Minister McEntee welcomes new streaming service for teachers to support new Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre studies
- Published on: 5 August 2025
- Last updated on: 5 August 2025
Minister for Education and Youth Helen McEntee has today (Tuesday 5 August) welcomed the launch of a new free streaming media service to help teachers delivering the new Leaving Certificate subject: Drama, Film and Theatre Studies (DFTS).
This new service, called the DFTS Channel, will give teachers in 57 schools access to the prescribed materials, and learning resources. These schools are the first to offer the subject, starting in the new school year.
The platform was developed by the Irish Film Institute after a selection process earlier this year.
This new subject is being introduced along with Climate Action and Sustainable Development as part of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme.
In welcoming the launch of the platform, the Minister said:
“I am delighted to officially launch the DFTS Channel today. This builds on my commitment to ensure schools have the resources needed to teach the new subject, under Senior Cycle Redevelopment.
"I know that students and teachers alike can’t wait to get started with the subject when schools return. It is so important that we promote and cultivate creativity in our young people – there is so much talent already there in our classrooms and this subject will allow those students to illustrate their strengths and interest in the arts.
“Having the streaming service available means that our students can easily engage with the prescribed materials. They’ll easily be able to delve into both film and theatre, from their classrooms. This is just one of a number of resources my department is equipping the Phase One schools with - they will also receive camera, lighting, audio, computer, and staging equipment, an annual grant and an additional teaching allocation.”
She continued:
“Today is a huge milestone in the overall Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme, which my department is committed to delivering.
"I’d like to thank the Irish Film Institute for working closely with my department on this project.”
Speaking at the launch, Ross Keane, Director & CEO of the Irish Film Institute said:
“The DFTS Channel is an exciting extension to the IFI’s already-existing streaming platform - IFI@Schools. Originally set-up during COVID, so that IFI could continue to deliver its nationwide schools screening programme at a time when students could not take field-trips, the streaming platform continues to connect films to subjects across the curriculum, to support teaching and learning and promote media literacy skills.
“Teachers can rent a film on demand or choose a curated film bundle. We are delighted to be adding to this already-established library of films by launching the new DTFS Channel, which will give teachers and students access to the prescribed films and drama pieces of the new Leaving Cert subject of Drama, Film and Theatre Studies, directly in the classroom. Alongside the films and plays, there are also additional resources and curated clips.
“It’s a really exciting new subject for students and teachers both, and the IFI is delighted to be at the heart of delivering it into classrooms across Ireland, as part of our extensive schools offering for 25-26.”
Notes
The introduction of Drama, Film and Theatre is part of Senior Cycle Redevelopment, an ambitious reform programme guided by the vision of a Senior Cycle that delivers ‘equity and excellence for all’.
The programme is informed by, and builds upon, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s (NCCA) Advisory Report on the review of Senior Cycle, as well as the experience of Leaving Certificate students, a growing demand for change and international experience and perspectives.
57 post-primary schools have been selected to introduce Leaving Certificate Drama, Film and Theatre Studies from the start of this school year. The final selection of schools took account of school types, location, size, DEIS status and Irish language classification, ensuring that the final selection reflects the broad composition of schools across Ireland that applied to be part of the process.
The introduction of the new subjects on a phased basis is in line with the approach to the introduction of Leaving Certificate Physical Education (PE) and Computer Science in recent years.
The introduction of these new subjects is supported by Oide, the support service for teachers and school leaders, with an extensive programme of Teacher Professional Learning, that began in the 2024/25 school year.
About the IFI
The Irish Film Institute (IFI) is Ireland’s national cultural institution for film. It provides audiences throughout Ireland with access to the finest independent, Irish and international cinema, including online via its streaming platform IFI@Home; it preserves and promotes Ireland’s moving image heritage through the IFI Irish Film Archive. IFI Education promotes film education, film culture and media literacy with all our audiences through a range of programmes, initiatives and across different platforms. Central to our work is the IFI Schools programme which supports teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools, connecting film across curricula. Available in-cinema at the IFI, at our partner venues nationwide, and online through our streaming platform IFI@Schools, we now support the new subject, Drama, Film and Theatre Studies, through our work in creating the DTFS platform on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.