Second Level

News and advice on the second-level education system.

Key dates for 2026 CAO applications: from early-bird applications to Leaving Cert appeals

Here is every important date in the CAO calendar along with important links, reminders and information about fees

What should you be thinking about when deciding on a third-level college?

Students should think beyond their course choices towards career options, experts advise

‘My daughter, along with most of her classmates, seem laser-focused on going to UCD or Trinity’

She could sit down with her guidance counsellor in school and explore how her interests and learning style align with the available options

FAFO parenting has taken over from the gently-gently approach

This new trend sounds remarkably like the parenting of the 1980s and 1990s, the kind we’ve mostly been trying to avoid

Things to consider when choosing an Irish secondary school for your child

Feeder schools tables are informative, but there are plenty of other requirements to consider when looking at schools

Feeder schools: How graduates of Irish second-level schools are progressing to third-level institutions

Pick up our supplement with The Irish Times today to find out everything you need to know

How do I choose the right secondary school for my child?

Apart from feeder schools lists, what else should parents and guardians consider?

Feeder Schools 2025: What you need to know about latest data for Irish schools

Data is compiled from State Examinations Commission Leaving Cert sits list and lists provided by higher education institutions

Feeder Schools: Six take-aways from this year’s listings

Deis has improved progression prospects of students in disadvantaged areas but Ireland is still not an equal-opportunity society for children

Feeder Schools: Why are further education and training progression rates not included?

Further education and training is a category that includes Post-Leaving Cert (PLC), apprenticeship and traineeship courses

Feeder Schools: How to make sense of school progression charts

14,000 of the 2025 Leaving Cert class decided that applying to the CAO was not right for them

Third-level progression rates: Why do some schools score more than 100%?

It seems mathematically impossible, but the percentage number accounts for several different elements

Teaching has become an increasingly lonely profession

In my past life, which included a stint as a private detective, there was time for a chat and a joke with a colleague. Not any more

‘My son has no idea what he wants to do after college, so how real is the CAO cut-off point?’

The February 1st initial deadline is in many ways an administrative carryover from a bygone era

Irish students in Germany explain Killorglin’s Puck Fair to dropped jaws

Ireland’s schools utilising EU funds to send students to Germany are pushing at an open door

Young Scientist: Kerry student (15) wins overall prize for brain cancer diagnostic tool

Aoibheann Daly develops GlioScope that can reduce need for invasive procedures

Education matters: Places on medical and paramedical degrees in Ulster University

Ask Brian: There are places open to Republic of Ireland students, but applications must be submitted to UCAS by January 14th

Stream of rejection letters from special schools is ‘soul destroying’, says father

Riley McMahon’s twin sister attends local secondary school, increasing his awareness of what he’s missing out on

Which CAO programmes must be listed due to portfolio, interview or performance criteria?

Ask Brian: All you need to know about the restricted application courses for 2026

Civil servants say targeted bursaries for teachers must be considered to boost supply

Naughton advised of shortage of personnel with qualifications in key subjects at post-primary level

Where CAO points are likely to settle in 2026

Ask Brian: Gradual reduction in grade enhancement begun this year will continue for the next four or five years

Leaving Cert AI reforms risk making a mockery of the principle of equality

Teachers are wearily getting on with the reformed Leaving Cert, but there are some things they just can’t do – like stopping students cheating

Secret Teacher: I handled that PT meeting incorrectly, even though I stand over what I said

Smiling like a self-assured Bond villain, the mother leaned in – ‘they don’t think they’re succeeding in your class’

EirGrid and Green Schools partner to power young minds

EirGrid’s support allowed An Taisce Green-Schools to bring back the energy theme of its programme last year

A national conversation about the future of Irish education is about to start. It could be magical

It must make space for voices that are too often left out, and children and young people must be at its heart

Nursing and midwifery offer careers for those with aptitude, curiosity and compassion

A degree in nursing or midwifery is a foundation for lifelong learning, with job opportunities across diverse settings

New Deis Plus plan for Ireland’s most disadvantaged areas needs to be bold

If Deis Plus is watered down, it will be horrifically depressing for everyone within education

‘Points don’t define potential – work ethic and passion do’

Rickwang Tientcheu says he drifted through the Covid years of second level before building up his own app for students, Edu Éire

Variation in primary teachers’ proficiency in Irish ‘a matter of significant concern’

Department inspectorate found ‘apparent lack of confidence’ among many teachers using Irish in English-medium schools

Ireland remains locked into the anglophone world. Will we ever make the multilingual leap?

Language specialists doubt whether existing educational policies can deliver on State’s linguistic competence deficit

‘It’s a rare opportunity’: Students share advice for study abroad in Europe

From budgeting to language learning, students reflect on their experiences studying abroad

Irish-language education policy ‘ignores elephant in the room’, advocacy groups warn

Patron body says ‘little progress’ made on similar goals announced 20 years ago

Would it not be better if children could take the books home from school?

‘Reading for pleasure among teenagers is in decline, yet here is an opportunity to give every student in the country at least one free novel a year’

CAO applications: How can I help my son complete the process properly?

Any correspondence from the Central Applications Office must be dealt with promptly

Jarlath Regan: I worked my tail off to bring my son home to experience school in Ireland

It was hard to leave Ireland without resentment – without a sense of why do I have to go?

‘We are considering encouraging our son to skip transition year’

Ask Brian: This programme shakes up the traditional, formal education system and introduces students to new ways of learning

Not having a special class is not a sign of a school’s non-commitment to inclusion

You cannot impose a vision of inclusion without attending to the granular context in which schools operate

As the presidential election comes into view, it’s important young people pay attention

Politics is boring. That is, unless you care about education, climate change, healthcare, housing, jobs or many other issues.

‘After a summer of unemployment, there was a massive change in my life’

‘What I learn in college becomes real for me during my working week’ – ATI apprentice Niall McClave

UK students are abandoning languages and the arts. Let’s make sure it never happens here

When governments signal that some subjects matter less, the cultural and human cost is far greater than imagined

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...

Stardust

Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people

Common Ground

How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands