Teaching Support - A Lifeline for Schools

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 30/09/2020 In recent articles in this column the impact on disadvantaged pupils caused by the lockdown and closure of schools has been graphically set out. Most worrying has been the widening of the attainment gap between the high achievers and those who were already struggling to keep up with the baseline ta...

New Issues in Opening Our Schools Safely

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 26/08/2020 One of the things we have become accustomed to during the lockdown and particularly during the gradual easing of restrictions has been the intense media/public scrutiny of measures implemented by government and public bodies. Schools will no doubt be aware of this pressure as they carefully put in ...

Suspension Of The Transfer Tests, A Problem Or An Opportunity?

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 05/06/2020 As we move into the month of June the debate about the possible suspension of transfer tests for the coming academic year has moved centre stage. Looking back over the management of this pandemic, many difficult decisions have already had to be taken and changes made to accepted norms in schools. W...

Squaring The Circle – A New Normal For Schools?

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 05/06/2020 On BBC N Ireland Newsline on Tuesday May 26th, Education Correspondent Robbie Meredith reported on Methodist College Principal Scott Naismith’s e mail to parents which articulated perfectly what many in the school leader community have been thinking, namely that current social distance protocols w...

Taking Children Out of School for Holidays in Term Time

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 18/02/2020 The thorny problem of children being taken on holiday during term time is presenting itself to head teachers this year as never before and is now even being debated on daytime television and in the press. Martin Lewis has entered the conversation with his celebrated money saving website, offering b...

Building Resilience for Mental Health - a New Priority

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 22/01/2020 Like many people in recent months I became transfixed by the endless television coverage of both the Brexit debate and the drama around the General Election. Alongside that however has been growing alarm at the worsening conditions for staff and patients in our health service. Then, with the restor...

How Should Schools Address Climate Change?

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 17/12/2019 On November 29th school pupils in Northern Ireland were again striking to protest about lack of action from the adult generation to address the threat of climate change, inspired by Greta Thunberg’s initial protest in late August 2018, when she took up position outside Sweden's Parliament for the f...

School Transport Consultation Flags Up Change

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 12/11/2019 One of the first major consultations in 20 years by the Department of Education (DE) into school transport has reported that there is "broad support" for parents to pay a charge for home to school transport. Frank Cassidy discusses the implications of a potential charge for rural communities in No...

Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 08/10/2019 In this month’s Cassidy’s Comments, Frank discusses the impact that the ‘Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016’ would have for schools, not least the administrative burden required by the (now paused) Act. He states that this Act and the accompanying comprehensive guidance are...

Are School Inspections Changing?

Posted in: Cassidy's Comments on 20/05/2019 In a recent speech to the Schools North East summit, Chief Inspector of Schools in England and Wales Amanda Spielman, discussed the driving force behind the proposed Ofsted inspection changes in England and Wales due to come in September 2019. In his latest article Frank Cassidy, former principal ...