Teachers set for junior cycle training

The Department of Education says the vast majority of English teachers at schools staffed by Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) members are signed up to resume training on the new junior cycle.

The industrial action of TUI and Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) of the last 18 months has seen a ban on their members taking part in continuous professional development (CPD) for the revised curriculum. English is the first subject in which reforms are taking effect, as part of an overhaul that has been in dispute since 2011.

TUI members voted last month to accept the reforms, after further concessions were negotiated with the department during the summer. But the Asti is awaiting members’ feedback on remaining concerns after their ballot rejected approval of the package.