terenure Dublin 6W
Monastery School, St. Patrick s Avenue, Tipperary
Town, Co. Tipperary
Mercy School, St. Johns Rd, Wexford
Corpus Christi Primary School, Main Street,
Moyross, Limerick
Harold s Cross NS, Clareville Road, Harold s
Cross, Dublin.
S.N. Mullach Rua, Mullaghroe, Gurteen,
Co. Sligo

Caretakers
Scoil Mhuire NS, Gortanumera, Ballyshrule,
Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
Gaelscoil Mhichil Ui Choileain, Cloch Na gCoillte,
Co Chorcai
St. Louis GNS, Park Road, Monaghan Town, Co
Monaghan

Secretaries
St Marys Primary School, Patrick St, Trim, Co
Meath
Loreto Primary School Dalkey, Harbour Road ,
Dalkey, Co. Dublin
Ballinderry N.S., Ballinderry N.S., Cummer, Tuam,
Galway

Source: Fas

Voices for Teachers writes:

We have done a trawl of what schools were looking for staff through JobBridge. The list [above ] turned out to be much longer than we thought it would be.

These are for positions where there is virtually zero chance of a full time position at the end of the ‘internship’due to government cap on numbers and continuing cutting of the grants paid to schools.
The schools advertising are de facto participating in the scheme, in our view, which is prohibited by an INTO directive of December 12th 2011 which states “The CEC directs members not to participate in the JobBridge National Internship Scheme.”

We understand that schools justifiably feel under severe pressure due to government cutbacks in staffing and resources but two wrongs don’t make a right.

 

Voices For Teachers (Facebook)

Previously: Cheap lessons

Stand-off At County Limerick School (Donal O’Regan, Limerick Leader)

Previously: Completion of Stalled Kilfinane School Among Building Works Planned For 2012 (Mike Dwane, Limerick Leader, December 27, 2011)

Sadly not yet in production.

But you can own the art.

Gav Beattie writes:

This print is aimed primarily at the fact that schools in Ireland, both national and secondary, are still legally allowed to have discriminatory admissions policies in place. These policies grant places to children based firstly on religious denomination, practical factors such as living in the catchment area come further on down the list. Two colour, A4 (12″ x 8.5″) his or hers screenprint on 250gsm cream Cartalina card – edition of 55 signed, numbered and stamped.

 

Available here

Pádraig O’Shea.

Founder, patron and manager of St Joseph’s College, Borrisoleigh, Thurles, Co Tipperary.

inadvertently named and (perhaps even) shamed on RTE R1’s Liveline this afternoon

Leave him alone.

He’s doing God’s work.

From Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan’s report:

Teenage Girl Refused Place At School Following Pregnancy (RTE)