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Are four-year-olds too young to start school?

It is one of the most significant education decisions a parent can make. What is the best age to send a young child to primary school?

Staff only: Time for a reality check: we don't really care about kids

By E Grade

Now that we realise that Ireland is not actually some kind of oversized Celtic Monte Carlo, I feel it's time to put some of my thoughts down regarding the delusions surrounding Irish education. I'll start with the oft quoted maxim that we have 'the best education system in the world'.

In my opinion: Too many cooks decide further education policy

The last 10 years have seen dramatic changes in Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland.

Should Irish classrooms be open for business?

Parents busily collect Tesco vouchers in the hope that their child's school will be able to acquire a computer.

Staff only: Could it be that I am a bit of a sitzpinkler?

By E GRADE

It seems every time I open a newspaper or a magazine there's an article waiting there to explain the meaning of a wonderful German word -- schadenfreude -- meaning 'the taking of pleasure in someone else's misfortune'.

In my opinion: Cross-border initiative is crucial to teacher support

In a recent retrospective Professor John Coolahan, Professor Emeritus NUI Maynooth and Ireland's leading educationist, described his involvement in the establishment of the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS) as one of the most significant achievements of his career.

How to teach English to the Facebook generation

It may be just a cricket ball's throw away from Dublin's M50, but St Columba's College looks for all the world like it could be the setting for a Harry Potter novel.

Staff only: The 'Smug' way to send our school revenues flying

By E Grade

The Professor Seamus Smug Report on Education outlines areas in which the government can make savings in five key areas of education. Firstly, Professor Smug recommends extending the planned toll charges for the motorways to public footpaths, especially those leading to shops and schools. A charge of €3 to use a public footpath can be levied on pathways outside schools, thus providing funds to alleviate the inconvenience caused by chewing gum and crisp bags.

In my opinion: Why our principals need all the help they can get

School culture has changed dramatically in recent years. Between 1998 and 2004 the principal became one of the most legislated for individuals in Irish society. The establishment in recent years of statutory bodies has expanded further the administrative duties of the principal. Such developments make the job of school leader increasingly unmanageable and the Department of Education and Science needs to demonstrate a willingness to address the resourcing issues. The principal has responsibility in six key areas: