Monday, December 04, 2006
“there are too many schools in Northern Ireland”
The NIO minister Angela Maria Eagle seems enthusiastic about the 61 recommendations in George Bain’s Independent Strategic Review of Education while the BBC highlight the recommended raising of minimum enrolment levels for primary and post-primary schools, and that a third of schools - 440 in total - do not have the required minimum number of pupils. The Report is available here Adds Press Association report here
Bain highlights what he sees as the problem in the introduction and summary of his report[pdf file]
CHAPTER 3: NORTHERN IRELAND EDUCATION SYSTEM
9. DE is responsible for the central administration of education and related services in Northern Ireland, with the exception of the Further and Higher Education sectors, which are the responsibility of the Department for Employment and Learning. DE’s main areas of responsibility are pre-school, primary, post-primary, and special education; the youth service; the promotion of community relations within and between schools; and teacher education.
10. Inspection and monitoring of all education and training establishments is the direct responsibility of the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI). In keeping with key government principles for inspection, ETI provides an independent professional assessment of the effectiveness of existing or proposed policy.
11. Responsibility for the delivery of day-to-day education services within the policy, strategy and procedures set by DE currently lies with: the five Education and Library Boards, including the Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards; the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools; the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment; the Youth Council for Northern Ireland; other grant-aided bodies, including the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education and Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta; and schools.
12. The system of schools in Northern Ireland comprises five main sectors: Controlled Schools – including Controlled Integrated Schools – Catholic Maintained Schools, Voluntary Grammar Schools, Grant-maintained Integrated Schools, and Irish-medium Schools.
13. The diversity of school type, the selective system of education, the existence of single sex schools, and the substantially rural nature of Northern Ireland largely explain both the relatively large number of schools that exist and the sizeable proportion of small schools. Although the range of provision is explained, and indeed justified, by the principle of parental choice, the inefficiencies manifest in the system need to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
And from the foreword to the report
5. At the beginning of the Review’s work, I thought it would be mainly concerned with the issue of “surplus places” and the economic case – cost-effective
provision that gives good value for money – for rationalising the schools’ estate. As the work advanced, the economic case for rationalisation remained important, but two other arguments for rationalisation became even more important: first, the educational case – access for pupils to the full range of the curriculum, to high quality teaching, and to modern facilities – and second, the social case – societal well-being by promoting a culture of tolerance, mutual understanding, and inter-relationship through significant, purposeful and regular engagement and interaction in learning.6. In short, the argument for rationalising the schools’ estate is not primarily about saving money – the savings, in any case, being difficult to quantify and, whatever their amount, being required for reinvestment in Northern Ireland’s schools – but about giving the children of Northern Ireland an excellent education that will benefit both them and the society in which they live. That is what the Review’s sixty-one recommendations are intended to achieve, and I commend them strongly to the Government and to the citizens of Northern Ireland.
The majority of his recommendations concern Planning: A Strategic Approach [recommendations 11-42] emphasising a local area based approach, some of those recommendations are
Planning: A Strategic Approach
11. The Education and Skills Authority should plan the schools’ estate on a local area basis, within a strategic framework of vision, policy, principles, and guidelines provided by the Department of Education.
12. Within the strategic framework established by the Department of Education, the Education and Skills Authority should have overall operational responsibility for the strategic planning of the schools’ estate.
13. Until the Education and Skills Authority has acquired the capacity to exercise its estate planning function, the Department of Education should act quickly and decisively to take forward area-based planning as soon as possible in the year 2007, with the full support of the relevant education authorities.
14. The Department of Education should establish a provisional timetable, to be refined and taken forward by the Education and Skills Authority, specifying target dates for the following key steps in setting up and implementing the area-based planning strategy: (a) the Department of Education’s strategic framework of vision, policy, principles, and guidelines; (b) the specification of local areas; (c) the review of local provision; (d) the initiation and conclusion of local planning; (e) the submission of area proposals to the Education and Skills Authority; (f) the finalised and approved area plans; and (g) the implementation of individual plans for the estate as a whole.
15. Future school building projects should be approved only after area-based planning is established, and previously announced capital projects that are currently underway should be reviewed, according to their stage of development, for their consistency with the area-based approach.
16. Local areas should comprise coherent sets of nursery, primary and post-primary schools, and, as appropriate, special schools, as well as accessible further education provision, and as far as possible lie within a single local council’s boundaries.
17. Planning should ensure that proposals for contiguous local areas are considered together, and that their interrelationships are identified and taken into account, before investment decisions are made.
18. Area-based plans should ensure that each area is served by sustainable schools that provide high quality education for all pupils and that, taken together, balance the expressed wishes of parents and the projected requirements of each school sector, with the cost-effective use of capital and recurrent funding.
and he makes a number of recommendations on integrating the education system
Perspectives on Integration and Collaboration
52. In undertaking its functions in relation to the planning of the schools’ estate, the Education and Skills Authority should be required to maximise opportunities for integrating education within a system of sustainable schools.
53. To encourage and support a more inclusive approach to integrating education, additional funding – in the form of (a) an enhanced unit of resource, and (b) special funding for particular areas of work such as staff development – should be provided to schools that are actively engaged in sharing with other schools, or a school that is developing an inclusive environment in recognition of the diversity of its pupils’ religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
54. Either through new arrangements under the Review of Public Administration, or through a dedicated strategic forum, the Department of Education should help education stakeholders to discuss issues pertinent to integrating education and improving collaboration, promoting trust and mutual understanding, and working to develop collaboration and sharing.
55. The Department of Education should make clear that, in discharging its legislative duty in respect of integrated education, it is committed to facilitating and encouraging a variety of approaches to integrating education within a framework of sustainable schools.
56. The Department of Education should develop a comprehensive and coherent policy for Irish-medium education.
57. The planning for Irish-medium education should make use of a variety of feasible options capable of providing the accommodation and facilities that support a high quality of education through the medium of Irish, including:
• creating new sustainable Irish-medium schools through new builds, adapting existing surplus capacity in the schools’ estate, and transformation; and
• collaborating and sharing within the Irish-medium sector, and with English-medium schools, including the provision of Irish-medium units or streams in English-medium schools.
The full list of recommendations is available separately[pdf file]
Pete Baker @ 01:51 PM
At last someone actually understands that integrating education is not about building schools for the alliance party.
A bit harsh on the rural sector especially those schools where education boards have deliberately kept enrolment low for years. Hopefully these schools will be given a chance to prove themselves,
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 03:27 PMWhy does some who, for example, is an atheist have to pay excess taxes to support an educational system that is rendered inefficient by the diversity of educational establishments?
We should insist upon a secular education like many other countries - none of this State, Catholic and Integrated nonsense - just one secular education system - the church is for religion, schools are for education, home can be for both.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 03:57 PMFD:
“Why does some who, for example, is an atheist have to pay excess taxes to support an educational system that is rendered inefficient by the diversity of educational establishments?”
I concur.
Those parents wishing to incorporate religion into education can pay to send their children to private religious schools of their choice.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 04:44 PMHe’s copped out from radical solutions.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 05:01 PM“We should insist upon a secular education like many other countries - none of this State, Catholic and Integrated nonsense - just one secular education system - the church is for religion, schools are for education, home can be for both.”
So what you mean is - just State schools, then.
Bugger off out of my decision where I send my kids. Ta.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 05:18 PMFrustrated Democrat and McGrath are right: no state subsidy for confessional and segregated education, which is the main obstacle in the path of “a shared future” and the main factor in maintaining sectarian division.
If the kenseis of this world want to segregate their children into apartheid schools to be indoctrinated by one particular denomination and to ensure they don’t come into contact with “the other sort”, they can pay for such destructive schooling themselves.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 06:09 PMKensei
You would be free to pay for your own private faith school if you wished.
Worst decision of Stormont - to allow seperate schools - gave into bigots on both sidesPosted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 06:11 PM“You would be free to pay for your own private faith school if you wished.”
Can he get a rebate on his rates or is that the penalty for wanting his kids to learn a little Irish and to be able to play gaelic games (not available at many “state” schools).
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 06:26 PMPosted by jaffa on Dec 04, 2006 @ 06:26 PM
Can he get a rebate on his rates or is that the penalty for wanting his kids to learn a little Irish and to be able to play gaelic games (not available at many “state” schools).
Languages like Irish, Latin etc should be an elective subject.
The type of sports played by a particular school should be determined by demand.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 06:41 PM“If the kenseis of this world want to segregate their children into apartheid schools to be indoctrinated by one particular denomination and to ensure they don’t come into contact with “the other sort”, they can pay for such destructive schooling themselves.”
The kenseis of this world are practicising Catholics and think it would be a good thing for their children to go to a Catholic school and irrespective of who else is going there. the kenseis of this world think you should fuck off with your social engineering and leave the decision up to the parents.
Happy to pay for the schooling, amusing of course, that I get a tax rebate on it and don’t actually have to pay for your kids.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 07:18 PMJAFFA
Can he get a rebate on his rates or is that the penalty for wanting his kids to learn a little Irish and to be able to play gaelic games (not available at many “state” schools).
In a truly integrated state sector, Gaelic games and Gaelic language would be readily available.
KENSEI
The kenseis of this world are practicising Catholics and think it would be a good thing for their children to go to a Catholic school and irrespective of who else is going there.
It’s unfortunate that you wish to segregate your children away from “the other sort”. This is the kind of attitude that is so harmful to our society. But nonetheless you should be free to pay for such education if you wish. Given, however, that it is not in society’s interests to encourage such segregation, the state should not be paying for such destructive schooling.
the kenseis of this world think you should fuck off with your social engineering and leave the decision up to the parents.
I’m content for parents to be able to choose to send their children to apartheid schools if they wish. All I am saying is they should not expect society at large to subsidise such a harmful choice.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 07:37 PMWhy are people so afraid of parents being in control of how their children are educated and the state providing for it?
It seems quite intolerant to me.
Even liberal Sweden has seen the error of state education and expects to have 50% of children educated through the parental choice method within the next decade.Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 08:08 PMKensei:
“The kenseis of this world are practicising Catholics and think it would be a good thing for their children to go to a Catholic school and irrespective of who else is going there. the kenseis of this world think you should fuck off with your social engineering and leave the decision up to the parents.”
The teaching of the catholic faith in state funded schools isnt Social Engineering?
Regardless, I do not want to pay for the religious education of your children or anyone else’s children. Religious education is a parental responsibility not a state responsibility.
Unique to NI is the situation where in every major town there is at least 2 types of schools, yielding at least twice the administration costs for what clear benefit?
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 08:20 PMGeorge
Interesting point re. Sweden but absolutely no back-up. What about a link of some sort?
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 09:45 PMMcGrath
I think you will find that every major town has 4 types of school!
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 09:48 PMWillis,
there is a lot of stuff out there on parental choice as the way to go with education.Sweden introduced the right for parents in 1992. There is talk of convincing Cameron to buy into the idea for the UK.
http://www.reform.co.uk/website/reformaroundtheworld/sweden.aspx
Although, I have to say that now I have checked back up, the report says some municipalities say up to 50% not all as my post implied.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 09:57 PMthink you will find that every major town has 4 types of school!
Posted by willis on Dec 04, 2006 @ 09:48 PM
If not more, which confirms the absurdity of the system.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 10:11 PMWillowfield:
The other option is to have all children attend Catholic maintained schools. That would remove the “other sort” issue. What are your objections, if any, to that option?
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 10:40 PMGeorge
Would that we had Parental and children choice in N.I. Sadly the 11+ stands in the way of that.
I assume you would like to see the end of the 11+?
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 10:46 PMGEORGE
Why are people so afraid of parents being in control of how their children are educated and the state providing for it?
Because it is not in society’s interests to promote and maintain sectarian division, and therefore the state should not financially support such damaging choices.
NEW YORKER
The other option is to have all children attend Catholic maintained schools. That would remove the “other sort” issue. What are your objections, if any, to that option?
It would hardly be a sensible or feasible policy to require or encourage non-RC parents to send their children to Roman Catholic schools.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 10:57 PMWillowfield,
“Because it is not in society’s interests to promote and maintain sectarian division, and therefore the state should not financially support such damaging choices.”Parental choice isn’t the cause of sectarian division in Northern Ireland and it doesn’t promote or maintain it either, in my view. I support parental choice in education.
Willis,
as I’m not from “the North”, I’m not totally au fait with the 11+. From what I can gather it’s a compulsory streaming exam for children before they go to secondary school. Correct me if I’m wrong.Naturally, I would be against parents being forced to put their children through such a screening against their will.
If parents want to send their children to a school that has its own internal screening process, as some schools in the Republic have, that is their choice.
If parents want to set up a school that has its own internal screening process, that is their choice.
All that matters is that their children receive a standard of education set down by the state. If that education comes by means of the Steiner method, through Irish or Ulster Scots, who am I to object?
If it is Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, multi-denominational or Scientologist, who am I to decide?
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 11:09 PMI had a chat with a ex-pat ski guide in Austria last year about the local education system, which he thought was brilliant (his own kids had gone through it).
In Kaprun there’s a set of three schools almost running into each other in a row along the river. First is a one storey nursery with playground, then a two story elementary school, third the local high school (a three storey block I think)and they shared a large sports field and various hard courts across the road.
A percentage of children could win promotion to the district grammar school after a certain age (with additional chances at later stages) but the number was limited to a smaller percentage than in the NI grammar split and a number who had the option didn’t bother to take it up.
The default is a safe and steady progression through feeder schools with grammar as the exception - a choice for kids with a really strong academic leaning.
This seems to give more of a comprehensive / A stream split than ours and yet perhaps provides the same inspiration for hard work with the chance of the grammar school being there if you do well but without the shame of failure if you stay put.
It probably better suits the sparsely distributed populations of the Alpine valleys than a choice of smaller, maybe less well equipped schools.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 11:15 PMGEORGE
Parental choice isn’t the cause of sectarian division in Northern Ireland and it doesn’t promote or maintain it either, in my view. I support parental choice in education.
Parental choice to send their children to sectarian, segregated schools certainly does promote and maintain sectarian division. That is plain.
But I do not oppose “parental choice” to send their kids to sectarian schools. My issue is with the state funding of the sectarian schools.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 11:21 PMI want to send my kids to Campbell College, I’d be thankful if you all chipped in, its about 10 grand a term, come on lets see how deep those pockets go. It is my choice afterall.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 11:30 PMIt isn’t ÂŁ10K. It’s about ÂŁ2-3K a year. We already have an effective voucher system (compared with GB) in NI for voluntary grammars like Campbell and Inst. Give up the sky tv, the fags or the lottery tickets and pay it yerself.
Posted by on Dec 04, 2006 @ 11:38 PM
