Towards a Better Future

Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System
countries, the range and quality of out-of-school educational activities in Ireland compares more than
favourably with those provided at much higher public cost in other jurisdictions.
CONCLUSION
This chapter has outlined curriculum policy in primary and second-level schools since publiclyfunded
schooling was first provided in Ireland in the nineteenth century. It has traced the
development of the curriculum at primary and second level through the generations, identifying how
the curriculum was used at various times to achieve political, cultural, religious and economic aims.
It traced the changes at primary level from a prescriptive, exam-led curriculum (from 1871 to 1900 and
from the mid-1920s to the late 1960s) to a more child-centred, discovery-based curriculum (from 1900
to 1922 and from 1971 to date). It referred to the changing role of the primary teacher from that of a
purveyor of knowledge to that of a guide and a facilitator of learning. It recognised that at primary level,
in spite of the many demands on teachers and school principals, especially those in schools where the
principal teaches on a full-time or almost full-time basis, there has been a long tradition of school-based
curriculum planning. Both the 1971 and the 1999 primary curriculum were designed to encourage
school-based curriculum planning. The curriculum designers in the Department of Education in 1971
recognised that teachers would require support and guidance to develop and implement the curriculum
– and the Teachers’ Handbook and ongoing in-service courses provided that guidance and support. The
revised primary curriculum of 1999 provided guidelines that are even more extensive and exemplars
for teachers. Given the many other demands facing principals and teachers, not least their heavy teaching
timetables, it was recognised that there would be limitations to the extent to which practising teachers
could be curriculum developers and innovators.
The documentation which the DES has made available for the new Primary Language Curriculum
appears to have achieved a reasonable balance, providing as it does, a practical ‘Toolkit’ which encompasses
learning outcomes, progression continua, support material for teachers and examples of children’s
learning and development. The web portal provides opportunities for sharing lesson plans and exemplars.
While the richness and potential of the web is recognised, the importance of ensuring that no teacher
or pupil is excluded from accessing the curriculum because of inability to access the web is also
recognised by making all materials available in hard copy and/or on a USB stick. It will continue to be
necessary to provide alternatives to web-based resources for as long as broadband coverage in Ireland is
inadequate, to ensure the widest possible engagement by teachers and pupils.
Curriculum development at second level is also traced in this chapter, and various efforts at Junior
Cycle reform since the ICE report of 1974 are identified, in particular the efforts of the (Interim)
CEB between 1984 and 1987 as well as the NCCA from 1988 to the present day. The attachment
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