MICHAEL McCARTHY TD
N O I T A C EDU
Winter 2012
MATTERS
INTRODUCTION Schools are the heart of our local communities. In towns and villages across West Cork, they are vital components of community life, engaging parents, children and educators in one common goal. As a local TD in West Cork, I am in continuous contact with our schools and I am acutely aware of the issues they deal with on a daily basis, from class sizes to curriculums, and facilities to forward planning. In a bid to establish a more comprehensive picture of the local school system, I recently undertook a survey of primary and secondary schools in the region, focusing on areas such as capacity, facilities, curriculum and management. The results can be seen inside. I hope it goes some way towards ascertaining the current needs of local schools and helping to chart a way forward for the future. Despite the current backdrop of immense budgetary pressure, there have been many positive developments in our local education system this year. My colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn, gave several local school projects the green light in March in his five-year School Building Programme. A further three schools got a boost when they were included in the Prefab Replacement Scheme, which will see them each get new classrooms to replace old prefabs. It was also recently confirmed that 17 schools in County Cork are to get new special needs classes this winter. Much work remains to be done however. Please be assured that I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of local schools and in developing strong, smart policy in this vital area along with my colleagues in Government. With the right policies and clear goals, our children can continue to get the education they deserve. Best wishes,
Michael McCarthy TD with Minister for
Education, Ruairi Quinn TD
FIVE LOCAL SCHOOL PROJECTS GET GREEN LIGHT Five local school projects got the go-ahead in March when Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn announced he was including them in his five-year School Building Programme. The projects approved under the €1.5 billion programme include the new Clonakilty Gaelscoil, the Skibbereen Post Primary School Amalgamation (Mercy Heights, De La Salle, Rossa College), and the amalgamation of St Joseph’s and St John’s NS in Kinsale. Clonakilty Community College and Kinsale Community School have also been ring-fenced for extension works as part of the plan. I have been campaigning for these projects for a number of years so I was extremely pleased to see them finally get the green light by a Labour Minister for Education. I look forward to the works getting underway soon.
CONTACT MICHAEL:
Constituency Office: Market Square, Dunmanway, Co. Cork
Phone: 023 885 5705 Dáil office: 01 618 3844 Email: michael.mccarthy@oir.ie Web: www.michaelmccarthy.ie
ThE SURvEy
l 90 primary schools and 17 secondary schools were sent the written questionnaire l 50% of primary schools and 40% of secondary schools responded l The survey was carried out in June and July of this year
Here is a summary of the results:
Curriculum l In general, there was a very positive attitude to the current curriculum among principals.
l On average, there is an 80% satisfaction rate with the curriculum among primary school principals. Secondary principals were less satisfied at 65%.
l When asked what the main problem areas with the curriculum were at primary level, the most common terms used were ‘overloaded’, ‘jam-packed’ and ‘too broad’. Meanwhile, some schools accused the curriculum of being too ‘book-based’ for modern, tech-literate pupils.
l Irish and Maths were the most common subjects to crop up when schools were asked what aspects of the curriculum primary pupils consistently struggle with. A regular complaint was the lack of reinforcement of Irish at home when pupils return to their parents, with the result that, as one principal put it, ‘teachers fail to see the point of such intensive efforts’.
Michael launching the school bank in MICC Dunmanway this year
Capacity
l Literacy and numeracy also featured heavily as the most common problems among secondary pupils.
l Roughly 10% of the curriculum is dedicated to extra-curricular activities in the primary cycle. The figure is slightly higher at senior cycle.
Facilities l On average, primary schools rated their ICT facilities 6 out of 10. They also gave their PE facilities 6 out of 10.
l ICT facilities are rated slightly better in secondary schools where they get an average of 8 out of 10. PE facilities fared at 5.5 out of 10.
l Three out of four primary schools now run a book rental scheme. Of those who don’t run a scheme, the vast majority said they plan to introduce one in the near future. It’s a similar story at secondary level, with five out of seven schools currently running book schemes.
l In primary schools, the average class size was 21 pupils. In secondary schools it was 27 pupils.
l Half of the primary schools surveyed said they were pleased with current class sizes. Less than half the secondary schools were pleased with the size of their classes.
l Four out of five primary schools said they were comfortably able to meet current demand from the local area. This compares to just two in seven secondary schools who said they can meet demand.
l In terms of September 2012, three in five primary schools said they were ‘comfortably able to meet demand’. The remainder stated they were either ‘under-subscribed’ or ‘over-subscribed’.
l Around half of all primary schools said they expected they would have sufficient capacity to meet demand in five years’ time. Meanwhile, four in seven secondary schools said believed they would have capacity problems in five years.
l One in three primary schools surveyed currently use e-Books. No secondary school surveyed currently uses them.
l Just over half of primary schools utilise their building for community purposes during out-of-school hours. The vast majority of secondary schools regularly open their doors to local groups and organisations.
l Of those primary schools who don’t currently utilise their building for other purposes, 50% said they planned to open their doors to their local communities soon.
l More than one in three primary schools surveyed have prefabs on site. Over half of the secondary schools also have prefabs.
Michael and pupils of St. John's NS, Kinsale recently as they raised the school's fourth Green Flag.
Management and Administration l Three in five primary schools are happy with the Board of Management structure. Secondary schools are equally favourable towards their boards, with five in seven schools saying they are pleased with the current set-up.
l Of those schools who are dissatisfied with the BoM structure, they identified issues such as a lack of training for board members, the need for members to take more responsibility, and the workload being ‘too onerous for lay people’. One principal claimed that the voluntary nature of BoM work ‘results in the bulk of work being devolved to the principal’.
l Nine out of ten primary schools are satisfied with the current patronage arrangement at the school. Similarly, the vast majority of secondary schools are also positively disposed towards the patronage of their school.
l In terms of the Department of Education making population data available to schools so that they can plan ahead, primary schools said they are 40% satisfied with the quality and availability of data. This is slightly higher in second level, where satisfaction rates are at 45% on average.
Miscellaneous l On average, primary and secondary schools in West Cork hold five fundraising events every year.
l One in nine schools surveyed raised their concerns about increases to the staffing schedules in small schools.
l The scale of paperwork principals must deal with on a regular basis with is an ongoing concern. Michael was special guest at an annual awards night in MICC Dunmanway
NEW STUDENT GRANT SYSTEM EASIER AND QUICKER This year saw the launch of the new student grant body, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), which makes it easier for students to apply for grants and so far it is working well. SUSI is a more streamlined, accessible, online system of application that replaces the old arrangement which saw students go to their local authority or VEC, all of whom used different application, assessment and payment processes. Not only does the new system simplify the process for prospective students, but it also will yield significant savings of around €5 million each year for the Exchequer. For more information, visit studentfinance.ie.
THREE LOCAL SCHOOLS TO HAVE PREFABS REPLACED Three local schools are getting new classrooms under the Prefab Replacement Scheme announced earlier this year. The scheme is the biggest initiative ever undertaken to replace rented prefabs in schools and the local schools benefiting are Scoil Bhríde in Crossmahon, Scoil Eoin in Inishannon, and St. Mary’s NS in Castledonovan. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to end prefab reliance in schools and I am glad to see this particular pledge being delivered on, as it will positively impact upon the school experiences of thousands of children across the country.
RAISING EDUCATION ISSUES IN THE DAIL
NEW SPECIAL NEEDS CLASSES FOR CORK SCHOOLS A total of 91 new special needs classes were due to be created across Ireland in September as part of the Government’s commitment to improving inclusive education. Of the 88 primary and post primary schools to benefit nationally, 17 schools in Cork will offer the additional classes.
Michael with children's rights campaigner Senator Jillian van Turnhout signing a pledge of support for the Children's Rights Referendum.
I commend the hard work and dedication of all the teachers and principals who are accommodating this realisation of inclusive education. This determination is recognised by Labour in Government and Minister Quinn, has allocated 15% of his budget, some €1.3billion, to the provision of special needs education alone.
KNOCKSKEAGH NS GETS THREE NEW CLASSROOMS There was also good news for Knockskeagh NS in Clonakilty recently after Minister Quinn approved substantial funding to provide three new classrooms on the school campus.
GET IN CONTACT
The new units will directly benefit teachers and schoolchildren in the community by improving the quality of the school environment and ensuring it is safer and more modern. I have been consistently liaising with Minister Quinn on this matter and I am glad to see a positive outcome in the case.
Michael McCarthy TD
Listen to Michael’s weekly podcast on www.michaelmccarthy.ie
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Tel: 023-8855705 Email: michael.mccarthy@oir.ie Web: www.michaelmccarthy.ie Follow Michael on and