A Cuntas Míosúil (CM) is a monthly progress record. It records the learning that children progressed during the month and the learning experiences that supported that progress.
Your short-term preparation sets out the learning you intend to support. Your Cuntas Míosúil looks back at what actually happened.
For example, you might plan to work on several aspects of reading during a fortnight
Category Archives: Blog
Teaching News, Tips and Ideas for the Primary School Teacher in Ireland
New to EAL teaching or unsure about assessment and recorded preparation? This practical guide brings together the key information on the PSAK, Up and Away, Student Support Plans, short-term preparation and useful EAL resources in one place.
Circular 0032/2026 has superseded circular 0030/2014 (which introduced Personal Pupil Plans). This article explains how core care needs and SNA support should now be addressed within the Student Support Plan.
A summary of the key changes, new additions and differences between the updated 2026 Guidance on Preparation for Learning, Teaching and Assessment and the original 2021 version.
The redeveloped primary curriculum is being rolled out, and many teachers are unsure which curriculum to use in September and when the new subject specifications apply.
Looking for EPV Summer Courses for 2026? I’ve put together a clear, up-to-date list of course providers, all in one place, with direct links to explore and book. Save yourself the time searching and find the right course for you quickly and easily.
In this post, I share my experience of planning for SEE, highlight the key challenges teachers will face, and provide practical guidance and support to help you approach your long-term planning with confidence.
The intent of the new Wellbeing Curriculum is strong, but its structure presents real planning challenges for teachers. This reflective post explores those challenges and offers practical support.
This new toolkit introduces updated templates, clearer guidance, and some changes to SNA eligibility and documentation. Read a summary of the key updates and practical implications for schools.
Teacher planning simplified for 2025: what’s required, which curriculum to use, and practical tips to save you time and stress.
Get expert tips to help you stand out at your next primary teaching interview – from body language and confidence to preparation and what interviewers really want to hear.
At a time when democracy and peace are under threat, it’s more important than ever to teach children about international cooperation. In this post, I highlight some free, ready-to-use EU classroom resources are a brilliant way to bring global citizenship to life in your classroom.
Practical tips for teachers on writing clear, constructive end-of-year reports, using assessment data, pacing workload, and following the NCCA 6th Class Report Card template, with sample comments included.
The Primary Curriculum Framework (PCF) marks a significant shift in how time is allocated to subjects in Irish primary schools. With a stronger emphasis on flexibility, integration, and play-based learning, the new time allocations offer teachers greater autonomy in structuring their weekly schedules while ensuring a balanced curriculum.
Seachtain na Gaeilge is a fantastic opportunity to bring the Irish language to life in primary schools through fun and engaging activities. Whether you’re introducing small changes or planning a full programme of events, this guide provides practical ideas to help every child embrace the language with confidence and enthusiasm.
In today’s tech-savvy classrooms, digital tools and apps are transforming the way teachers deliver lessons, engage students, and manage their workload. I this post I want to share some highly effective digital resources to make teaching more interactive, organised, and enjoyable.
Teaching has always been a demanding profession, but in recent years, the expectations placed on teachers have grown to unprecedented levels. Teachers are now balancing a mountain of responsibilities, from implementing new curriculum reforms and navigating increased bureaucracy to meeting the diverse needs of students and keeping up with ever-changing societal and parental expectations. Add to that the often critical lens of media scrutiny, and it’s no surprise that many teachers feel overwhelmed.
In this post you will find ideas for simple Science Week activities for both Junior and Senior primary school pupils, as well as suggestions for picture books, apps and YouTube channels.
Podcasts are a fantastic way to stay engaged with the latest in education, gain teaching insights, and even pursue continuous professional development—all from the convenience of your headphones. The beauty of podcasts lies in their flexibility; they allow you to stay informed on education matters while you’re doing other tasks like driving, cooking, or even unwinding. It’s an easy, efficient way to add to engage with CPD, all while enjoying fresh ideas and discussions relevant to your teaching journey.
In recent years, I’ve encountered various opinions about teachers selling and buying resources or continuing professional development (CPD). Some believe teachers shouldn’t have to pay for the resources they need to do their jobs, and that it’s wrong for other teachers to charge for resources they create. Others question whether selling teaching plans or resources is helpful, fearing they may be too generic to meet the unique needs of individual classrooms.
National Climate Action Week takes place from October 14-20th 2024, and it offers a fantastic opportunity for primary school teachers in Ireland to bring the topic of climate change into the classroom. Teaching about climate change at a young age helps foster a lifelong sense of responsibility towards the environment. The way we approach this important topic, should differ depending on the age and developmental stage of the students. Below you will find some ideas to help you plan your lessons ahead of Climate Action Week.
It is a costly time of year for parents, but purchasing scads of back to school products also has a huge cost for the environment. In this post, Claire from TeachingPlans.is shares ideas, tips and recommendations for more sustainable back to school shopping.
Reading is a complex process with many interconnected components and there is an absolutely massive volume of research relating to it. As with any widely researched area, there is also a plethora of terminology to go along with it! It would be impossible for teachers to know ALL of the terminology relating to literacy instruction as it is just so vast, but there are some basic terms that every teacher should know, as an understanding of these is essential for effective literacy instruction.
The draft curriculum specifications for the redeveloped primary curriculum were published by the NCCA in March 2024. The NCCA are running a consultation until June 7th 2024, where interested parties can give their feedback. Below are my thoughts on the draft specifications.
This post will give an overview of some of the resource that are available for primary school teachers for teaching about the topic of climate change.
In January 2024, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published its long-awaited Policy Advice Paper on Special Schools and Classes, entitled “An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society”.
In this post I will share recommendations for books that I have found both very interesting and beneficial to my teaching. Some of these books are aimed specifically at educators and outline best practice in educational methodology. Others are memoirs or books on psychology (but which have relevance to education) and have made an impact on me.
UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning. It is educational framework designed to make learning accessible to all students, regardless of their diverse needs and learning styles.
This post will outline where to find information, and will share some primary school resources to help Irish teachers with their recorded preparation for teaching and learning (planning).
Social Stories and narratives have become an extremely widely used tool in autism education. However, they are frequently written by those who are well meaning, but who do not have an understanding of the philosophy and criteria for effective Social Story/ narrative writing
What does “Inclusive Education” actually mean, and is it possible in Irish primary schools? What does the Department say about inclusion and what should schools do to be more inclusive?
The Irish teacher Instagram community is fantastic and there are so many wonderful accounts sharing their ideas, help, and connecting with other teachers.
It has become extremely popular for teachers to have a social media page where they share ideas and resources and connect with other teachers. I don’t mean teachers who use social media only for their personal lives and interests, but teachers who have a social media account where it is clear from the name/ profile/ posts that they are a teacher, and the account is being used to connect with other teachers, share ideas and resources, or promote their own teacher resources.
In this post I will share some of the resources that I have found helpful for anyone who is looking to learn (or brush up on) a modern foreign language.
In March 2023 a new framework for the curriculum at primary level was launched.
The framework is a document which sets out the purpose structure and content for the redeveloped primary curriculum for primary and special schools.
The aim of this blog post is to provide information to primary school teachers on the main things they need to know about post primary, what they can do to help their students transition successfully, and where to find resources.
Below is a list of acronyms that are regularly used in Irish education. The purpose of this post it simply to assist teachers who may come across these acronyms, rather than to give a commentary on them!
Having started out as one of many sellers on a resource sharing website, I now run my own successful website, and below I will share some tips and advice which I feel is important for teachers who want to start a successful side hustle.
A brief overview of the main things to know about the new maths curriculum for primary schools which will be rolled out in the coming years.
Some resources for helping you to learn more about trauma informed schools. I suggest books, podcasts, and social media pages that you can follow to learn more.
A very brief overview of where things currently stand with the redevelopment of the Primary School Curriculum and the main changes that can be expected.
In short, yes. As things currently stand, primary teachers still have to do 36 Croke Park hours per year, however 10 of them can now be dedicated to “planning and development work other than on a whole-school basis”.
Some of the myriad of teaching jargon and current issues explained. To help with interviews or just teachers who want to be kept informed.
An overview of the written preparation (planning) documentation needed in special class and special schools in Ireland
From January 2012 all primary schools were instructed to increase them time spend on literacy and numeracy each week. These are the updated time allocations:
Below is a list of excellent books, CDs, websites and other resources which have poems as Gaeilge for primary school children.
Whether you are a new teacher getting ready to start your first-year teaching, or an experienced teacher who is changing class, there are many things you can do now to make September less stressful and to get off to the best possible start to the new school year.
Below you will find a list of simple suggestions for how a school/ teacher can encourage students to use and enjoy the Irish language throughout the school day.
With the publication of the Primary Language Curriculum in 2015 and its revised version in 2019, prescriptive themes are no longer listed. The following are the themes that I use for teaching Gaeilge and the period of the year that I would them.
Below is a list of books, CDs, websites and other resources which have songs in Irish for children at primary school level. The resources cover all class levels from Junior Infants – 6th class.
What are the new guidelines on planning for primary school teachers? It’s a question that I am sometimes asked, but not as much as you would imagine. This is because it went under the radar for many during Covid-19 and school closures, but the Department released new guidelines in relation to the above in April 2021. The following is a brief summary of that main things that you need to know. The full document, as well as FAQs and webinars can be found on the NCCA website.
I taught in an Autism class attached to a mainstream school for the 2021/2022 school year. Prior to this I had extensive experience working with autistic students as a mainstream class teacher, resource teacher and later a SET teacher, and as the SENCo in my school which has extremely high levels of pupils with SEN. The experience of an ASD class teacher was enjoyable, and yet very challenging. Below I will document how I set up my room and some of the different resources/ approaches I found most useful and that I would recommend for working with autistic pupils.
I have taught for 10 years in a school which has a very high number of children with social and emotional skills difficulties. Explicit teaching of social skills and self-regulation skills is crucial for these children as they generally do not just “pick up” these skills through observation and interactions with others. The following are some of the best programmes that I have used over the years as a mainstream class teacher, support teacher, and autism class teacher.
In September 2021 I started in an autism class for the first time. While I have a lot of experience in working with autistic children as a SET, class teacher, July Provision tutor, and SENCO, it was my first year as an autism class teacher.
I thought given my experience that it would be an easy transition, so I was quite surprised at how overwhelming the first 8 weeks have been and how it has taken me so long to find my feet. In many ways, it was reminiscent of my first year of teaching when I just felt like I would never get on top of things.
Primary school teachers in Ireland must prepare for their teaching with written plans. These plans can be handwritten or typed. Most teachers prefer typed plans as they are faster to complete and can be edited each year if they have the same class level again.
How to write a teaching plan will depend on whether you are a student teacher, newly qualified teacher, mainstream teacher, SET teacher or and ASD class teacher! Below you will find some information on the types of plans required in different teaching rolls and how to complete them.
I coordinated Gaeilge as part of my Post of Responsibly for a number of years. Part of the role was to create a wish list of resources for teaching Gaeilge and to purchase these for the school. It gave me the opportunity to discover some of the fantastic resources that are out there for the teaching of the Irish language and I’d like to share some of these below.
Late on Friday evening, with remote teaching due to start on Monday, the Department of Education sent updated Guidance on the provision of supports for pupils with SEN to schools. The full 16 page document can be accessed here, however with most school staff now under immense pressure to get organised for a return to […]
Whether you have an Assistant Principal post interview coming up, or you are just thinking that you might take on an AP post at some point in your career, this article will point you in the right direction on the documents you should know about, and the things you should do so that you are as prepared as possible for what an AP post entails.
I am a SET teacher and SENCO in a large urban primary school which has extremely high levels of children with EAL and SEN. I have taught in support for a number years, both before and after the new allocation model for SET was introduced. I have written hundreds of support plans for children with a wide variety of SEN and of various levels of severity. In this post, I will share guidance on how to prepare a classroom/ school/ school support+ plan.
First of all, you’ll need the assistive technology application form which is available from the NCSE website here (form 3). Secondly, I would advise you take a look at the Department of Education Circular 0010/2013 which outlines how the grant scheme works.
All of the government’s guidelines and resources for opening schools can be found here. There is also a helpful video for children from Infants – 2nd class explaining what school will be like and the importance of handwashing and telling the teacher if they feel ill.
This article will discuss the Primary Language Curriculum for Infants – 6th Class which was published in September 2019, and will provide some guidance in how to use and plan with it.
A child needs to have well developed listening and attention skills, as well as gross and fine motor skills before they can successfully learn to write letters and numbers. It is worth considering waiting until term 2 of the child’s first year in school to start formal handwriting instruction
A back to school campaign for the reopening of schools was launched by the Department of Education and Skills on 27/7/2020. A huge amount of information has been provided and while the detailed guidance is welcome
View this post on Instagram These are my top tips for how we as educators can help children with dyslexia. One of the most striking things I have come to realise is that by adopting strategies to improve our teaching for children with SEN, we actually improve our teaching for all children 😊. #dyslexiaawareness #dyslexiaireland […]