- Chief Executive - Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (2014 to date)

- Chief Executive Officer Co Clare Vocational Education Committee (2005 to 2014)

- General Secretary; Joint Managerial Body

- Principal St Marys Secondary School, Newport

- Director of Community Education

- Year Head

- Teacher of Irish and History

Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB)

• The state education authority for Limerick city, Limerick County and Clare County
• Population 270,000
• 2,500 employees
• 10,000 students in 18 post primary schools
• 25,000 adult learners in 30 Centres
• Music School
• Prison School
• 2 Outdoor Education Centres

The Irish Education System

• Pre School: No formal system, Creche, Kindergarden,
• 1st level: Primary Schools, National schools
• 2nd Level: Post primary schools, secondary schools, vocational schools, community schools, community colleges, comprehensive schools
• Further Education and Training: Adult Education Community education, Apprenticeship
• 3rd level - Universities, Institutes of Technology, Technological Universities, Teacher Training Colleges

Irish Education Characteristics

• Complex structural and management systems
• Legacy of history and tradition
• Denominational aspects
• Centralised syllabus and curriculum
• State aided and supported
• Growing multidenominational demand

Context

• Celtic tradition - Brehon laws
• Norman Invasion (1189) "More Irish than the Irish themselves"
• English rule expansion - Henry VIII; Elizabeth I; James I
• Plantations: 1556, 1586, 1606, 1652
• Religious persecution and division -Penal Laws
• Economic poverty- Famines - Black '47
• Gaelic Revival GAA; Gaelic League
• Independence 1921

Context 2

• Republic since 1922
• 32 counties
• 26 counties - Republic of Ireland
• 6 Counties - Northern Ireland
• Republic Population:

Population

• Population of 4,761,865 in April 2016
• Population increased by 173,613 (3.8% since April 2011)
• Increase Driven by 3 elements

            Births     +344,400

            Deaths     +148,300

            Natural Increase     +196,100

            Net migration     -22,500

Trends

• Birth rate falling 77k to 67k
• 65+ up 19%
• Average Age 37.4
• Av. No. of children per family 1.38
• Nationality

            - Irish 88.4%

            - Non Irish 11.6% - Poland UK Lith Rom Brazil

Religion

• Catholics 78.3% (-5.9%; -13% over 25 years )
• No Religion 9.84%
• Church of Ireland 2.65%
• Muslim 1.33% (+28%)
• Orthodox 1.31% (+37.5%)
• Not stated 2.63%

                            Early Childhood/Pre-school

• Early childhood education are delivered outside the formal education system,
• Providers: private, community and voluntary
• crèches,
  
• nurseries,
  
• pre-schools,
• Naíonraí (Irish language pre-schools),
  
• playgroups
• daycare services
•  kindergarten

Early Childhood/Pre-school

• The compulsory school age in Ireland is 6
• But children can be enrolled in primary school from age 4
• All forms of pre-primary education are optional.
• Nearly 40% of 4-year-olds and virtually all 5-year-olds attend primary school
• Early Start Programme, a pre-primary initiative in designated areas of urban disadvantage
• 40 Early Start centres
• Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. A free Pre-School Year scheme for children aged 2 years and 8 months
• All children within the relevant age range can avail of two years of ECCE

Number of Schools Aided by the Department of Education and Skills

• First Level                                                             3,250
• Primary Schools (Mainstream)                         3,115
• Special Schools                                                    135
• Second Level                                                        711
• Secondary                                                            374
• Vocational and Community College                241
• Community and Comprehensive                     96
• Total                                                                      3,961
• Non aided                                                             26
• Gaelscoil                                                                270

Primary Education

Hedge schools

My eyelids red and heavy are

With bending o'er the smould'ring peat

I know the Aeneid now by heart

My Virgil read in cold and heat

Pádraic Colum (1882-1972)

• Penal Laws (1695) preventing education in Catholic and Presbyterian Schools
• Outdoors - Huts - Barns - Homes
• 3 Rs Writing; Arithmetic; Reading; Greek; Latin
• Standards vary
• Fees - Cash and in kind
• 1824 - 11,000 schools 500,000 pupils

                            National (Primary) School System

• British Government concern at an unregulated private system
• 1831 Stanley letter
• State intervention to provide and fund a non denominational system of primary education
• Supplanted the existing provision
• 1903 9,000 school 750,000 pupils
• Denominational control

Primary schools by denomination

Roman Catholic                                   2,884                                      91.1%

Church of Ireland (Anglican)             180                                          5.7%

Multi-denominational                         73                                            2.3%

Presbyterian                                          14                                            0.4%

                                                        Aims

• To enable the child to live a full life as a child and to realise his or her potential as a unique individual
• To enable the child to develop as a social being through living and co-operating with others and so contribute to the good of society
• To prepare the child for a continuum of learning.
• To nurture the child in all dimensions of his or her life-spiritual, moral, cognitive, emotional, imaginative, aesthetic, social and physical.
• Social, Personal and Health Education.

                                                   Curriculum

• Language: Gaeilge and English
• Mathematics
• Social, environmental and scientific education (SESE): history, geography and science
• Arts education: visual arts, music and drama
• Physical education
• Social, personal and health education (SPHE)
• Religious or ethical education is the responsibility of the different school patron bodies.

                                        Assessment

• Assessment in primary school is about building a picture over time of a child's learning progress across the curriculum. The teacher uses different ways to gather evidence about how and what the child learns on an ongoing basis. This information is used to celebrate the child's current learning, and to help make decisions about next steps for future learning.
  

                            Post Primary/Secondary

• Until 1967 very few attended secondary schools
• Religious run; fee paying
• 1924 - 5% transfer to secondary
• 1960 - 16% transfer to secondary
• 1967 Free Education - state grants given to schools. No fees could be charged.
• Today 90% of all 18 year olds complete secondary education

                     Types of Post Primary Schools 1

• Voluntary Secondary Schools - 380
• Most are Religious owned and operated
• 50 fee paying schools
• 1 Jewish School

                   Types of Post Primary Schools 2

• Vocational Schools/Community Colleges (260)
• Operated by 16 Education and Training Boards
• Formerly Vocational Education Committees (1930 to 2013)
• Originally provided a 2 year course focused on vocational skills
• Now provide a full secondary programme

                Types of Post Primary Schools 3

• Community/Comprehensive Schools (96)
• Multidenominational
• Comprehensive Schools (12 -established 1966 to 1974)
• Community Schools - Many formed as a result of amalgamations of Secondary and Vocaional schools

                                     Secondary Curriculum

• Junior Cycle (12/13 to 15/16 Years)
• Cumpulsory:
• Irish, English and Mathematics
• Religion (depending on the school)
• History and Geography (Vol Sec Schools)
• Civic Social and Political Education
• Social Personal and Health Education
• Physical Education

                                Curriculum

• Optional:
• Languages: French German Spanish
• Technical Graphics
• Science
• Materials Technology (Wood)
• Engineering
• Visual Art
• Music
• Classical Studies
• Technology

                          Curriculum- Senior Cycle (17/18 years)

• Cumpulsory
• Irish, English, Mathematics
• Optional:
• Languages: French German Spanish Classical Studies
• History, Geography, Religious Studies
• Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Applied Mathematics
• Engineering, Materials Technology (Wood), Technical Graphics
• Art, Music
• Students study 7 of these for the Leaving Certificate
• 60,000 students

                                           Assessment

• Junior Certificate - 15/16 years
• (Junior Certificate Programme -15/16 years)
• Leaving Certificate -17/18 years
• (Leaving Certificate Applied -17/18 years)
• Central Applications Office - applications to 3rd level colleges
• Points system

                                 Management Structures

• Board of Management - 8 persons
• Principal - in small schools also teaches
• Deputy Principal                Full time 400+ pupils    
  
•                                                                700+ 2 DPs       
•                                                                900+ 3DPs

• Assistant Principal I (0 to 8 depending on size)
• Assistant Principal II(0 to12 depending on size)

           National Council for Curriculum and  Assessment (NCCA)

• established 2001,
• lead developments in curriculum and assessment
• support the implementation of changes resulting from this work.
• works in a spirit of consensus and partnership.
• seeks to promote an innovative and creative environment for all learners in schools and other educational settings.
• The curriculum for Ireland's primary and post-primary schools is determined by the Minister for Education and Skills who is advised by the NCCA.
• The curriculum sets out not only what is to be taught, but how, and how learning in the particular subject area is to be assessed.

             DEIS: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools

• DEIS provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and an integrated School Support Programme (SSP).
• 825 schools are included in the programme
• These comprise 640 primary schools (328 urban/town schools and 312 rural primary schools) and 185 second level schools.
• School Completion Programme. The School Completion Programme (SCP) was set up as part of Department of Education and Skills (DES) DEIS Strategy Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools.
• Aims to assist pupils at risk of early leaving
• The SCP operates in 470 primary schools and 224 post- primary schools.

                                   Teaching Council

• Promote teaching as a profession at primary and post-primary levels
• Promote the professional development of teachers and to regulate standards in the profession.
• All teachers at primary secondary and in further education must register (Fee: €65)
• Ensures all teachers are police vetted
• Sets standards for qualifications and practice
• Procedures for removal from register

                                       Legislation

• 1930: Vocational Education Act -established Vocational Education Committees
• 1998: Education Act
• 2000: Education Welfare Act - regulates school attendance, suspensions and expulsions
• 2013: Education and Training Boards Act
• Circular Letters: Issued by the Department of Education to regulate the operation of schools

                       Further Education and Training (FET)

• VET = FET
• Further Education covers education and training which occurs after second level schooling but which is not part of the third level system. There are number of providers of Further and Adult Education and Training and a wide variety of schools, organisations and institutions, are involved in the delivery of continuing education and training for young school leavers and adults.

                         Education and Training Boards (ETBs)

• The ETBs have responsibility for the delivery of primary, post primary and further education and training
• 16 ETBs were established on 1st July 2013 following from the commencement of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013.

                                     FET Programmes

• Full-Time Programmes in Further Education

Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) Courses Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) Youthreach

• Part-Time Programmes in Further Education

Back To Education Initiative (BTEI) Adult Literacy

Community Education

                                      FET Numbers

• 16 Education and Training Boards
• 337,966 Learners
• 15,500 Apprenticeship Learners
• €647.6 million investment

                                           Training

• 20 Training Centres under the control of ETBs
• a wide range of technical and skills based training to mainly unemployed persons wishing to update or acquire new skills
• persons entering the labour market for the first time and those changing careers.
• Apprenticeships

                                                Apprenticeships

• Industry-led by consortia of industry and education partners (ETBs and Institutes of Techology)
• Lead to an award at Levels 5 to 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)
• Between 2-4 years in duration
• Minimum 50% on-the-job learning
• Flexible delivery - online, blended, off-the-job learning in increments/blocks
• Apprentices are employed under a formal contract of apprenticeship
• The employer pays the apprentice for the duration of the apprenticeship*
• *For apprenticeships in place prior to 2016 the State pays a training allowance to apprentices during off- the-job training phases

                        Apprenticeships

• Apprenticeships currently available include those in Construction, Electrical, Engineering, Finance, Hospitality and Motor.

• 11 New apprenticships being developed in areas such as Commis Chef and Hairdressing

                                   SOLAS

• SOLAS was established on 27 October 2013, following the commencement of the Further Education and Training Act 2013.
• SOLAS works with the ETBs to support the development of appropriate further education and training programmes and curricula and the sourcing of further education and training interventions from the private, public and not for profit sector.
• 7 Universities

                             Higher Education

           14 Institutes of Technology, including the Dublin Institute of Technology

• 7 Colleges of Education.
• Other third level institutions provide specialist education in such fields as art and design, medicine, business studies, rural development, theology, music and law
• 37500 from second level
• 3000 mature
• 3000 international