Second Level

News and advice on the second-level education system.

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

Most secondary teachers will struggle to authenticate students’ work under Leaving Cert reforms, survey finds

Exam integrity will be compromised by access to artificial intelligence tools, ASTI says

‘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

Tender for controversial €9m mobile phone pouches for secondary schools published

Successful applicants will supply their pouch for a one-year period with the option to extend by a further year

More than 20,000 pupils with Irish exemptions studied European languages

Dyslexia group says there are genuine reasons why students with additional needs go on to study French or German

Future of many Protestant fee-charging schools ‘at risk’

Exclusion from State funding undermines guarantees to protect minority faith education, schools say

Exemptions from studying Irish: What is your view?

New Department of Education instructions on psychologists’ reports highlights issue of Irish exemptions

Leaving Cert 2.0: What to expect from the reformed senior cycle

Students starting fifth year in September will be the first to experience sweeping changes

It’s time to get rid of the damaging Leaving Cert points race

Unrestricted access to third level education in Ireland would allow schools to educate holistically and give pupils a chance to flourish in the subjects they enjoy most

Tension between teachers and special-needs assistants flagged in official report

SNAs' ‘over-familiarith’ with students’ parents can result in sensitive information being shared, say school leaders

Young scientist exhibition: Students deploy innovative skills at frontier of renewable energy

Solar and wind power feature creatively in a number of projects at the annual competition

Young scientist exhibition: Twin sisters ‘mind the gap’ as they try to modernise study habits

AI brings challenges to contest but more positives than negatives, co-founder says

CAO system should be changed to match Leaving Cert reforms, education experts say

Apprenticeships and new tertiary degrees could be combined into a single applications system, says Department of Education advisory board

My son is stressed about the February 1st CAO deadline. Is this really the cut-off point?

There is no need to fret: in most cases, students have until July 1st to finalise their course choices

The first Leaving Cert 100 years ago: girls-only exams, botany tests and imperial measures

The biggest reforms to the exam in a century are due to roll out later this year. Are schools ready for the challenge?

Officials contact dozens of secondary schools over high numbers of students exempt from Irish

Principals say rise in students from abroad and pupils with additional needs are behind high numbers

Hundreds of teaching posts vacant at secondary schools across country, report finds

Unpublished Department of Education draft study finds a further 800 posts were occupied by teachers unqualified to teach subject

A crisis years in the making: Second-level pupils in classes without qualified teachers

Roots of the teacher-shortage problem and ‘out of field’ teaching go back decades

Taxpayers are subsidising private schools by more than €140m a year

Sinn Féin and Labour want to end State funding for fee-charging schools but Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael support current system

Fees have jumped across many of Ireland’s private secondary schools. Why?

Annual fees have climbed by up to 19% with charges for day pupils now ranging between €4,000 and €14,000

School attendance among pupils drops significantly since Covid-19 pandemic

About 42% of primary pupils in disadvantaged areas are missing more than 20 days of school, an increase linked to the Covid-19 pandemic

Young Irish are most likely in the European Union to struggle with foreign languages

Drop-off in numbers sitting French and German for Leaving Cert sparks concern

Six takeaways from Feeder Schools data: Education gaps remain despite progress

Feeder Schools data shows how Ireland’s children progress after completing second-level education.

‘I woke up one morning to 2,000 comments. I’ve had death threats’: How schools deal with social media fallout

Online hatred and toxicity can be hugely damaging, but are digital literacy classes really enough to tackle it?

Irish-medium schools continue to outperform

Irish-medium schools continue to outperform the national average in third-level progression but figures show cause for concern

Feeder Schools: Record numbers of students from disadvantaged areas progress to third level

Class gap persists with greater numbers from affluent areas attending college

Was Michael O’Leary right about teachers after all?

Teaching exodus continues, but educators are collectively doing little to change their lot

Gap between State and fee-charging schools closes further

Just two of the 10 schools with the highest third-level progression rate in 2024 were fee-paying

Quirks and questions on third-level progression rates

Brian Mooney outlines key aspects of third-level progression analysis and some common issues that arise

Pupils in Ireland among top maths performers in Europe, global study finds

East Asian countries such as Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea continue to dominate

Our boys are outperforming girls in maths and science at second level. Why?

New global study on maths and science performance reveals strengths and weaknesses in Irish education

‘It’s not just someone in a lab coat in a lab messing around with Bunsen burners’

Revamped Futurewize course opens a door to careers in science, technology engineering and maths to Junior Cycle students

Transition year gap: ‘Why is it only some schools get to go on trips abroad?’

The revolutionary programme introduced 50 years ago has proved hugely popular - but not all students have equal access to engaging and life-changing experiences

Crises, reforms and funding challenges: six key issues facing the next minster for education

The manifestos of the main political parties put an emphasis on boosting funding for the sector, but what will the new government be able to deliver?

‘Parents were apprehensive’: the school where ‘risky’ play is on the timetable

Some teachers believe climbing trees and other outdoor self-directed controlled risk-taking are crucial for fostering self-confidence and resilience

Sharp increase in autism diagnoses to require thousands of additional special needs places in schools

Official estimates point to a near doubling in proportion of children with autism in need of support at school within five years

Explainer: why are second level teachers protesting outside schools today?

Unions want Leaving Cert reforms to be delayed, but Norma Foley says millions is being invested to support changes

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