Q: I've been teaching sixth class in primary school for the past five years in a large town and I've become increasingly alarmed that children are dropping out even in primary and certainly in the early years of second level. Two teachers in the local secondlevel school and myself are very keen to redress this situation. Are there any ways in which we could encourage them to stay on until they are 16?
North Tipperary teacher
A: Many children drop out before 16 years because they feel that the school system has failed them. They then get into conflict with the authorities and often leave school without the skills and supports for life. The Department of Education and Science has four Youth Encounter projects, two in Dublin, one in Cork and one in Limerick which have been going for about 10 years.
Many children from dysfunctional families are referred to the projects by the helping agencies. Information is obtained on at-risk children and assessments made to identify the scale of their problems. Parents are encouraged to become actively involved in schools and local agencies, such as social workers, welfare officers, garda and volunteers, are used so that preventative work is done as early as possible.
Most referrals arise because of drop-out from school, severe family situations, literacy problems or the possibility of being sent to an institution. On the current Youth Encounter projects about 20 per cent have literacy problems - these youngsters learn to read and write. Those who are undernourished have improved and many avoid trouble with the authorities. Students are helped out of the solvent or drug abuse.
Some continue their studies and improve. Interestingly enough, most help as volunteers in the schools after leaving.
The projects involve the provision of flexible curricula, group work, personal development, counselling, outdoor pursuits, community work and helping with homework.
You should contact the special education sector in the department through your board of management and then link in with local supports in your community. You might also investigate EU Social funding targeted at the disadvantaged in education which is often linked into local partnership schemes.
Q: My son is in a mixed-ability class in primary school and next year will go into our local comprehensive school. The main problem is that most of his class will be going with him, including a very unruly element who are not at all interested in learning. Again, the school policy is to have mixed ability classes. What can be done to avoid this?
Galway parent.
A: Generally it has been held in educational circles that mixed ability teaching is best for first-years in second-level schools because the less able are helped by the brighter students who are able to cope well. This prevents the less bright child from being singled out and being put in the lowest division.
Children are pretty smart at figuring out where they belong in the learning pecking order no matter if schools call the groups A, B, C or Z, Y, X - or the cedars, the oaks, the ashes. They know who is likely to cause disruption, who doesn't want to learn, who wants to be anywhere but in school.
Teachers, however, have a duty to teach all the children and to help those with behavioural difficulties reach some potential. I know it's very annoying for the child who wants to learn and very frustrating for the teacher who wants to teach.
Each school has its own sanctions for bad behaviour and, hopefully, things will change next September when there will be a different subject teacher for each 40-minute period.
Although there will be mixed ability in the next school, it doesn't necessarily follow that all disruptive pupils will be in the same class for all subjects. They may be divided alphabetically or otherwise.
Besides, the new students will probably come from five or six feeder schools and, so, their behaviour will be diluted.
If you haven't already approached the teacher and principal of his national school, you could do so now. I'm sure you are not the only parent with such concerns and the principal may be able to enforce some tougher sanctions in the present school year.
Q: I hope to apply this year for a place in an English college through UCAS. Are all the colleges listed in the UCAS handbook funded by the government there? Kildare student
A: Most of the universities and colleges in the UCAS handbook are publicly funded institutions but there are a few private institutions and they charge higher fees than the others.
For example, the University of Buckingham is independent of direct government funding. It charges full tuition fees which are just over £10,000 stg for 1998. However, if you take a designated course at such a college, you may be eligible for some help towards your fees irrespective of your income or that of your parents.
Obviously, it won't pay your fees in full so you will have a balance to pay yourself. If you become eligible for LEA awards, you will receive about £2,300 towards tuition fees at this college.
Some bursaries and scholarships are available there. Another factor to consider for this university is the length of the academic year - four 10-week terms - and most courses last two years. This obviously makes it a much shorter course.
Courses there are mainly in the general arts, business and accounting, information systems and law.
Another college in this category is the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. It charges full tuition fees ranging from £4,636 to £6,550 in 1998. Again, if you become eligible for an LEA award, you will get about £1,600 stg.
Courses at Cirencester are in agriculture, land and estate management, agribusiness and equine studies.
Because of the new fee arrangements in place for English colleges since September 1998, I suggest that you contact the Department of Education and Employment, Student Support Division 1, Moulden Hall, Staindrop Road, Darlington DL3 9BG.
Queries can be answered only through this column and not by phone or post. Write to Sile Sheehy, Education & Living, The Irish Times, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 - or by email to education@irish-times.ie
