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Review of Guidance
In March 2003, Minister of Education and Science, Mr. Noel Dempsey, T.D. announced a Review of Guidance and Counselling in Post-Primary Schools. NCGE was subsequently requested to conduct two of four strands of the study. For the first strand a postal questionnaire was sent to every post-primary school seeking basic information, such as the number of persons providing guidance in schools, their guidance qualifications, and the amount of time devoted by the school to the provision of guidance, guidance activities and facilities provided for the delivery of guidance.
NCGE drew up a report on the quantitative data and commissioned guidance counsellor Deirdre Teeling to examine the qualitative information. Dr Deirdre O’Neill, Education Department, Trinity College conducted focus groups, on behalf of the Centre, with a wide range of relevant stakeholders. This formed the fourth strand of the review.
The Economic and Social Research Institute was commissioned by the Department to undertake the two further strands of the review. One of these strands was conducted through a postal survey of principals and guidance counsellors in 260 second-level schools. Case-studies were carried out in fifteen of those schools to form strand three of the review. Presentations on work in progress on three of the strands were given at the April 2004 NCGE convened conference Lifelong Guidance: Harmonising Policy and Practice (click here). A report on the full review has been submitted to the Department of Education and Science.
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Whole School Guidance 