Education has changed dramatically because of Covid-19. We are learning to live and work with levels of precariousness that we never thought possible. How prepared are our children and our system for this fast-changing world? This overview of primary education looks at the key themes in the sector and how the landscape is set to continue changing in the coming years.

This article reviews the progress to date on the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism, chaired by Professor John Coolahan, which submitted its report in April 2012 to the then Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn. The Forum made a number of recommendations on how the Irish education system could provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for all religions and none, and on how this could be achieved.

Recent years have seen schools rise to global challenges, including pandemic and war, offering safety and security to children. These events have brought wellbeing to the fore for everyone, highlighting the importance of schools in the lives of our children. This article examines that role and describes how schools can help children develop vital skills and resilience through a supportive environment and relationships.

This article sets out the context and rationale for teaching and learning outdoors in primary schools, and highlights various ways of incorporating its use by schools, including exemplars of practice. It also discusses system-wide supports that are needed. Ultimately, it argues that the best time to start using the outdoors for teaching and learning is now and that teachers should ‘just do it’.

Drawing on PhD research on the PLUS and Oscailt networks of DEIS schools, this article outlines the importance of networking as a practice for DEIS schools, and highlights the opportunity provided by the DEIS expansion in 2022 to consider the widespread introduction of DEIS school networks in Ireland.

Global Citizenship Education (GCE) facilitates and encourages educators and learners to engage actively in critical thinking, discussion, exploration, and action on global themes such as injustice, inequality, and sustainability. This article introduces Global Village, a new programme for GCE in primary schools in Ireland.

The DICE project is a national education initiative that promotes the integration of development education and intercultural education in initial teacher education across four partner institutions. This article outlines the project’s work, aims, and values, and describes some of its recent events and activities.

Trauma is an important topic in the education world in Ireland in 2022, as a result of Covid-19 and the refugee crisis from the war in Ukraine. But we have always had children and adults in our schools who have experienced trauma. So what does ‘trauma-informed’ mean, and how does it look in practice? This article examines the types of trauma in our schools, how they manifest, and what training and knowledge are needed to create a trauma-informed school community where everyone can thrive and learn.

The article details the Sustainable Leadership project of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network and synopsises the findings of our research and the conclusions we have drawn. It outlines the recommendations for action that we have made, which, if implemented, will better ensure school leadership that is both effective and sustainable.

This article describes a research project, Is Tusa an Múinteoir (You Are the Teacher), that aims to create meaningful domains for primary-level children to use the Irish language and to tutor it to their peers and parents. It outlines the structure and findings of the project and concludes with reflections and recommendations.