Second Level
News and advice on the second-level education system.
Are you a parent? The reason teaching is falling apart might hurt your feelings
Secret Teacher: Children’s general level of intelligence and attention spans have plummeted
Classroom to College: When it comes to education, we all have different targets and priorities
We will be running a series of interviews with Leaving Cert students and their parents before, during and after the exams
What is Senior Assassin – the game Leaving Cert students are obsessed with?
Leaving Cert students in desperate need of diversion have embraced the viral game during their last few weeks of secondary school
Leaving Cert 2026: Tell us about how preparations are going and how you are feeling
There is so much to prepare for, and plenty to digest in the aftermath, too – if you can imagine a world where this is actually over!
‘Could my son lose a college offer if CAO details incorrect?’
Parents should ensure that the correct Leaving Cert number is recorded when the Central Applications Office email arrives
Covid and school closures
The official ‘schools are safe’ mantra was patently false to those living it
Final countdown: Exam survival guide for Junior and Leaving Cert students (and parents)
It is normal for students to feel stressed coming up to the written papers. Here are some simple tips that can help you to dial down the anxiety
‘I didn’t know anybody who had gone on to college and barely knew anybody who had a Leaving Cert‘
‘Our learners are as smart as people in mainstream education; they just needed the chance’
Educators should adopt trust-based approach to AI in schools, committee hears
Co-ordinators of a proactive artificial intelligence schools programme in Estonia tell of their experience
Parent-led campaign to push for legislation guaranteeing right to Irish language education
Ireland should follow Wales and compel Department of Education to plan proactively to increase Irish-medium education provision, campaigners say
Preparing to move from primary school to secondary starts now, not in September
A new school can feel like an alien experience. Everything is different
‘My dyslexic son refuses to engage with school support services. Should I force the issue?’
Accepted Dare applicants receive the support of the university disability services throughout their college years
Secret Principal: ‘There is no training that could equip you for this role’
I have attended group counselling for principals to bolster my personal armour. It was of little help
Ten years of Leaving Cert politics and society: ‘Taking turns rowing the lifeboat’
The subject gives students an opportunity to be active participants in discussion and start developing their citizenship
Science teachers offered old telephone box to store chemicals, equipment and students’ work
Teachers express concern they do not have adequate training, resources or facilities for laboratory-based research
‘Living pay cheque to pay cheque’: Teachers feel pinch of cost-of-living crisis
Recent pay rises leave teachers feeling they amounted to ‘half or less than half’ rate of inflation’
Inside the only girls’ boarding school taught entirely through Irish
Sylvia Thompson speaks to students and teachers at Coláiste Íde in Co Kerry
Large number of parents seek shift to multidenominational ethos in schools
Almost three-quarters of parents with children in single-sex schools said they would like to see those schools transition to coeducational
‘My son has an Irish language exemption. Is there anything we need to do?’
National University of Ireland communicates exemption data to the Central Applications Office, which will add it to an application
Students missing subjects over Government ‘failure’ to address teacher recruitment crisis – TUI
Teachers Union of Ireland president Anthony Quinn says teacher retention ‘remains a significant challenge’ in second-level schools
Teacher union conferences expected to focus on pay as inflation increases
Conferences also scheduled to consider workplace stress, school inspections, assaults on staff and impact of recruitment and retention crisis
Intense and fake interviews for teaching posts in one-horse towns
We’re employed with our horizon extending beyond one mere year ... but we have a job
Teachers to consider escalating industrial action over lack of pay rises
Union survey finds high level of concern that AI has changed practical meaning of what constitutes ‘student work’ in Leaving Cert
How can our education system remain fit for purpose for the next generation?
Today, Ireland’s education system finds itself at a critical juncture
Teacher shortages: High cost of living creates Dublin ‘brain drain’
Urban allowance similar to London weighting could help alleviate difficulties in recruiting staff, figures in profession say
Why are we so quick to tell others what they should call themselves?
I don’t understand the issue around students changing their names from ones associated with one gender to those associated with another
Classroom to College: Here’s something to take on board
What’s it like to be a student at one of Ireland’s most expensive schools?
Inside Clongowes Wood: Who sends their child to boarding school in 21st-century Ireland?
What’s it like to eat, sleep, study and partake in extracurricular activities away from home?
‘I think my daughter would be suited to a job with a strong hands-on element or apprenticeship’
A three‑year OEM engineering apprenticeship opens doors internationally and provides access to further study in higher education
Expert panel on education will have children as full members for the first time
The Convention on Education will debate the future of education in Ireland, with children’s views carrying equal weight
AI is a threat to the essence of education
'AI’s application in education, in the form our Department of Education intends it to be used, should be resisted until we are satisfied that we can control these inherent risks'
How to stay cool, calm and collected for your Leaving Cert language oral
With language orals, there is a lot of information to remember before you even greet the examiner
‘My son is anxious about the Irish orals. How can we help him prepare?’
Immersion in the language is key – as is understanding the structure of the assessment
Teaching: I’ve been bullied and seen others harassed in the most unbelievable ways
Many principals bury their heads, do not want to become involved, or are disconnected from the staffroom zeitgeist
‘My four children are all using AI in various ways in their studies’
Spending hours doing traditional academic work that can be generated by AI in seconds just seems wasteful
Educational tech firm threatens rival school supplier with litigation for questioning its finances
Olive Media wrote to schools after learning of email sent by IT supplier Wriggle
Funding crisis for secondary schools
The suggestion that schools are sitting on piles of cash is deeply offensive to those of us struggling to keep the lights on
Teacher suffered five broken teeth trying to keep child safe in classroom that was refused extra SNA
National Council for Special Education apologises for ‘any and all upset and uncertainty’ caused by review of SNA allocations
Having to reveal how voluntary contributions are spent is insulting to schools
The Minister for Education has chosen not to address the funding deficit, which is the essence of governance by distraction
Evacuating Irish from Middle East, energy prices, retrofits, and a ‘good Irish death’
Early Edition with Andrew McNair, our top stories on Wednesday
Fifth of secondary schools forced to drop subjects due to teacher shortages, survey finds
School principals report continuing problems with teacher recruitment and retention
Man who claimed he had consensual sex with student (16) struck off teaching register
High Court judge says sanction for teacher ‘well merited’ given the case involved professional misconduct of the most serious kind
Adults aged under 35 and women most enthusiastic about learning Irish language, survey finds
Survey on behalf of Údarás na Gaeltachta measures public attitudes towards Irish language and Gaeltacht
‘Are there paths into careers in technology other than through the university route?’
As tech evolves at an unprecedented pace, employers increasingly value what you can do today and how quickly you can learn
Edtech company suspends chief executive over alleged attempt to divert business
Ian Gaughran has concerns about the ‘financial viability’ of Olive companies
Special-needs assistants protest outside Leinster House demanding ‘job security’
Government got review of SNA allocation at schools ‘wrong’, Simon Harris says
Weaknesses in policymaking: A challenge to the Convention on Education
Reviews of the Department of Education have found it to be overworked, reactive, overly absorbed in short-term operational issues and lacking space for long-term strategic thinking
‘It was quiet. Too quiet’: A trial run at the empty nest
‘I will return to grumbling about empty cereal bowls and endless analysis of Love Island’
Life at Ireland’s biggest boarding school: ‘I have so much more independence’
At Kilkenny College, a co-educational school under Church of Ireland patronage, student boarders are given a voice
Significant component of Leaving Certificate science exams risks student safety, teachers claim
Department of Education advised to pause AAC implementation immediately on health and safety grounds
How to make the most of the months before the Leaving Cert
Here are some important dates in the CAO calendar in the next few months - along with important links, reminders and information about fees.
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
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
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices















































