School patronage: Can Hildegarde Naughton succeed where six other education ministers have failed?
Much of the opposition to divestment has been at local level, strongly felt and expressed, even by non-practising parents happy with the status quo
Primary Level
News and advice covering the primary level education system.
Preparing to move from primary school to secondary starts now, not in September
A new school can feel like an alien experience. Everything is different
‘My son has intense meltdowns, including hitting, when asked to do reasonable things’
Ask the Expert: Things can escalate so quickly that it is frightening
Hot meals oven fire prompted evacuation of Dublin primary school, inquiry hears
Employee taking case at Workplace Relations Commission claims school did not want people to know about incident
We’d all love long teacher holidays, but how keen would we be on the job that goes with them?
Any parent, in their more honest don’t-say-it-out-loud moments, will admit that looking after kids can be boring
Why are religious schools seen as divisive but Irish-language schools are not?
There is a strange double standard about religion in schools as opposed to other areas of learning
The Irish Times view on school divestment: painfully slow
A substantial minority do not want religious patronage and the State , has a duty to meet that demand
Large number of parents seek shift to multidenominational ethos in schools
Almost three-quarters of parents with children in single-sex schools said they would like to see those schools transition to coeducational
Teacher union conferences expected to focus on pay as inflation increases
Conferences also scheduled to consider workplace stress, school inspections, assaults on staff and impact of recruitment and retention crisis
Teacher shortages: High cost of living creates Dublin ‘brain drain’
Urban allowance similar to London weighting could help alleviate difficulties in recruiting staff, figures in profession say
How can our education system remain fit for purpose for the next generation?
Today, Ireland’s education system finds itself at a critical juncture
Teachers fear being fired if they speak out about religious discrimination
Schools may take action to stop teachers “undermining the religious ethos” of the school. This has a chilling effect
‘We’re worried about our daughter, who’s in sixth class and has difficulty making friends’
Ask the Expert: The teacher says she spends a lot of lunchtimes alone
‘We banned television and screens after a sad epiphany during an episode of Bluey’
Screen content can fill those gaps that would otherwise be filled by children’s imaginative sense of play
Expert panel on education will have children as full members for the first time
The Convention on Education will debate the future of education in Ireland, with children’s views carrying equal weight
Why don’t we have a cure for head lice? I suspect it’s the fault of the patriarchy
How do we have arse implants and double-basket air fryers but no cure for lice?
Celbridge school to reopen on Monday after safety issues addressed
Board of management closed the school this week following external fire-safety and building-compliance reviews
Teacher suffered five broken teeth trying to keep child safe in classroom that was refused extra SNA
National Council for Special Education apologises for ‘any and all upset and uncertainty’ caused by review of SNA allocations
‘We bring it back to basics’: The home visitors helping parents discover the power of play
The ParentChild+ programme aims to model good adult-child interactions for parents who often grew up in disruptive family environments
Adults aged under 35 and women most enthusiastic about learning Irish language, survey finds
Survey on behalf of Údarás na Gaeltachta measures public attitudes towards Irish language and Gaeltacht
The annual ‘is four or five the right age to start school?’ season is upon us
If your child is on the younger side, September 2026 shouldn’t be the only consideration – September 2036 matters too. Here’s why
Weaknesses in policymaking: A challenge to the Convention on Education
Reviews of the Department of Education have found it to be overworked, reactive, overly absorbed in short-term operational issues and lacking space for long-term strategic thinking
Pause in proposed SNA changes offers a chance to reflect on their real value
Contribution of special needs assistants represents sound investment in our children
‘How does education need to evolve to support children?’: Convention invites public to speak up
Public invited to have their say into how education system needs to evolve
‘He wouldn’t be great for vegetables’: School meal scheme not to everyone’s taste
Parents share mixed views on weekday lunches offered to children in schools
Primary school forced to close despite warning six months earlier of fire safety problems
Department of Education ‘suddenly very forthcoming once closure happened’
One-month suspension from register for principal convicted of stealing from school
Return to teaching conditional on man seeking no senior role with access to school funds
Teacher who stole money from primary school had ‘all-consuming’ addiction, hearing told
Individual previously received a suspended sentence for the thefts before a jury in the Circuit Court
‘They’re missing out on so much’: How screens and Covid are shaping childhood in Ireland
Basic skills such as playing, pretending and conversing have been affected by tech use and pandemic isolation
Dyslexia in the classroom: ‘It was like asking a fish to climb a tree’
An advocate says teaching in a way more suited to dyslexic students would have broad benefits for others as well
Chronic absenteeism twice as prevalent in Deis schools, report shows
Over one-third of students in the most disadvantaged schools missed 20 or more days in 2023-24
School meals should be cooked fresh in community kitchens, says chef Darina Allen
Founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School says nutritional value of food served to school children needs to improve
‘All forms of heritage connect children to their past and help them make sense of the present’
The Heritage in Schools scheme encourages children and teachers to investigate local heritage through place-based learning
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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