Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 132: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there are plans to integrate the green schools programme into the whole school evaluation process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13445/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Green-Schools is an international environmental education programme, designed to promote and acknowledge whole-school action to care for the environment. It is both a programme and an award scheme. The programme offers schools a well-defined, practical approach to environmental education. It complements the formal curricula in social, environmental and scientific education, SESE, at primary level and the science and geography curricula at post-primary level by demonstrating the application of an eco-friendly approach to environmental issues in the school context. This process increases students' awareness of the importance of environmental issues so that it is more likely that they will become environmentally aware in their personal and home lives.

The whole-school action approach promoted by the green school programme is highly compatible with the whole-school evaluation process at both primary and post-primary levels and the present design of WSE includes evaluation of programmes such as the green schools programme. Therefore, no adjustment to the current WSE process is necessary to accommodate whole-school evaluation of green schools. During a WSE, inspectors observe learning and teaching in classrooms and interact with students in classrooms and learning areas. In classes where students are engaged in practical tasks or in group work the inspector may also engage with groups or individuals and discuss their learning with them. These interactions provide the inspector with first-hand insight into the level of students' learning and achievement, the extent to which they are assimilating knowledge and developing appropriate attitudes and skills.

The WSE process is sufficiently broad and flexible to assess the contribution that the green school programme is making to develop students' awareness of the importance of a sustainable approach to the environment. It can also provide inspectors with opportunities to discuss the concepts and issues that are central to the aims of the green school programme with school management and teachers.