The pupils and staff of two Donegal primary schools have been involved in the redevelopment of the primary school curriculum for the last number of years through their participation in the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s (NCCA) Schools Forum.
Since 2018, the NCCA has been working with a network of over 60 schools consisting of primary, post-primary and preschools from across the country.
Among them have been both Ballymore National School, Dunfanaghy and Creeslough National School.
Together, these represent the rich diversity of school contexts in Ireland. The teachers and practitioners meet every 4-6 weeks as a ‘Schools Forum’ to guide and help shape the review and redevelopment of the primary curriculum.
Lorraine Starritt, Principal of Creeslough National School has been involved in the Schools Forum since 2018.
She said “The Schools Forum provides a space where, parents and teachers have an opportunity to ponder big questions such as what we value in education, what its purpose is, how and what children should be taught, what’s important in our current context and what the future might demand.”
A busy Creeslough National School.
As a result of Creeslough National Schools’ engagement with the Schools Forum, the pupils were involved in a pilot project for the new Primary Mathematics Curriculum.
Ms. Starritt explained “The pupils and staff of Creeslough National School got to experience the new math curriculum in advance of its launch last September. This opportunity enabled us to delve deep into the new curriculum and provide invaluable feedback to the NCCA in advance of the curriculum being launched into every primary school in Ireland.”
The Primary Curriculum Framework for all primary and special schools was launched last year by Minister of Education, Norma Foley. This framework sets out a new vision for primary education, as well as a structure for a new overall primary curriculum.
Ms. Ní Chuireáin, Principal of Ballymore National School said the new curriculum everyone.
She said “Following on from the launch of the Primary Mathematic Curriculum, the NCCA have moved on to the next phase of the redevelopment process and is now consulting on draft curriculum specifications in Arts Education; Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in the Primary Language Curriculum; Social and Environmental Education; Science, Technology and Engineering Education; and Wellbeing. The development of a new primary school curriculum impacts everyone – children, parents, grandparents and teachers.
“It also has wider implications for society as the knowledge, skills, abilities and dispositions that children develop in primary school ultimately shape the kind of citizens they will become, and how they will interact and contribute to society in the future. Given the changes in society and advances over the past two decades, the importance for people to know about the consultation and to get involved cannot be overstated. The window for consultation is open until June 7th 2024 and I encourage everyone to engage in the consultative process.”
The consultation opens today, March 6th 2024, and will remain open until June 7th 2024.
The consultation is open to all members of the public and everyone is welcome to have their say on the new proposals. Further information on the proposals can be found at https://ncca.ie/en/primary/primary-developments/primary-curriculum-review-and-redevelopment/consultation-2024/
