First-Ever Neurodiversity in Education Conference Invites Educators to Foster Inclusive Practices in Kilkenny
On Saturday, 7th October 2023, Kilkenny will welcome educators, parents, and caregivers to Ireland’s inaugural Neurodiversity in Education Conference, a professional event curated to enhance the inclusivity and support for neurodivergent students of all ages. Under the theme “Inclusive Practice,” the conference aims to be a nexus of knowledge and resource sharing among Ireland’s educator…
Education Magazine
Government postpones plans for teacher-based assessment of Leaving Cert, blaming AI
Norma Foley ( Minister for Education) has postponed her plans to introduce teacher-based assessment for the Leaving Cert, blaming Artificial Intelligence. In her statement yesterday morning, Foley announced that the Department of Education was accelerating changes to the Leaving Cert Cycle, with the introduction of nine new and revised subjects coming two years earlier than originally…
Tips To Prepare For The First Day Of School
Whether your child is just beginning preschool or primary school, or starting into a new school year as a returning student, there’s plenty that can be done to prepare for the school year ahead, including checking in about their anxieties and concerns. As Summer winds down, it’s totally natural for kids to experience nervousness after having…
Back To Education Allowance (BTEA) – What is it, and how do you qualify?
What is the Back To Education Allowance and how do you qualify? The BTEA is a supplement for people who are unemployed, single parenting or with a disability already on other payments who want to go back to education. It is valid for courses that start in Ireland or Northern Ireland, but it can be…
Biopharmaceutical company AbbVie launches new schools prize to help spark an interest in STEM
Deirdre Clune MEP recently joined employees of the biopharmaceutical company AbbVie to launch a science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM)-focused schools prize The AbbVie STEM Prize encourages engagement in STEM-related learning. The company said it wished to showcase the exciting and diverse educational and career opportunities that can be unlocked for young people who develop an interest in these subjects….
What is the SUSI Grant?
The Student Grant Scheme is the main financial grant scheme for students studying in Ireland and also abroad. It is also known as the SUSI grant because the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the awarding authority for the scheme. There are two types of grants available Maintenance grants help students with their living costs….
What is the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA)?
What is the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA)? The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) is a payment which helps with the cost of uniforms and footwear for school going children. Applications for the scheme opens in June 2023 and the closing date for applications is end September 2023. This…
Coping With Exam Stress
The Leaving Cert & indeed the Junior Cert is always a stressful time for both parents and students alike. It can cause tension throughout the entire house; however it is a time when the student needs lots of support and encouragement. What can the student do to cope with the stress levels? In order to…
Active School Week 2023 (#ASW23)
This week 24th – 28th April is Active School Week. The aim of Active School Week is to promote, encourage and support physical activities in school. This week can transform a child’s relationship with physical activity. Each day of the week is filled with exercises and fun initiatives that develop a positive relationship between students…
New College Places For Over 600 Extra Primary School Teachers
Some great news for the education sector this week as more than 600 new college places will be available for primary school teacher education programmes in the next two years. Education Minister Norma Foley made the announcement earlier in the week, stating that the new places will help to address teacher shortages in the sector….
The New Primary School Curriculum
From 2025, primary school students in Ireland will be required to learn a foreign language as part of a new curriculum. The move is aimed at helping young people develop a better understanding of other cultures and languages, and will see language learning become a core part of the primary school experience. The new curriculum,…
World Book Day – Changing Lives Through A Love Of Books And Reading
World Book Day 2023 is being celebrated on Thursday 2nd March. They are a charity that operate in the UK and Ireland. Their mission is to promote reading for pleasure, by offering children the opportunity to have a book of their own. They want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds reading for…
The History Of Pancake Tuesday – Why Do We Eat Pancakes?
Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday to give it its correct name, always falls the day before Ash Wednesday which marks the start of Lent. The name Shrove Tuesday comes from the old word ‘shriving’, which means to listen to someone’s sins and forgive them. In Anglo Saxon times in England, Christians would go to church…
Minister Heather Humphreys helps launch SuperValu & GIY ‘Let’s GROW’ initiative for 50,000 primary school children
Primary Schools can learn how to grow food at school and register now to receive free ‘Let’s GROW’ classroom kit On 8th February 2023, students at Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Inchicore, Dublin 8 officially launched the ‘SuperValu Let’s GROW’ initiative in partnership with GIY. This is a brand new partnership that aims to put…
Applications are now open for Enterprise Ireland’s 42nd Student Entrepreneur Awards competition
Awards are open to undergraduate and postgraduate students from across Ireland’s third-level institutions Closing date for entries is Thursday, 16 March 2023 Wednesday 25th January: Enterprise Ireland is inviting students from third-level institutions across the country who have an innovative business idea with real commercial potential to apply to this…
BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2023
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) returns to the RDS this week and is open to the public from Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th from 8:30am to 5:30pm The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is much more than a competition. It is an experience of a lifetime for the second level students…
Drop in disadvantaged students going to College
There has been a drop in disadvantaged students going on to third-level colleges while on the other hand students from fee-paying schools and affluent areas are dominating the high points University courses. These results have been published in The Irish Times Feeder Schools 2022 and are thought to be as a result of the return…
Department Of Education Plan To Tackle Bullying In Schools
For the first time ever the extent of bullying in schools will be measured under a new action plan devised by the Department of Education. A national database is to be developed which will allow for the collection of data to form an annual report which will indicate the scale of the issue. Bullying in schools…
Over €3.8 Million is allocated to The Department of Education to address educational disadvantage in the Dormant Accounts Action Plan for 2023
The Dormant Accounts Action Plan is funded through unclaimed accounts in credit institutions such as banks, An Post, building societies as well as unclaimed life assurance policies. A fund of almost €55 million which will benefit disadvantaged communities and vulnerable groups throughout Ireland has been published by the government. Of this €55 million, €3.8 million…
Embark on the most amazing adventure with the MS Readathon
MS Ireland is calling on bookworms young and old to set themselves a reading challenge this November. Help raise much needed funds for people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and their families. Get sponsored to read as much as possible, and it doesn’t matter what you choose to read – fiction, factual books, comics, whatever you…