Primary School Curriculum Curaclam na Bunscoile - NCCA

Chairperson’s foreword
Education is an important factor both in the day-to-day development of
the child and in contributing to the personal, social, cultural and
economic fulfilment of the future adult. The introduction of a revised
primary curriculum is, therefore, a significant educational development.
The revision of the curriculum, guided by the recommendations of the
Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum (1990),
incorporates the principles of Curaclam na Bunscoile (1971) and develops
them. The primary curriculum is seen as having a special relationship
with second-level education and this revision has taken place in the
context of a number of developments which have occurred in secondlevel
education in recent years.
The revised curriculum also incorporates new content and embraces new
approaches and methodologies. A key concern of the curriculum is the
importance of literacy and numeracy to personal fulfilment. The
curriculum also responds to changing needs, particularly in the areas of
science and technology, social, personal and health education, and
citizenship, and in taking account of the pilot initiative in modern
languages.
I wish to record my deep appreciation to the many people who
contributed to the process of revision: the members of the Council and,
in particular, the late Dr. Tom Murphy who was chairperson until 1996,
the members of the curriculum committees and the education officers
who developed and designed the curricula for the different subjects, the
Chairperson and members of the Co-ordinating Committee, Ms Lucy
Fallon-Byrne who had responsibility for the co-ordination and
production of the curriculum and Albert Ó Ceallaigh, Chief Executive,
NCCA under whose leadership the review and development of the
curriculum took place.
Dr Caroline Hussey
Chairperson
Primary School Curriculum Introduction
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