Posted on July 10, 2008 by ToryWriter
Is there anyone left who hasn’t criticised the Minister for Education?
In yesterday’s Belfast Telegraph the Children’s Commissioner, Patricia Lewsley, noted her concern that the process undertaken by Ms Ruane has done nothing to take on board the views of young people with regard to the way ahead.
The Minister has now seemingly managed the impossible. All shades of [...]
Filed under: Academic Selection, Belfast Telegraph, Children, Conservatives Northern Ireland, Education, Grammar Schools, Sinn Fein | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 26, 2008 by Editor
According to the BBC Northern Ireland’s web site Catholic bishops have called for greater clarity and “resolution” to the debate on plans for an end to the 11-plus. In an “end-of-term statement”, the bishops said there was confusion among parents and teachers.
Indeed there is. However, the bishops could help by making the AQE admissions test [...]
Filed under: Conservatives Northern Ireland, Education, Northern Ireland | Tagged: Education, Northern Ireland, Catholic Church, Bishops, Academic Selection. 11+ | No Comments »
Posted on June 23, 2008 by Editor
In tonight’s Belfast Telegraph Sinn Fein’s Education Spokesman, John O’Dowd, is quoted as saying that “the Conservatives’ national policy would seem to oppose academic selection.”
We’re heartened that Sinn Fein at last recognises that a “national” policy applies to the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland. However, he is, of course, wrong that Conservative Party [...]
Filed under: Conservative Party, Conservatives Northern Ireland, Education | Tagged: Sinn Fein, Northern Ireland, Conservatives, Assembly | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 18, 2008 by Editor
Congratulations to the Association for Quality Education for releasing details of the Common Entrance Assessment (CEA) to primary schools. The body has shown that in the absence of an articulate and common sense way forward for academic selection from the Department the 30 participating grammar schools should provide an alternative.
The CEA proposals should send a [...]
Filed under: Conservative Party, Conservatives Northern Ireland, Education, Northern Ireland | Tagged: Catriona Ruane, Conservatives, Education, Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein | 2 Comments »
Posted on March 19, 2008 by Editor
Lumen Christi College is one of the best performing post-primary schools in Northern Ireland - and, indeed, in the UK. When the Conservatives in Northern Ireland organised a briefing at the House of Lords - prior to the re-establishment of the Assembly - the school Principal, Pat O’Doherty attended and spoke about the school’s academic [...]
Filed under: Academic Selection, Conservative Party, Education | Tagged: Academic Selection, Education, Grammar Schools, Northern Ireland | 4 Comments »
Posted on February 26, 2008 by Editor
Jeffrey Donaldson, the Assembly’s new Junior Minister, is stepping into the shoes of Paisley Jr. Quite a challenge!
However, in many respects there is a greater hurdle to be overcome by Jeffrey if his vote isn’t to slump at the next general election. The Lagan Valley constituency has given him the benefit of the doubt when he [...]
Filed under: Education | Tagged: Academic Selection, Education, Grammar Schools, Jeffrey Donaldson MP, Northern Ireland | No Comments »
Posted on February 3, 2008 by Editor
Catriona Ruane on the Politics Show today illustrated her stone-walling, holier-than-thou (verging on Nun-like) responses to Jim Fitzpatrick’s excellent questioning on her education ‘proposals’. Her tactic, every time Fitzpatrick threw insistences that she address his questions with clear policy articulation, was to waste time insisting that he allow her to answer. She then proceeded not [...]
Filed under: Education | Tagged: 11+, Academic Selection, Catriona Ruane, Education, Grammar Schools, Northern Ireland | 3 Comments »
Posted on January 31, 2008 by Editor
The current impasse in terms of the future of post-primary education is a scandal. The inability of the Assembly to develop and articulate the future development of education here throws our entire system of devolved government into stark relief. On the one hand we have dogmatic political posturing from the Sinn Fein Education Minister. On [...]
Filed under: Education | Tagged: Academic Selection, Education, Grammar Schools, Northern Ireland | No Comments »
Posted on December 20, 2007 by Editor
By Jeff Peel - In a recent edition of Sunday Sequence Edwin Poots, our, ahem, Culture Minister, expressed his view that the world is no older than 6,000 years. I’m not absolutely sure how he arrived at this conclusion (some dusty corner of the bible, no doubt) but he’s pretty sure on the matter. His [...]
Filed under: DUP, Education, Grammar Schools | No Comments »
Posted on December 10, 2007 by Editor
Our readers may be interested to know that the narrow-mindedness and downright silliness of Catriona Ruane’s “vision” for education in Northern Ireland is not unique. In fact there are others with “authority” across the UK that can arrive at similarly daft conclusions. Ms Ruane’s proposals to scrap academic selection here and introduce postcode selection at [...]
Filed under: Education, Graham Brady MP, Grammar Schools | No Comments »
