This week an email went out to all INTO members to welcome them back to school. Many teachers had a very bad end to the school year when INTO members voted in favour of the Lansdowne Road Agreement, effectively allowing the government to pay newer teachers on a lower pay scale. At the time, the … Read more
Today, Educate Together announced that the proposed new Educate Together school in Castlebar was not going to open because a suitable premises was not offered. The building that the church offered is a school that hasn’t been used in over 20 years, is inaccessible and is over 12km from Castlebar. Rather than providing a suitable temporary … Read more
I’ve been following the recent discussions about unbaptised children accessing primary education over the last number of weeks. In order to enrol in a Catholic school, often one has to produce a Baptismal Certificate. If a child hasn’t been baptised, schools must enrol the child anyway unless they are oversubscribed. Once a school is oversubscribed, they can enforce … Read more
I usually have strong convictions about issues affecting the education system but I am really not sure which way to vote in the Lansdowne Road Agreement so I thought I would take the two main advocates of either side of the debate and try and make it into a balanced guide. By the end of me … Read more
Last weekend, I was part of a panel at the Excited Festival of Learning which was focussed on coding and creativity. Aoibhinn Ní Shúileabháin hosted the discussion and the conversation led on to a point asking what can schools do to encourage students to take on computer science, particularly girls. I was asked my opinion on this and my … Read more
I find it difficult to attend ClassDojo’s chats every week so when this week’s DojoChat was about Gain Time, I wasn’t really able to take part as it is a UK-only affair but I was interested in the concept especially as the topic of transitioning from primary to secondary school was in focus on the week’s … Read more
Commenting on referenda is not something that we generally do at Anseo.net but the upcoming Marriage Equality Referendum, I believe goes beyond simply politics. (In fact, I promise not to mention anything about lowering the presidential age in future articles!) I have been watching, listening and taking part in the debates and analysis all over the … Read more
The headline grabber from the INTO congress was Jan O’Sullivan’s announcement that new enrollment guidelines will now be enacted. The media have decided to set their focus on one aspect of the new guidelines: now schools can only prioritise the enrollment of 10% of past pupils. It has been taken on to such an extent that one … Read more
Every year, during the spring holidays, the media takes an interest in education as the various teaching unions hold their annual congresses. Ever since I became a teacher, my experience of the media is that teachers are portrayed as moaners and whingers. We are judged against the pupils we teach – example: if the pupils in their schools behaved … Read more
The Irish Independent reported recently that an anonymous donor had given a school in Fermoy, Co . Cork, a load of money to buy iPads for all the pupils and staff. The Independent states that it will be to replace textbooks and homework. The school’s principal, James O’Donoghue, hailed it as “a landmark day for Irish primary … Read more