Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #edchatie

Most recents (23)

Why schools can't take the State to court over treatment of children with additional needs. [A very long 🧵] (30ish tweets to start a discussion) #edchatie
1/In this thread, I want to explain the above because there are a number of people who say they advocate for children and their families and schools don't. I want to explain why this isn't the case.
2/I imagine the majority of these advocates know this already so I'm hoping to explain to their clients why schools can't take legal action against the government regarding special education.
Read 30 tweets
Schools are back and there are many concerned parents and teachers asking what measures are in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Short thread. #edchatie
The mask mandate was removed at the end of February 2022, but schools were advised to continue using infection prevention and control measures, such as ventilation.

gov.ie/en/press-relea…
As far as I know this advice has not changed, so windows should be open, CO2 monitors in use and HEPA filters turned on.

However, with the more laissez-faire approach to COVID-19 adopted across society over the last 6 months, schools could do with some clarification.
Read 8 tweets
PRIMARY SCHOOL SNA ALLOCATIONS IN NUMBERS 🧵
1️⃣ 1,100 new SNA allocations were announced by the DoE and welcomed by partners this week. Of the 1,100 new allocations 489.4 were given to primary level. Let's drill into the data. Feel free to ask any questions. Image
2️⃣ 439.21 of these hours are for new/increased special classes, representing about 90% of all new SNA allocations. Image
3️⃣ This leaves us with only 52 extra SNA posts in total for mainstream classes. This was the total number of posts sanctioned by @ncseirl from exceptional reviews! For the entire country. That's 3,114 schools. Image
Read 11 tweets
This be the thing #edchatie imho
1. The Senior Cycle Review Advisory Report is *mostly* really very good. It's clear the @NCCAie learningS include the realisation that developing an entire curriculum in secret (and giggling about it) is NOT a good thing #JCReform
2. The Report is NOT the curriculum but a foundation for what will become *in the future* the Senior Cycle Framework.

The Report very firmly acknowledges the need to include all stakeholders in the decision-making process *before* making decisions.
3. True consultation (versus the lip-service kind) involves listening to the informed and valid opinions of stakeholders and factoring those informed and valid opinions into the decision making.
Read 7 tweets
I have finally made it to the end of one of the longest, most difficult weeks of my teaching career to date.

Although it felt seemingly unavoidable, we had our first positive test in my class.

{1/14} #edchatie
I was told about the positive case during the day on Wednesday, and had to carry on teaching ‘as normal’ while we waited for Public Health Advisors to contact our principal to establish close contacts etc.

I felt like I was deceiving my kids. Betraying them.

{2/14}
We waited and waited but no contact on Wednesday

The new guidelines say a principal cannot instruct a class to stay home. But how many in the class might already be infected and silently spreading it?

They want us to say nothing? Do nothing? Risk more children’s health?

{3/14}
Read 14 tweets
1. Today secretaries learned exactly how valued they actually are by @NormaFoleyTD1 and all of her wellwishers when this was announced.
2. I've rarely seen some much praise for a Minister for Education for anything - look at the tweets! #edchatie
My favourite one of all was this one, (of which the first two had actually been announced by her predecessor Joe McHugh)

Read 6 tweets
Primary Summer Provision - Summary Thread

I'll start with the facts & throw in my opinions at the end.

3 programmes for primary
➡️ Special class & school provision
➡️ Mainstream provision
➡️ DEIS literacy & numeracy camps

Full docs here:
gov.ie/en/publication…

#EdChatIE

#1
There will also be home based provision.

➡️ 40 hrs
➡️ Parent sources tutor
➡️ No details yet, documents to follow.

Home based tuition is only available if the child's school is NOT running the school based programme or if there's isn't space for them

Parent leaflets below

#2
Measures to encourage schools to run programmes

➡️ Overseer role added for Mainstream & DEIS programmes
➡️ 10 hours per week of provision paid preparation hours
➡️ Commitment to paying staff earlier
➡️ PME teachers with Teaching number can be used

#3
Read 21 tweets
Info and expression of interest forms for school based provision at Post Primary up now.

Nothing yet for primary, special schools or home based tuition

gov.ie/en/publication…

#EdChatIE
Some interesting stuff in the documents that may transfer over to primary one as well youd imagine

➡️ Staff (overseer/teacher/sna) paid their personal rate of pay for the time, not the set rate of home based.
➡️ Overseer role has to be permanent member of staff

#1
➡️ Other staff can be from outside, including final year PME
➡️ Eligibility list until places are full. Max 12% of enrolment (not sure if primary will have same % or how it would work in small schools
➡️ 12:1 Teacher /student ratio
➡️ 10 hours paid prep time per week of camp

#2
Read 4 tweets
The government have made a deliberate decision not to fund public health departments in Ireland which is one of the reasons we’re in permanent lockdown. They are deliberately ignoring WHO’s main advice on dealing with Covid. Why aren’t people outraged about this?
Scotland has 160 public health docs, we have 60. The gov refuses to give PH docs consultant contracts and has been recruiting for 3 months but almost no ones applied because of this. Here is Mike Ryan in MAY saying PH is essential for preventing lockdowns
Community transmission is code for “we don’t know where it came from”. Parents/teacher unions should fight for gov to give public health docs consultant contracts. The gov won’t track school transmissions cause PH is so underfunded, they can’t. #edchatie
Read 14 tweets
The implementation of a new SNA model has gotten a bit lost in the madness of the last year.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what it means and what implications should be.

Here's a thread where I try to dig into the main points.

@SNAsSpeakOut
#edchatie

#1
The new model is based on this review.

It was piloted with a limited amount of schools, and increased resourcing from what will be available (please jump in if you were a pilot school and have info).

#2
ncse.ie/wp-content/upl…
It was due for implementation for this year, but "postponed" to 2021/2022 (with elements de facto introduced).

It's expected to be rolled out this year by DES.

It's involves a frontloaded allocation of SNA, for 2 years, in the same way as SET allocation currently.

#3
Read 19 tweets
To lighten the mood & give insight into ehat I think perfectly sums up the DES I present a thread on my first (traumatic) experience of

"The Cluster Games"

(sometimes known as the clusterf**k)

* Other principals, please jump in here with your experiences *

#1

#edchatie
So, I came home from teaching abroad and got a principalship starting Sept 2018. Great! Busy, full on, a million jobs to get my head around, but all going well.

Then, February comes.

Oh SET allocations are out, great! No. Not great.

So begins "The Cluster Games"

#2
The DES releases allocations. You may think these look like a random assortment of hours and minutes for each school that make no sense. You would be right.

Here's a random sample, from Carlow.

First school on the list. That's 71.03 hours.

#3 Image
Read 16 tweets
Not actually that much in the documents so key points thread.

Supplementary Provision scheme:

➡️ Special school, special class & School support Plus in Mainstream eligible. Schools have flexibility to add to SSP taking into account current circumstances

#1

#edchatie
➡️ 20 hours over 4 weeks
➡️ Outside of school hours
➡️ Flexibility for catch up over Easter/Spring Break
➡️ Can be done by Teacher or SNA, rates in image

#2
The school should :

➡️ Identify and inform eligible parents/children
➡️ If interested, fill out part 1 of form & pass on
➡️ Help to match school staff who volunteer with eligible pupils
➡️ Try to help find someone if possible if no school staff available
➡️ Send parents doc

#3
Read 6 tweets
Summary of Information Note on Leave

➡️ Parental Leave
➡️ Unpaid Leave
➡️ High risk
➡️ Pregnant

Only applies for this temporary interim period.

Underpinned by all just be BOM approved and they must ensure safe amount of staff on site.

#1
#edchatie
Parental Leave:

➡️ BOM may waive 6 weeks notice
➡️ BOM can approve a pattern of leave, less than one week blocks. E.g where staff are available some days but not others, with childcare.

#2
Unpaid Leave:

Can waive requirements for notice

#3
Read 7 tweets
Long summary of reopening schools docs from 3/02.

5 docs total
➡️ Letter to Principals
➡️ App1 -Framework for return
➡️ App2 -HSPC Guidance
➡️ App3 -Additions to COVID response plan needed
➡️ App4 -COVID response plan doc

All here:

#edchatie
#1

into.ie/2021/02/03/gui…
Letter to Principals:

➡️ 2 phases and dates confirmed again.
Special schools - 11th - 50%
Special classes - 22nd - 100%

➡️Circular to follow on staffing, parental leave etc (the parts people want info on 🙈)

➡️ Dicussions ongoing for further reopening

#2
Appendix 1: Framework for return

This is the meat of it, most of the new stuff is in here.

3 main areas
➡️ Risk mitigation and public health advice
➡️ Interim model incl flexible staffing
➡️ Sequencing and timeline

#3
Read 23 tweets
Guidance on reopening of special schools/classes:

I'll try to do a summary of the different documents tomorrow, but first read through a few things that jumped out immediately.

Most is repeating information shared already. Appendix 1 is most of the new stuff

#edchatie

#1
➡️ Increased mitigation measures are surgical masks for staff and new guidelines in ventilation (windows open when not in class, partially open when in class)

➡️ No change in vaccination place for any staff currently

#2
➡️ Flexible work arrangements can be agreed by BOM. No guidelines on for who. These staff work remotely with pupils at home (by choice or on 50% off if in special schools)

➡️ Flexible arrangements in ARE substitutable

#3
Read 7 tweets
PSSA @INTOnews vote, a thread.

So, I'm going to collate my thoughts here as I try to work through the deal & implications.

Please correct me if I have understood anything wrong!

I want to come to a decision myself today, but I haven't finalised it yet.

#edchatie

#1
My context, because this will appeal to different people for different reasons

How this impacts me:
➡️ Old payscale
➡️ New pension
➡️ Teaching Principal (benchmarking/ workload changes)

#2
Basis for the info for the thread

➡️ INTO Webinar & comms
➡️ Glór Webinar
➡️ @anseo podcast
➡️ The agreement itself (skimmed & in parts)
➡️ Other people's posts/tweets and chatting with colleagues

#3
Read 18 tweets
Long one: Live lessons, Equity, Access & Remote Learning

The demands for live learning and claims that it is the best option, or the only real teaching, or the closest to "normal" are getting louder the longer this goes on. Frustrated parents looking for support.

#edchatie

#1
Absolutely understandable. Trying to navigate remote learning, apps, downloads, printables & support your child while working yourself at home, or outside is not just hard, for many it's impossible.

Each family sees this through their own lens, from their own perspective

#2
But, for every voice we hear saying "live lessons are the best" "live lessons are the only way" I worry about the voices we're not hearing.

Lots of things vary family to family, and for some live would be the best, but here are some overarching things we do know for sure

#3
Read 14 tweets
Sorry can we please use our language carefully. Schools are NOT “closed”. Teachers are not getting “extra holidays” they are teaching from home. You wouldn’t say it about any other person in the public sector. Are the banks and tax office “closed” just because...
Some members of staff are working from home. Teaching online is difficult. You have no idea. We have not been consulted in ANY of this. We are not “off”. Schools are not “closed”. Schools are moving online. Language is important. #edchatie #irishteachers #schoolclosures
My words will fall on deaf ears because we are always public enemy number 1. Why? Holidays. We don’t get a yearly bonus, company perks or cars. The reality is teachers work a lot more hours and assume multiple more roles than you think #irishteachers
Read 8 tweets
As we’re heading into uncertain times ahead I’ve collated numerous collections of resources suitable for #blendedlearning #remoteteaching & #inclass - Check them out here ➡️ Literacy Resources wke.lt/w/s/Wc8fBU #edshareie #edchatie @KECtweet @AnokhaLearning @VoiceforTeacher
Read 8 tweets
Hi teachers and parents 👋 I have complied a short list of useful online maths tools and virtual manipulatives to assist you with distance learning. I have included the curriculum area and suggested what class group they would be most suitable for. See below! #mathschat #edchatie
This website allows you to create a graph. Useful for 5th/6th class. Children can create pie charts, bar charts, etc. adding in their own data and designing and labelling the X and Y axis themselves. Charts are easily saved.

nces.ed.gov/nceskids/creat…
Online protractor. Useful for 5th/6th class. The teacher can use screen sharing to how to use a protractor. Children who do not have a protractor at home can use this to measure angles.

teacherled.com/iresources/sha…
Read 47 tweets
I’m not teaching #Shakespeare’s #Othello this year (wish I was now), but thanks to @INOTEnews I’ve found myself researching/preparing as if I was! Here’s a thread on some of the resources I came across in the hope that some #English teacher will find them useful! #EdChatIE
Part of an intro. to #Othello? In 'Othello: What it means to be a Moor' Dr Islam Issa gives a rundown of events in the 1600s that influenced the character of Othello for @BBCRadio3’s ‘The Shakespeare Sessions’.

bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08…
.@Tracy_Chevalier ’s ‘New Boy’ sets #Othello in a 1970s’ American schoolyard. This makes all that happens (age appropriate of course) all the more devastating & may help to crystallise the text’s themes for teachers and students. Image
Read 9 tweets
Saw this Harvard document being shared in light of the DES plans for reopening schools. It seems to be getting a lot of praise. Will share some thoughts here as I flick down through it. #edchatie

schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction…
Straight away,the Executive Summary is frank&honest. Acknowledges that the return will not be perfect, and there is no perfect plan, only "less bad" options. An absence of waffle is nice. Bear in mind this is for schools in USA, where the government pandemic response is shambolic
Next,this lovely infographic,and it becomes apparent that this document is all about what *could* and *should* be done,as opposed to what we have in Ireland which is a bona fide plan. So comparisons may be harsh. However, it takes into account 3 types of transmission. Ours has 2.
Read 16 tweets
#edchatie The "reopening of schools" document summarised in as few tweets as possible.

1. The objective is to open schools to all pupils unless we can't.
2. The reason seems to be social distancing.
3. 2m = 1 day per week per pupil
4. 1m = half a week per pupil

cont...
...cont

5. Guidance will be given to schools in July
6. COVID19 training will have to be given but no info on this
7. Hand Hygiene will be important. It is envisaged that this will be managed via a drawdown framework for use by schools but no info on funding on this.

cont...
...cont

8. Extra cleaning and extra waste management will be needed. No info on extra funding for this.
9. An education programme "will be designed"
10. Transport hasn't been discussed yet
11. The focus on returning to school will be wellbeing. No guidance on this.

cont...
Read 5 tweets

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