Primary Level

News and advice covering the primary level education system.

Teacher supply crisis: ‘There are times when we’ve had no applications for vacant positions’

Recruitment challenges mean vulnerable children can end up without vital support, says principal Conor McCarthy

Thousands of children left with unqualified teachers amid staffing ‘crisis’

Primary school leaders say difficulties filling staff vacancies is having a ‘profound’ impact on the quality of education

Concern over ‘competence and confidence’ of some teachers in all-Irish schools

Minister for Education urged to ‘urgently’ release draft of long-awaited policy on Irish language education

‘It’s common knowledge teachers lie about their faith’: Is religion a barrier to getting a job as a primary teacher?

Critics say a requirement to hold a religious certificate in most national schools means many new teachers have to uphold something they don’t believe

‘Chicken curry is very popular’: What to expect on school menus as free scheme is extended

Free hot school meals programme to include all 3,000-plus primary schools from next year

Free schoolbooks extended to Leaving Cert and free meals for all primary pupils from next year

Budget 2025: Last year’s ‘one-off’ €1,000 cut to third level fees extended into the new academic year

Some Deis schools no longer qualify. This undermines the entire programme

Inequities in Irish education policy, which have been ignored for so long, will not be addressed any time soon

Students perform best with regular homework tasks of up to 15 minutes, research shows

Maynooth University study finds ‘little and often’ approach is just as effective as longer assignments

Children’s exposure to harmful online content a ‘public health crisis’, says Minister

Stronger laws may be needed to safeguard young people, according to Stephen Donnelly

John Brennan on dyslexia: ‘Society views people on how they’re doing in school’

Experts on dyslexia in Irish education say the system is failing the estimated 10%-plus of children who have the learning disorder

Parents to be surveyed on school ethos, gender mix and education through Irish or English

Some 88 per cent of primary schools are Catholic while just over 5 per cent are multidenominational

AI tools could revolutionise education but leave Gaelscoileanna behind

Irish-language schools may be faced with an impossible choice: embrace second-rate AI or forgo the potential benefits of automation

‘It’s an absolute nightmare’: Hundreds of schoolchildren with tickets told no buses available

Delays awarding contracts and driver shortages have delayed resumption of services in some areas, Bus Éireann says

After-school activities: How many is too many?

Deciding the number of activities depends on the child, who they are and how their brain works, says psychotherapist Bethan O’Riordan

Schools issued with details on policing mobile phone ban

Detailed letter from Minister for Education to school managers outlines how they can implement more ‘stringent’ policies

Teachers’ salaries in Singapore are on par with accountants and engineers. Why not here?

Government response to growing teacher shortages has been frustratingly slow and ineffective. Radical action is long overdue

Back-to-school anxiety, homework battles and lunches your kids might actually eat: advice from the classroom experts

For students moving up to second level, it is important to help foster their independence in small but significant ways

Hundreds of retired teachers set to plug gaps as schools struggle to find qualified staff

Principals say some schools are being forced to drop subjects due to shortages

Proportion of students in private education declines as more free places are created

Second-level student numbers climb to record high, with cost of fees at private schools rising

Back to school: ‘Enough about the kids, won’t someone please think of the parents?’

Jen Hogan: Back to school is a period of adjustment for us all but there are ways parents can make the transition a little easier for everyone, including themselves

More than one in four parents in debt to cover back-to-school costs

Almost one-third of those in debt owe more than €500

‘Clear reticence’ among some students to report bullying in secondary schools - report

One-third of post-primary students feel it is not safe to express themselves fully in school

Pupils’ seaweed soap business cleans up at entrepreneur awards

More than 100,000 students have participated in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme since 2010

‘This is horrendous - it’s no way to treat a child’: Parents’ anger over lack of school places in Taoiseach’s home town

All three secondary schools in Greystones, Co Wicklow are heavily oversubscribed

Parents to be polled on school preferences in bid to accelerate school choice

Almost 90 per cent of the 3,600 primary schools in the State remain Catholic in ethos

Hundreds of schools appeal ‘cuts’ to learning support hours

About 120 schools to get 1,000 additional hours after flagging inadequate support for vulnerable pupils

Primary schools cutting learning resources to cover rising costs

Schools cutting back on learning resources and increasing requests for parent contributions to bridge gaps

‘The bill landed like a hand grenade’: Principals face tough choices to avoid schools going into deficits

Many primary schools say they are relying on cash reserves to cover basic running costs

The Leaving Certificate isn’t about rote learning and regurgitation - that would be purposeless

The English exam can only be successfully approached with critical thinking. Learning off an essay is a waste of time

Almost 50% of pupils in 17 Deis schools experienced major personal trauma

The survey of principals was carried out at 17 primary schools in west Tallaght, Ballymun and Darndale

Children’s happiness drops as they approach secondary school, study finds

Landmark study finds primary pupils most often feel happy, good about themselves, cared for and safe

Why does Estonia have Europe’s best school system?

The Eastern European country has become an educational powerhouse but also faces challenges

Parents’ anxiety about maths may affect children’s performance, study finds

Pupils who played maths computer game developed by researchers showed significant improvement in their skills

‘Some children are anxious or angry. Sometimes they’re blank. And then they’re expected to go straight into class’

Teachers in the Malvern and St Joseph’s primary schools strive to overcome hunger, poverty and low-expectations of their environments to encourage children on to better things

‘Keep childhood smartphone free’: Minister says mobile operators back voluntary ban at primary level

Norma Foley says Government will consider legislation if required to help protect children at primary school

‘When my son was learning to speak, something strange and adorable started to happen’

I’ve been thinking about the secret language we shared – what a shame it would be to lose it, or let it be forgotten

Cross Border Story Seeds Project: Teleportation

An extract from stories by three primary schools in Ulster

How the new hot school lunches are going down: ‘It has been a game changer in our house’

A teacher, a food writer and a parent give their first impressions of the scheme

‘A primary school teacher shook a child in class, according to my granddaughter. What should I do?’

Tell Me About It: The school your granddaughter attends should have a complaints procedure

Has single-sex education had its day? Jen Hogan and Finn McRedmond debate

More schools are moving towards co-education, and research suggests teenagers are in favour of it. But do they really know what’s best for them?

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