#Education

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

€1.3bn spent on school prefabs and other ‘temporary fixes’ in the last six years
€1.3bn spent on school prefabs and other ‘temporary fixes’ in the last six years
The Department of Education is being asked to explain the €1.3bn it spent on rented lands, buildings, and modular accommodation for schools since 2020

Tue, 16 Jun, 2026

Young Business Boys with Money Savings
Do we really want childcare to be the latest investment fund wheeze?
Why is talk about early childhood education more focused on mergers and takeovers than it is on child wellbeing?

Mon, 15 Jun, 2026

Children at special school in Cork need 'full-time therapists urgently'
Children at special school in Cork need 'full-time therapists urgently'
Parents at Carrigaline Community Special School acknowledge progress has been made, but say their children need full-time therapists to manage their complex needs

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Waterford gaelscoil accepts department's reduced offer of extra classrooms
Waterford gaelscoil accepts department's reduced offer of extra classrooms
Dungarvan's Scoil Gharbháin, which was founded in 1982, caters for over 300 pupils despite being designed for about 100

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Ireland's long school holidays don't suit the modern family — but who's going to change them?
Ireland's long school holidays don't suit the modern family — but who's going to change them?
If the school calendar no longer reflects the two-income realities of modern family life, who exactly is responsible for reviewing it, asks Stephanie Park

Fri, 12 Jun, 2026

Primary School Coat Pegs
Special school admission policies preventing children most in need from access, inspectorate finds 
Education minister Hildegarde Naughton said she was 'deeply disappointed' schools had not changed policies 

Thu, 11 Jun, 2026

School stock
Covid 'intensified' reading and maths gap between disadvantaged and more affluent schools
Children from poorer families were found to score 'significantly lower' than children from families with medium to high affluence, a landmark report found

Thu, 11 Jun, 2026

Leaving Cert Irish and Biology papers praised as fair and student-friendly
Leaving Cert Irish and Biology papers praised as fair and student-friendly
Exam experts said predictable topics, strong choice and accessible questions helped ease pressure on candidates

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

Leadership of controversy-hit Cork City school needs 'significant improvement', report finds 
Leadership of controversy-hit Cork City school needs 'significant improvement', report finds 
Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers, a co-educational school in the northside of Cork City, made headlines in April when parents briefly removed about 100 students due to concerns described as 'health and safety'

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

Library, books on table and background for studying, learning and research in education, school or college. Reading, philosophy
‘Education overspend baked into department budget’ TDs to hear
Department of Education officials to appear at Dáil committee on budgetary oversight to discuss the supplementary €646m it requested in March

Tue, 09 Jun, 2026

State exams 2026: 'Overwhelmingly positive' reaction to maths paper 2
State exams 2026: 'Overwhelmingly positive' reaction to maths paper 2
'Not that they were delighted, but they certainly found it much more accessible than paper 1 on Friday'

Mon, 08 Jun, 2026

State exams 2026: Reassurance offered after Leaving Cert maths 'struck bum note'
State exams 2026: Reassurance offered after Leaving Cert maths 'struck bum note'
Maths Paper 1 was tough — but ASTI expert Niall Duddy said markers 'will reward students for attempting the questions'

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

Fruit and Vegetables stock images
GIY calls for help to expand 'Grow at school' to help push back against ultra-processed foods
Grow It Yourself wants the Government to pledge €3m to expand the education programme to help improve food literacy for health and wellbeing

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

Back to School
S Jennifer Horgan: Teachers aren't responsible for childcare and workplace challenges
Parents should be embarrassed to hear themselves complain about holidays and training days for teachers, writes Jennifer Horgan

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026

English paper 2 brings surprises for Leaving Cert students
English paper 2 brings surprises for Leaving Cert students
Meanwhile, there were no major surprises in this year’s Junior Cycle Geography exam, which presented students with a fair and balanced paper

Thu, 04 Jun, 2026

Leaving Cert English paper 1 'allowed well-read students to shine'
Leaving Cert English paper 1 'allowed well-read students to shine'
Teachers and students react to the first State exams of 2026 in both the Leaving Certificate and the Junior Cycle exams

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

School children in classroom
Terrible timing but some positives in Special Needs Assistants Workforce Development Plan
The Irish Examiner's Education Correspondent on a key document regarding SNAs — and the Department of Education's decision to publish it on one of the busiest days of the year

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

Preschool teacher and children using globe.
Schools will not lose more than one SNA in any one year – new workforce plan
Also, affected staff will be offered another post under proposals published in the first workforce plan for the profession

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

Cork school's mass withdrawal of students left them 'confused and distressed', parents say
Cork school's mass withdrawal of students left them 'confused and distressed', parents say
'A significant number' of pupils were withdrawn from Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers during school hours following communication circulated on social media referring to a ‘health and safety’ issue

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

School uniform and schoolbag hanging on hook
Back to School Allowance expanded to include two and three-year-olds for first time
More than 109,000 families will receive automatic payments as eligibility is extended to younger children

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

FILE PHOTO Minister Norma Foley has attributed two major errors in Leaving Cert results to coding errors END
Record number of students to begin Leaving and Junior Cert exams 
Record numbers will sit the Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied, and Junior Certificate tests 

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

Special educational needs and disabilities survey
Government to publish Special Needs Assistant workforce development plan
Almost 25,000 staff are employed as SNAs across primary, post-primary, and special schools in Ireland

Wed, 03 Jun, 2026

'I’m really looking forward to being done': Young Cork drag queen among those sitting Leaving Cert
'I’m really looking forward to being done': Young Cork drag queen among those sitting Leaving Cert
Stephen Pierce, who is known to 80,000 followers on TikTok as Felony, will begin the State exams on Wednesday, along with twin brother Edward 

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Computer, books, notepad
Everything Leaving Cert students need to know before exams begin this week
More than 70,000 students begin State exams this week amid changes to grading and subject offerings

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Bridging the Gap: Parents build a case for a new special needs school in East Cork
Bridging the Gap: Parents build a case for a new special needs school in East Cork
'They think that its ok for our children to be taken out of our community and sent to another town for school.'

Tue, 02 Jun, 2026

Landscape Scenery With White Bus Driving On Empty Scenic Road With Mountains At Mayo, Ireland
Youghal children travel up to 120km to get appropriate support due to lack of special school unit, councillors told
The mayor of Co Cork, Mary Linehan-Foley, said a group of parents, known as Bridging the Gap Youghal, have been campaigning to get the issue resolved, but as yet to no avail

Fri, 29 May, 2026

Education Feature
Department reopens summer support applications after schools complain about eight-day window
'The real-life consequences of all this is that children with additional needs are now locked out of vital education support this summer,' Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty told the Dáil

Thu, 28 May, 2026

Single Mother At Home Getting Son Wearing Uniform Ready For First Day Of School
'Too many families forced to pay over the odds for branded uniforms,' watchdog says
A number of complaints the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission received between last June and February mention exclusive suppliers, ‘crested’ uniform items and a lack of opportunities for families to shop around

Thu, 28 May, 2026

Back to school shopping
Gardaí reassure parents after mass shooting threats sent to Carlow primary schools
Several schools closed after 20 schools received threatening emails about mass shooting involving staff and children

Wed, 27 May, 2026

Cabinet meeting
Critical lack of expertise is holding back construction, ministers warned
National Skills Roundtable will provide 'direct insight from employers'

Wed, 27 May, 2026

A crucifix on a book against the background of a chalkboard
Primary schools to find out next week if parents want to drop religious ethos
The first national primary school survey found that 40% of parents with children attending religious-run schools do not wish to retain their school's religious ethos

Tue, 26 May, 2026

ChatGPT chatbot by OpenAI - artificial intelligence
Students warned not to heed AI Leaving Cert predictions
State Examinations Commission dismisses any suggestion AI can help identify exam topics, and advises students to ignore 'these unhelpful distractions'

Tue, 26 May, 2026

Inspections find quarter of schools missing support plans for special needs pupils
Inspections find quarter of schools missing support plans for special needs pupils
School inspectors also raised concerns around quality and appropriateness of learning targets for students with special educational needs

Mon, 25 May, 2026

Prescription charges Ireland
New pharmacist numbers fall 27% as demand set to surge
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill confirmed that, as of December 5, there were 388 first-time registrants with the PSI in 2025

Sun, 24 May, 2026

Rosary in Girl's hands
Letters to the Editor: Religious education can open up a sense of wonder
Several readers responded to Aoife Cassidy's opinion column about religious education in schools — and, as ever, what they have to say may surprise you

Sat, 23 May, 2026

Extremist views widespread in England's classrooms, say teachers
Teachers' union agrees deal on allowances under local bargaining process
Allowances for primary teachers working in Gaeltacht schools, Gaelscoileanna, special schools, and schools classified as very disadvantaged will be introduced and backdated to last September

Thu, 21 May, 2026

Pope Benedict XVI Celebrates Mass At Nationals Stadium
Aoife Cassidy: School sacraments have no place in modern education 
'The entire spectacle is sustained by a primary education system still structurally organised around religious dominance'

Wed, 20 May, 2026

First-round CAO offers
Key target to tackle disadvantage in higher education achieved two years early 
Disabled students now make up more than 16% of entrants to higher education — a target the National Access Plan set out to attain by 2028 

Wed, 20 May, 2026

Empty Classroom Ready For Pupils
Schools 'bribing' pupils with pizza in bid to boost school attendance
Rewards disproportionately affect neurodivergent or marginalised children

Tue, 19 May, 2026

'Parents left in limbo' as childcare providers cannot support complex needs
'Parents left in limbo' as childcare providers cannot support complex needs
Families are being left without support as childcare providers and pre-schools have no clear alternative to refer them to when they cannot meet a child’s needs

Mon, 18 May, 2026

No diagnosis needed for children’s supports at an early age
No diagnosis needed for children’s supports at an early age
Early years educators can be first to notice developmental delays in children which can result in early interventions leading to the best outcomes for them, writes Jess Casey

Mon, 18 May, 2026

Irish Cabinet meeting
Student fees will only go down under Government, says minister
Higher education minister says future fee reductions will be delivered alongside targeted supports for struggling student households

Sat, 16 May, 2026

Over €7m issued by department for phone pouches in post-primary schools
Over €7m issued by department for phone pouches in post-primary schools
All primary schools were asked by the department last summer to implement new policies that ban the use of, and access to, smartphones during school

Thu, 14 May, 2026

'Disheartening' to see academic freedom curtailed in the US, minister says
'Disheartening' to see academic freedom curtailed in the US, minister says
The minister for higher education also said greater gender balance and skilled immigrants are key to resolving the huge shortfall in construction workers in Ireland

Thu, 14 May, 2026

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Mick Clifford
Mick Clifford

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