A seven-year-old boy, against whom an allegation of sexual abuse was made to Tusla, is to have a file on him retained on record in the child and family agency despite the complete dismissal of the allegation.

Education Minister Richard Bruton is in danger of failing to deliver a 2016 Government commitment to increase funding for schools, which are being subsidised by parents and local communities to the tune of €46m a year.

The Government will need to restore pay equality for teachers, pay retired teachers more to come back to school or employ panels of teachers to bridge gaps in substitution cover, TDs and senators have heard.

More than half of primary school principals say they are still forced to ask parents for voluntary contributions, and 40% of them are running financial deficits.

Extra middle-management posts being created from next autumn should allow school leaders give more time to improving education and other work, Education Minister Richard Bruton has told primary school principals.

Minister’s endorsement of the community national school (CNS) system comes as it vies with Educate Together to open more schools.

Only 21 more resource teachers can be appointed to schools between now and June to work with children with disabilities.

Schools attended by almost 100,000 children will benefit from improvement works which are to be funded over the summer holidays.

Schools with large infant intakes may be allowed extra staff to avoid putting them into larger classes later this year.

The Irish Primary Principals Network has welcomed funding worth around €70m to carry out improvement works at schools across Ireland is welcome news.

Primary school education groups have warned that educational spending could be a huge political issue in next year’s local elections.

The Minister for Education says new legislation on enrolment procedures will ensure schools will no longer be able to turn away children with learning difficulties.

Very few parents are prosecuted for criminal neglect despite coming to the attention of gardaí for drug and alcohol abuse, a report examining the management of neglect cases reveals.

School principals are calling on the Department of Education to allow schools to introduce CAO-style application processes for school places.

The Department of Education says the number of retired teachers being given work by schools is unsatisfactory as it emerged dozens are on paid contracts while thousands of graduates seek work.

The body representing primary school principals in Ireland is calling on the Government to ease the workload of its members.

Retired teachers are still working in primary schools, despite the fact that thousands of teaching graduates are struggling to find work.

Parents and school boards have criticised the move to use primary school budgets to part-reverse cuts to teacher numbers at disadvantaged schools.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has been accused of robbing Peter to pay Paul after cutting budgets for all primary schools in order to fund a U-turn on teacher cuts in the most disadvantaged schools.

Tomás Healy expects the roof of his school’s new classroom to be on in a few weeks.

Principals should be allowed return to full-time teaching after a set number of years, most primary school leaders believe, as workload and stress are forcing them to retire early.

Primary school principals are meeting today in Dublin, at the biggest conference of its kind in Europe.

SCHOOLS will lose almost 1,000 teachers through cuts which include an effective rise in second-level pupil teacher ratios (PTR) that could threaten vital guidance provision for students.

PRINCIPALS have called for an overhaul of how primary school boards are structured as figures show that almost half are still chaired by priest or other religious person.

PRIMARY school principals have asked for a revision of the Stay Safe programme to cover text bullying after a survey showed 37% of eight year olds now own mobile phones.

PRIMARY principals claim they cannot find qualified substitute teachers at short notice despite the unemployment crisis facing recent teaching graduates.

Schools may open early after Christmas, because of days missed as a result of the arctic weather, the Department of Education said today.

SCHOOLS are being advised to take measures to avoid serious damage to plumbing during the continuing freezing weather conditions.

AN instruction to schools to cut the pay of caretakers, secretaries and other staff not directly employed by the state is set to be challenged by a union.

SPENDING on school buildings and other education capital is being slashed by one-third over the next four years — down to less than €500 million a year.

There are differing opinions when it comes to homework at primary level, from the parents who feel it eats into valuable time with their children, to other parents and teachers who believe it’s an essential link between family life and school, writes Áilín Quinlan

SCHOOL principals have called for clearer guidelines and faster responses from the Health Service Executive on reporting of suspected child neglect.

PUPILS’ favourite subjects are physical education, science and art, but they share their teachers’ concerns about small classrooms and outdated computers.

MORE than one-in-10 special needs assistants (SNAs) working with pupils with disabilities have been lost in primary schools despite official claims that the losses resulting from a review would be nowhere near as high, a survey of 850 schools has found.

PRIMARY principals have been put in an unfair position by their union’s work-to-rule directives because they have legal obligations towards pupils, a conference heard yesterday.

GOVERNMENT policy of integrating children with special needs into mainstream schools will be pointless if there are more cuts to staff helping them in class, a principals’ leader warned yesterday.

The Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe will face an angry audience this morning.

SCHOOLS will continue to ensure child abuse is stamped out but must be given statutory guidelines on reporting and other child protection issues, a principals’ leader has claimed.

THE move to start cutting assistants working with children with special needs (SNAs) from next week will not be reversed, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has insisted.

PRINCIPAL Anna Mai Rooney and her staff face a logistical nightmare trying to spread reduced supports among four pupils with special care needs from next month.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe was tonight accused of a humiliating u-turn after ordering a nationwide school closure only to reverse it on the first day of the shutdown.

ALL primary schools are to be required to teach a self- protection programme that helps pupils recognise and avoid abusive situations.