Post Primary School Information request

vicwatson

Tried looking for a forum to slot this in but couldn't so hopefully a post-primary teacher can help -

Can anyone advise if one is obliged to complete a form the secondary school has asked to complete - "Consent form for sensitive and personal data for the schools october return for the dept of education?"

Wasn't there something before where you weren't obligated to complete this form but the DES or schools weren't actually advising parents that they didnt have to? Or was this related to primary schools only?

What info is being given to the DES by the school if the consent form is signed?

TIA

happywithlife

vicwatson wrote: »

Tried looking for a forum to slot this in but couldn't so hopefully a post-primary teacher can help -

Can anyone advise if one is obliged to complete a form the secondary school has asked to complete - "Consent form for sensitive and personal data for the schools october return for the dept of education?"

Wasn't there something before where you weren't obligated to complete this form but the DES or schools weren't actually advising parents that they didnt have to? Or was this related to primary schools only?

What info is being given to the DES by the school if the consent form is signed?

TIA

Don't know for sure but imagine it's PPSN and possibly Date of Birth along with child's full name obviously. Wouldn't see why I'd withhold it. Presume schools need to verify students are present and on the books for capitation grant

TheDriver

The only info required by Dept is usual PPSN, name, address, DOB, traveller and medical card. Don't think I enter anything else that would be considered personal

vicwatson

happywithlife wrote: »

Don't know for sure but imagine it's PPSN and possibly Date of Birth along with child's full name obviously. Wouldn't see why I'd withhold it. Presume schools need to verify students are present and on the books for capitation grant

All that info is on the seperate application form, whereas there is another sheet that one has to sign and date and its basically telling you to complete it and give consent for the school to give over (sensitive and personal) data to the DES, the school insist on this being signed whereas the impression I had was this was optional not obligatory?

vicwatson

TheDriver wrote: »

The only info required by Dept is usual PPSN, name, address, DOB, traveller and medical card. Don't think I enter anything else that would be considered personal

Whats with the traveller and medical card question that is obligatory?

byhookorbycrook

Page 60 of this report
http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/Strategy-Statement/Department-of-Education-and-Skills-Strategy-Statement-2016-2019.pdf
Seems the DES will be insisting secondary school have this as part of "Junior Cert. reform." That's just for starters as the primary sector discovered to its cost.

implausible

vicwatson wrote:

Whats with the traveller and medical card question that is obligatory?

DEIS (disadvantaged) school status is granted according to a set list of criteria, the percentage of medical card holders is one of the main criteria. DEIS status brings with it a lot of extra funding and support, such as a reduced pupil-teacher ratio.

Traveller status used to bring with it extra payments too, though I don't think it's the case any longer. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can clarify. Afaik, traveller children are now included with everyone else under the School Completion Programme.

vicwatson

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Page 60 of this report
http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/Strategy-Statement/Department-of-Education-and-Skills-Strategy-Statement-2016-2019.pdf
Seems the DES will be insisting secondary school have this as part of "Junior Cert. reform." That's just for starters as the primary sector discovered to its cost.

Thanks but is there an obligation at this point to complete those forms now? School aren't expressly giving an option to parents to complete or not.

implausible

To be honest, I don't know why parents wouldn't want to supply some of the information mentioned, especially if it's a DEIS school and the info could result in more resources for his/her child e.g. who wouldn't want a lowered pupil-teacher ratio?

Medical card information comes to light pretty quickly anyway when the JC and LC exam fees (€100+) are being collected and parents are never reluctant to share the info if they're saving €350 on bus tickets.

Besides, under data protection, schools are obliged to only keep and use data for specific purposes, so it's not like X's medical card status is being advertised throughout a school.

vicwatson

Not a DEIS school

muttnjeff

from september 2017 onwards school's teaching allocation for the special needs department will be based on the SCHOOL PROFILE and not on the actual amount of children who have been diagnosed with a special need in the school. The DES (DEPARTMENT OF ED) decide on the allocation of special needs teaching staff based on a number of things- the number of parents in the school who have medical cards/unemployed, the educational profile of the school-ie the standardised test results from the school, the location of the school!!! and finally the number of children enrolled with diagnosed needs. In many schools this will result in a LOSS of staff-I know it will in primary schools anyway. The DES are doing what they do best--FANFARE!!!! the changes as WONDERFUL NEWS-schools will decide who gets help based on needs, not psychologists reports. In reality it is a MONEY SAVING COST CUTTING move that the DES have been trying to slip in for years and appear to be going ahead with it now no matter what the unions think..Parents will be whitewashed with the 'wonderful help for all....' while they (Department) cut/slice/and reduce hours for Special ed kids even more!

muttnjeff

sorry-meant to add-thats why schools are asking you for all this info--the department are looking for it to create the school profile