The Department of Education and Skills has many useful resources to support learning at home. There are also many online educational activities that children and young people can enjoy.
See the latest information for schools, preschools and third level institutions from the Department of Education and Skills at education.ie/covid19. For information on the Leaving Certificate 2020 please click here.
Irelands schools will reopen fully and safely in August, special guidance for parents and children will be provided. The Department of Education and Skills will provide updates through schools and on gov.ie/backtoschool.
The lives of young children changed suddenly when early learning and childcare services and schools closed in March in response to the COVID-19 emergency. As children prepare to return to early learning and childcare services or make the move to pre-school and school for the first time, parents can be assured that there are a number of actions they can take at home to support these important transitions.
Learn more at gov.ie/letsgetready
A new website called StepUp has been developed in order to assist both students and their parents in making the move between primary and secondary school.
Learn more at StepUp.ie.
Summer Provision 2020 is a Special Education Programme that expands the Department of Education and Skills’ July Provision programme. This programme will run for a minimum of two weeks and can extend up to four weeks where the schools, teachers and Special Needs Assistants are willing to participate.
For more information and to register your interest, see gov.ie/summerprovision
A number of resources are available to support learning at home.
Trinity College has a number of helpful short videos for parents to help young children with numeracy. They can be found here at Numeracy In The Now
Parents help their children learn in lots of different ways. Trinity College, Marino Institute of Education and Limerick & Clare ETB have developed a series of short videos to help parents who are home schooling young children. The videos , which include “Literacy in the Kitchen” and “Literacy on the Couch”, show how learning can be part of everyday life in a stress-free way.
Scoilnet is the Department of Education and Skills' online portal for Irish education. Learn more at scoilnet.ie.
Access a host of Irish language resources from An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG).
Cúla4 ar Scoil is an entertaining school program covering elements of the primary school curriculum with different themes each week. Monday to Friday at 10am or watch online here.
As a parent, you play a key role in your child's education. The NCCA has developed a number of resources to help you to support your child's learning in primary school.
The new junior cycle features newly developed subjects and short courses, a focus on key skills, and new approaches to assessment and reporting. Learn more at ncca.ie/en/junior-cycle.
Developments are also underway in the senior cycle, the period of education that follows the junior cycle and is generally taken by students between the ages of 15 and 18. Learn more at ncca.ie/en/senior-cycle.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a number of challenges for schools, teachers and parents. The NCCA has developed a number of helpful resources and online tools to help you navigate these uncertain times.
The NCCA is changing the way curricula are presented to children and young people. Learn more at curriculumonline.ie.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has developed online resources for children and young people with Special Educational Needs who are at home as a result of the school closures. The resources are designed to assist parents, teachers and students in special schools, special class placements and mainstream classes.
Learn more at ncse.ie/parent-resources.
Want to help your child learn? This website is packed full of ideas to help your child learn every day.
RTÉ's home school hub is for children in primary school. On RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, and rte.ie/learn, children can watch, download and engage with curriculum-based content, project work, and fun activities that will keep them entertained and learning.
A list of providers of higher education is available from the Department of Education and Skills.
Information and resources on supporting children under 6 with their feelings and encouraging learning and play at home are available from First5.gov.ie.
St. Michael's House teams have put together resources to support families and their children at home during this time. You will find links to a wide range of resources including early years, school age and communication resources. Learn more at St. Michael's House
There are a number of resources to educate your child in an entertaining manner.
An Garda Síochána's Children's Corner is for younger members of the public who like to colour-in, have some fun and find out more about An Garda Síochána along the way.
The website also features information about how children can stay safe online and what to do if they are being cyber-bullied.
Learn more here.
Dublin Zoo have developed a range of fun activities for you and your families, including virtual tours, activity books and live streams. Learn more at #dublinzoofun activity series.
Access the Irish Museums Portal to all online content from Irish museums including virtual tours, audio tours and learning resources.
Access a host of online resources from CyberSafeIreland to use with your children while they are out of school.
Primary and secondary school pupils can find games, competitions and activity books to help discover the EU in a fun way. Learn more at europa.eu/learning-corner.
The Heritage Council has launched five new online tutorials for primary school children now staying at home. These include classes in wildlife drawing; what to notice in your local park and localities; learning to sing a newly composed Irish song and how to find out about stories from your grandparents using UCD’s Schools’ Folklore Collection.
You can join the library online and get eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines and newspapers for free straight away, or take language and other courses.
Learn more here.
