Standardised school year start unsettles students
Experts revealed that induction days helped relieved anxiety and eased the transition for students from junior school to secondary school.
A study discovered that the way in which post-primary schools handled the transition process made a difference to how students settled in, and also to their academic progress.
Parents’ association spokesperson Barbara Johnston claimed Education Minister Noel Dempsey’s standard holiday programme is having a negative effect on children settling into schools..
“Teacher unions and parent bodies had petitioned for the standardisation of mid-term holidays and were opposed to any directive determining when the new school year begins or ends.
“The minister could have used his discretion and schools could have introduced induction days which help alleviate the stress for new pupils,” said Ms Johnston, spokesperson for the national Congress of Catholic Secondary Schools Parents Association.
Her comments followed the launch yesterday of an in-depth study, Moving Up: The Experiences of First-Year Students in Post-Primary Education, completed jointly by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the ERSI.
The report, focusing on the transition from primary to post-primary education, was the first major study of its kind in Ireland.
Among the key findings in the study was that students with low self-confidence take longer to settle in.
Generally, most students settle in their new schools within six weeks but girls, on average, take longer than boys.
Many first-years’ also reported having been bullied by older students. ERSI research analyst Merike Darmody said there was a need for schools to have effective bullying policies in place and to encourage positive interactions between students.
A significant 78% of the country’s 750-plus post-primary school principals responded to a questionnaire. Subsequently in-depth studies in 12 selected schools involved teachers, pupils and, in some cases, parents.
Ms Darmody said: “The transition from junior to post-primary is a crucial time for students.
“We felt it was important to seek the voice and feelings of students who, too often, are missed out in in-depth studies on education issues.
“Their views in this particular study were valuable and, for a third opinion as such, we spoke to parents.”
On the bullying issue, Ms Darmody said the study did not differentiate between inner city or rural schools.
According to the parent council’s Ms Johnston, the cruelty attached to school bullying had hit new levels. “There’s a culture of being cruel, physically and verbally, and some experts believe children mimic the snide and put-down remarks they hear on the some of the popular TV soaps.”
