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That's according to journalist Emma DeSouza, as the French Government considers making uniforms mandatory nationwide.

Uniforms may be the norm in Ireland but in France they are extremely rare - something Ms DeSouza believes should remain the case.

"Certainly, there's no evidence that it benefits young people," she told Newstalk Breakfast.

"It doesn't lead to better educational outcomes; it doesn't decrease bullying or decrease inequality.

"Really, it's rooted in a conservative ideology that can reinforce gender norms and strip away any idea of the individual."

St Munchin's College Assistant Principal Eric Nelligan disagreed and said he was glad his children attend a school with a uniform.

"This morning, I'm getting my kids up for school and I've a five-year-old and she loves trying on different clothes," he said.

"So, every weekend, we spend 10, 15 minutes fighting over what clothes she wants to wear.

"Today is a school day and she just puts on her uniform straight off in the morning - it's a timesaver."

Mr Nelligan said uniforms also benefit children as well, eliminating any "subconscious bias" teachers have about certain types of clothes and reducing class makers.

"Uniforms, they reduce inequality, there's not that argument over what clothes they're wearing," he said.

"It's shown that uniforms definitely reduce stress in girls because there's an element of fairness, everyone comes wearing the same clothes."

Ms DeSouza countered that a University of Missouri study found that uniforms can also be a source of discrimination.

"[It] found that actually students, particularly young girls, were being discriminated against because of school policy being enforced in a very strict way," she said.

"So, if they had anything that was [not] school uniform, they were being sent home in a far greater level to students who did not come from an ethnic minority background."

The Department of Education requests schools have a uniform that is "generic and can be purchased from an array of retailers".
Main image: A group of school children walking in their uniforms. Image: PjrTravel / Alamy Stock Photo
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School uniforms: Should we follow France and do away with them?

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A University of Missouri study found that uniforms can be a source of discrimination in certain US schools.

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Charity 'disturbed' over changes to education supports

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Charity 'disturbed' over changes to education supports

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Charity 'disturbed' over changes to education supports

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A charity that supports children with intellectual disabilities, and their families, has said it is "deeply disturbed" by a change the Department of Education has made to the allocation of additional teacher supports from next year.

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Enrollment Crisis - Second Level Students Left Without School Places

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Enrollment Crisis - Second Level Students Left Without School Places

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An investigation has found that some students are being left without places as an enrollment crisis worsens.

Carl O'Brien, Education Editor of the Irish Times, Catherine Murphy, TD for Kildare North and Caroline Carpenter a parent living in Prosperous, Co Kildare joined The Last Word.

You can catch the full chat by pressing the Play button on this page.

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Enrollment Crisis - Second Level Students Left Without School Places

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An investigation has found that some students are being left without places as an enrollment crisis worsens.Carl O'Brien, Education Editor of the Irish Tim...

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Postcode inequality: ‘Surely kids in Dublin 8 deserve the same access to education as those in Blackrock?

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Postcode inequality: ‘Surely kids in Dublin 8 deserve the same access to education as those in Blackrock?

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Postcode inequality: ‘Surely kids in Dublin 8 deserve the same access to education as those in Blackrock?’

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Many parents feel left behind with no access to multidenominational secondary schools. It’s a very different story in more affluent areas

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Caregiving Among Young Adults in Ireland

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A leading professor in human rights has said she is "ashamed to be Irish" because of the way asylum seekers are being treated.

Kathleen Lynch, professor of equality studies at University College Dublin (UCD), said international protection applicants are being discriminated against because of the "colour of their skin".

The 72-year-old Co Clare academic is also involved with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

She spoke to the in a personal capacity this week, as the Government unveiled plans to overhaul accommodation provision for international protection applicants.

The reforms will see State-owned accommodation, delivering 14,000 beds by 2028.

The white paper comes as figures published on Friday show there are 1,517 asylum seekers without accommodation.

It also follows the emergence of a 'tent-city' on Mount Street outside the International Protection Accommodation offices (IPAS) in south Dublin in recent months.

Prof Lynch said there is "deep racism" in Ireland that has been allowed to grow over a long time and the Government is at fault for not tackling the problem.

"There is a strong colour-based racism to what is happening to asylum seekers now. There is also cruelty and harm.

"We also have nearly 14,000 homeless people in Ireland, including more than 4,000 children.

"This is the responsibility of the Government who have people living in those conditions.

"We are degrading Ireland by allowing this to happen, it is a normalisation of abuse."

Some of the asylum seekers who had been living in the tent city were moved to Crooksling, on the outskirts of south Dublin over St Patrick's weekend, but many returned to the streets outside the IPAS building because of a lack of facilities.

However, the conditions there are no better - the occupants of the tents are using an open corner of the street as a toilet.

Prof Lynch spoke about these issues at the launch of the book in the Gresham Hotel last week.

The book, edited by UCD lecturer and diversity and race relations consultant Dr. Ebun Joseph, looks at the treatment of black women in both the private and public sector.

There were 13 black females interviewed for the book. Their experiences included harassment, bullying, and resistance to promotion in the workplace.

Ms Joseph, director of the Institute of Anti-Racism and Black Studies, said: "There is massive resistance to growing in the workplace, even when you have the qualifications. It's about 'we don't know you therefore we don't trust you'. We are still not fully accepted.

"The danger is a brain drain from their sending countries like Nigeria and a brain waste in their receiving countries like Ireland who don't accept them as equals. It is like a social capital. They will deprive us in work because they don't know us.

"There is progression in areas where we are needed, include the hospitals and IT. There are not many black teachers, black judges, and black social workers".

She also raised concerns about the level of racism against asylum seekers, which is filtering down to young children.

Dr Ebun Joseph,director of the Institute of Anti-Racism and Black Studies, said there is 'massive resistance to growing in the workplace'. Picture: Moya Nolan

"Children say it to each other like its 'banter', but it is racism. There are also mixed-race children not learning about their history.

"They speak about their white mother or father, some of whom are racist themselves, and the child is saying 'I am black too?' It is a very confusing message for your mixed-race child if one parent is racist."

One of Ms Joseph's current projects includes opening African libraries in Ireland to provide literature for black and mixed-raced children.

"It would provide support, history, music and culture, it would be a step in the right direction but there is a lot to do", she said.

Prof Lynch received an applause when she told the book launch that she was "ashamed to be Irish".

"I meant what I said," she told the .

"It reflects a new callousness and coldness that has evolved in this country towards vulnerable people.

"There is no excuse for not housing that number of people in a country that has ample wealth to do so.

New plans by Government will take years to implement, she said.

Those plans include providing 14,000 state owned beds by the end of 2028 as part of a wider initiative to make 35,000 beds available.

The proposed "blended model" also consists of 10,000 commercially run emergency accommodation beds and another 11,000 contingency accommodation beds.

During covid, the Government introduced emergency legislation that saw homeless people given immediate shelter.

"When that happened, the Government took control of the private hospitals. Yes, private hospitals made money out of it, that's another issue, but the legislation was there.

"Also, the EU has failed people on a huge level. You can't just say we will treat the problem by keeping people out.

"There needs to be a European forum on how to manage this, it is not just about paying people to be kept in camps, which is effectively what they are doing," Prof Lynch said.

She also hit out at "middle class white people claiming ownership of black people's stories".

According to the 2022 Census of Population, 67,546 people here identify as black or black Irish with an African background, while 8,699 people identify as black or black Irish with any other black background.

ESRI figures from 2022 showed for April to June, that year, non-Irish citizens accounted for just under half a million (495,100) people classified as 'in the labour force'.

However, in that same year, a survey of 118 members of the African Professional Network of Ireland revealed half of black professionals working here believed their ethnicity had negatively impacted their career opportunities and career progression.

One of the authors of the book, Winifred Ikhine Akinyemi, moved to Ireland from Nigeria 20 years ago and is now working as a civil servant.

In university, she studied law and was called to the Nigerian bar 30 years ago.

She has 13 years' experience of working as a lawyer which included a decade as a corporate solicitor in the financial sector in Lagos.

Her last project in Nigeria was the coordinator of the company's initial public officer on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In Ireland, she searched for jobs in her area of legal expertise which is corporate governance.

Ms Akinyemi said she never got a job in that sector.

"I had to abandon the legal job market; it was a heartbreaking decision because all I wanted was to be a lawyer.

"I didn't get the recognition for my legal qualifications and work experience and had to do jobs for which I was overqualified."

Ms Akinyemi's first job here was as a FÁS trainee administrator with an NGO called Spirasi which supports newly-arrived asylum seekers and survivors of torture.

Winifred Ikhine Akinyemi at her home in Santry, Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney

She later worked as project worker for Spirasi's mental health project for asylum seekers, a pilot project funded by the European Refugee fund and the HSE.

Her work took her to Co Laois but like many single mothers in Ireland, childcare was a huge issue.

"I got a lot of experience from the job but when the recession hit, the pilot project was not mainstreamed. I became unemployed.

"For the next six months, I lived on my savings and could not bear to claim social welfare payments.

"Growing up in Nigeria where there was no social protection, my middle-class family status socialised me to see this as receiving handouts which is considered shameful and disgraceful.

"The positive thing is that I was able to use this opportunity to go back to education and retrain."

She graduated with a first-class bachelor's degree in development studies from Kimmage Development Studies Centre (now part of Maynooth University) and further obtained a 2.1 master's degree in international development from UCD.

"I worked and trained in many areas and am now integrated into mainstream Irish society as a full time Irish civil servant."

Since joining the Department of Foreign Affairs, she has contributed to Ireland's international development policy, diaspora policy and presently works in the Global Property Management Unit.

The mother-of-one is very active in her local community in South Dublin and in the African community.

"We need more representation of black people in government spaces especially in decision-making positions.

"No two black women are the same, we should never generalise.

"We also need more black people in the interview panels.

"Presently, the Public Appointment Service is working on this and have invited relevant people from diverse backgrounds including myself to join the interview board.

"As more black people are recruitment into the civil service, supports should be put in place as there are many cases of people experiencing unfair treatment in the workplace."

The Department of Integration said the National Action Plan Against Racism (NAPAR) was approved for publication by the Government in March 2023.

"The plan includes an action to introduce measures to combat racism in employment.

"The specific measures underpinning this action have yet to be developed; however, work to implement the NAPAR is ongoing and employment outcomes for minority ethnic groups are considered a priority issue," it said.

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Human rights professor 'ashamed to be Irish' because of way asylum seekers are treated

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UCD academic says international protection applicants are being discriminated against because of the 'colour of their skin'

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The EU supports Member States in their efforts to provide the best education and training for their citizens. It also promotes multilingualism in Europe, helping with the teaching and learning of languages, encouraging mobility of students, trainees, teachers and young people, and facilitating exchanges of information and experience.

The EU sets out the framework for EU countries to exchange best practices and learn from each other, with an aim to:

make lifelong learning and mobility a reality

improve the quality and efficiency of education and training

promote equity, social cohesion and active citizenship

enhance creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship

To reach the objectives set out in the education and training framework, the EU implements policies in sectors such as:

In the field of youth, the EU sets out a framework for cooperation among Member States through the EU Youth Strategy.

Through the Erasmus+ programme, the EU also provides funding, tools and resources for individuals, organisations and policy reform, in areas such as:

study, training and development for students, trainees and education professionals abroad

opportunities abroad for young people and youth workers

opportunities for organisations to develop partnerships for innovation in education, training and youth

knowledge exchange and policy reform to support growth, jobs, equity and social inclusion within Europe

More on the Erasmus+ programme

The European Solidarity Corps creates opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people around Europe.

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Education and training - EU support | European Union

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Find out how the EU is supporting education, training, language learning and volunteering schemes in your country. See Erasmus + programme, and news and events.

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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.

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Models for Voice Inclusive Practice - Wellbeing and Rights at School

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Lundy Model of ParticipationThe Lundy Model of Participation provides a clear, practical and sequential process for fostering child participation through…

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The articles of the UNCRC are wide-ranging and cover a number of areas including health, housing, social security, education, leisure and play, child protection and welfare, criminal justice, international protection as well as access to information and participation in decision-making. Ireland is required to submit regular state reports on measures it has taken to progress the implementation of rights under the Convention. Subsequently the State delegation has to appear before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child for an oral examination.

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United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

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The articles of the UNCRC are wide-ranging and cover a number of areas including health, housing, social security, education, leisure and play, child protection and welfare, criminal justice, international protection as well as access to information and participation in decision-making.

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Number 51 of 1998

EDUCATION ACT, 1998

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

Number 51 of 1998

EDUCATION ACT, 1998

AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMON GOOD FOR THE EDUCATION OF EVERY PERSON IN THE STATE, INCLUDING ANY PERSON WITH A DISABILITY OR WHO HAS OTHER SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS, AND TO PROVIDE GENERALLY FOR PRIMARY, POST-PRIMARY, ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING; TO ENSURE THAT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IS ACCOUNTABLE TO STUDENTS, THEIR PARENTS AND THE STATE FOR THE EDUCATION PROVIDED, RESPECTS THE DIVERSITY OF VALUES, BELIEFS, LANGUAGES AND TRADITIONS IN IRISH SOCIETY AND IS CONDUCTED IN A SPIRIT OF PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOLS, PATRONS, STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS AND OTHER SCHOOL STAFF, THE COMMUNITY SERVED BY THE SCHOOL AND THE STATE; TO PROVIDE FOR THE RECOGNITION AND FUNDING OF SCHOOLS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT THROUGH BOARDS OF MANAGEMENT; TO PROVIDE FOR AN INSPECTORATE OF SCHOOLS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS; TO ESTABLISH THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT AND TO MAKE PROVISION FOR IT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS. [23 rd December, 1998]

BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

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irish statute book; irish legislation; acts; statutory instruments; constitution

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Number 51 of 1998 EDUCATION ACT, 1998 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Number 51 of 1998 EDUCATION ACT, 1998 AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMON GOOD FOR THE EDUCATION OF EVERY PERSON IN THE STATE, INCLUDING ANY PERSON WITH A DISABILITY OR WHO HAS OTHER SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL

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The future of how we teach the Irish language in schools is under scrutiny.

Almost 60,000 schoolchildren received an exemption from the subject between 2022 and 2023, according to the Department of Education.

Irish remains a core exam subject in schools, but students can apply to opt out in certain circumstances such as if they have learning difficulties, special needs or have lived abroad for long periods.

As part of The Conversation from RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon, we asked two people to join our WhatsApp group to discuss if compulsory Irish should be scrapped in schools. Brenda Power, journalist and broadcaster believes it should be, while Patricia Nic Eoin, solicitor and Irish language translator, says it would undermine the languages' survival.

Brenda Power

I think that compulsory Irish, certainly as an exam subject at second level, is a failed experiment. Over more than half a century it has consistently failed to produce a single generation of fluent speakers of the language, and has reduced our beautiful, expressive, nuanced national tongue to a series of formulae to be learned off and regurgitated by rote.

Patricia Nic Eoin

Hi Brenda, I think 'a failed experiment' is a bit harsh! Expecting that what has been done to date could produce a single generation of fluent speakers is unrealistic. If we want to produce a generation of fluent speakers, we need to increase the supports for the language (both within and outside the school system); revamp how it is taught (increased resourcing at pre-school level) rather than remove it as a compulsory subject.

Brenda Power

I would ask then what is the objective of compulsory Irish, if not to make it a living language and not just another subject to be swotted for points or dodged, by affluent parents who can obtain expert reports excusing their children from Irish - apparently many of those who get exemptions from Irish somehow manage to master other, more useful, European languages. You'd never meet a French person who couldn't speak French and yet very few of us can speak Irish, and only then they're either native speakers or people who have pursued it outside of our educational system.

Clearly, the way we are teaching it at present is failing the language - if a language cannot be spoken then it is doomed.

Patricia Nic Eoin

One of the main objectives of compulsory Irish is to ensure that EVERY child growing up in Ireland receives at the very least a baseline competence in the native language of Ireland. Access to this integral part of Irish culture and heritage is a right and the school system is at present, unfortunately, the only place for many people to learn it. I know, as someone who teaches adults, that having at least the minimum foundation from the school system is a huge advantage to an adult learner.

The difference between teaching someone who has not learned any Irish and someone with at the very least a basic grasp of the language is enormous. The majority of adults wish they had learned more Irish in school, not less. I absolutely agree that the way in which it is taught needs to be reformed.

Patricia Nic Eoin

I agree with most of what you say above; and certainly, in primary school emphasis should be on speaking; teaching other subjects through Irish etc. The current programmes (e.g. Bua na Cainte) are indeed more in line with this approach. It's true that we didn't learn English from books - but it's a simplistic comparison, and hard to replicate in practice.

English (or whatever the language of a home is) is taught 24/7 by the guardian to the child, usually on a one-one basis; with input from those adults/children around who are also fluent; where the child has nothing to do but learn the language, and indeed must do so if they wish to survive or interact with the world. It is hard to recreate those conditions in a classroom.

Removing the compulsory element is a kneejerk reaction in my opinion, and entirely separate to the question of teaching methodology. Languages have not been compulsory in the UK beyond the age of 14 since 2004 and this has led to a dramatic fall in those continuing to learn languages.

The removal of compulsory Irish would also damage the perceived value of the language in the Irish psyche and will undermine its survival further. Reform and improvement of the teaching of Irish is required, but not the removal of the compulsory element.

Brenda Power

I'll just come back to my original point - if you spent an hour a day, for 13 years, teaching any trade or skill and, at the end of it, your pupil still hadn't acquired the most basic competence, then by any metric your methods had failed and you'd have to consider a completely different approach. And yet we persist in teaching Irish in the very same way, certainly as far as I could see with my children and expecting different results. And that's Einstein's definition of insanity!

Brenda Power

In conclusion, I would say that hardly any pupils achieve a high level of spoken competence in the classroom alone, and anyone who can speak Irish has learned it themselves outside of school. That is surely proof that the current method has failed. I'm not saying take it out of the schools, on the contrary I say make it an integral part of everyday tuition from Junior Infants onwards, but don't force anyone to study it for Junior or Leaving Cert because, if it was taught and examined properly from an early age, you wouldn't have to - I suspect most French kids here take French as a Leaving Cert subject, and probably do very well!

If children could speak and understand Irish when they entered second level, then they'd be more likely to take it as a subject. But after decades of forcing, it on them, and consequently turning out generations who couldn't exchange two sentences with a native speaker, we need to admit that something has to change.

Brenda Power

Thanks Patricia, really enjoyed the exchange. I think we agree on more than we realised!

Patricia Nic Eoin

Thanks Brenda, nice chatting to you!

Watch Upfront with Katie Hannon on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player at 10.35 this evening where our panel and live studio audience will be discussing this subject.

Patricia Nic Eoin is the founder of online Irish language school All About Irish.

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Should Irish still be a compulsory subject in schools?

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The future of how we teach the Irish language in schools is under scrutiny. While some people believe compulsory Irish should be scrapped in schools, others believe it would undermine the languages' survival.

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The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

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The Equal Status Acts 2000-2015 ('the Acts') prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education. They cover the nine grounds of gender, marital status, family status, age disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, and membership of the Traveller community. In addition, the Acts prohibit discrimination in the provision of accommodation services against people who are in receipt of rent supplement, housing assistance, or social welfare payments.

Discrimination

The Acts prohibit discrimination subject to some exemptions, in access to and use of goods and service, including indirect discrimination and discrimination by association, sexual harassment and harassment, and victimisation. The Acts allow positive action to promote equality for disadvantaged persons or to cater for the special needs of persons.

Discriminatory advertising is also prohibited. It is prohibited to publish, display or cause to be published or displayed, an advertisement which indicates an intention to discriminate, harass or sexually harass or might reasonably be understood as indicating such an intention.

Reasonable Accommodation

In addition the Acts require those selling goods or providing services to provide reasonable accommodation or special treatment or facilities where without these it would be impossible or unduly difficult for a person with disabilities to avail of the goods and services, unless this would cost more than a nominal cost. What amounts to a nominal cost will depend on the circumstances such as the size and resources of the body involved.

Services provided by the State (such as the Health Service Executive, local authorities, and so on) are covered but there are some exemptions.

The main exemption is that anything required to be done by another Irish law or EU law cannot be regarded as discrimination under the Equal Status Acts.

For example, it is not discrimination to refuse a social welfare payment to a person if that person is excluded from entitlement to the payment or benefit under social welfare law. There are also specific exemptions on the nationality ground in relation to the treatment by public authorities of certain foreign nationals.

Do you think that you have been discriminated against?
Please note that these factsheets are for information only. They do not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such.

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Equal Status Acts - The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Equal Status Acts 2000-2015 ('the Acts') prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education. They cover the nine grounds of gender, marital status, family status, age disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, and membership of the Traveller community. In addition, the Acts prohibit discrimination in the provision of accommodation services against ...

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Child stops attending school out of fear

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Child stops attending school out of fear

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When Kerry Grantham, a parent from Bray, Co Wicklow, looks up the phrase "school refusal" in the dictionary, she doesn't recognise the definition.

"It is described as 'an act of refusing to do something'. My son is not refusing to go to school. My son cannot go to school," she says.

"If you had told me three years ago that my happy-go-lucky son would be gripped with terror in the school environment, a terror which has essentially stopped his life for the past two years, I would never have believed you."

Education experts use different terms for young people in distress who feel they cannot go to school - school refusal, school phobia or school reluctance - but all agree it is becoming a bigger i ssue.

School principals say they are dealing with increasing numbers of cases of anxiety and school attendance issues since Covid. Often a child may be anxious, have an undiagnosed condition, be a victim of bullying or have issues with teachers. Either way, it is causing huge dilemmas for parents who often lack support or face battles to secure alternative services.

In the case of Grantham's son, a panic attack in the second term of first year at secondary school was the first warning that something was wrong in January 2022.

"He has never truly got back into school without extreme fear," she says. "Did the pandemic contribute? Of that I have no doubt. His final two years of primary school were hugely restricted, and he spent a huge amount of time in his room, like countless other children in Ireland."

[ 'The level of anxiety we're facing in schools is unprecedented' ]

The last year of primary school is hugely formative: the disco dance, the trip away, the goodbye assembly, the graduation service. It all helps a child prepare for the transition to secondary school.

While his primary school did their best, Grantham says it was at the height of the Covid pandemic and pupils lost out on familiar milestones at a time when everyone had to keep their distance.

"All students had to wear masks and were actively encouraged not to socialise outside their pods," she says. "Secondary school transition can be extremely hard for children in normal circumstances, so when I look back, I can see why my son developed such an entrenched fear of school and a phobia of group dynamics."

The panic attacks he experiences, she says, are a "visceral body reaction", where he appears to fear for his life and can last for hours. Sometimes, she says, he does not remember what happened.

'We met a mother and son going through a similar journey and they have become part of our lives. To have someone who understands the pain of this journey is priceless'

"And yet as parents, we were left with no option but to try and 'force' him into school. Why? Because he was 13 and there appeared to be no other option for him."

Grantham says it was the start of a journey of "terror, pain, failure and, most of all, isolation".

They moved him to a smaller school; the family also worked with child and adolescent mental health services. He completed a course of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy, physical examinations, blood work, MRIs and medication.

"I could write a book on that part; we threw everything at it to try and overcome his fear, including parenting courses and counselling. I took leave from my job for months because he could not be left on his own," she says.

[ Breda O'Brien: Why are today's children so full of anxiety? ]

Every day without fail, she says, he would get dressed and pack his bag.

"Some days we would only get as far as the car park and some days he would manage time in the building but never without terror," she says. "The school were understanding, trying any strategies recommended, including a temporary reduced timetable, a room to decompress and a way to exit class discreetly, but the fear was deeply entrenched, and he could not overcome it."

It was only through talking to a family friend they heard about a local "alternative learning programme", run by Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board. The group was small with two facilitators, running for two hours a day, three days a week.

"He was very anxious, however, he quickly overcame it and settled in. He flourished and enjoyed doing project work. We really felt like we got our son back. He enjoyed having a purpose back to his day and had no fear in attending the centre," she says.

The service, however, is only offered in four-week blocks. While it was a glimmer of light in dark days, it was not a substitute.

"As his confidence returned, we decided to start his reintegration back to secondary school, and although he started a return with lots of confidence, he very quickly reverted back to severe panic. We were at a complete loss as to what to do and where to turn," Grantham says.

"We felt like failures. There were so many emotions: guilt, frustration, sadness and anger. It broke us to a point where I feared we would never return."

[ How do I spot if my child has . . . an anxiety disorder? ]

All children have a legal right to an education. However, Grantham says if you are one of the unlucky ones unable to get into school, your options are extremely limited.

"Twenty months into the journey we knew we had to stop," she says. "I feared what would happen to him if we continued. With that decision came an immense sense of shame. We had come to terms with the fact that our son was going to have to take a different journey."

Her son has recently been accessing a few hours of home tuition and was allowed back on the alternative learning programme, both of which she says they had to fight for. Recently, he was approved for a place on iScoil, an online learning platform that provides young people with a pathway to accreditation and progression.

"None of that has come easy," she says. "I researched for hours every day, joined internet forums and tried to root out other families going through the same. We met a mother and son going through a similar journey and they have become part of our lives. To have someone who understands the pain of this journey is priceless.

[ 'There is definitely more anxiety in teenage girls': Meeting the mental health challenge in school ]

"We have faced a huge amount of judgment: 'If that was my child I would make them go to school'. In the beginning that tore me up inside, but now I can truly say, walk a mile in my shoes before you judge."

Grantham is still worried about the future - not just her son's education but the developmental impact. When she had to go back to work, he would sit in his room alone. She remembers once saying to a friend it felt like the world had forgotten about him.

"We don't know why this happened, he may never be able to express exactly where this terror came from, but we learned that our son's mental health comes first, nothing else matters," she says. "We can only love and support him on his journey and try and open every door possible."

Other options: What happens when a child drops out of school?

Alternative education: The Cork Life Centre and the XLC Project in Waterford are just some alternative education projects for children who have left mainstream. There are also Sudbury or democratic schools in Meath, Wicklow, Sligo and Cork that focus on self-directed learning.

Youthreach: Aimed at unemployed early school-leavers aged 15-20, it is intended to help young people return to learning and prepare for employment and adult life.

Homeschooling: About 2,000 children are estimated to be homeschooled by their parents or others.

Home tuition: In exceptional cases, students can be approved for nine hours of home tuition.

iScoil: An online learning service that offers young people a pathway to learning, accreditation and progression. It has an enrolment of more than 180 students and is the largest out-of-school provider for under-16s in the State.
There is also advice available on school attendance from Tusla (tusla.ie), CYPSC (Children and Young People's Services Committee - cypse.ie), the Middletown Centre for Autism (middletownautism.com) and Parentline (parentline.ie).

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'We felt like failures. It broke us': When your child stops attending school out of fear

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Kerry Grantham's son was happy in school until he became gripped with anxiety at second level. Trying to find alternatives has been a journey of pain, failure and isolation

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At #Merky, we have always used our brand to elevate, support and amplify the issues and the voices of the black community. To continue and expand upon our activism and philanthropic work, #Merky Foundation pledges £10 million over 10 years, to organisations, charities & movements that are committed to fighting for racial equality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK.

#Merky will forever remain devoted to improving and safeguarding the lives of those within the black community and this is just the beginning of our lifetime commitment to financially and wholeheartedly back these causes.

The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit, is that black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life - simply due to the colour of our skin. I'm lucky enough to be in the position I'm in and I've heard people often dismiss the idea of racism existing in Britain by saying "if the country's so racist how have you become a success?!" and I reject that with this: I am not the UK's shining example of what supposedly happens when a black person works hard. There are millions of us. We are not far and few. We have to fight against the odds of a racist system stacked against us and designed for us to fail from before we are even born. Black people have been playing on an uneven field for far too long and this pledge is a continuation in the fight to finally try and even it.

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At #Merky, we have always used our brand to elevate, support and amplify the issues and the voices of the black community. To continue and expand upon our activism and philanthropic work, #Merky Foundation pledges £10 million over 10 years, to organisations, charities & movements that are committed to fighting for racial equality, justice reform and black empowerment within the UK.

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Many of the popular high school cliques at the top of the modern social hierarchy remain the same, but the labels for those at the bottom have shifted

The 'Emo/goth' kids have replaced punk rockers, while anime/manga fans picked up where the dungeons and dragons and audio/visual geeks left off

In the middle, researchers found the 'fine arts' kids, who have risen in popularity compared with past studies - thanks in part to pop culture like TV's 'Glee'

High school remains a cruel place for many teenagers - but some things do change, including the divisions and differences that teens use to define themselves and their peers.

While many of the popular high school cliques at the top of the modern social hierarchy remain the same, those at the bottom have shifted considerably compared to prior generations, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin.

The top of the social pyramid still includes groups labeled as the 'populars,' 'jocks,' 'floaters' and 'good-ats,' according to the study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Research.

In the middle, researchers found the 'fine arts' kids, who have risen in popularity compared with past studies, as well as the 'brains,' 'normals' and 'druggies/stoners.'

At the bottom of the social hierarchy are 'emo/goths,' 'anime/manga' fans and 'loners.'

While loners have always been around, the emo/goth and particularly 'anime/manga' crowds are newer additions to the crowd.

'We see those as evolutions of prior groups,' lead researcher Rachel Gordon told DailyMail.com. 'The anime/manga (group) is similar to our past geeks, really geeking out on something they love.'

She attributes those and other shifts to overall changes in demographics, cultural influences and the increasing number of students heading to college.

Researchers also found that the high social status cliques persevered over the generations, while groups with low social status tended to adapt to modern times - hence the steadfast 'populars' and 'jocks' versus the newer 'anime/manga' crowd.

In addition, students tended to attribute positive characteristics (like getting good grades and participating in extracurricular activities) to the populars and jocks, despite viewing those groups negatively for their tendencies to party and bully others.

Technology has also played a role. For example, popular students were viewed as those who have the most Instagram followers, while the counterculture groups of 'emo/goths' and 'anime/mangas' tended to use the internet to more deeply immerse themselves in modern oppositional music and art.

The 'good-ats' crowd was also an evolution of what was known as the college-bound crowd in the 1950s and 1960s - the group of students who tend to excel across multiple subjects and areas of interest.

The 'fine arts' crowd has been elevated to the middle of the social hierarchy, relative to previous studies. Gordon attributes this at least in part to the rise of participation in music and art in pop culture through television shows like 'Glee' and movies like 'Pitch Perfect.'

Researchers also found that racial and ethnic stereotypes tended to prevail - particularly among white students.

'White participants tended to use racially coded language when describing other ethnic peer crowds,' Gordon said, 'and this was particularly salient when compared to how black or Latino students described their experiences.'

People of color were more likely to perceive racial or ethnic crowds as more fluid - and encompassing many different types of students who overlap with other cliques, she said.

'They talked about the variety of groups within their racial ethnic group and really see their racial ethnic group as a home base that they could move in and out of,' Gordon said.

Another major observation: the rise of academic anxiety, with researchers noting that stress over meeting parental expectations was 'particularly novel' - especially among the students known as 'brains.'

All of these findings matter, Gordon says, because early social groups can help predict lifelong outcomes for students - and inform adults on how to engage youth in early intervention on things like drug use and smoking.

'Adolescent peer crowds play an important role in determining short-term and long-term life trajectories on social, educational and psychological fronts,' Gordon said. 'Understanding how adolescents navigate their environments and perceive themselves and others can help us advance research in many areas.'

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The new Breakfast Club: The cliques remain but the names have changed

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Many of the popular high school cliques at the top of the modern social hierarchy remain the same, but the labels for those at the bottom have shifted, according to a new study.

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hÉireann

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The Constitution of Ireland has a number of articles that are relevant to the law on education.

Article 42 of the Constitution deals with education. Other articles also have a bearing on education law, in particular the articles dealing with the family and religion (Articles 41 and 44). You can read the full text of the Irish Constitution.

Education

This is the text of Article 42 of the Constitution of Ireland:

"1: The State acknowledges that the primary and natural educator of the child is the Family and guarantees to respect the inalienable right and duty of parents to provide, according to their means, for the religious and moral, intellectual, physical and social education of their children.

2: Parents shall be free to provide this education in their homes or in private schools or in schools recognised or established by the State.

3.1°:The State shall not oblige parents in violation of their conscience and lawful preference to send their children to schools established by the State, or to any particular type of school designated by the State.

3.2°:The State shall, however, as guardian of the common good, require in view of actual conditions that the children receive a certain minimum education, moral, intellectual and social.

4:The State shall provide for free primary education and shall endeavour to supplement and give reasonable aid to private and corporate educational initiative, and, when the public good requires it, provide other educational facilities or institutions with due regard, however, for the rights of parents, especially in the matter of religious and moral formation."

The Family

This is the relevant part of Article 41 of the Irish Constitution:

"1.1°: The State recognises the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.

1.2°: The State, therefore, guarantees to protect the Family in its constitution and authority, as the necessary basis of social order and as indispensable to the welfare of the Nation and the State."

Religion

This is the relevant part of Article 44 of the Irish Constitution:

2.2°: The State guarantees not to endow any religion.

2.3°: The State shall not impose any disabilities or make any discrimination on the ground of religious profession, belief or status.

2.4°: Legislation providing State aid for schools shall not discriminate between schools under the management of different religious denominations, nor be such as to affect prejudicially the right of any child to attend a school receiving public money without attending religious instruction at that school.

2.5°: Every religious denomination shall have the right to manage its own affairs, own, acquire and administer property, movable and immovable, and maintain institutions for religious or charitable purposes.

2.6°: The property of any religious denomination or any educational institution shall not be diverted save for necessary works of public utility and on payment of compensation.

Education and the family - Article 41 and Article 42

These articles have been the subject of a number of court decisions. In simple terms, the essential points about these articles are:

The family is the main source of education for the child. Parents are entitled to provide education outside the school system if they wish.

The state may not force parents to send their children to any school or any particular kind of school. Parents may decide the school to which they wish to send their children but there is no constitutional obligation on a particular school to accept individual children.

The state may require that the children receive a certain minimum education. This certain minimum has not yet been defined in legislation or in official policy. Many of the court cases have been about the precise meaning of that phrase.

The state is obliged to provide for free primary education. It is not obliged to provide that education directly. In practice, there are some state schools but the majority of primary schools are privately owned and largely state funded. See ownership of primary schools

The state is not obliged to directly provide schools but it is not prevented from doing so either.

Minimum education

The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 does not give a definition of a "minimum education". However, it does provide that the Minister may set out a "prescribed minimum education". That minimum standard may be different for children of different ages and of different capacities - including physical, mental and emotional capacities.

The Act also provides that children educated outside the mainstream school system should be identified and assessed to ensure that the education they are getting meets the minimum standards. The register is maintained by Tusla - the Child and Family Agency.

Free primary education

In the Sinnott case, the Supreme Court decided that the right to free primary education ends at age 18 and does not continue on the basis of need.

Religion - Article 44

This article means that there may not be discrimination between the different denominations and that children have the right to attend state aided schools without attending religious instruction. In practice, certain time periods may be set aside for religious instruction and the parents have a right to withdraw the child at these times. However, the nature of the curriculum is such that there is not generally a rigid divide between subjects and the school ethos tends to pervade all subjects.

It has been argued that Article 44 means that a child may not be refused access to a publicly funded school on the basis of the child's religious beliefs.

Educational establishments in Ireland are subject to the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018. Educational establishments refers to preschools, primary, post-primary, an institution providing adult, continuing or further education, a university, third level or higher level institution whether or not they are publicly funded. You can find an information booklet about Schools and the Equal Status Acts (pdf) on the Department of Education website.

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The Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hÉireann) contains specific articles on education, religion, and the family, which affect how education is organised.

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In Ireland, students usually attend their local school but you can apply for your child to attend any school in the country.

You can send your child to the school of your choice, provided there is a place available for them.

Where there is a shortage of places, the school must give priority based on their admissions policy and Annual Admission Notice. These must be approved by the school's board of management. They should be published on the school's website and available in writing to you when you ask for them.

The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 aims to make the rules around admissions to schools more structured, fair and transparent.

Fees and contributions

Schools cannot charge fees or ask for contributions as a condition for admission or continued admission, with the exception of fee-charging secondary schools, boarding schools and admission to post leaving certificate or further education courses run by post-primary schools.

Religion

Primary schools cannot use religion as a basis for admission and cannot prioritise students based on their religious beliefs. However, there are some exceptions to this:

A school that provides religious instruction or education in a minority religion can prioritise a student of that religion who is looking for admission to a school that provides religious instruction or education consistent with, or similar to, their religious beliefs

A school that aims to promote certain religious values can refuse to admit a student who is not of that religious denomination if it can prove that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school

Admittance based on the date of application

Schools cannot use the time and date on which they get an application as a basis for admission. This means that applications cannot be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

Schools must admit pupils based on their admissions policy and admission notice.

Admission notice

A school's board of management must publish an annual admission notice before accepting any applications for a given year. The notice must be published on the school's website and be available to you on written request.

The admission notice must tell you

How to get a copy of the school's admission policy

How to get an application form for admission

The date when the school will start to accept applications for the year

The deadline for receiving applications

The date the school will inform you of their decision

The date by which you must accept a place

If a school is not over-subscribed, the school should continue to accept all applicants even after that deadline has passed.

The admission policy must state that the school will accommodate the admission of children with a disability or other special educational needs. It must co-operate with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in providing special needs education.

Waiting lists

Schools must phase out existing waiting lists by 31 January 2025. In the future, a school can keep a list of students who were unsuccessful because the school was over-subscribed. The school must use this list to fill any vacancies that arise during the school year.

Reasons a school cannot use for selection

A school cannot take the following reasons into account when selecting students:

A student's attendance at a pre-school (although they may consider attendance at an early-intervention class or early-start pre-school)

A student's academic ability, skills or aptitude (although these may be considered in applications for post-leaving certificate courses or further education courses or certain circumstances in special education (see below)

The occupation, financial status, academic ability, skills or aptitudes of a student's parents

Attendance by the student or their parents at an interview or open day (although an interview may be taken into account for admission to the residential element of a boarding school)

The date and time the application was received by the school as long as it is submitted during the period set in the admission notice)

Withdrawal of applications

A school may withdraw its offer of acceptance if:

You have given wrong or misleading information in the application

You fail to confirm acceptance of the offer by the date set by the school in its annual admission notice

You fail to confirm in writing that you accept the school's behaviour policy and that you will make all reasonable efforts to ensure compliance with the policy when required to do so by the school

You do not tell the school about any offers from other schools

In general, schools must accept all students who apply to them unless they get more applications than there are places (in other words, if the school is over-subscribed).

All schools must have an admissions policy. This outlines the rules that are applied if the school is over-subscribed. These selection rules help the school decide which students to accept and in what order.

Schools cannot discriminate on any of the following grounds:

Gender

Civil status

Family status

Sexual orientation

Religion

Disability

Race

Membership of the Traveller community

Special educational needs

There are some exceptions to these rules:
Gender
If a school admits only students of one gender (such as an all-girls or all-boys school), it does not have to accept a student of a different gender.
Religious ethos
Many schools in Ireland promote certain religious values. These schools are not allowed to discriminate by admitting students of a particular religion in preference to others, except in the following circumstances:

If a school aims to promote certain religious values, it can refuse to admit a student who is not of that religious denomination if it can prove that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.

If a school provides religious instruction or education in a minority religion, it can prioritise a student of that religion who wants to attend a school that provides religious instruction or education consistent with, or similar to, their religious beliefs

Students have the right to attend a religious school without getting any religious instruction.

Irish language schools can give priority to students who have a reasonable, age-appropriate level of oral fluency in the Irish language and the school is satisfied that student's fluency would regress if they were not admitted to the Irish language school.

An Irish language post-primary school may give priority to students who have attended an Irish language primary school.

Schools cannot discriminate based on a child having a disability or a special educational need. In theory, this means that you should be able to apply to any school and that school should be able to accommodate your child. However, in practice, some schools do not have the facilities to accept students with severe special needs.

If you prefer your child to attend a special school or a special class in a school that caters for specific types of disabilities the selection criteria above apply.

If the school you are applying to is a 'special school', it can refuse to admit your child if they do not have the specified category of special need concerned. The school must state this in its admission notice.

If you are applying for your child to enter a 'special class' in a school that was established to provide exclusively for students with certain categories of special needs, the school can refuse to admit your child to that class if they do not have the specified category of special need concerned. The school must state this in its admission notice.
What if I can't find an appropriate school for my child with special needs?
Some schools do not have the facilities to accept students with severe special needs. If there is no school in your area with facilities for your child, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) or Tusla - the Child and Family Agency can help you. They can designate a school in your area for your child and that school must make additional provisions for your child to attend.

The Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Educational Needs) Act 2022 makes additional provision for children with special educational needs. The Department of Education has published information for schools about p roviding for children with special education needs.

You can apply to more than one school but you cannot accept more than one place.

If you accept an offer from one school and you have applied to one or more other schools, you must tell the school that you are accepting the offer from about any offers you have or are expecting from the other schools you have applied to.

You should check the schools admission policy for the rules around how you should notify the school.

Under the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, school boards of management can share information with each other about applications received, offers made and offers accepted.

If your child is not accepted into a school you have applied to, the school should write to you and give you the reason or reasons for the refusal. It should also give you information about your child's place on the waiting list and explain your child's ranking against the school's selection criteria.

The school may recommend another suitable school for you to apply to if they cannot accept your child.

If you have difficulty finding a place for your child in a local school, contact the Educational Welfare Service of Tusla - the Child and Family Agency on 01-7718500.

You can appeal a school's decision not to enrol your child.

If a school refuses to enrol your child because it is oversubscribed, you must first request the school's board of management to review this decision. You must make your request for a review using the Board of Management Request Form (BOMR1). The board of management must notify you of the outcome of your request for a review within 42 days from the date of the decision to refuse admission to the school.

You can make a Section 29 appeal to the Department of Education, when you have received the outcome of the review by the board or 42 days after the decision to refuse admission is made - whichever of these is earliest. However, you must make your Section 29 appeal to the Department of Education no later than 63 days after the school's original decision to refuse admission. You make your appeal using a Section 29 appeal application form. The Department has Frequently Asked Questions about Section 29 appeals when a school is oversubscribed.

If a school refuses to admit your child for a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, you can make your appeal to the Department of Education using a Section 29 appeal application form.

Before making a Section 29 appeal, you can request a review of the board of management's decision not to admit your child. To get a review, you use the Review by the Board of Management Request Form (BOMR1). If you request a review, the board of management must notify you of the outcome within 42 days from the date of the decision to refuse admission to the school.

If you don't want a review, you can immediately apply for an independent Section 29 appeal.

Your Section 29 appeal must be made no later than 63 days following the original decision by the school to refuse admission.

The Department has Frequently Asked Questions about Section 29 appeals for reasons other than a school being oversubscribed.

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Admissions policies in primary and secondary schools

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Explains the rules about admissions policies in schools in Ireland and changes under the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018.

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Presentation College Carlow has a wide range of policies to cover all aspects of student and school activities. These policies are subject to change without prior notice so please visit this page regularly for updates.

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Presentation College is a co-educational voluntary Catholic secondary school which caters for pupils of all religions and backgrounds.

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Snapshot: This case explores the dilemmas that emerge when students in Portland, Oregon walk out of school to protest the election of Donald Trump.

Case Description: High school and middle school students across the United States are engaging in increasingly frequent acts of civil disobedience and protest. They have walked out in support of teacher strikes, opted out of standardized tests, kneeled during athletic events, and marched in solidarity with national movements like Black Lives Matter.

Reactions from district officials to student demonstrations are as varied as the causes students have taken up--and for good reason, as these decisions require school leaders to carefully consider values like political freedom, safety and emotional well-being of the students have been explicitly or implicitly balanced.

This case, " Student Walkouts as Civil Disobedience: How Should Districts Respond?" explores the issues that arise when students are civically active through and in conflict with schools. It delves into a careful study of student walkouts in Portland, Oregon. Students from Portland Public Schools have actively engaged in walkouts as form of protest since 2008, tackling a range of issues. In November 2016, for example, over 400 students walked out of school to protest the election of Donald Trump. Groups may want to use the case study discussion protocol to guide their conversation about this case.

Additional Resources:

We have developed this map and timeline to help understand the walkouts in Portland spatially and chronologically.

A useful guide to historical and contemporary examples of youth civic activism in schools can be found in this article from the Atlantic.

See one of the case authors discuss the case below!

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Student Walkouts: Responding to Civil Disobedience

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Snapshot: This case explores the dilemmas that emerge when students in Portland, Oregon walk out of school to protest the election of Donald Trump.

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Census of Population 2022 Profile 8 - The Irish Language and Education

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Home / Statistics /Census of Population 2022 Profile 8 - The Irish Language and Education

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Trade Unions In Ireland there are three teaching unions, The INTO (Irish National Teachers Organisation) which is the primary school trade union, the ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland) and the TUI (Teachers Union of Ireland) The Unions would play quite a major

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Minister for Education Norma Foley has shelved plans to introduce teacher-based assessment as part of a revised senior cycle programme, highlighting the advent of Artificial Intelligence technology for the change of plan.

Revised curriculums in seven Leaving Certificate subjects due to be introduced in schools in two years' time will not now contain any element of teacher-based assessment.

This is despite the fact that this was a key objective when plans for senior cycle reform were announced more than a year ago.

As recently as February of this year, Ms Foley said key commitments of senior cycle redevelopment included the introduction of teacher-based assessment components worth 40% of overall marks in each subject.

However, while revised curriculums in seven subjects, including Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Business, will include non-exam assessment elements, such as essays or project work, these components will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission and not teachers.

This is the second reversal to Ms Foley's senior cycle plans, after a decision to examine students in aspects of English and Irish at the end of fifth year was reversed earlier this year.

In a statement, the minister implied that the advent of Artificial Intelligence had caused a rethink.

"I am particularly conscious of the more recent accelerated evolution and growth in generative AI and I understand there is a need to explore the opportunities afforded by these developments in an educational context, as well as the challenges they might present," she said.

Norma Foley cited the advent of AI as a reason for a rethink (file image)

"With that in mind I have asked the SEC that further research would be commissioned on the potential role and impact of generative artificial intelligence in teacher-based assessment in particular.

"While this work is ongoing, I have decided to progress additional and practical components which will be externally assessed by the SEC."

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Foley said today's announcement is an acceleration of the senior cycle reform and that 120,000 students, due to begin the leaving cert cycle in 2025, will benefit.

She added that the reforms mean nine subjects, including the three sciences, will now have an additional component that means students do not sit 100% of the exam on the day.

Ms Foley denied that the change was due to union opposition. But teacher unions that had vehemently opposed teacher-based assessment have welcomed the about turn. The ASTI said the decision was "sensible and inevitable".

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At their annual conferences at Easter, both the Teachers' Union of Ireland and the ASTI agreed resolutions opposing teacher-based assessment and calling for the retention of external SEC assessment.

There is also widespread concern that students could turn to AI programmes such as ChatGPT to generate essays, which they then submit for assessment.

New specifications in seven subjects were due to be piloted in a small number of schools next year before being adopted across all schools three years later.

However, the pilot phase is now being skipped and the new specifications will be introduced across the board two years earlier than originally planned in 2025.
Two new subjects to be phased in from 2025
Two brand new subjects, Climate Action and Sustainable Development, and Drama, Film and Theatre studies will also be phased in from 2025, starting in a small number of schools.

A second tranche of revised subjects will be rolled out in 2026, with further tranches to be introduced annually after that, according to the minister.

The changes will be brought in in 2025 for fifth year students.

The Department of Education said there had been substantial engagement with education stakeholders, including representatives of students, teachers, parents, school leadership, management bodies, and subject experts.

"Progress has been made through the establishment of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme Delivery Board and Senior Cycle Redevelopment Partners' Forum, and the completion of research commissioned by the NCCA and the State Examinations Commission (SEC) in relation to the weighting, composition, and moderation of teacher-based assessment components," it said.

"Recognising this progress and positive engagement whilst acknowledging the emerging challenges and learnings from other areas, the minister now wishes to take a number of steps" which would deliver revised subject curricula earlier than previously planned, it said.

However, those steps do not include the ambitious and somewhat contentious plan to have teachers assess their own students for part of their final Leaving Certificate grade.
'Sensible but inevitable decision'
The General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland has said that it would be "overstating the power" of the union to say that it blocked moves towards teacher-based assessment.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Kieran Christie said "nobody pushes this minister around."

He said the move to shelve the idea is "a sensible but inevitable decision" due to generative AI and ChatGPT.

Mr Christie said third-level and institutions worldwide are "scrambling to try and figure out how" to deal with AI in education.

He said "it would have been irresponsible, quite frankly, that's why we believe it was inevitable".

"It would have been irresponsible of this minister to proceed on the basis that she was proposing, given the advent of ChatGPT."

Mr Christie said that the union has always said it will play a constructive role in relation to the minister's plans "and that's what we would plan to do".

He said that while "a significant barrier to constructive discussions" has been put aside this morning with this decision, in the long-term ASTI members are "certainly are up for curricular development".

"We've always been in favour of curriculum development. Curriculum development is an important aspect of the education system," he said.

"We are in favour of a variety of components of assessment which enhances learning for our students because that's the job we're in".

TUI General Secretary Michael Gillespie welcomed the decision, saying the union had been "very strong" on the point that teacher-based assessments would have fundamentally changed the relationship between teacher and student.

Mr Gillespie also welcomed the second components of assessment, and said schools will need more resources and training for the introduction of two new subjects.

That means flexability in timetabling, he said.

Mr Gillespie added that things are currently so tight in schools that "we can't even give away permanent jobs".

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Leaving Cert teacher assessments shelved over AI fear

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Minister for Education Norma Foley has shelved plans to introduce teacher-based assessment as part of a revised senior cycle programme, blaming the advent of Artificial Intelligence technology for the change of plan.

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ITM Youth Participation & Leadership Strategy

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ITM Youth Participation & Leadership Strategy

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For the students attending Ireland's first "democratic school", there is no classroom, curriculum or timetable. In fact, there are no teachers either.

Wicklow Sudbury School, with an enrolment of 20 students ranging in age from seven to 18 is a school with a difference.

Students and staff have an equal say in how it is run. They are free to explore their own learning pursuits and interests - be it art, woodwork, film-making or computers - in their own time, style and at their own pace.

Instead of teachers, there are five "facilitators" with a range of experience who offer support for areas of learning and the smooth running of the school.

Bernard Moran, one of the facilitators, says he sees many students who struggled in a regular school blossom when given a chance to pursue their passions.

"Mainstream schools are great for about a third of students; and they're okay for another third, but for another third it can be a disaster," he says. "We're providing some diversity to what's on offer for students. We have self-directed learning. Students have autonomy and motivate themselves but there's structure there too, so they're not on their own."

Word is spreading fast. When teachers, parents and students get a chance to see the school in action they become excited, he says.

Wicklow Sudbury School has 50 students on its waiting list. The school would happily accommodate all of them but has no room. That's because three years after being established its survival is at stake for want of a suitable home.

It had recently to move from a rambling house and garden in the village of Kilpedderand now operates from a community centre three days a week, along with a yoga studio. Various family homes provide a venue on other days.

Two school buildings in the town that it considers suitable are lying idle: the old premises for Coláiste Ráithín and Ravenswell primary school, both of which relocated recently.

Moran says he understands the owners of the properties would be happy to rent out their premises but cannot do so without Department of Education approval. But a spokesman for the department said the premises are "not in its ownership . . . The facility in question is not a recognised school by the department and the provision of accommodation does not come within the department's remit."

Staff, seniors and juniors at the Wicklow Sudbury School in Bray. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times

Lili Egan at the school in Bray. Photograph Nick Bradshaw/The Irish Times

For Moran, lack of interest in the matter by the department is disappointing. He says reviews of the mainstream curriculum show a huge appetite for change - a louder student voice, more creativity and less focus on high-stakes exams. "Here there is an opportunity to see all that in action. This is a different way of educating . . . but the department doesn't seem concerned. We've just exchanged emails. We'd love a chance to have a proper conversation."

While the school is not recognised formally by the department, it is registered and inspected by child and family agency Tuslawhose primary focus is child welfare.

A regular question Moran fields is whether Wicklow Sudbury School pupils can go on to do the Leaving Cert? He replies that it is an option, that the school uses tutors for subjects such as maths. But students can also get into college via the further education route which, strictly speaking, does not require points or grades.

This kind of education doesn't come cheap, though. The non-profit organisation is not in receipt of State funding so charges tuition fees starting at €2,400 and rising depending on gross household income.

Families unable to afford this are, says Moran, accommodated.

The income is barely enough to pay running costs and facilitators are not earning much above the minimum wage, he adds.

"We're all very passionate about this and end up working lots of hours that aren't accounted for," he says. "All we're looking for now is some assistance with finding a suitable premises . . . Mainstream schools aren't for everyone and we would love to be able to meet the needs of more students."

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No classes, homework or teachers: Learning curve at Wicklow school

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For the students attending Ireland's first "democratic school", there is no classroom, curriculum or timetable. In fact, there are no teachers either. Wicklow Sudbury School, with an enrolment of 20 students ranging in age from seven to 18 is a school with a difference. Students and staff have an equal say in how it is run.

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Caregiving Among Young Adults in Ireland 

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Caregiving Among Young Adults in Ireland 

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Access to Education: We have a silent epidemic on our hands

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Access to Education: We have a silent epidemic on our hands

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It was just like any other gloomy weekday when my father, Christie Hennessy, left school at age 11. But the impacts of his educational poverty would last a lifetime.

Unbeknownst to him, or anyone around him at that time, he was afflicted by dyslexia so severe that without the right learning support he spent the rest of his life unable to read or write. (Ironically, my mother's career was just that - supporting neuro-diverse and special needs students at school).

I saw firsthand what illiteracy really means day to day, and it is hard for most people to even imagine. No bus timetables. No road signs. No cooking instructions. No post. No menus. In sum, no true independence to navigate a world full of words and numbers.

Despite his rise to stardom, Christie never felt like he had an equal voice. He walked around feeling "less than". I managed him as a recording artist to help him find the public voice he was denied. And to save him from the perceived shame of having to share what was effectively a disability due to lack of educational care. As a parent, he secretly feared that me and my sister would not be able to learn anything in school and that we would "take after him" in some way.

Silent epidemic

That is why I am truly alarmed that lack of access to education, especially for girls, has become a silent epidemic in the world's poorest countries.

These aspiring doctors, creatives, scientists and engineers, having been abandoned by the possibility of their learning practice at such young ages, are unlikely to ever be freed from the chains my dad managed to escape. And so, it continues to the next generation.

Today, Irish preschoolers will put on their oversized, glittery backpacks with pride and return to school for the first time in months. Every parent around the country is confronted with the reality of what their child has missed out on and the impacts, though different for every child, are stark to witness.

Turn those months into years, and you have a profound emergency on your hands.

Even before the pandemic, an estimated 130 million girls worldwide were being denied their right to go to school, facing multiple barriers to education, whether distance to school, harmful cultural norms and practices, gender-based violence or early marriage. This crisis has only intensified.

So much so that in the five minutes it might take you to read this article, more than 100 girls under age 18 will be married off. Thirty girls will deliver children of their own, at grave risk to mother and child. In both scenarios these girls may never enter a classroom again.

Transformation

Christie's own greatest drive for equal education came when he went to Kenya and saw for himself the high levels of FGM and lack of schooling, especially for children living in remote areas. He came back surer than ever that education was the key to transformation.

If we prioritise aid to education, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to get back on track and ensure the impacts of Covid on girls' education don't last a lifetime. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is the largest and only global fund dedicated solely to education and is working to do exactly that; transforming education systems so every girl and boy can get the quality education they need to unlock their full potential and contribute to building a better world.

GPE is currently calling on world leaders to "Raise Your Hand" and fund education in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children.

Ireland has an admirable legacy of generosity for countries in need and has joined with GPE to support education for the most marginalised since 2006. They've also used their diplomatic heft to draw attention to the importance of girls' education at the UN and other global forums. During GPE's last financing campaign in 2018, Ireland doubled their previous commitment. If there was ever time to do the same again, it really has to be now.

Power

That is why myself and my brother (producer Tim Ross) teamed up with multi-award-winning legend Gemma Hayes to raise awareness of the power of girls' education. The original track Raise Her Up (co-written with Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter Jamie Lawson) is being released today for International Women's Da y to make the case for foreign investment into girls' education globally.

Tomorrow, Gemma and I will meet with Minister Colm Brophy in the hopes of convincing the Irish Government to continue their leadership and step up their pledge ahead of the UK-Kenya hosted Global Education Summit in July.

If world leaders fail to act now, the impacts will last for decades to come. It is a simple case of pay now or pay later. But the key difference is that by financing education today, millions of Euros, millions of lives and millions of futures will be saved.

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Access to education: 'We have a silent epidemic on our hands'

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Opinion: Millions of children are being denied the right to go to school. If leaders fail to act now, the impact will last for decades

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Poorer Leaving Cert grades for young carers 

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Poorer Leaving Cert grades for young carers 

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New research shows that one quarter of 17-year-olds are engaged in regular caregiving for a family member.

However, they receive poorer Leaving Certificate grades and are less likely to go on to higher education.

If they do enter third level, they are also likely to pick an institution where they can continue to live at home.

The findings, published by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), draw upon data from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) longitudinal study, comparing young caregivers at 17 and 20 years of age.

The care involves parents, grandparents and siblings generally, not just those with an illness or disability.

In most cases, young people report that it does not take much of their time. Those looking after parents or grandparents spend more time on caregiving.

The research shows that, in terms of diversity, there is no marked difference by family background or gender, making it hard to target young carers using traditional measures such as welfare payments.

The ESRI estimates that more than 17,000 17-year-olds and 13,000 20-year-olds are involved in regular caregiving.

One quarter of 17-year-olds are engaged in regular caregiving. This falls to one fifth by the age of 20.

Over half of the young people provide care for multiple recipients.

The research found that more intensive care involvement is related to higher rates of obesity and poorer self-reported health.

Having a mother with depression is linked to poorer wellbeing among young adults, it added, regardless of whether the young people reported providing care to their mother or not.
Educational assistance sought for young carers
The ESRI said it is up to the policymakers to make decisions on how young carers, and their families, can be assisted to ease their responsibilities.

Dr Emer Smyth, of the ESRI, said that educational support are crucial.

She told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that home school liasion officers could assist in targeting carers, adding that schemes such as the school completion programme are vital.

"We think the educational supports are crucial. We think things like school completion programme, the home school community liaison coordinator in schools could really help target young people who are struggling with care duties.

"We also think it'd be possible to take explicit account of carers as a group and looking at higher education access procedures," Dr Smyth said

She added it is important that higher education access processes recognise young carers as a group because third level "provides a gateway to employment opportunities, to higher wages and so on".

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Poorer Leaving Cert grades for young carers - study

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New research shows that one quarter of 17-year-olds are engaged in regular caregiving for a family member.

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Readers like you keep news free for everyone.

More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.

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Opinion: Class and wealth, not merit, are rewarded in Ireland's education system

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Professor Kathleen Lynch argues that a class divide is feeding injustice into our education system.

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Is it fair that public money helps to fund private schools?

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Is it fair that public money helps to fund private schools?

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For decades, disproportionate numbers of students from private secondary schools have advanced to the most sought-after university courses in the country. Many parents believe attendance in such fee-charging schools is a fast-track to educational success, and pay tens of thousands of euro for the child's place. The schools also receive money from the State. In 2021, €121m in public funding was provided to fee-charging schools, much of it to cover salaries for teachers and special needs assistants. Some opposition parties have called for an end to the State payments. They say it is forcing low-income taxpayers to subsidise private schools, and compounding social inequality. This week, research published in the Irish Educational Studies journal conducted by Dr Michael O'Connell in University College Dublin concluded that going to a private school does not in itself significantly improve performance in the Leaving Certificate. It found that students who attended fee-charging schools were already ahead in tests conducted towards the end of primary school. As part of The Conversation from RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon, we asked two informed people to join our WhatsApp group, to debate the merits of private schools and the provision of public funding. Barbara Ennis is the principal of Alexandra College, a fee-charging boarding and day school for girls in south Dublin. Gary Gannon TD is education spokesperson for the Social Democrats political party.
Gary Gannon TD: Barbara, I'll start where it seems most obvious: having the luxury to afford the fees to send your child to a private school is an investment in their future. It pays off quickly, with students from private schools achieving the highest proportion of places in high point courses in universities. Why should parents unable to make a similar investment in their child subsidise that choice to the sum of €121 million?

--

Barbara Ennis: Your question seems simple to answer. It's not. I'm not going to trot out the well-worn arguments about how much fee-charging schools save the exchequer, but take a more nuanced approach. All education, no matter its source, is an investment in a student's future. The best predictor of a student's ensuing success is his/her mother's own education. Removing subsidies from fee-charging schools cedes all power to those schools, removes State oversight and will inevitably lead to exacerbated advantage for students in these schools.

--

Gary Gannon TD: I'm not sure I understand your point. Are you saying that State subsidies are somehow holding students in fee paying schools back - to the extent that they will have an "exacerbated advantage" if they are removed and state "oversight" is therefore removed?

--

Barbara Ennis: No, Gary. I am saying that if subsidies are removed from fee charging schools, those schools who choose not to join the free system will inevitably be liberated from State oversight, which I think is dangerous; those schools will charge inordinately high fees; the students who attend those schools will have more advantages, following your logic that "students from private schools" achieve the "highest proportion of places in high point courses in universities".

--

Gary Gannon TD: It isn't just my logic that students from private schools receive these places to a disproportionate degree, it's a fact born out every single year in the Irish Times Feeder Schools list for example.

To suggest that the State continues to fund this inequity to the extent that it has, because to do otherwise may result in some private schools removing themselves from oversight, is a very interesting take.

That in the absence of State funding, a private school may choose to charge "inordinate fees" would again be a choice for the parent/guardian as to whether they wish to pay that or not.

The purpose of our discussion is whether the State should continue to subsidise these choices to the extent we have, and there seems very little justification for the taxpayer to continue to support others who wish to lock-in and replicate privilege.

--

Barbara Ennis: The recent empirical research carried out under Dr O'Connell in UCD debunks the veracity of the far-from-empirical 'League Tables' of the Irish Times. The research suggests that students from fee-charging schools "often from affluent backgrounds... are already benefiting from extra resources at home". Therefore, subsidising fee-charging schools is not 'replicating privilege'. It is curbing it. Privilege precedes these subsidies whose function is to avoid extreme elitism.

Moving the discussion on, look at what has happened in the UK with public schools? Elitism is endemic, and social layering there is far more complex than here. Do you want that for your own country?

Empowering schools with the necessary resources for the benefit of all students, whether within the fee-charging or the free fees scheme is what is most urgent. Setting one sector against another deflects from the focus of creating a more equal society. Your focus is on the wrong thing. I have some interesting ideas about how we can harmonise.

--

Gary Gannon TD: I'm not sure the findings of Dr O'Connell coming anywhere close to debunking the reality that private schools aid in the purchasing of life-long privilege.

Nobody has ever suggested that students who go to fee paying schools are inherently more intelligent than students in the public school system.

What is the case, is that fee paying schools are simply a way wealthier parents - in the majority of cases, parents who themselves were able to avail of private schools - are replicating their advantage for their children to the detriment of others, in the points race for the best university places.

The State has invested and will continue to invest massively in free fees for all students at third level in the pursuit of equality. That private schools feature most prominently in the profile of students who access the highest points courses in universities undermines this endeavour entirely.

All students are expected to sit a Leaving Certificate on equal terms. Having a two-tier system - where one group of students is advantaged by consequence of their parents' ability to pay more - completely destroys that concept of fairness.

--

Barbara Ennis: Why are you deliberately side-stepping my points and repeating yourself? Continuing to subsidise fee-charging schools is a smart move. It preserves the system from the ravages of the patricians. It recognises the organic development of the educational landscape across time, which has led to the diversity of school sectors that mutually co-exist and make up the education system in the State.

The history of the State subsidies of fee-charging schools cannot be forgotten. Protestant and Catholic establishments gave their lands and buildings to the State, free of charge, to set up schools at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, when the State had no resources to so do. Without this generosity and foresight, there would have been no schools to attend.

Inequality is a societal problem. It needs to be tackled at grassroots level, by breaking the cycle of poverty and educating parents, particularly mothers, who did not benefit from a proper education themselves.

Affluent parents are not the cause of inequality. Subsidies to fee-charging schools aren't the problem either. The responsibility lies with repeated Government and Opposition TDs' failures to tackle poverty and the construction of ghettoised housing estates.

--

Gary Gannon TD: I'm still a little unsure of the points you are intending to make. The purpose of this debate was why the State should continue to fund private schools to the tune of €121 million a year.

Nobody has accused affluent parents of being the cause of societal inequality - the point remains that the rest of society shouldn't have to pitch-in for the advantage their children attain from private schools.

I am not even advocating banning private schools. Expressed simply, I just feel that should a parent wish to educate a child privately, they should do so without the State contributing to the advantage that such a luxury will give to their child.

There is no altruism to the Churches involvement in education - doing so on their part has contributed to a scenario where generations of Irish people have had their educational experience dictated by the ethos of the religious orders, who maintain patronage over our schools.

Tackling poverty is absolutely the job of government. That requires resourcing and intervention at a very early stage in a child's development.

I know exactly where I'd reallocate that €121 million currently being invested in the private schooling of our most wealthiest cohorts.

--

Barbara Ennis: I understand you, but you don't understand me. Your view is simplistic. Mine is nuanced.

You'd take the €121m and invest it in students who need it. I would too.

I'm saying that this is an unwise move as the money released from removing the subsidies is a drop in the ocean of what is needed to provide an equal education for all.

I have been at pains to point out why these subsidies should remain:

1. It avoids extreme elitism

2. Fees of schools (minus subsidies) would escalate

3. This will create a three-tier system - students who come from deprived backgrounds; those from affluent backgrounds whose cultural capital is enormous, and those for whom fees of any amount are affordable.

4. The schools who continue to charge fees will be free of State scrutiny and no State-paid teachers will be employed in these schools. There will be no checks and balances, and these schools will produce entitled graduates who will haunt the corridors of power through money, networks and the school tie syndrome.

5. Inequality will increase. The disadvantaged will be worse off.

Subsidising fee-charging schools should continue but a new model needs to be considered. This is where you and I can find middle ground, if that's what you want. But if you stick to your mantra, nothing will change or improve.

--

Gary Gannon TD: I think we can have a shared passion for education, and a common outcome but we are also allowed to simply disagree on how that is achieved.

1. That the current system of State subsidies to private schools is a bulwark to "extreme elitism" is a bit of stretch. In their current form, students from private schools are already over-represented in our highest points courses in universities. The schools themselves have progression rates that exceed 100% (taken deferrals into account) each year.

They offer more favourable terms to teachers than that available in public schools. They have very obvious alumni networks that provide access to internships and job opportunities to their students. How much more elite can they get?

2. Fees escalating is again an issue for the school and the parent - the State should have no bearing on this.

3. There already exists a three-tier system: DEIS schools, non-DEIS schools, and private schools.
[Editor's Note: A DEIS school is a school in receipt of additional support and funding from the Department of Education, as part of an effort to address social or economic disadvantage locally.]
Only one has a cohort of students that is advantaged by the wealth of their parents, to the detriment of others, in the points race of our Leaving Cert.

On your fourth point - you say that fee-charging schools would be free of State scrutiny - I'm genuinely not sure the vast majority of people in this State would notice the difference.

5. A recent Barnardos study found that 30% of parents were skipping meals in order that their children did not go without basic provisions. €121 million invested into a full public schools meal programme would go some way towards countering that extreme of inequality.

At its core here though, paying for private schools allows one cohort of student an advantage in the points race that unfortunately defines our system of education.

It is for this reason that private schools are more prevalent at secondary level than at primary.

To continue this and deny the reality is a folly that does a disservice to all but those who benefit from it.

--

Barbara Ennis: Are you interested in looking at a new model for fee-charging subsidised schools? You yourself benefitted from such a model through TAP.
[Editors' Note: TAP is the Trinity Access Programme. It is run by Trinity College Dublin and assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities to study at the university. Gary Gannon was born in Dublin's north inner city and went through TAP after being let go from his job as an apprentice plumber during the economic crash.]
--

Gary Gannon TD: TAP is an incredible model but it's not really comparable to that of the private school system. Without question, I am massively fortunate to have benefitted from the programme but it takes in fifty students a year and is entirely free to enter. How does that compare to a fee-paying model?

--

Barbara Ennis: It could be. Here's my proposal. If you can't/won't subscribe to it, then we will have to agree to disagree in the most amicable of fashions.

I have a proposal for a new model of fee-charging, subsidised schools which could look like this, and could be referred to as a hybrid model:

- 15% of all places in fee-charging schools would be reserved for those whose parents can't pay fees. No fees would apply to this cohort. This would help break the cycle of lack of opportunity and give underprivileged students a chance to benefit from the cultural capital and other advantages of fee-charging schools

- Extreme elitism would be avoided

- The State would reinstate the capitation grant for the 15% of students who don't pay fees.

- The fee-charging schools would make all extras (like Speech and Drama, public speaking, instrumental music, solo-singing, tennis lessons, English-as-a-new-language lessons, after school study and much more) available to this 15% of students free of charge.

- The State would continue to pay the teachers' salaries.

Now that's a win/win.

--

Gary Gannon TD: Thank you for the discussion Barbara. I know that many private schools already do great work through their scholarship programs, and I don't for a second doubt the benefit of such an opportunity to those students and to their families.

As a person passionate about educational equality as a whole, I really cannot step away from the advantage one cohort of students can glean from a parents' capacity to spend more than what other families in the State can.

Ultimately though, I aspire for a society where our public schools would have all of the advantages that private schools currently enjoy - appropriate student-to-teacher ratios, technology-based learning, effective career guidance, extra-curricular facilities - and that can definitely be a shared destination for us both.

Have a great day. Lovely to meet you and thank you so much for engaging to the extent you have. Let's grab a coffee soon.

--

Barbara Ennis: A pleasure, Gary. The Nordic model is the best. Maybe we'll get there in 50 years!
Read last week's edition of The Conversation, where we asked if the government's mother-and-baby home redress scheme is fair, here.

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Is it fair that public money helps to fund private schools?

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As part of The Conversation from RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon, we asked two informed people to join our WhatsApp group, to debate the merits of private schools and the provision of public funding.

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CAO Points: Fee-charging schools 'no better' for pupils chasing high points

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CAO Points: Fee-charging schools 'no better' for pupils chasing high points

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The study by the UCD School of Psychology explored the added value of private second-level schools when it comes to maximising Leaving Cert grades and getting a place on the most elite degree programmes.

About 7pc of second-level pupils are in fee-charging schools, and other analyses show that a disproportionate number enter the most sought-after courses in higher education.

Many parents see admission to a fee-charging school as a game-changer for their child's educational success and pay thousands of euro a year to support their ambitions.

But while pupils in fee-charging schools generally achieve higher CAO points, it has more to do with a student's ability than the school itself, the UCD research suggests.

Overall, the study found that the contribution to higher Leaving Cert grades arising from attending a fee-charging school, while "significant" was "modest".

Students from fee-charging schools are about 9pc ahead in their Leaving Cert performance, but they are already showing that superior ability in tests they do around the ages of nine and 13.

It suggests that these pupils - often from affluent and well-educated backgrounds - are already benefiting from extra resources at home, such as a better diet, wider leisure possibilities and other supports.

The UCD study, led by associate professor Dr Michael O'Connell, tracked the progress of 3,105 children and young people at different stages in their educational journeys, up to Leaving Cert.

Using data from Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), Dr O'Connell calculated their ability based on performance in standardised school tests, known as the Drumcondra Tests, taken toward the end of primary school and at the start of second level.

While fee-paying pupils were 9pc ahead in Leaving Cert performance, they had roughly the same lead in measured ability around the time they entered secondary school, when compared with pupils who went on to non-fee-charging schools.

"It suggests that if fee-charging schools are adding on anything to Leaving Cert performance, above and beyond what the state schools are adding, it must be relatively modest", the study said.

A comparison of pupils of similar ability entering either a fee-charging or non-fee-charging school, showed the 9pc gap in average performance fell to 3pc, the equivalent of about 13 points on a 400-point Leaving Cert score.

Even where there are greater success levels among graduates of private schools in exams or entry to college, "this does not demonstrate that the schools themselves are responsible for this success," the paper said.

"There are alternative explanations or causes, as well as potential combination of these causes," it added.

"Overwhelmingly, the key factor in explaining Leaving Cert performance is prior ability."

The study, 'Why are students attending fee-charging second-level schools in Ireland more likely to progress to high-demand university degree courses?' co-authored by Gary Marks, of the University of Melbourne, Australia, is published in the Irish Educational Studies journal.

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CAO points: Fee-charging schools 'no better' for pupils chasing high points

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Attending a fee-charging school does not greatly enhance a student's chances of getting into a high-points university course, according to new research.

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Right to Education

"States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and based on equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning...

" Article 24 - United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

What are a child's legal rights to education?

The Education Act 1998 - a right to education
The Education Act 1998 sets out the right to education for every person in the state. Section 7 of the Act says that the Minister for Education "must ensure that there is made available to each person resident in the State......, including a person with a disability or who has other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person."

The act emphasises inclusivity and equality of access, including provision for persons with disabilities or other special educational needs and sets out the rights of parents to send their children to a school of their choice.

For more information, follow the links:
Education Act 1998
Citizens Information - Special Needs Education The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004) - legal framework for special education

The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act (2004) sets out the legal framework for the education of children with special educational needs. The EPSEN Act includes the aim that children with special educational needs should be educated, wherever possible, in an inclusive environment and that those with special educational needs should have the same rights to appropriate education as children without special educational needs. The act also provides a legal basis for the National Council for Special Education.

To date, only some parts of the EPSEN Act 2004 have been put into effect by the Minister for Education and Science. Part of the act came into force on 14 July 2005 and a further five sections on 1 October 2005. The sections of the Act which have come into force deal with the right to be educated in an inclusive manner, the duties of schools and the establishment of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The sections of the act providing for an individual right to assessment, individual education plans, the designation of schools, appeals processes and co-operation between the education and health services have not yet been implemented." - Department of Education and Skills - Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs - Post-Primary Guidelines.

Follow the links below for information and advice:
The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004)

Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 - to improve access to local schools
The Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 introduced reforms, which will make it easier for a child to access their local school. Section 8 - Special Classes, provides the Minister with the power to compel a school to make additional provisions in respect of children with special educational needs i.e., open a special class or classes, where the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has identified a need for such provision within an area.

This measure will ensure that where there is a gap in provision for the education of children with special needs, identified by the NCSE, and no school is willing to make such provision available, the gap can be addressed effectively by the issuing of a direction by the Minister to the school.

Follow the links below for information.
The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004)
Department of Education and Skills Press Release - Education Act 2018

What are a child's constitutional rights to education?

In 2001, the High Court ruled that every person in Ireland had a constitutional right to free appropriate primary education based on need.

The judgment confirmed that this was a fundamental right which was not limited by the availability of resources. The government did not challenge the High Court decision for children 18 years and younger but successfully appealed its application to persons over 18 years of age to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decided that the right to free primary education ends at age 18 and does not continue based on need.

Articles 40-44 provide for the fundamental rights of Irish citizens.

Article 42 of the Constitution deals with education. Other articles relating to fundamental rights also have a bearing on education law.

Follow the links below for information
Constitution of Ireland Citizens Information: Irish Constitution and Education

Seeking a Local School Place for a Child with an Intellectual Disability
In Primary School or Transition from Primary to Secondary School Section 1: Assessment of Need, Diagnosis and Professional Reports

What is Assessment of Need?

If a parent or guardian believes that their child may have a disability, they may apply to the Health Service Executive to carry out an assessment of their health needs arising from their disability. Any child or young adult born after June 1st, 2002, is eligible to apply for an assessment, regardless of age.

The Disability Act 2005 legally requires the Health Service Executive to carry out the assessment of need. There are strict time limits for completion of assessments. The Disability Act 2005 says the assessment of need shall determine whether child has a disability as defined by the Disability Act. This definition is not linked to any diagnosis or list of conditions. Where it is determined that the child has a disability the assessment shall determine the nature and extent of disability, shall state the health and education needs, shall state the services the child needs and shall state when and for how long the services should be provided.

Before making arrangements for clinical assessments to be administered, Assessment Officers will be satisfied, based on a desktop examination of the application, and supporting information, that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the child / young person may meet the definition of disability. The Assessment of Need must be commenced within 3 months of the date of the receipt of the application or request. The assessment must be completed within a further three months from the date on which the assessment commenced.

Part 2 of the assessment of need process is the service statement. Based on the assessment of need, where it is determined that the child has a disability, the HSE (Health Service Executive) must prepare a Service Statement. The service statement sets out the health services, education services or both which will be provided to the applicant by or on behalf of the HSE or an education service provider, as appropriate. The service statement will also set out the period of time within which such services will be provided.

A one-month period is allowed to produce the Service Statement. The Assessment Report and Service Statement will be issued simultaneously.

If at any time during the Assessment of Need process, the Assessment Officer is of the opinion that intervention is required as a matter of urgency s/he will ensure that an immediate referral is arranged to the relevant service provider.

The Assessment Officer will ensure that the Assessment of Need process does not unduly hinder or delay intervention. Where necessary, the Assessment Officer will escalate any issues to the relevant Head of Service.

When an Assessment Officer is of the opinion that there is a requirement for an education service to be provided to an applicant, they must request the NCSE (National Council for Special Education) to nominate a person with appropriate expertise to carry out the assessment of the applicant's education needs.

Further information about the Assessment of Need:
HSE Assessment of Need Standard Operating Procedure.

How do I make a complaint if I am not happy with the Assessment of Need?

How do I get a referral to HSE Primary Care Services or the local Children's Disability Network Team?

The HSE advises

"If you think that your child may have a disability, talk to your GP (General Practitioner) or public health nurse (PHN) as soon as possible. They can talk to you about what will happen next.

Children who have mild or moderate difficulties may be referred to one or more health professionals in their local primary care services.

Children who have a range of significant difficulties may be referred to a children's disability network team (CDNT). This is a team of professionals with expertise in disability who work closely together.

A referral can be made by a healthcare professional. Or you can make the referral yourself."

For more information and referral forms visit -
HSE - Referrals to a Children's Disability Network Team

Where else can I seek assessment, supports and professional reports?

When is a diagnosis of disability or a professional report needed?

For mainstream school and mainstream classes?
A new model for allocating Special Education Teachers to mainstream schools was introduced in September 2017. Children do not have to be diagnosed with a particular condition to qualify for extra teaching assistance. The new model gives greater freedom to schools to give extra teaching help to the pupils who most need it, regardless of their diagnosis.

However, diagnosis can be helpful in providing indications that may be helpful in planning how to meet Special Educational Needs. Where a parent has an assessment for their child which notes that they have a particular special educational need or disability, they should still bring this to the attention of the school, as it may assist the school in deciding how best to support the child.
For special classes and special education schools?
The NCSE says that to access a special class a student must have a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals (for example, psychologist, speech and language therapist, psychiatrist) stating that:

1. She or he has a disability (in line with the designation of the special class in question) and

2. She or he has complex or severe learning needs that require the support of a special class setting and the reasons why this is the case.

The professional report must meet DES requirements for the disability in question. Under no circumstances should a school place a student in a special class without such a professional report.
Guidelines for Setting Up and Organising Special Classes for Boards of Management and Principals of Primary and Post-Primary Schools For parents and guardians?
As a parent, if you have a psychological or other professional report on your child, it may give you clarity regarding your child's situation and be of assistance as you make decisions about school places and support. Decisions about educational placement, services or support are made by the school and the NCSE in consultation with the child's parents or guardians.

Section 2: Gather information in relation to schools in your locality that your child might attend.

Section 3: Apply in writing to schools in your locality.

How do I apply to enrol my child in a school?

Apply to enrol your child in those schools in your locality that may have a place suitable for your child and that are within a reasonable distance of your home.

You can find out about school enrolment from the school principal or from the school's website and your local SENO can provide advice and guidance. Decisions on applications for admission to a school will be based on the following:

The school's admission policy - read the policy before you apply

The school's annual admission notice, containing essential information for parents regarding the application process, including key dates and the number of places available, will ensure a consistent and transparent approach to school admission processes. The notice must be published on the school's website and be available to you on written request.

The information provided by the applicant in their application

A school must comply with the rules of admission they set out in their admission policy. Selection criteria that are not included in the school admission policy cannot be used to decide on an application for a place in the school.

Schools must specify a period for receiving applications, the timeline for decisions about applications, and in the case of a school with a special class the number of school places available in the special class concerned, in their annual admission notice.

Section 4: School notifies applicants of decision about admission

How will I know if the application for a school place was successful?

All applicants for a school place should be informed in writing as to the decision of the school, within the timeline outlined in the school's annual admissions notice.

If a student is not offered a place in a school, the reasons why they were not offered a place should be communicated in writing to the applicant, including, where applicable, details of the student's ranking against the selection criteria and details of the student's place on the waiting list for the school year concerned. Applicants should be informed of the right to seek a review and the right to appeal the school's decision.

Section 5: Appealing a Decision by the School - a Section 29 Appeal

Section 6: Education Act 2018 - Provision of Special Classes

What can I do if there is no local school place for my child and no school willing to provide a place?

Children with additional educational needs looking to attend a mainstream school in a mainstream classroom will usually be successful in finding a school place in their local community, although it may not be the school of first choice, as all mainstream schools should have the ability and should be able to put in place the resources to support their education.

Children for whom a mainstream place is not currently an option, where a place in a special class or special school is recommended, may find it more difficult to find a school place in their own community or even within a reasonable distance of their home. Having taken all reasonable steps to find and apply for a place in a special class or a special school for their child, each year a number of parents will find that there is no place for their child and no school willing to take on the provision of that place.

In this situation, under the Education Act 2018, the Minister for Education can compel a school to open a special class where there is a gap in providing for the education of children with special needs.

If they have not already done so, parents who are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement should contact their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO). The SENO, and through them, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), should be made aware of the child's needs and the lack of an appropriate school place.

As a parent, you may write to your local SENO identifying the lack of a place for your child in the locality. The letter should set out the child's special educational needs, supported by a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals that states that the child has a disability in line with the designation of the special class in question and sets out why the child requires the support of a special class setting. Your letter should also outline the steps you have taken to date to secure a school place and include copies of any letters of refusal received. Parents should ask that the NCSE prepare and submit a report to the Minister for Education identifying that there is a shortage of special class places in their locality. Writing to the SENO and through them the NCSE is not something you are required to do but it is a useful way to set your child's situation clearly and to maintain a written record of steps taken to seek a placement for your child.

The SENO's role is to advise parents, ensure that a child with special educational needs receives the support they are entitled to and, as needed, notify the NCSE of the lack of local provision.

Where a gap in local provision is identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), and no school is willing to make provision available, the Minister for Education can compel a school to open a special class. The Minister can take this action following several initial steps which allow for engagement between the Minister, the NCSE, the Board of Management and the Patron of a school. This process can take some time. Your local SENO will advise on interim educational provision and when an appropriate school placement becomes available. The Minister for Education, advised by the NCSE, can also make provision for special schools, as needed.

Section 7: Home Tuition, Interim measure in the absence of school place

What is home tuition?

In the absence of an appropriate school place, home tuition may be provided. The Home Tuition Scheme provides funding towards a home-based educational service for children with special educational needs while they are seeking an educational placement. Home Tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not available, as confirmed by the NCSE and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement. When a school placement becomes available the Home Tuition Grant will be discontinued.

Further Information and advocacy support for Parents

Appeals against refusal to admit for exclusion, suspension, or a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.

Reasons to Make a Section 29 Appeal (other than oversubscribed)

Under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 -

A parent, or a student where they have reached the age of 18, may appeal a decision of a Board of Management to

Permanently exclude a student from a school

Suspend a student from attendance at a school, for a period or periods totalling more than 20 school days in a school year

Refuse to admit a student to the school for a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.
Section 29 of the Education Act 1998
The process for appeals against a school for exclusion, suspension, or refusal to enrol a student is made under section 29 of the Education Act 1998. The system of appeal with important timelines is set out below.
Key Stages

You can request a review by the School Board of Management (BOM) of the decision to refuse a place at the school. (optional)

You can appeal the decision of the Board of Management to refuse a place at the school to the Department of Education.

Important to Know - if appealing for reasons other than school oversubscribed:
When applying for a review or appeal the grounds for the review or appeal must be set out.

The review or appeal must be based on the implementation of the school's admission policy and the school's annual admissions notice. Did the school follow its own admission policy and rules?

You can find out about the school's admission policy from the school principal or from the school's website. Your local SENO (Special Educational Needs Organiser) can also provide advice and guidance.

How the Review or Appeal is Decided

Each stage of the review or appeal process will consider:

If the request for review or appeal is valid. Where the request for review or appeal is valid the review or appeal can continue.

If there was a failure or mistake in making the decision to refuse admission and

If the failure or mistake influenced the outcome of the application.

The review or appeal then decides:

Where the review or appeal finds a failure or mistake in relation to admission that had an impact on the application, the failure or mistake must be corrected by admitting the student to the school or special class concerned.

The Appeal Process
There are 5 stages to the process, starting with a request for a review by the Board of Management of the school's decision to refuse. The request for review by the school board of management is optional. The appeal to the Department of Education includes an in-person or oral hearing.
View The Appeal Process The Appeal Hearing
An appeals Committee is made up of 3 people. The Appeal hearing is kept as informal as possible. A parent is allowed to submit any information or reports to support their case. The school may also submit evidence to support its case.

The National Council for Special Education or an Education Welfare Officer may submit a report. The Appeals Committee may invite any relevant expert to attend the hearing if necessary. The parent and the school board may be accompanied at the hearing by one or two other people nominated by them to attend. People accompanying will not be allowed to make statements at the hearing except in exceptional circumstances. If you cannot attend the appeal hearing, inform the DES immediately or the appeal could be held in your absence.

At the appeal hearing both the parent and the school state their case. The parent and the school then have the chance to respond to the other and ask questions. The Appeals Committee can also ask questions of either side or any invited person. Where practicable the Appeal Committee may support both parties to reach an agreement.
The Appeal Hearing Determination (or Decision)
The Appeal Committee makes a preliminary decision or determination. The parent, the school and the agencies involved have 7 days to make observations to the Appeals Committee in relation to the preliminary decision. The Appeals Committee then makes a final decision, to uphold the appeal or not.

This determination is based on whether the school has followed their own stated policies (on enrolment or discipline) and whether fair procedures were followed. If the appeal is successful, the DES will direct the school to enrol your child or take them back to school or clear any suspension or expulsion from their record. Either side can appeal the determination in the courts.

If you are unhappy with the committee's decision, you may also contact the Office of the Children's Ombudsman.
Further information: Department of Education and Skills - refusal to admit to school Citizens Information Service - Admissions policies in primary and secondary schools

Exclusion from School or Refusal to Enrol in School

A parent may make an appeal on behalf of their child if a school refuses to enrol a child, a school suspends a child for more than 20 days in a year or a school expels a child.
Appeal against a school for refusal to enrol a student due to school being oversubscribed. Appeals against refusal to admit for exclusion, suspension, or a reason other than the school being oversubscribed.
Inclusion Ireland has looked at the experience and impact of short school days on children with disabilities and their families in the Republic of Ireland.
Read our 2019 report on Education, Behaviour and Exclusion here

Seclusion and Restraint in Educational Settings FAQ

What is seclusion?

Seclusion is the placing and keeping of a person (alone) in a room or other space from which they are unable to leave.

Inability to leave can arise from exits being locked or being otherwise obstructed; inference, instruction, or threat to the secluded person not to leave; belief on the part of the secluded person that they are being stopped from or are otherwise not allowed to leave, reluctance or refusal to leave because of fear of consequences of doing so. (NICCY 2021)

What are restrictive practices?

Also known as restrictive interventions, these are practices that intentionally limit a person's freedom of movement or function. This can be through restraint, mechanical, physical, or chemical - with or without the use of force, or by seclusion.

Mechanical restraint: the use of a device, equipment, or other tool for compelling, controlling, or subduing the bodily movements of the person to whom such mechanical restraint is administered.

Physical restraint: the use of direct physical contact by one or more persons for the purpose of compelling, controlling, preventing, or subduing the bodily movements of the person being restrained.

Chemical restraint: the use of substances as ingested, inhaled, or injected for the purpose of compelling, controlling, or subduing the behaviour of the person to whom the medication is administered, regardless of whether such substance has been medically prescribed for the treatment of formally diagnosed physical or mental illness. (NICCY 2021)

What is the current Irish legislation or guidance on the use of restrictive practices in educational settings?

The Department of Education has been repeatedly asked to issue guidelines to schools on the issue of restraint and seclusion. The National Council for Special Education asked for guidelines as far back as 2012, again in 2016 and in 2018.

In 2019 the Department of Education established an Expert Working Group and consulted with stakeholders on Guidelines on the Use of Physical Intervention for the Prevention and Management of Crisis Situations.

Legislation or guidance on the use of restrictive practices in educational settings has not yet been introduced or implemented in schools. There is currently no legal requirement for a teacher or school to record or report the use of restraint or seclusion of a student.

Is there international guidance in relation to use of restrictive practices in educational settings?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says:

A mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure dignity, promote self-reliance, and facilitate the child's active participation in the community. Article 23

Every child has the right to education; School discipline should be administered in a manner consistent with the child's human dignity. Article 28

In 2016, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, reviewing the UK made the following Concluding Observations concerning the use of restraint and seclusion on children in schools:

Abolish all methods of restraint against children for disciplinary purposes in all institutional settings, both residential and non-residential, and ban the use of any technique designed to inflict pain on children.

Ensure that restraint is used against children exclusively to prevent harm to the child or others and only as a last resort.

Systematically and regularly collect and publish disaggregated data on the use of restraint and other restrictive interventions on children to monitor the appropriateness of discipline and behaviour management for children in all settings, including in education.

Ensure that corporal punishment is explicitly prohibited in all schools and educational institutions and all other institutions and forms of alternative care.

Abolish the use of isolation rooms.

The 2016 concluding observations included concerns about the use of restraint and seclusion on children with psycho-social disabilities, including children with autism, in schools.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD (United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities)) says-

every person with a disability has a right to education without discrimination and based on equal opportunity and the right to an inclusive education system at all levels, in the communities in which they live, and lifelong learning. Article 24

the existence of a disability shall in no case justify a deprivation of liberty (Article 14)

every person with a disability has a right to respect his or her physical and mental integrity on an equal basis with others ( Article 17)

What should Department of Education guidelines for schools require in relation to seclusion and restraint?

It is now necessary for the Department of Education and Skills to tightly prescribe the use of restrictive practices and issue statutory guidance that ensures that restraint and seclusion are used only to protect the child or others and not as a form of punishment. Seclusion should never be allowed in school.

Guidance must provide:

Clear definitions of restrictive practices and support practices, with the use of restraint against children solely used to prevent harm to the child or others and only as a last resort and the use of seclusion abolished.

A clear outline of the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of school staff, health professionals, Principals, Boards of Management, TUSLA, parents/carers, children and young people and the Department of Education.

Exemplars of positive, preventative, and early intervention practices informed by best practice.

Mandatory training and supervision for staff in educational settings. (Training and supervision are compulsory in other sectors such as mental health). Guidance must include details of training and resources available for educational settings in relation to behaviours of concern.

Access to a multi-disciplinary team to include educational psychology, child mental health or children's disability services as appropriate

The requirement is to notify parents/carers of any incident and to follow up with a written report to include details of support for the student and staff to minimise the prospect of repeat incidents.

. Access to an appeal on the use of restraint and seclusion, and access to independent advocacy where required.

Access to a complaints process with links to statutory safeguarding and child protection services.

A mandate for the recording and reporting of all incidents of restraint and seclusion with regular publication of disaggregated data on the use of restraint and other restrictive interventions on children to monitor the use and appropriateness of use of any restrictive practices for children in all educational settings.

An outline of whistleblowing procedures

Provision for review and published reporting of the guidance in operation.

Informed by the

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Harry's Law Campaign 10-point mandate

2019 Department of Education consultation and draft Guidelines for Schools on the use of Physical Intervention for the Prevention and Management of Crisis Situations,

the 2022 Department of Education NI Review of the Use of Restraint and Seclusion in Educational Settings in Northern Ireland,

consultation with parents/carers and professional stakeholders for the 2018 Shining a Light on Seclusion and Restraint Report and 2022 All-Island Restraint Reduction Network Conference Report.

What should Department of Education guidelines for schools require in relation to seclusion and restraint?

This conversation about the misuse of restrictive practices takes place particularly in the context of the disabled child or child with additional needs within the educational setting. In the absence of reporting and recording, we do not have data for misuse of restrictive practices on the Island of Ireland. US federal data reports that of the 101,990 students who were restrained at school (year 2017/18) - to immobilize them or reduce their ability to move freely or were placed in seclusion - 79,676, or 78%, were students with disabilities, although students with disabilities made up just 13% of the school population.

Current guidance on the issue of the misuse of restrictive practices that are placed within the framework of school behaviour and disciplinary policies, with only passing references to the exception that is the child with a disability or additional needs, cannot succeed when the context in the main is a child with a disability or additional needs and the context is not misbehaviour or a failure in discipline, but a manifestation of the disabled child's distress or a reaction to an approach that is not developmentally appropriate for the child.

We will also fail if we continue to define the "crisis" in terms of what is being experienced by the school, the staff, and the class - as observers and interveners - when the real difficulty and the crisis are that being experienced by the child, most likely a disabled child. This was recently put most clearly and succinctly by Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), adjudicator Thomas O'Driscoll. Finding that a school discriminated against a child with Down Syndrome on the grounds of disability. Mr. O'Driscoll stated that "undoubtedly the girl's behaviour was challenging for the staff, as they described it, but instead of seeing the "challenge" as how best to deliver and meet the educational needs of all in their charge they attributed the problem to her." RTE 2022
Department of Education USA 2017-18 CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION THE USE OF RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION ON CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN K-12 SCHOOLS School ordered to pay compensation for excluding child with Down syndrome from classroom RTE 9/11/22

Publications in relation to Seclusion and Restraint in Educational Settings

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