Vol. 516 No. 2
80 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will give details of the financial resources allocated to the implementation of the Drumcondra English profiles across all primary schools; the training, if any, which will be given to teachers to carry out these profiles; the assessment, if any, which will be made of the success of this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7128/00]
It is my intention that funding will be made available for a copy of the Drumcondra English profiles to be supplied to each teacher in primary schools. This will cost approximately £100,000.
Specific instructions and suggestions for the implementation of the profiles are contained in the manual. The profiles are related to the revised English curriculum and are structured around the areas of oral language, reading and writing. The profiles offer specific suggestions in regard to assessment activities which will add to the repertoire of teachers' informal and formal assessment skills. Schools will receive specific training in the use of the profiles as part of the support programme for the implementation of the revised primary curriculum in English.
The use of profiling is not yet an established form of assessment in schools in this country. It would not be practical to assess the usefulness of the Drumcondra profiles until they have been in use by teachers in schools for some years. However, the inspectorate of my Department will, in the course of their normal work, keep the use of the profiles by schools under review and will discuss them and their usefulness with teachers and school authorities. Decisions on any further evaluation of the usefulness of the profiles will be made at a later date.
