Students deserve a reformed Leaving Cert that prepares them for the modern world
Plans to introduce more project work would reduce pressure and provide a broader assessment of candidates’ abilities over a longer time
Classroom Central
Explainer: why are second level teachers protesting outside schools today?
Unions want Leaving Cert reforms to be delayed, but Norma Foley says millions is being invested to support changes
Students ‘cannot afford to wait’ for Leaving Cert reform - Norma Foley
Second level teachers’ unions call for delay over plans to ‘accelerate’ senior cycle changes
Phone pouches: What happens when a school locks its students’ mobiles away?
Minister for Education Norma Foley’s funding for phone pouches has been controversial, but the solution has proved transformative for St Raphaela’s school in Co Dublin
My daughter wants to study engineering at college. I’m not sure it’s right for her
A degree in this area opens a vast array of career pathways and is highly valued around the world
More than 4,600 Irish teachers working abroad as schools at home struggle with staff shortages - study
Teacher supply posing challenges for schools, especially in the greater Dublin area where rents are high
‘We need extra time now’: Students with additional needs call for State exam changes
Many neurodiverse pupils are high achievers, but the education assessment system can present them with unique challenges
Grind schools are booming. Would they offer any advantage in a properly resourced education system?
Schools are a dense web of educational experiences and social relations. How well does the grind-school offering compare on this front?
Learning outcomes slide for Irish pupils, report finds
Education levels have stagnated or slowly declined across much of the world, says Unesco
Mobile phone pouches ‘transformational’ and improved social interaction, Department of Education told
Schools with experience of pouches overwhelmingly positive, according to internal briefing
A super-charged technology threatens to destroy the integrity of the Leaving Cert
Additional assessment components worth 40% are being introduced at a time when AI tools are developing rapidly and relentlessly
Dozens of pupils unable to secure school places using grant for nine hours’ tuition at home
Enrolment pressure at second level most acute in Greater Dublin Area
‘Dealing with parents can be scary’: New teachers on life in today’s classroom
Although many young teachers are emigrating, most have chosen to stay in Ireland. Five of them share their experiences
Teacher supply crisis: ‘There are times when we’ve had no applications for vacant positions’
Recruitment challenges mean vulnerable children can end up without vital support, says principal Conor McCarthy
Thousands of children left with unqualified teachers amid staffing ‘crisis’
Primary school leaders say difficulties filling staff vacancies is having a ‘profound’ impact on the quality of education
Concern over ‘competence and confidence’ of some teachers in all-Irish schools
Minister for Education urged to ‘urgently’ release draft of long-awaited policy on Irish language education
Five new special schools to be established next year amid rise in pupils with additional needs
Two of schools will be based in Dublin, while the remainder in Cork, Monaghan and Tipperary
Parents advised to apply to ‘multiple’ secondary schools due to pressure on places
As post-primary enrolments climb to highest level on record, Department of Education says there are sufficient school places in most areas
Female school principals face much higher rates of bullying and violence, study finds
Study based on data collected from more than 600 school leaders in Irish second level schools
Visually impaired pupils ‘excluded’ from PE classes and school trips
Oireachtas committee told students need much greater levels of support to access curriculum
Pupils will not watch sexually explicit material ‘under any circumstance’ in SPHE classes, Foley says
Teacher claimed in viral video new resources include graphic videos on masturbation and sex acts
I see students in class watching sport on YouTube or shopping on Amazon. The pull of internet distraction is exhausting
Banning phones in schools is just the start – we need to do more to educate pupils on fighting the urge of distraction when they feel uncomfortable or bored
‘It’s common knowledge teachers lie about their faith’: Is religion a barrier to getting a job as a primary teacher?
Critics say a requirement to hold a religious certificate in most national schools means many new teachers have to uphold something they don’t believe
I worry my daughter will drift during a ‘doss’ transition year. Should she skip it?
This can be particularly beneficial for students who thrive in interactive and collaborative learning environments.
Free schoolbooks extended to Leaving Cert and free meals for all primary pupils from next year
Budget 2025: Last year’s ‘one-off’ €1,000 cut to third level fees extended into the new academic year
Some Deis schools no longer qualify. This undermines the entire programme
Inequities in Irish education policy, which have been ignored for so long, will not be addressed any time soon
‘In school people are scared to be a bit strange’: Gifted students on life in mainstream schools
Exceptionally able students can often feel like outsiders - but many feel at home at the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland
‘I don’t want to give my child a smartphone but worry he will feel left out if I don’t’
Parents have felt powerless in the face of advances in technology - that, hopefully, is changing
New funding approved for students in Deis schools to attend Gaeltacht Irish colleges
Over 800 students expected to benefit from Deis Gaeltachta Scheme in summer of 2025
A discriminatory law has become a block on the divestment of Catholic schools
Alone among faith schools, Catholic schools are prevented from prioritising children from families committed to their ethos. The legislation is up for review
Anger as ‘paltry’ €2,000 incentive scheme for new teachers will be taxable
Teachers’ union says new measure will have negligible impact on teacher supply
All schoolchildren to be invited to take part in ‘folklore project for the 21st century’
Initiative follows ‘groundbreaking’ project of 1930s which captured thousands of pupils’ voices
Students perform best with regular homework tasks of up to 15 minutes, research shows
Maynooth University study finds ‘little and often’ approach is just as effective as longer assignments
Irish principals condemn ‘vacuous’ OECD review which missed ‘severe deprivation’ in some schools
Department of Education’s own information repeated in report, leaders of schools in disadvantaged areas say
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