In conclusion - 2024

Chapter 14 - In conclusion(PDF)

The Department of Education and Youth Inspectorate Report (2024) and Thematic Review is designed to give an overview of the work of the Inspectorate across early learning and care settings, primary schools, special schools, post-primary schools, centres for education and other education settings. It offers insights into the quality of education provision in Ireland for children and young people from their earliest years up to the end of their post-primary schooling.

The insights, reflections and findings in this report and thematic review are not intended to provide a full evaluation of the entire education system, but rather to offer evidence-based analysis of aspects of education provision, focusing on the period January 2024 to December 2024.

The overall findings from the 2024 inspection programme are positive. High standards in education provision were evident, reflecting national and international assessments which indicate that, from an educational attainment perspective, Ireland is faring well. The work of early years educators and school communities in making this possible cannot be underestimated. This is a time of ongoing change and development in social, educational and curriculum contexts. School and setting leaders, boards of management, teachers, early years educators, principals and special needs assistants continue to demonstrate huge professional commitment to delivering high-quality learning experiences for children and young people.

Notwithstanding the strengths evident in our education system, there are aspects of provision that we must keep to the fore and strive to improve.

Chapter 8 of this report and thematic review notes Ireland’s commitment to the development of a high-quality education system where all children and young people can access an education appropriate to their interests, strengths and needs in an inclusive environment. The work of the Inspectorate over the course of 2024 has highlighted achievements in realising this goal. The work of many settings and schools to promote the agency of children and young people, the increasing involvement of parents in their children’s learning and the further embedding of the student support file to support progression in learning are all positive developments in this regard. However, while we see increasing commitment to inclusive practices, there remain challenges in realising those values.

In primary and post-primary schools, planning and delivering meaningful learning activities for the diverse learning needs of children and young people are inconsistent. Effective inclusive teaching practices require teachers to adapt the curriculum in ways that preserve curriculum integrity, while allowing for flexibility, responsiveness to student need and access by all to enriching and meaningful learning experiences. It also means recognising that inclusion is not a bolt-on; it is central to how learning is made meaningful for all children and young people.

Engagement with all stakeholders, including parents, children and young people, about a shared understanding of inclusion will be an important next step in the further development of an inclusive, high-quality education system.

Thematic reports published by the Inspectorate in 2024 highlighted that schools do not always deploy the additional teaching resources they receive correctly. For example, the Inspectorate report on provision for children and young people with special educational needs in mainstream schools [1] found that special education teachers were deployed incorrectly to teach Mathematics or English to mainstream classes in almost a third of the primary schools inspected in 2024. Post-primary school leaders deployed teachers inappropriately in three-quarters of the schools inspected. The main issue in these schools was the misuse of special education teaching hours to form smaller subject classes for all students, or to create additional subject options. The incorrect deployment of teaching resources is not confined to special education teaching; similar issues were highlighted in the thematic report on provision for children and young people with additional language needs [2].

As the Department advances the development of a high-quality, inclusive system, there is a need for policy makers to consider how the current processes for allocating teachers to schools and for deploying teachers within schools can be strengthened to ensure that these resources are put to best use within schools and achieve their intended policy objectives.

[1] Available at: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/towards-high-quality-learning-experiences-for-all-provision-for-children-and-young-peo.pdf p.10

[2] Available at: https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/meeting-additional-language-needs-whole-school-and-classroom-approaches-for-inclusive-.pdf p. 27

Curriculum redevelopment and enactment continue to advance. National strategies in literacy, numeracy, inclusion and digital learning are reaching implementation stage. Early years, primary and post-primary curriculum reform offers a wonderful opportunity to renew the professional conversation about what education is for and how we serve learners best in a changing world.

It is easy, in the context of reform, to focus on structures, frameworks and strategies. But ultimately, the success of any curriculum, whether in early learning and care, in the Primary Curriculum Framework, or in senior cycle redevelopment, depends on the quality of the decisions teachers make and the experiences they provide to children and young people.

Realising a vision for curriculum enactment depends on the successful interplay of multiple actors: schools, Oide and other support services, curriculum and assessment bodies, initial teacher education providers, the Inspectorate, Education Support Centres, families and communities, as well as the purposeful involvement of children and young people.

A particular focus of this report is the enactment of the Primary Language Curriculum, as it relates to Irish. Inspection findings highlight an urgent need to support school leaders and teachers in improving their language proficiency in Irish. Proficiency in Irish is essential to enact the principles and pedagogical practices of the Primary Language Curriculum (PLC) successfully. A concerted effort is needed to encourage and inspire teachers to take ownership of their own professional learning to strengthen and maintain their language proficiency in Irish, as relevant to their classroom and school contexts.

As scholars like Mark Priestley and Gert Biesta remind us, the curriculum is not a product to be delivered [3]. It is a process; one that reflects our values, invites professional judgment and must be enacted in context. The idea of curriculum making, while not always part of our everyday language, offers a useful way to think about how learning is facilitated through appropriate content and tasks, stimulating environments and child-centred teaching processes and learning experiences that take account of home, school and community contexts.

Curriculum making frames teachers as active agents in shaping what curriculum becomes in practice. In our inspections, we continue to see powerful examples of internal collaboration and curriculum making. We see teachers working together across class levels or subjects, leaders enabling shared planning time and schools effectively using the SSE processes to collaborate and reflect on new specifications, inclusion, progression, and wellbeing.

Notwithstanding these strengths, there are aspects of provision that should remain a priority to ensure the quality of the learner experience is shaped not only by curriculum content, but by how it is enacted. SSE and curriculum making are not one-time events, but ongoing, iterative processes of adaptation and improvement based on feedback and evolving needs. For SSE to be successful and not seen as a competing priority, a strong connection between SSE and teaching, learning and assessment is essential.

[3] Biesta, G., Priestley, M. and Robinson, S. (2017). Talking about education: exploring the significance of teachers’ talk for teacher agency. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 49, pp. 38–54.; Biesta, G., Priestley, M. and Robinson, S. (2015). The role of beliefs in teacher agency. Teachers and Teaching, 21(6), pp. 624–640. ; Priestley, M., Alvunger, D., Philippou, S. and Soini, T. (2021). Introduction. Curriculum making in Europe: policy and practice within and across diverse contexts. Bingley: Emerald, pp. 1–28.

Several of the inspection findings in the Chapter 7, Perspectives on Bullying Behaviour (2024), affirm the significant work of schools in fostering safe, inclusive and welcoming learning environments. The Department of Education and Youth Bí Cineálta procedures are central to this work, providing a structured framework of supports that help schools to both prevent and address bullying behaviour. By strengthening protective factors such as trusted adults, student voice, staff training, and the consistent application of anti-bullying policies, Bí Cineálta helps schools to further develop and cultivate respectful relationships and reinforce student wellbeing.

The ongoing challenge of cyberbullying is also recognised. The Digital Strategy for Schools provides important supports in this regard, prioritising professional learning, digital safety, and collaborative engagement with parents and students in shaping responsible online behaviour.

Digital transformation continues to shape all aspects of education, building on the momentum established during the early 2020s. As Ireland’s schools and settings adapt to evolving technologies, the challenge remains to ensure that digital tools enhance, rather than supplant, the human relationships and creative practices integral to effective teaching.

While digital platforms offer unprecedented opportunities to streamline administrative tasks and support innovative pedagogy, the essence of teaching – marked by relationship, empathy, artistry, and authentic engagement – must be preserved and elevated within this context. The Inspectorate continues to prioritise the development of digital literacy that empowers learners to question, challenge and thrive in a complex, interconnected world, while ensuring that technology remains a complement to, not a replacement for, pedagogical integrity and human connection.

The Inspectorate is grateful to all those in the education community with whom we have engaged, through our inspection, advisory and research work, in order to arrive at the insights in this report and thematic review. We look forward to continuing, reciprocal, professional engagement with education partners and stakeholders, including children and young people.

As an Inspectorate, our aspiration is for an education system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. It is hoped that the Inspectorate Report (2024) and Thematic Review will stimulate reflection, debate and actions that contribute to a high-quality, inclusive education system.