All educational initiatives are introduced with good reason. They are based on good principles and are developed with the best of intentions by well-informed, driven people, whose only motivation is to improve the learning of children. Outcomes will decide whether the initiatives succeed or fail.

As part of the NCCA’s review of the primary curriculum, twenty focus group sessions were held in October 2018 with parents of children attending primary school. The sessions were an opportunity to gather parents’ perspectives and suggestions for a redeveloped curriculum. The parents represented different school contexts

Arlene Forster
Deputy Chief Executive, NCCA

Hal O’Neill
Former Director, NCCA

Claire Reidy
Education Officer, NCCA

Dr Derek Grant
Director, NCCA

The NCCA provides an overview of its five curriculum seminars supporting and promoting important stakeholder engagement in the review of the primary curriculum. The seminars drew on commissioned research, and this article presents the main themes arising from the discussions.

Arlene Forster
Deputy Chief Executive, NCCA

Hal O’Neill
Former Director, NCCA

Claire Reidy
Education Officer, NCCA

Dr Derek Grant
Director, NCCA

This article examines the evolution of school self-evaluation (SSE) in Ireland. It charts the earlier policy developments and publications that were precursors to the formal SSE process, which was introduced in 2012 and which leads to improvement-focused planning and changes in teaching and learning. It also examines how the process is now supported as a way of working in schools.

Cosán, the national framework for teachers’ learning, supports teachers in shaping their learning journey, reflecting on their learning, renewing themselves as professionals, innovating, and collaborating. It also provides a flexible framework within which the rich variety of teachers’ learning can be recognised, in the most inclusive and sustainable way possible.

This year saw €5m allocated to Teaching, Learning and Assessment which should facilitate online learning and testing. Time-critical feedback is essential to allow teachers to intervene at class or student level, targeting individuals and strands. Continuous knowledge checks will achieve this, but there are teething problems.

In Ireland, 3,778 children are living in homelessness accommodation, with many experiencing poor physical and mental well-being, low self-esteem, and social isolation that affects school attendance, engagement, and participation. In the absence of a coordinated response from the government, how can schools respond to the needs of homeless children and their families?

This article looks at one of the most significant issues affecting the well-being of school leaders and suggests how unrealistic expectations of self and others might be managed, to influence positively the culture and quality of relationships in the school community.

It is hard to be a successful leader. It is harder still to be a sustainable one. Sustainable leaders promote a long-term vision of improvement. They sustain themselves and others as they pursue deep learning as the central moral purpose in their schools. This article presents a brief synopsis of two pillars of sustainable leadership in education.

Managing relationships in the workplace is complex and fraught with difficulty. Leaders need to have developed their thinking and operate to a mental model before they step into the turbulent waters of aiming to resolve conflict. This article offers some insights into the complexity of these very real and often draining aspects of the life of a leader.

In this review charting a decade of research on school leadership in Ireland, spanning primary and post-primary sectors, six themes emerge. These are summarised, and the insights, implications, and applications are put forward. Direct citations from current school leaders are also provided from the author’s ongoing research on contemporary school leadership.