A return to top rankings in reading and maths should not lead to complacency over school reforms, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has said.

The results in PISA 2012 science tests have been hailed as testament to the long-term returns from Ireland’s investment in teacher training and curriculum reform in the subject.

Students lose out on one sixth of maths classes during transition year (TY) because of work experience and other activities, a study shows.

Reading with your child is a gift no matter what the format — but printed books remain the best way to develop literacy, research suggests.

ONE-in-seven English and maths classes for primary pupils are unsatisfactory, random inspections by the Department of Education have found.

EFFORTS to improve student attitudes to science will remain unsuccessful unless reforms in teaching and out-of-school activities are increased, research has suggested.

FAILURE to highlight practical applications of maths in class could be hindering the performance of Irish teenagers in international tests, according to a study published this week.

LITERACY levels have remained at the same low levels in poorer schools for the past six years, despite smaller class sizes and major investment in computers, a new study has found.

IN THE Irish Examiner of July 2, doubt was cast on the results of the OECD Programme for International Assessment (PISA) in which Irish 15-year-olds ranked fifth of 27 OECD countries in a test of reading literacy in 2000.