Getting pressurised to send child to National School

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billb

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My youngest lad is only 4yrs 8mths and we had long ago decided to keep him in playschool for another year as he is quite immature.

Since August we have been getting endless calls from the principle of the local National School asking to send him this year as it would help get the numbers up and enable them to recruit a new teacher.

The messages have got steadily more pushy and we have been told that by not sending him now we are letting down the community, will affect their planning application for new classrooms and could cost a teacher their job !! We also been told not to discuss this with other parents (some of whom it also transpires are getting the same pressure)

In the last week or so the requests have now changed and he wants us to send him for a hour a day, 2 days a week so that they can pretend that they have more kids in the school than they really have.

I am livid that my wife is getting such pressure and would like to know if there is anyone that I could escalate this matter to.
 
That's terrible, it's disgraceful that the school would resort to such bullying tactics. I would go to the department of education or else the teachers union to file a complaint.
 
Report him to the DES/Inspectorate .... canvassing for pupils in the Primary School sector isn't allowed and Boards of Management are censured for it.

"We also been told not to discuss this with other parents" --> because the schoool is breaking DES rules!

"In the last week or so the requests have now changed and he wants us to send him for a hour a day, 2 days a week so that they can pretend that they have more kids in the school than they really have." School and Principal on dangerous ground as DES will come down hard if numbers are being fiddled.

A case in point:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/school-principal-resigns-over-enrolment-row-2322934.html

Refer to article and Principal won't be long drawing in his/her request!

Your choice ... don't send. And don't feel obliged to anyone with regard to your child.

DES/Inspectorate in Cork:

[FONT=&quot]Inspectorate Secretariat, Cork[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Department of Education and Science[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1A South Mall[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cork[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Phone: (021) 4906011[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fax: (021) 4275445[/FONT]
 
Also, I was under the impression that children had to be 5 years old before going to primary school?
 
children must be 4 by the 30th of september of the year they start national school and must start school before they are six.

Many schools have a policy requiring children to have turned 4 by the April/May/June before they will be accepted.
 
some schools state that the child needs to be 4 on the 1st of September if parents consider sending them early.
 
PaddyBloggit said:
Report him to the DES/Inspectorate .... canvassing for pupils in the Primary School sector isn't allowed and Boards of Management are censured for it.

"We also been told not to discuss this with other parents" --> because the schoool is breaking DES rules!

"In the last week or so the requests have now changed and he wants us to send him for a hour a day, 2 days a week so that they can pretend that they have more kids in the school than they really have." School and Principal on dangerous ground as DES will come down hard if numbers are being fiddled.

A case in point:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/school-principal-resigns-over-enrolment-row-2322934.html

Refer to article and Principal won't be long drawing in his/her request!

Your choice ... don't send. And don't feel obliged to anyone with regard to your child.

DES/Inspectorate in Cork:

[FONT=&quot]Inspectorate Secretariat, Cork[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Department of Education and Science[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1A South Mall[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cork[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Phone: (021) 4906011[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fax: (021) 4275445[/FONT]
Click to expand...

Thanks very much indeed - its great to know where we stand and I'm sure the mention of the DES will be enough to put an end to it
 
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