Primary Level

News and advice covering the primary level education system.

Curb education ‘overspending’ before lowering class sizes, officials warn

More than 50,000 pupils are in ‘supersized’ classes with 30 children or more

Sharp rise in assaults at schools pushing teachers to ‘breaking point’

Almost 60 per cent of educators experienced physical aggression, with rates highest in special schools

Expansion of therapy services in special schools to start in autumn

Programme will coincide with the establishment of a national therapy service in education, Minister says

Lifeless vegetables, rushed lunch breaks, lack of oversight: How to improve hot school meals

While widely seen as a positive move, the scheme has had its teething problems. Ahead of its national rollout, we asked experts how to improve it

High levels of burnout and poor mental health among teachers

DCU research comes as schools grapple with staff shortages

Department of Education faces UN complaint over school guidance on use of physical restraint

Campaigners say new rules fail to protect vulnerable children

‘It’s a gift for life’: How large-scale choirs are building children’s confidence

The National Children’s Choir has helped instil a love of choral singing in primary school pupils for 40 years

‘These children are being denied their constitutional rights’: Parents hold Dáil sleepout over lack of school places

Helen McEntee says she will not hesitate to use legal powers to force schools to open special classes if necessary

‘There’s surprise, anger, frustration’: Why chess is taking off in primary schools

While known for promoting problem-solving, most teachers say its impact on children’s social and emotional skills really stands out

Almost all Irish primary schools employed unqualified substitutes in last academic year

Principal says staff shortages placing ‘immense pressure’ on schools

Children are missing school at an alarming rate. What is going on?

The number of pupils chronically absent from school has doubled. Experts say making students feel they belong is key to tackling the problem

‘I am worried teachers won’t look beyond test results to see the potential in my 10-year-old’

Ask the Expert: The good news is that there is a lot you can do as a parent to support your child’s executive function

Teacher training to include mandatory placements in special education

Move comes after threefold increase in prevalence of autism in the last 10 years

Culture wars reach the classroom: What is the best way to teach children about gender and identity?

A new primary level syllabus – the biggest shake-up in two decades – is being finalised against a backdrop of polarised online debate and claims of misinformation

Percentage of children diagnosed with autism rises threefold in less than a decade

Increase is posing challenges for education authorities to find appropriate school places for children with additional needs

Children less ‘ready’ to start school and have more emotional problems since pandemic - study

Study finds most junior infants teachers say classroom behaviour is worse and fewer children pay attention

We have seen an increase in school refusals among older children

It’s vital to improve engagement with school, because childhood lasts a lifetime

Schools told to ignore ‘fake’ circular directing them to open for Easter holidays

Move follows closure of schools following storms, snowfall and power cuts

Schools in poorest areas to get extra support under ‘Deis-plus’ scheme

McEntee plans to tackle drop-off in school attendance with supports for at-risk pupils

All schools eligible for free solar panels to help tackle energy bills

Initiative aims to deliver average savings of up to €1,600 a year per school and reduce carbon footprint

Two issues on Helen McEntee’s desk will provide an early clue to her ambitions as Minister for Education

How she proposes to address them – and the extent of her resolve and ambition in managing her new portfolio – will become clear over the coming months

Concern over rise in alleged assaults of special needs pupils

Forty parents planning legal actions over alleged mistreatment, Department of Education records show

Why childcare students are walking away from childcare jobs

‘It’s tough to do a four-year professional degree and then face the prospect of earning the minimum wage'

Competitive parenting in China: ‘School starts at 7.30am and I pick him up at 9.30 in the evening. We usually arrive home around 10pm. Then he studies again’

Fierce competition for places at top secondary schools drives some parents to push their youngsters to succeed, believing they owe it to their children to give them the best start in life

School meals to be made available during summer in bid to tackle ‘holiday hunger’

Many pupils taking part in summer programme will have access to ‘nutritious’ lunches

More than 80% of primary school-aged children have smartphones in their bedroom

Half of children acknowledge they spend too much time online, with 28% saying they could go online whenever they wanted

‘We certainly didn’t cancel Christmas’: What happens when a Catholic school turns multidenominational?

Uniforms are on the way out and teaching staff are adjusting to a new ethical education curriculum

‘The pressure is relentless’: parents voice support for phone ban in schools

€9m smartphone pouches at second level sparked criticism from Opposition parties who labelled it wasteful and unnecessary

Stigma persists that disadvantaged students ‘low-achieving’ or ‘non-academic’

Many poorer schools saddled with sub-standard classroom facilities, research finds

Primary teachers to be trained to teach foreign languages over several years

Pupils to learn French, German or other languages from third class onwards

Irish-language exemptions: ‘It’s all firefighting and band-aids, instead of a sensible approach’

Critics say there is an urgent need to overhaul how we teach Irish following a century of failure

The school’s electricity bill was €3,000 – and some of that was during the holidays

Thirty principals recently published a list of circumstances faced by their students. It includes a parent in prison, suicide in families, neglect of every conceivable kind

What Ireland can learn from Finnish schools in tackling disinformation

The Nordic country is helping students learn about spotting false information. Is there space in the Irish curriculum to do the same?

Mother whose son attended school nine times this year says expecting him in bed before midnight is ridiculous, court hears

Tusla official says he received text from boy’s mother saying view child should go to bed before midnight ‘ridiculous’

Three teachers struck off register as complaints increase by 35%

A total of 45 complaints concerned conduct or behaviour including physical abuse or assault, verbal assault and sexual or intimate contact with a student

Storm Éowyn: Widespread damage anticipated as storm is expected to bring 130km/h gusts

Red weather warnings across Ireland see public warned to take shelter

Students were giddy at prospect of school being cancelled for Storm Éowyn - until the principal came on the intercom

Covid-era remote learning means schools are in a better position to cope with weather-related disruption

Paying travel costs may boost supply of substitute teachers to tackle classroom staff shortages, report finds

Insufficient cover across schools despite large number of substitutes, Department of Education study finds

Storm Éowyn: Schools, childcare and colleges to close on Friday due to red weather alert

Ireland weather: Automatic closure of education facilities triggered by Met Éireann status red warning

‘We’re not going back to a world before AI’: how technology is changing the classroom

Teachers are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence – and navigating its pitfalls – with the help of new courses

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