2020 was a year like no other, and the radical changes and ideas that swept the world were reflected in Irish education. This article provides a succinct overview of the second-level chapter, and reflects on current needs and future trends.

This article discusses the rationale for the approach taken to supporting the well-being of school communities as they reopened following Covid-19 school closures. It reflects on some of what was learned from the experience.

Schools in Ireland experienced two major shifts in teaching and learning in 2020: the pivot to remote education in spring, then the return to a reconfigured school space in autumn. This article considers both shifts, analysing the challenges and successes in one post-primary school community.

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented enormous challenges in post-primary education. This article gives a small insight into one school’s digital journey before school closure and the challenges and opportunities since schools closed in March 2020.

University access programmes demonstrate that the ‘standard’ Leaving Cert system is not fulfilling the dreams of many young people who could, in a more open system, reach their full potential. The pandemic suggests we have reached a tipping point with inequality in our education system. Now we need to think about a senior cycle reform process that will support all our young people to reach their full potential.

This article provides an insight into the experience of the leaders of all-Irish schools in the Education and Training Boards sector, both successes and challenges, since the school closures on that fateful day in March 2020. While all schools faced many challenges, school leaders in Irish-medium schools had to deal with certain challenges that were unique to their context.

Since the pandemic, the National Council for Special Education has altered how we work to ensure we reach teachers and parents in different ways through online and distance learning and engagement. We expect this way of working to continue into the future as we provide a more blended approach to supports to schools, students, and parents. This article outlines what we have done, our reflections and feedback on this experience to date, and our initial plans for the future.

A recent survey gathered data on Transition Year from coordinators, principals, and deputy principals in thirteen schools in Ireland. The findings provide a useful insight into how Covid-19 has affected the TY programme and underscore how much schools value TY’s contribution to students’ development. The survey also identifies some concerns and challenges.

A Transition Year student from Limerick reports on how the pandemic affected her educational experience. Describing the challenges, benefits, and surprises, she counts her blessings and reflects on what could be done differently.

There has been much focus over the last decade on the challenges and successes in the school system in Ireland to adapt to the needs of trans young people. This article demystifies the complexities of trans healthcare, physical and mental, through a review of the research. It also highlights the experiences of families of trans people and outlines some of the supports available for trans young people and their families.

As we enter the final decade of action on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and struggle to respond to global challenges, learning about global citizenship issues has never been more important. This article provides an overview of the place of the SDGs in post-primary education and of the response by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) to supporting its schools to engage in teaching and learning about education for sustainable development throughout the school environment.

Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined was the theme of this year’s World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) virtual conference held in June 2020. The following is an excerpt from the address delivered at the conference by guest speaker Mike Feerick: