The centenary of the Department of Education’s foundation is an opportune moment to take stock of Irish primary education. This overview of the sector considers recent progress and achievements and, with a new government imminent, recommends some reports that will be essential reading for the new Minister in addressing the main challenges, including special educational provision, teacher supply, school finances, educational disadvantage, and principals’ wellbeing.

This article describes the work of Gen Free: Free to Be Kids, which started in Waterford in 2023 and has grown to be a national lobbying group encompassing non-governmental organisations, health professionals, educators, and parents. It outlines the group’s aims, and it offers an overview of the research supporting these aims.

This article, written by the four members of the Primary Advisory Panel of the National Council of Curriculum and Assessment, advocates for effective enactment of Ireland’s redeveloped Primary School Curriculum. It argues that traditional implementation models should give way to curriculum enactment, where teachers, children, and other stakeholders collaboratively adapt and construct the curriculum based on local contexts while maintaining fidelity to core curriculum principles.

The development of the Primary Curriculum Framework marks a critical period of curriculum change in Ireland. This article draws on the author’s doctoral research into the design and development of the first phase of the Primary Language Curriculum, to examine how teacher consultation processes have developed in the last decade and to reflect on broader systemic issues of teacher autonomy in Ireland.

The Maths4All project, established in 2020, offers webinars, learning communities, videos, sample lesson plans, and other resources to educators and researchers. Its main aim is to support primary school teachers with implementing the new mathematics curriculum, and it has grown to over 3,500 members. This article describes the project’s activities and development.

This article reports on a school–university partnership in mathematics education, drawing on participating teachers’ reflections. It outlines the project’s development and discusses the features that make it work. In so doing, it explores the nature of the collaboration and the school-based practices that have emerged from this timely and creative collaboration.

Patrick Neary
Scoil Chrónáin SNS

Jane O’Toole
Scoil Chrónáin SNS

Jennifer Holligan
Scoil Chrónáin SNS

Louise O’Driscoll
Scoil Chrónáin SNS

Primary school children in Ireland are now formally exposed to a minimum of three languages in Senior Cycle, and many also speak another language at home. This article offers a timely account of theoretical considerations for third-language learning and outlines their practical implications for any policy and practice that aims to support plurilingual competence in Irish primary schools.

Nurturing pedagogy has been used to describe the slow relational pedagogy that best suits early childhood. This article argues that a similar approach is also desirable in primary school but is not currently viable. The fundamental needs of belonging and play do not stop at an arbitrary age in childhood but remain throughout our lives. This must be acknowledged when considering the infrastructure required to support quality primary education.

Nationally and internationally, there is growing concern about the mental health and wellbeing of children. Demand has increased for services to support these needs, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. This article outlines recent research and some of the steps the Department of Education is taking to address these concerns, in particular highlighting two strands of the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot 2023–2025.

This article from Inclusion Ireland says we have a long road to travel to real inclusion in education in Ireland. In a world that seems to value quick fixes and sticking-plaster solutions, it is beyond time we demand upstream thinking from our leaders and politicians. The article calls for a citizen’s assembly on education, to figure out a pathway towards a more inclusive education system, one that includes every child.

Effective school leadership leads to effective schools and in turn to improved outcomes for children. Such leadership depends on the wellbeing of school leaders. Towards that end, the IPPN, drawing on independent research, published its position paper Wellbeing of School Leaders in June 2024. This article reflects on the paper’s findings and recommendations, and makes the case that creating conditions conducive to effective school leadership is a shared responsibility.

This article reports on the INTO’s Teacher Workload Research Project, an independent study on the increase in teacher workload and its impact on teachers’ health and working conditions. It describes the scope and phases of the project, and it outlines the main findings, alongside suggestions for how teacher workload might best be reduced in practice.

Breaktime is an often-overlooked aspect of primary school life. One of the few times in the day when children engage in unstructured activities with peers, it is also where most of the conflict occurs. This article describes a research study exploring six Irish primary school teachers’ experiences managing the schoolyard during breaktime. It reports the study findings and makes practical recommendations to minimise conflict during breaktime.

This article shares insights from recent research by Global Village and its application to Global Citizenship Education in primary schools. This form of education is an active and creative process to increase understanding of the world, develop critical thinking skills, support learners to make connections between their lives and international social justice issues, and foster collective action for justice and change.

This article discusses key methodological considerations in consulting with children about the current primary school curriculum redevelopment in Ireland. It is based on projects conducted by researchers in Marino Institute of Education and commissioned by the NCCA. It outlines the main findings from the consultations with children, and their implications for primary school curriculum redevelopment.

Miriam Colum, Joan Kiely, Claire Dunne, and
Andrea Uí Chianáin
Marino Institute of Education

The Department of Education has set a deliberate strategy to engage and consult with children and young people. The voice and influence they have had reflects the department’s dedication to embedding a culture of participation in policymaking. This article follows the journey from an initial commitment in Cinealtás, to a dedicated Student Participation Unit, and publication of an expert-group report and implementation plan on student participation.

After 30 years as a primary school principal, the author, recently retired, reflects on how he came to lead a school in the Irish midlands in the mid-1990s. The article examines the school leadership role and how it has changed in the years since, comparing the challenges then with now and casting an eye to the future of school leadership in Ireland.