Education

December 2022

Premium

Leaving Cert 2023 students: Useful things to do over the Christmas break

Many Leaving Cert students will welcome the Christmas break to rest and recuperate. Some will use this time to start preparing for the mock exams, which for most begin towards the end of January. Others will be preparing for important upcoming deadlines.

---

Blackrock College seeking to appoint new principal

Blackrock College in Dublin is seeking to appoint a new principal in the new year.

---

Fee-paying schools: Almost €10,000 to attend most expensive day school in the country

The cost of sending a child to a fee-charging school has risen for many parents this year.

---

Gallery

Premium

‘Our electricity bills for October and November totalled €20,000’ – fee-charging schools struggling to keep up with soaring costs

Some fee-charging post-primary schools are struggling to make ends meet because of crippling energy bills.

---

Gallery

Christmas joy as traditional nativity plays and shows return to schools for first time since the pandemic

It’s showtime. After two years of restrictions putting traditional Christmas celebrations in primary schools on ice, the nativity plays, pageants and pantos are back.

---

Feeder Schools 2022: Find out which schools send the most students to college

This comprehensive table provides a breakdown of where pupils from the Leaving Certificate class of 2022 enrolled in a higher education college in Ireland this year, with a comparison with 2021.

---

Premium

Leaving Cert 2023: Poland popular choice for students interested in studying health sciences including medicine and dentistry

Throughout my time as a guidance counsellor, I have met a lot of students from around the country whose dream it is to study and work in the area of health science. For most of these students, attaining the necessary grades to study medicine, dentistry, veterinary, physiotherapy, pharmacy and nursing in Ireland is just out of reach.

---

Students from fee-paying schools still dominate entry to third-level education

Pupils from fee-paying schools continue to dominate entry to third-level, a progression table for the class of 2022 confirms.

---

Premium

Half class of 2022 in Dublin Deis school opt for college – but that’s only half the story

Almost half of the class of 2022 at Tallaght Community School progressed to higher education this autumn, but that’s only part of a rich story.

---

Premium

Calls to establish a supply task force as teacher sharing scheme fails to take off

The Government and teachers want more schools to share staff for subjects where there is low teaching supply and significant demand.

---

Parents told school status changes ‘will be agreed by mutual consent’

The Department of Education has moved to ease tensions in a Dublin suburb where parents are divided on a proposal to turn one of three primary Catholic schools multi-denominational.

---

Gallery

Premium

‘Teachers will quit rather than give up career breaks or job-shares’ – minister’s threat to perks sparks anger among educators

Teachers who are on career breaks or are job-sharing will resign their posts if they are forced to return to full-time teaching, a member of the ASTI standing committee has said.

---

‘Stay at home if you are unwell’ – HSE issues letter to schools about Strep A and viral infections

The HSE has issued advice to schools and parents about the Strep A infection and viral infections that have “significantly increased” this winter.

---

Education Minister Norma Foley is on a career break from teaching as she considers restricting teacher career breaks

Minister for Education Norma Foley is currently on a career break from teaching as she proposes tightening up on career breaks for teachers as part of plans to tackle the ongoing staffing crisis in schools.

---

Teachers’ career breaks and job shares may be suspended or restricted amid school staffing crisis

Teachers working abroad will simply “resign” if sent letters, saying ‘Please come back, or lose your job,’ the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) has said.

---

Premium

Leaving Cert students 2023: HEAR offers greater access to college for students who qualify

HEAR, which stands for Higher Education Access Route, makes entry to college easier for students from a socio-economically disadvantaged background and also offers in-college supports

---

Thousands of pupils at risk of losing free school meals due to rising costs

Thousands of children are at risk of losing their free school meals because of rising costs.

---

Premium

We have been pushed to ‘breaking point’ by staff shortages, says Dublin school principal unable to find substitutes

A principal who made a social media plea to find a substitute teacher has warned that Dublin schools are “at breaking point” and said that her staff were “drowning” amid a wave of shortages.

---

No points needed, as students to start degrees in Further Education colleges in radical CAO shake-up

A radical shake-up in the college entry process will allow students to get straight into a degree programme without worrying about CAO points.

---

Battle for control of school patronage looms in north Dublin

Parents in a Dublin suburb are being consulted on whether they want to turn one of three Catholic schools multi-denominational.

---

Extent of bullying to be measured for first time in new schools action plan

The extent of bullying in schools will be measured for the first time under a new Department of Education action plan to tackle the issue.

---

Norma Foley Opinion Bullying remains an unacceptable reality in our schools, so lessons in kindness are key

Today is December 1, and for most of our school communities the festive period is one filled with joy and excitement. Sadly, this happy holiday experience will not reach every pupil.

---

November 2022

Department of Education is doing too little to tackle teacher shortages in schools, say unions

Teacher unions are accusing the Department of Education of failing to commit to properly tackling staffing shortages in the country’s classrooms.

---

Public consultation opens for Special Education Act review

Members of public are being invited to have their say on the way special needs education is provided in Ireland.

---

Premium

Leaving Cert students 2023: DARE scheme now open to cancer patients for the first time

The CAO has opened for 2023, and so too has the application process for DARE (Disability Access Route in Education).

---

Boost for students as State set to help fund more beds in universities

The Government will help fund the construction of 700 student beds in Maynooth, Limerick and Galway universities in the first stage of a new plan to tackle the college accommodation crisis.

---

Schools told to be cautious with fitness ‘Bleep Tests’ of pupils in PE class

Schools have been told to be cautious about fitness testing pupils in PE classes.

---

Ireland stays at top end of EU education table

Ireland is holding its own at the top end of the EU educational attainment ladder.

---

Obituary: John Kelly, academic and former professor of engineering at UCD who was a key figure in college life

Professor John Kelly, who has died aged 87, was a leading engineer who also served as registrar at University College Dublin and, reflecting his Northern Irish origins, raised funds in Dublin to support the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP).

---

Gallery

Trinity College Dublin seeks public views on what to do with snatched skulls and library named after slave owner

Trinity College Dublin is confronting some uncomfortable legacies from its 430-year history including skull-snatching from Inishbofin island and a library named after a slave owner.