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Information the assessor should or may seek during a Preliminary Assessment
The following is taken from the ‘Guidelines on the Assessment of Education in Places Other
Than Recognised Schools’ on information that the assessor should or may seek during a
Preliminary Assessment.
Should seek information on:
May seek information on:
Should seek information on:
Where most of the education is/will be provided:
What are the main areas of learning for which provision is/will be made
The final sections deal with the assessor’s evaluation. They are asked to provide an evaluation of
whether the education provided is ‘a certain minimum education, moral, intellectual and social’.
They are given a range of points to consider and are told they may consider
The Guidelines have the following to say ‘ Other than where the Authorised Person (assessor)
intends to report that a certain minimum education is in place, a draft of the Assessment Report
should be discussed with the parent prior to its finalisation……. The completed report should
include a short note indicating that the findings…… were discussed with the parent.’
Regarding Irish the Guidelines have the following to say
‘The Supreme Court Judgement in DPP v Best stated that the opportunities provided for the child
to acquire skills in Irish should be considered “having regard to the position as a whole”. This
judgement referred to an instance where Irish was a second language for the learners. When
assessing whether a certain minimum education is being provided for children whose mother
tongue is English, consideration should be given to whether or not opportunities for learning Irish
are provided and whether this is appropriate, given the ability, aptitudes, needs, personality and
interests of the child. Where the mother tongue of the child is Irish, the opportunities provided for
the child to learn English should be considered, having regard to all the circumstances involved.
'The opportunities provided for the acquisition of the mother tongue as well as English or Irish for
children whose first language is neither English nor Irish (such as the children of non-nationals)
should be considered in the context of ability, aptitudes, needs, personality and interests of the
child concerned and the overall circumstances of the case’
In other words, Irish is not a compulsory part of a certain minimum education. This has since
been confirmed by the NEWB.
Regarding the carrying out of interviews and assessments, both Preliminary and
Comprehensive, the Guidelines have the following general principles for the assessors. They
shall
The following is taken from the ‘Guidelines on the Assessment of Education in Places Other
Than Recognised Schools’ on information that the assessor should or may seek during a
Preliminary Assessment.
Should seek information on:
- Any specific reason for providing learning opportunities for the child outside of a
recognised school (e.g. geographical, philosophical, religious, health related, educational
reasons, etc.) - The child’s educational experience to date (eg period of education outside of recognised
school, in school, etc.) - The parent’s view of the progress that the child has made
- Any special talents/abilities that the child has
- Any special learning needs that the child has.
- Any relevant formal assessments that have been carried out
- The opportunity the person has to create/provide learning experiences for the child
- The motivation that the person has to create/provide learning experiences for the child.
- Whether any other person assists/will assist in the provision of education for the child,
even informally.
May seek information on:
- The person’s educational background and any relevant qualification, talents or experience
that the person has if this information is offered by the parent/educator.
Should seek information on:
- The time allocated/to be allocated to the education of the child
- Whether learning is provided for in an open ended manner
- Whether learning activities are scheduled or partly scheduled using a timetable following
a daily/weekly/monthly pattern - The estimated number of days during the year on which education is/will be provided
- Arrangements made/to be made for holidays. Whether any records are/will be maintained
of the time/periods/days devoted to education or attendance at the school (by this they
mean a non recognised school).
Where most of the education is/will be provided:
- The size of the space that is/will be available, furniture provided, etc. , and any special
features - Any outdoor area that can be /will be used by the child
- Materials that are used/proposed to be used during the provision of education
- Any equipment in use/to be used (e.g. everyday items, improvised equipment, toys,
specialised educational equipment) - Textbooks, other books or printed materials (e.g. newspapers, magazines, manuals) in
use/to be used - Any facilities for displaying the child’s work
- Access to materials on loan from local library or other sources
What are the main areas of learning for which provision is/will be made
- What type of education is being/will be provided Describe any principles or philosophy
underlying the education - What consideration has been given to how the learning needs of the child are/will be met
over a period of time and whether plans are/will be recorded - What approaches/methods are/will be used to facilitate learning (eg autonomous
learning, semi-structured approaches, structured learning, a mixture of these)
- Range of skills that is/will be developed
- Approaches through which these skills are/will be learned/taught
- Range of skills and concepts that are/will be developed
- Approaches through which these skills are/will be learned/taught
- Range of skills that is/will be developed
- Approaches through which these skills are/will be learned/taught
- The range of skills and concepts that are/will be developed
- Approaches through which these skills are/will be taught
- Provision being made/proposed to be made for the child’s physical development
- Provision being made/proposed to be made for the child’s social, emotional and moral
development
- The ways in which the child receives feedback , and encouragement on learning
- The ways in which the child’s progress is/will be monitored/assessed
- Provision for formal assessment, if any
- Any records that are/will be maintained of the child’s progress or of work completed
- Language skills (oral language , and literacy)
- Numeracy
- Other areas of learning
- Physical development
- Social, emotional , and moral development
- Any other relevant information that you wish recorded
The final sections deal with the assessor’s evaluation. They are asked to provide an evaluation of
whether the education provided is ‘a certain minimum education, moral, intellectual and social’.
They are given a range of points to consider and are told they may consider
- The aspects of the provision that are successful/likely to be successful
- The extent to which the provision is meeting /is likely to meet the needs of the child
- Whether the extent of the provision is/is likely to be adequate
- The aspects of the provision that are/may be less successful or not successful
- Your (the assessor) reasons for considering that certain aspects of the provision are/are
likely to be unsatisfactory - The extent to which the provision fulfils/is likely to fulfil the requirements of a ‘certain
minimum education’ - Whether it is/is not possible to determine whether the education being provided may be
deemed a ‘certain minimum education’ - The reasons for your assessment in this regard
- Your suggestions for ways in which the educational provision could be improved
The Guidelines have the following to say ‘ Other than where the Authorised Person (assessor)
intends to report that a certain minimum education is in place, a draft of the Assessment Report
should be discussed with the parent prior to its finalisation……. The completed report should
include a short note indicating that the findings…… were discussed with the parent.’
Regarding Irish the Guidelines have the following to say
‘The Supreme Court Judgement in DPP v Best stated that the opportunities provided for the child
to acquire skills in Irish should be considered “having regard to the position as a whole”. This
judgement referred to an instance where Irish was a second language for the learners. When
assessing whether a certain minimum education is being provided for children whose mother
tongue is English, consideration should be given to whether or not opportunities for learning Irish
are provided and whether this is appropriate, given the ability, aptitudes, needs, personality and
interests of the child. Where the mother tongue of the child is Irish, the opportunities provided for
the child to learn English should be considered, having regard to all the circumstances involved.
'The opportunities provided for the acquisition of the mother tongue as well as English or Irish for
children whose first language is neither English nor Irish (such as the children of non-nationals)
should be considered in the context of ability, aptitudes, needs, personality and interests of the
child concerned and the overall circumstances of the case’
In other words, Irish is not a compulsory part of a certain minimum education. This has since
been confirmed by the NEWB.
Regarding the carrying out of interviews and assessments, both Preliminary and
Comprehensive, the Guidelines have the following general principles for the assessors. They
shall
- ‘ foster mutual respect and trust between him/her, the parent/educator and the child show
courtesy, respect and fairness to the parent/educator and the child - ensure that interviews and assessments are conducted in a calm and co-operative
manner - encourage the creation of an atmosphere of openness and transparency in the best
interests of the child - show sensitivity to the teaching and learning approaches used in the education of the
child - ensure that his/her interaction with the child is relaxed and helpful for the child and the
parent/educator - collect information and data in an accurate and consistent manner, so that assessments
may be based on reliable and accurate evidence - demonstrate sensitivity towards the parent/educator and clarity in the manner in which
findings are communicated, so as to enhance the motivation and overall capacity of the
parent/educator to make effective provision for the child’s education.’
 | Go to Definition of 'Certain Minimum Education' | |
| How to register with NEWB | |
| Download the Information Sheet on Irish Home Education (RTF file 64KB) | |
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