Latest news with #Conneely
The Irish Sun
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Ultimate professional' linked with reunion with ex-manager at League of Ireland club after leaving Accrington Stanley
SÉAMUS CONNEELY has left Accrington Stanley after more than a decade at the club. And that could prompt a reunion at Waterford with former boss John Coleman and team-mate Danny Ventre. Advertisement 1 Seamus Conneely has left Accrington Stanley Credit: PA:Press Association Coleman brought Conneely to Stanley in January 2015 having managed him during his stint in charge of Sligo Rovers the previous season, where he played alongside Ventre. The 36-year-old went on to make 378 appearances to put him second in the all-time list behind Sean McConville. Current boss John Doolan said: "Séamus has led the football club superbly both on and off the field of play for over a decade. "He has been the ultimate professional throughout his time with Stanley and will go down as a club legend." Advertisement Read More on League of Ireland The ex-Ireland under-21 international helped Stanley win the League Two title in 2018, helping the club stay in the third tier for five consecutive seasons. Coleman and Ventre have taken charge of the Blues and already have one ex-Sligo and Accrington player, Pádraig Amond, who is nine months older than Conneely, in their ranks.
Irish Times
22-04-2025
- Science
- Irish Times
‘It's impossible': Will teachers be able to stop cheating for new Leaving Cert coursework?
John Conneely, a physics teacher at St Flannan's College in Ennis, Co Clare , is alarmed. He is, he stresses, not against reform or reimagining how we assess students. It's that he feels plans for the Leaving Cert risk undermining education standards, eroding fairness for students and placing teachers in an 'impossible' position. Under reforms due to roll out for fifth years in September, students will be required to complete research projects worth 40 per cent during the school year, while the traditional written exams in June will be worth the remaining 60 per cent. These senior cycle reforms are aimed at easing the stress facing students nd providing a broader assessment of students' skills and competencies. READ MORE Biology, physics and chemistry are among the first subjects to be reformed, while others will follow over the coming years. In an era when artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT can generate convincing-looking essays and reports within minutes, is there a way to guarantee these projects will really be the work of students? 'It will be practically impossible for teachers to authenticate the work of each student,' says Conneely. 'There are no legal protections or supports provided for teachers – or principals – who may have suspicions about the authenticity of the work and [this] leaves them open to litigation should they make a claim. [ Leaving Cert 2025 students will lose out due to grade deflation, but by how much? Opens in new window ] 'We won't be able to police this, it's impossible. We feel we're thrown under a bus because we're being asked to do something we can't ... We live in small school communities. If a teacher suspects a student is cheating it's very difficult for them to prove it. The burden of responsibility is huge.' Concerns among teachers over senior cycle changes – the most ambitious in half a century – look set to dominate the annual gatherings of second level teachers' unions this week. The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) want 'accelerated' changes due to come into force for fifth year students in September to be paused amid wider concerns over equity and exam integrity. Imagine a student being asked to demonstrate how to play their guitar through a written report? It would be ridiculous and useless from an educational point of view — Teacher Adrienne Healy They say more time is needed to consult them over changes, properly resource science labs and address concerns over how to authenticate students' work. Among the motions to be debated are calls for an indemnity for teachers from any resulting legal actions as well as calls for union members to cease co-operation with the introduction of the reforms. Minster for Education Helen McEntee, however, has pledged to push ahead with the changes on the basis that students should not have to wait longer for the planned changes which she says have been in the works for up to decade. 'The Leaving Cert has served students well but this is about making sure we support students and reduce the amount of pressure they are under,' she told the Dáil recently. 'Currently, the focus is on one exam at the end that can often go wrong for students. We need to take away that significant pressure and make sure there is an additional focus on critical and creative thinking and other types of skills. Leaving Cert reform is central to how we do this.' [ Leaving Cert reforms to press ahead this year despite union opposition Opens in new window ] McEntee says she is working with schools, teachers and students to introduce the changes supported by a comprehensive package of support. Training, she says, has already been taken up by 26,000 teachers, while a total of €12 million has been provided to schools to support the introduction of new science subjects. Other preparation has involved the State Examinations Commission which recently published sample exam papers for each of the new subjects, while sample briefs for new research projects or additional assessment components worth 40 per cent will be provided by the commission at the start of the next school year. In relation to concerns over the use of AI, the SEC says students' coursework must be completed under the supervision of a teacher and authenticated as the candidate's own work by the teacher and school principal. [ First look: Sample Leaving Cert exam papers for brand new subjects Opens in new window ] Under rules in place since 2023, students have been warned that use of tools such as ChatGPT in their project work must be disclosed and failure to do so could result in candidates losing marks, having their results withheld or being debarred from entering State exams. The SEC and the Department of Education, meanwhile, are working on high-level guidance on the use of AI in teaching and learning. These assurances, however, are doing little to allay the concerns of some teachers. Adrienne Healy, who teaches biology, science and maths at St Dominic's College, Cabra, in Dublin, feels a written research project ignores key stills. While subjects such as languages and music involve a 'direct assessment' – such as an oral exam or performance – the research projects will be 'indirect' and will not involve students' practical skills. Original plans for assessing students, she says, involved examiners going into school labs to assess these skills. 'Imagine a student being asked to demonstrate how to play their guitar through a written report? It would be ridiculous and useless from an educational point of view. It's the same for assessing practical skills in biology, chemistry and physics. Just writing or describing a skill makes no educational sense.' The 40 per cent weighting for the research project mark is also a source of debate. Many see it as too much given the 20 class hours allocated to complete it, based on official guidelines. Some teachers say this will simply incentivise cheating for a high-stakes exam. Conneely also feels the volume of projects and burden of responsibility placed on science teachers to manage the procurement of materials, safety and validity of the assessments is too much. 'The guideline documents place a disproportionate burden of responsibility on the teacher in the implementation of the research investigations,' he says. 'Teachers are expected to help each student in the planning process, discuss safety considerations, be present when the investigations are being carried out, monitor the data analysis and provide authentication for the work completed. Many teachers may have two or more Leaving Certificate classes, potentially in multiple subjects, meaning they could be asked to manage up to 72 individual student investigations, monitor their progress and validate their work. This is unreasonable.' What's changing: students face reformed senior cycle over coming years Under the changes, all redeveloped and revised Leaving Cert subjects will include at least one additional assessment – such as a research project, practical, demonstration or oral – worth a minimum of 40 per cent. The process of rolling out the reforms (see below) will take place on an annual basis. By 2029, all subjects will be revised. It means all those entering fifth year as a Leaving Cert student in 2029 will be following revised curricula and assessment arrangements in all subjects. September 2025: Biology; physics; chemistry; business; ancient Greek; Arabic; Latin. In addition, some schools will trial two new subjects: climate action and sustainability; and drama, film and theatre studies September 2026: Fifth year students will begin studying the revised curriculum for accounting; construction studies; engineering; English; geography; PE; and LCVP (Leaving Cert Vocational Programme) link modules. September 2027 : Agricultural science; computer science; design and communications graphics; history; home economics; maths; music; physics and chemistry September 2028: Art; economics; French; Gaeilge; German; Italian; politics and society; Spanish; technology. September 2029: Applied maths; classical studies; Japanese; Lithuanian; Mandarin Chinese; Polish; Portuguese; religious education; Russian.
The Independent
22-02-2025
- The Independent
Police officer caught removing burglar's tag in secret sexual relationship
A police officer has been jailed after having a secret relationship with a known burglar and removing his monitoring tag so that he could visit her home without being traced. Natasha Conneely was sentenced to 18 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court, after pleading guilty to a charge of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers and privileges. Police warned that her actions had 'risked undermining the entire offender management system' and 'had real potential to leave the offender free to further offend'. Conneely was found in May 2023 to have started a relationship with the known burglar while working as part of the offender management unit at Bedfordshire Police. The force said it had investigated and found messages between the pair, and that Conneely had removed the offender's electronic tag in April so he could visit her home without being traced. Afterwards, Conneely would check the systems to ensure their whereabouts had not been tracked, the force said. It was later discovered the pair had spent the night together in a hotel in Leeds in June. Conneely was charged with corrupt or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges, in breach of Section 26 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. Bedfordshire Police said Conneely resigned from the force and a November 2023 tribunal found her behaviour amounted to gross misconduct. The tribunal ruled that Conneely would have been dismissed had she not already quit, and she was put on the College of Policing's Barred List, banning her from returning to policing. Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: 'Natasha Conneely was part of a team responsible for the monitoring and management of offenders who are in our community. 'The team manages the risk of these individuals through tagging and other means to deter reoffending and assist their rehabilitation into society. 'Becoming involved in a sexual relationship with such an offender was totally inappropriate and her actions to allow them to spend time together undetected were entirely selfish and had real potential to leave the offender free to further offend with no safeguards in place. 'The evidence of their communication, in my view, demonstrates she entered this relationship and course of conduct of her own free will and her conduct falls far below the standard the public rightly expect. 'Her actions risked undermining the entire offender management system and she let down multiple colleagues and departments who work together to keep our communities safe. 'There is simply no place in policing for anyone who behaves in such a way.'
Sky News
22-02-2025
- Sky News
Police officer removed burglar's tag to have secret sexual relationship
A police officer who removed a burglar's electronic tag so she could have a secret sexual relationship with him has been jailed. Natasha Conneely was part of a Bedfordshire Police unit responsible for offender management in May 2023 when the relationship was discovered. The force said its professional standards department found messages between the pair. An investigation revealed Conneely had removed the offender's electronic tag in April so he could visit her home without being traced, then checked the systems to ensure his whereabouts hadn't been tracked. Conneely was also found to have spent the night with the burglar in a hotel in Leeds in June. She admitted a charge of corrupt or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges, in breach of Section 26 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. She was jailed for 18 months at St Albans Crown Court on Friday. Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: "There is simply no place in policing for anyone who behaves in such a way." He said Conneely was part of a team responsible for managing the risk of offenders "through tagging and other means to deter reoffending and assist their rehabilitation into society". "Becoming involved in a sexual relationship with such an offender was totally inappropriate and her actions to allow them to spend time together undetected were entirely selfish and had real potential to leave the offender free to further offend with no safeguards in place," Mr Rodenhurst said. "The evidence of their communication, in my view, demonstrates she entered this relationship and course of conduct of her own free will and her conduct falls far below the standard the public rightly expect. "Her actions risked undermining the entire offender management system and she let down multiple colleagues and departments who work together to keep our communities safe. Bedfordshire Police said Conneely resigned from the force and a November 2023 tribunal found her behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and ruled she would have been dismissed had she not already quit.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- The Independent
Police officer removed criminal's tag so she could have secret relationship with him
A police officer who removed a monitored offender's tag so that she could have a secret relationship with him has been jailed. Natasha Conneely was working as part of the offender management unit at Bedfordshire Police in May 2023 when it was discovered she had started a relationship with a known burglar, the force said. Bedfordshire Police said its Professional Standards Department investigated and found messages between the pair, and that Conneely had removed the offender's electronic tag in April so he could visit her home without being traced. Afterwards, Conneely would check the systems to ensure their whereabouts had not been tracked, the force said. It was later discovered the pair had spent the night together in a hotel in Leeds in June. Conneely was charged with corrupt or other improper exercise of police powers and privileges, in breach of Section 26 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. She admitted the charge and on Friday was sentenced to 18 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court. Bedfordshire Police said Conneely resigned from the force and a November 2023 tribunal found her behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and ruled she would have been dismissed had she not already quit. Conneely was put on the College of Policing's Barred List, banning her from returning to policing, the force confirmed. Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said: 'Natasha Conneely was part of a team responsible for the monitoring and management of offenders who are in our community. 'The team manages the risk of these individuals through tagging and other means to deter reoffending and assist their rehabilitation into society. 'Becoming involved in a sexual relationship with such an offender was totally inappropriate and her actions to allow them to spend time together undetected were entirely selfish and had real potential to leave the offender free to further offend with no safeguards in place. 'The evidence of their communication, in my view, demonstrates she entered this relationship and course of conduct of her own free will and her conduct falls far below the standard the public rightly expect. 'Her actions risked undermining the entire offender management system and she let down multiple colleagues and departments who work together to keep our communities safe. 'There is simply no place in policing for anyone who behaves in such a way.'
