Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES ARE to become mandatory in primary and special schools while the time spent teaching religion will be reduced under a revised curriculum.
The Primary Curriculum Framework, launched today by Education Minister Norma Foley, was developed over six years by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and marks the first major overhaul of the curriculum in 25 years.
It aims to shape the work for primary and special schools going forward and “sets out the vision, principles and components” of a redeveloped primary school curriculum.
It is not known yet when a revised curriculum will be implemented.
Launching the framework, Foley said it was a “groundbreaking day” for primary and special school education.
“It’s the first time that we have a framework and that recognises the importance of having an overarching vision for what to teach in our primary and special schools,” she said.
“I think there’s a recognition that children do not learn in isolation, so we need to have a framework that acknowledges the connectedness between the different subjects.”
The curriculum framework includes five broad areas: Language, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Wellbeing, Arts education and Social and Environmental Education.
Under the framework, foreign languages will form part of the curriculum for the first time ever. From third class, pupils will be taught a language that is not English or Irish for an hour a week.
The framework states that it supports the introduction of modern foreign languages and aims to “build on children’s existing knowledge of language” and progress “from a language awareness model to a competency model” in the senior years of primary school.
Foley said she expected the teaching of foreign languages to begin in 2025.
“There’s a body of work that needs to be done there and that work will now begin and we will see that in our schools in 2025, but there will be staged introduction of various elements of the programme,” she said.
She said a successful pilot had taken place in a number of schools, and noted that the Department of Education would provide necessary upskilling and continuous, professional development (CPD) for the teaching of the foreign languages.
“I think it is interesting to note from the pilot, that many of the staff within the schools actually took the opportunity to teach that element of modern foreign languages themselves. Obviously not all of them, but there’s a learning for us there as well, so there will perhaps be skill sets within the staff room,” she said.
Foley also said the department is currently engaging with higher level institutions in relation to new graduates and their “familiarity, awareness and their ability to deliver” the new language teaching.
“We will look at every possible opportunity and we will absolutely be supporting the staff in the delivery of this.”
Religion
The teaching of religion has been reduced from two-and-a-half hours a week to two hours, while the subject will now form part of a new “religious, ethical, multi-belief and values education” subject, aimed at giving pupils a wider perspective on faith and beliefs.
This will be allocated an hour and 40 minutes a week for junior infants to 2nd class, and two hours a week for third to sixth class.
However, Foley said schools can teach religion for longer if they wish to under new “flexible time” granted to schools.
Schools can use this time to focus on priority areas of learning. It will range from five hours per month for junior and senior infants, six hours for first and second class and seven hours from third class upwards.
Advertisement
“Schools will know best what areas need to be more augmented. That could be across any area, whether it’s in area of mathematics, or in language, or whatever that happens to be, that autonomy has been given,” Foley said.
Minister for Education Norma Foley launching the Primary Curriculum Framework today. Leon Farrell
Leon Farrell
Time spent teaching STEM education will increase as children get older, with the framework stating that it “supports children’s capacity to understand and engage with the world around them”.
Maths will be taught for three hours a week for junior and senior infants, and four hours from first class upwards, while science, technology and engineering will be taught for three hours per month for junior and senior infants, four hours for first and second class and five hours for third class upwards.
Foley said the first element to be introduced will be the mathematical curriculum, adding that the work on it “is nearing completion and will be published very imminently”.
The framework states that arts education is “integral throughout a child’s experience in primary school” and that experiencing art and creativity has the capacity “to engage, inspire and enrich all children, exciting the imagination and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential”.
Children in junior infants to second class will learn arts education for nine hours per month, reducing to eight hours per month from third class onwards.
Wellbeing
A significant portion of the new curriculum framework will focus on wellbeing to support children’s “social, emotional and physical development now and into the future”.
The framework states that it is important for children to develop self-awareness and knowledge, build life skills and develop a strong sense of connectedness to their school, their community and wider society.
“Children will be encouraged to value what it means to be an active citizen, with rights and responsibilities, in local and wider contexts,” it states.
It also states that wellbeing “also supports children to value positive and healthy relationships with others, which includes acquiring an understanding of human sexuality that is balanced and connected with the rational and emotional aspects”.
The framework’s section on inclusion and diversity states that it centres on “the values and practices that enable children, as individuals, to belong and to feel respected, confident, and safe so they can engage in meaningful learning and reach their potential”.
Foley said there has been “a very positive reception” to the framework from all of the partners in education.
“I think we all recognise that we need our students of the 21st century to have a curriculum framework that is of the 21st century and there has been no issue with that and I don’t foresee an issue,” she said.
“We have seen here the value of consultation and engagement, and as a consequence, we have a framework here that is broadly welcomed by all. In terms of curriculum detail, the leadership there comes from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
She said the process of putting a new curriculum in place will involve “very broad consultation, engagement, discussion” and that all views will be welcome across the partners in education and wider society.
“I think that would be a positive thing. I think we have achieved it here with the framework, and I’ve every confidence we’ll be able to achieve it with the curriculum going forward.”
Reacting to the framework, the general secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) John Boyle said teachers and school leadership teams must be given dedicated time to engage with, understand, implement and embed the curriculum.
“The Department of Education and other stakeholders must undertake a clear and comprehensive communication strategy ensuring adequate resources including a comprehensive programme of in-person CPD to support curriculum change together with specific funding for school resources,” Boyle said.
“The Department of Education must ensure coherence in the system so that the implementation of the new primary curriculum is prioritised and initiative overload does not occur.”
Boyle also said the reduction of primary class sizes to the EU average of 20 will be “vital for the successful implementation of the framework, as will the restoration of promotional posts of responsibility”.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
42 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
150 rounds of drinks ordered at the Dáil's bars on the day TDs failed to elect a new Taoiseach
34 mins ago
674
11
Dublin
What exactly is 'affordable' housing ... and how much should it cost?
6 hrs ago
2.2k
Darndale
Discovery of human hand in yard of Dublin primary school not thought to be malicious
Updated
12 hrs ago
54.2k
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 152 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 104 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 136 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 106 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 78 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 77 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 37 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 33 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 127 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 60 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 75 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 82 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 38 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 43 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 25 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 86 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 96 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 68 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 50 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 84 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 64 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say