Standardised tests (Sigma-T, Micra-T and Drumcondra) have become quite a cause of confusion for parents, disruption for teachers and anxiety for pupils in Irish primary schools since they became mandatory in 2006. Such tests are compulsory, externally prepared, not directly based on school curricular areas and administered in a format […]
Looking to the past, Michael Crowley reminds us of the important role that the teachers of today play in the future. Once the National School system had been set up in Ireland in 1831, the question of finding teachers very quickly became an issue. Many teachers were untrained in the […]
As we approach the bi-centenary of the Irish National School system, in 1831, Michael Crowley looks at its evolution and says it’s time to start a conversation about the role of primary education in the new Ireland in order to create a more inclusive and innovative force in Irish society […]