Lessons from pandemic to be used in reform of primary school curriculum

Participants in the consultation will be asked to draw on their experiences of the pandemic to select what themes should be prioritised in the new primary school curriculum, such as wellbeing, the use of technology, equity of access, and outdoor learning. Picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) wants to hear what teachers, school leaders, children, parents, and the public have learned from the pandemic, and how it should influence reform of the primary school curriculum.

After being put on pause by Covid-19, public consultation on the draft primary curriculum framework has been reopened by the NCCA, and it will run from today until the end of February 2022.

Consultation questionnaires and submission templates are now live on the NCCA website, and include questions that explore the impact of the past 18 months.

Participants in the consultation will be asked to draw on their experiences of the pandemic to select what themes should be prioritised in the new primary school curriculum, such as wellbeing, the use of technology, equity of access, and outdoor learning.

“The impact of Covid-19 on the education system has been fundamental and far-reaching," said the NCCA. 

The global crisis brought about by the pandemic has significant consequences for education, severely impacting on education systems at every level.

“The diversity of experiences of teachers, school leaders, children, and parents in Ireland in dealing with and adapting to new and more flexible approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment will be particularly relevant along with findings from national and international research evidence and analysis into the impact of Covid-19 on children’s continuity of learning, development, and wellbeing.” 

The draft framework was published in February 2020 and proposes the first overhaul of the primary school curriculum in over 20 years.

The proposed framework would introduce seven key “competencies” for primary school students, which include being creative, digital learning, being mathematical, fostering wellbeing, and being an active citizen.

The framework also tackles “curriculum overload” by moving from 11 subjects in the first four years of primary school to five broad curriculum areas (language; maths, science, and technology; wellbeing; arts education, and social and environmental education) as well as introducing “flexible time” which is not scheduled for any particular subject, but which teachers can use in their curriculum planning to enable things such as project work and involvement in local initiatives.

New subjects

From third to sixth class, new subjects could be introduced to the classroom such as modern foreign languages, ethics, film and digital media, and technology.

The public consultation process will also include input from children gathered by the Marino Institute of Education, focus groups with teachers, school leaders and parents, and a large consultation event in Croke Park on March 1, 2022.

The NCCA will use the findings from its public consultation to finalise the curriculum framework, which will be published in early 2023. It is envisaged that all curriculum specifications will be completed by summer 2026, after which the Department of Education will assume the responsibility of putting the framework into practice in schools.

• To make a submission to the consultation, visit www.ncca.ie/primary and click ‘have your say’ in the top banner.