The DES has posted Circular 0008/2011 on its website in relation to the implementation of the Croke Park Agreement.

I could list the details but all is contained in the circular.

Important points to note – it provides for teachers working an additional hour per week and allows for contract reviews.

The circular is here.

1. Postgraduate Diploma in Education, UCD
2. Graduate Diploma in Education, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra & Addendum
3. Bachelor of Science (Education) in Physics and Chemistry, University of Limerick
4. Bachelor of Education, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick & Addendum

As primary teaching is my forte I’ve been reading number 4 (and addendum) with interest.

What strikes me, initially, is how short the review/report is – it’s only 8 pages long – with 7 members on the review panel it looks as if they wrote just over an A4 page each!

Anyways ….

The Teaching Council calls it a review/report while the title on the review/report itself calls it a ‘Report Summary’.

Some of the recommendations include:

• Re-activating the review of the B.Ed degree programme
• Examining the time allocated to Religious Education in the B.Ed. programme. (I don’t know if they want more or less – they don’t say)
• Encouraging staff to model the teaching methodologies they wish students to emulate. (That should be interesting)
• Engaging with Gaeltacht course providers in the development and evaluation of course content in Irish. (One I’d agree with)

Recommendations with regard to National Issues:

• The extension of the programme over a four year period
• The improvement of College/school partnerships
• The allocation of appropriate resources to teacher education programmes
• The enhancement of the Gaeltacht experience

The addendum just expands on its views on teacher placement within schools (teaching practise) – it addresses issues with regard to the timing of them within the academic year.

It remains to be seen if the reports will be acted upon or will gather virtual dust on the Teaching Council website.

I went to check the DES site to look at the guidelines for dealing with swine flu but got his instead:

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The following error was encountered:

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Your cache administrator is administrator@education.ie.

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It could only happen in Ireland …

You can read it here.

“At present, there are 659 schools with fewer than 50 pupils, an average of 2.4 teachers per school and an average pupil teacher ratio (PTR) of 13.1:1. If these schools were amalgamated with other schools so that the average PTR increased to that applicable in the next category of school size (50¬-100 pupils), i.e. 16.2:1, this would save about 300 teachers, or about €18m per annum in salary costs.

Further mergers of the existing 851 schools in the 50-100 pupil category, to achieve the average PTR applicable to schools with 100-200 pupils (i.e. 17.1:1) would facilitate a reduction of a further 200 teachers, saving another €9m annually. Such a consolidation of schools would also give rise to savings in other support staff such as caretakers, secretarial etc., while running costs such as maintenance, insurance and heating should also be reduced.”

Having worked in both small and much larger schools I would agree that schools with an enrolment of 50 pupils or less should be closed or amalgamated with other schools.

With the demands of the revised curriculum and the requirements to have paperwork, policies etc. in order it makes more sense to have the workload shared in larger schools.

Smaller schools are costing the State a fortune to run. When I worked in a small school we looked at the overall cost per pupil when salaries, grants, ancilliary staff etc was taken into account and we worked it out that it cost approximately €25,000 per year per pupil to run the school.

When a school gets too small there could be a whole range of classes within a school but only a few pupils (or one) in each class …. multiple classes to teach but not enough pupils in the class to have a healthy and competitive atmosphere.

McCarthy Report figures: Lists 659 schools with less than 50 pupils
DES 2009/2010 figures: Lists 604 schools with less than 50 pupils

This represents a natural drop of 55 schools since the report was published so small schools are closing/amalgamating on a regular basis.

If a proactive approach was taken to the closure/amalgamation of small schools it could happen on a properly planned basis.

By going this way:

* Teachers could be redeployed into larger schools allowing the pupil-teacher ratio to be reduced within the larger schools.
* Some teachers could be allowed to take early retirement.
* Over time the number of teacher employed in the system could be reduced and the pupil-teacher ratio reduced at the same time.
* Special Needs’ Assistants, secretaries etc. could be redeployed or made redundant as the case may be.
* Grants would cease to be paid …. a great saving to the state as all schools with pupil numbers less than 60 still get the minimum amount which is that paid to schools with a pupil enrolment of 60 pupil. e.g. a school with an enrolment of 15 pupils at present gets the same amount of money as a 60 pupil school does.

McCarthy goes so far as saying that he’d close/amalgamate all schools with an enrolment of 100 or less … I don’t think I’d go that far initially but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out and I’d look at the number of schools in an area/demographics before making a decision.

(The same could be done with secondary schools that have an enrolment of 99 pupils or less which according to DES 2009/2010 stats number 26.)

According to DES statistics (2009/2010) there are 3,165 primary schools in the country and 604 of them have less than 50 pupils on roll. That represents nearly 20% of all the primary schools in the country.

There are 852 primary schools with an enrolment of between 50 and 99 pupils in the country. All the schools with less than 100 pupils comes to 46% of all the primary schools in the country.

Having experienced small, medium and large schools I firmly believe that smaller schools should be closed and resources used to make the larger schools places of educational excellence where each pupil and each class has an opportunity to excel.

Whole School Evaluation Reports:

Reading DES Whole School Evaluation reports can be a worthwhile experience:

The September 2020 list of published reports is here:

http://www.education.ie/insreports/d…_sept_2010.htm

Small schools on the September list include:

* Lakyle N.S., Whitegate, Co. Clare (2 teacher, 33 pupil school)
* Crimlin National School, Crimlin, Co. Mayo ( 2 teacher, 29 pupil school)
* St. Joseph’s National School, Aglish, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary (2 teacher, 37 pupil school)
* Cullen National School, Cullen, Co. Tipperary (2 teacher, 23 pupil school)

Between them, the four schools above have a total enrolment of 122 pupils and have 8 mainstream class teachers giving them on average 15 pupils each.

Other staff they’ve got are:

* An additional 6 teachers in support roles.
* 2 Special Needs’ Assistants.
* 2 x secretaries are mentioned (but all schools get an ancilliary services grant which allows them to employ a secretary and or caretaker – as the amount of the grant allows)
* Each of the above schools get the minimum grants available.

If we apply the simplistic €25k per pupil per year to the 122 pupils at the above schools the total comes to €3,050,000 …. round it off to €3 million … there is potential to save a serious amount of money with the DES Education Budget and still provide a top class system of education when the resources are distributed to the larger schools.

I’m not knocking small schools …. some of the WSE reports received by the smaller schools are quite good … I’m just pointing out that in these times of economic turmoil we do need to seriously look at the rationalisation of our primary schools …. 3,165 primary schools is just too many when the kitty is diminishing.

Reduce the number of schools, give them excellent facilities and resources, provide high speed broadband etc. and make our pupils of today the leaders of their fields tomorrow.

It is worth reading the reports, especially those mentioned in the following Irish Independent article:

http://www.independent.ie/education/…s-2361825.html

Links:

* DES Key Statistics
* DES Stats (2009/2010)
* Summary of cuts proposed at First Level in Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes (An Bord Snip)
* McCarthy Report – Chapter 6

Let the debate begin ………

12 Irish primary schools and 24 teachers have been lucky enough to be selected to participate in the project.

The promotion of the hands on learning of science is its goal.

I think the Revised Science Curriculum is brilliant and if taught/explored correctly would instill a great love of science in children leading to possible career in science in later life.

In teaching science, the recommendation is NOT to use a textbook even though many teachers do. Hard to blame them as there are a lot of science textbooks available for classroom use.

I’d love to be in the position of being one of the 24 teachers involved in the project.

Unfortunately, I’m not.

That’s why I’ve been so quiet these last few months.

Lots of hustle, bustle and turmoil in this country of ours since then.

Pay cuts (in effect next Thursday), snow, ice, school closures and more.

Lots of fodder that I could have used to write posts about.

But, to be honest ….

I couldn’t be bothered.

Anyways …. a new year …. a new year resolution to become healthier and fitter!

Follow these guys as they operate to transformate!

Now …. I must quicken my step!

If hot water isn’t available the advice is to use alcohol instead!

I must put that bottle of whiskey into my lunch box.

Where better to start than their fairly radical proposals for the small Irish primary schools.

Small to me would have meant any school with less than 50 pupils on roll … basically a 2 teacher school but an Bord Snip Nua is looking at smaller schools as schools having an enrolment of 100 pupils or less.

Some statistics:

• There are 3,200 primary schools in Ireland …. (a lot for a country of less than 5 million people)
• 47% of the schools have 5 teachers or fewer on staff and are mostly located in rural areas
• 659 schools have fewer than 50 pupils, with an average of 2.4 teachers per school. (The .4 probably refers to shared Learning Support and other ancillary teachers)
• If these schools were amalgamated/merged, 300 teachers could be redeployed, €18m in per annum of salary savings could be made.
• If other amalgamations of the 50 to 100 pupil schools took place another 200 teachers would become available for redeployment, with a further €9m of salary savings being made each year
• Savings would also be made by having less caretakers, secretaries etc.
• Running costs such as maintenance, heating and insurance would be eliminated.

All in all I reckon a two teacher school (pupils less than 50) costs approximately €250k to run every year! Even if the pupil numbers drop dramatically the costs don’t change.

Every school with pupils of 60 or less get a minimum grant to run the school so the less pupils a school has the more it costs per pupil within that school to educate them. A school has to drop below 12 pupils before it becomes a 1 teacher school.

DES looks at the school enrolment numbers as at the 30th of September each year and it takes a year for any changes to come into effect.

This means that a school can have less than 12 pupils for one full academic year and still have two teachers on staff! If for example, a school has 10 pupils and two teachers teaching them for the year it is costing the state €25,000 per pupil to give them an education.

Madness.

I’ve been saying for years that there should be nothing less than a 4 teacher school:

1. At the most a teacher should only have two classes
2. Expertise can be shared
3. More pupils within the school is better for the social development of all
4. A football team can be fielded  … just an example but you get my drift!

I’m glad someone sees it my way … but I never thought that they go so far as to look at school with 3 teachers in them.

2009/2010 Staffing Schedule is as follows:

1 Teacher      12 pupils

2 Teachers    49 pupils

3 Teachers    81 pupils

4 Teachers    115 pupils

They are the number a school has to have to appoint that number of teachers. If the number fall below those numbers then last teacher in is off on his/her merry way by way of the redeployment panel which guarantees them the next available full time job within 30 miles of the school they are leaving … all within the same Diocese of course.

People will probably say it will be the ruination of small communities … poppycock …. they have cars … go to the nearest hall … meet up …. go out as a group and collect the litter on the road.

There are too many small schools in the country. Cork has the highest proportion of 2 teacher school in the country. You couldn’t turn in any direction but there’d be a small school in front of you. Within a 10 mile radius you could find 5 or 6 small schools all plodding along in their own little ways.

Amalgamate/close/rationalise ….. you have my vote on this one!

Why? Been there … done that …… it makes better economic sense and most certainly it would make our education system more streamlined.

The larger schools could have their pupil/teacher ratios cut, pupil contact time would be increased, maintenance grants etc. would be reduced, ancillary staff would be reduced and fewer teachers would be needed.

Money saved.

Education system improved.

Next up …. the post offices!

Bail out the banks for billions and make ordinary Joe Soap, Joe Public and everyone else in the public sector pay for it.

Full reports are available through the RTE website … the Dept. of Finance website apparently can’t handle the extra traffic:

• RTE – ‘Bord Snip’ recommends €5.3bn in savings’
• The Full Report
• The Appendices

They sure did hit Education hard …. bastards.

This fair country of ours is fucked.

Where can I emigrate to?

OUTLINE OF PROPOSALS

Social and Family Affairs

• Cuts to all social welfare payments by 5% – €850m
• Reduction and changes to child benefit – €513m
• An end to receiving two welfare payments – €100m
• An end to payments for Community Employment Schemes for those already on benefit – €100m
• Cutting benefits for dental, optical and hearing services – €92m
• Grading of jobseekers allowance by age – €70m
• Cutting the Family Support Agency – €30m
• Changing eligibility for Family Income Supplement – €20m
• Taxing household benefits package – €11.6m
• Staff cuts – None

Total cuts: €1.8bn

Health and Children

• Reduce the size of the Department by 10% a year over the next three years – €11m
• Reduce HSE staff – €391.3m
• Revise the income guidelines for the Medical Card to the basic rate of social welfare, the jobseekers allowance – €100m
• Increase the threshold for the Drugs Payment Scheme from 4100 to €125 a month – €37m
• Those previously receiving free prescriptions must now pay €5 for each prescription – €70m
• Hold an open competition to provide services under the General Medical Services scheme – €370m
• Increase Hospital Charges – €6m
• Increase charges for private facilities in public hospitals by 20% – €50m
• Hospitals and clinicians must provide generic medicines, off-patent drugs and value-for-money treatments – €30m
• Changes to agencies and organisations in the disability and mental health area which receive State funding – €50m
• Changes to the Fair Deal scheme with the individual to contribute more to nursing home care from their own residence – €50m
• Means test for Homecare packages – €24m
• Staff cuts: 540

Total cuts: €1.2bn

Education and Science

• Staff and pay cuts in primary and post primary schools – €150m
• Staff cuts at third level – €140m
• Cuts to number of special needs assistants and English language support teachers – €81m
• Increased pupil teacher ratio at primary and post primary – €80m
• Change to student support grant – €70m
• Cuts to capitation grants for primary and post primary schools – €25m
• Cuts to research and development – €27.5m
• Cuts to grants for private schools – €25m
• Merging of smaller primary schools – €25m
• Cuts to school transport – €25m
• Integration of senior travelling training – €25m
• Cuts to third level structures – €23.7m
• Staff cuts 6,390

Total cuts: €746m

Agriculture

• Reduce expenditure on the Disadvantaged Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme by 30% – €66m
• Terminate the Suckler Cow Scheme – €44m
• Close REPS 4 and no rollover from REPS 2 and 3 into REPS 4 – €80m
• Reduce Teagasc staff numbers, rationalise Teagasc and Dept offices – €37m
• Staff cuts 1,140 staff

Total cuts: €305m

Enterprise, Trade and Employment

• Merge the regional offices and shared services of Enterprise Ireland, IDA and FÁS – €87m
• A single reduced funding stream for all science, technology and innovation activities across all departments – €53m
• Streamline all support of Irish enterprises and marketing functions in Enterprise Ireland – €10m
• Stop funding the FÁS Services to Business and Skillnets programmes – €27m
• Cuts to training allowances for the unemployed – €24.5m
• Staff cuts 594

Total cuts: €237.7m

Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

• Cuts to Community Services Programmes – €64m
• Cuts to Gaeltacht Schemes – €20.8m
• Cuts to islands infrastructure – €20m
• Staff cuts 196

Total cuts: €151m

Environment, Heritage and Local Government

• Cuts to local government including an end to 12 county or town councils – €100m
• Further efficiencies – €30m
• Staff cuts 30

Total cuts: €130m

Department of Transport

• Efficiencies among CIE companies – €55m
• Cuts to road maintenance – €20m
• Cuts to regional air services – €15m
• Axing the Rural Transport Scheme – €11m
• Outsourcing of driver and vehicle testing – €10m
• Cuts to the Road Saferty Authority – €4.2m
• Merging the National Roads Authority and the Railway Procurement Agency – €3m
• Merging the National Vehicle and Driver File into the Road Safety Authority – €2m
• Staff cuts 80

Total cuts: €127.1m

Arts, Sports and Tourism

• Cuts in allocation to tourism and marketing – €27m
• Cut in grant to Sports Council – €17.7m
• Cut allocation to Horse and Greyhound Fund – €16.4m
• Staff cuts 170

Total cuts: €104.8m

Department of Justice

• Cuts to pay and allowances for justice sector staff – including gardai – €65m
• Cuts to the courts service – €13.5m
• Cuts in immigration staff – €10m
• Transfer disability functions of department to Department of Health – €2.6m
• Cuts to Youth Detention Centres – €2.5m
• Staff cuts 540

Total cuts: €136.4m

Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

• Cuts to energy efficiency schemes run by Sustainable Energy Ireland – €40m
• Cuts to direct funding to TG4 – to be partially funded from licence fee – €10m
• Staff cuts 106

Total cuts: €65.6m

Defence

• Measures including a reduction in Defence Forces personnel by more than 500
• Staff cuts 520

Total cuts: €53m

Finance

• Cuts to the Office of Public Works – reducing spare capacity and rental costs – €21m
• Staff cuts 660

Total cuts: €82.8m

Department of Foreign Affairs

• Cuts to overseas missions – €15m
• Cuts to overseas aid – €14.8m
• Cuts to Support for Irish Emigrants – €1m
• Staff cuts 65
• Total cut €41.7m
• Houses of the Oireachtas Commission
• Changes to some operations – €6m
• Cuts to Oireachtas Allowances and Benefits – €1.5m
• Staff cuts 42

Total cuts: €7.8m

National Treasury Management Agency

• Reduce staff and other administrative costs – €5.3m
• Changes at the State Claims Agency including payment schemes, legal fees and risk management services
• Staff cuts 40

Total cuts: €5.3m

Department of the Taoiseach

• An end to the National Economic and Social Development Organisation – except for the National Economic and Social Council – €4m
• Axing the Law Reform Commission – €2.8m
• Cuts to the cost of Census 2011 – €2.2m
• Staff cuts 77

Total Cuts: €17.5m

That’s it in a nut shell!