National Principals Forum Statement on the Redeveloped Primary Curriculum Specifications

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In response to today’s launch of the Redeveloped Primary Curriculum Specifications, the National Principals Forum (NPF) acknowledges that this would be a positive step in Irish education, but warns that unless systemic underfunding and under-resourcing of our primary education system is addressed in an urgent and serious way, the implementation of this new curriculum will be stymied in a myriad of ways.

“This curriculum captures the joy of learning and places children’s creativity, wellbeing and curiosity at the centre of the school day,” said Angela Dunne, member of the NPF. “Principals and teachers across the country have contributed their expertise to help shape these specifications. We are ready as ever to bring them to life in classrooms, so that every child benefits from a truly modern primary education. However, as funding and SEN supports are nowhere near adequate for our existing curriculum and needs, we are concerned about how it will to be realistically possible to implement this new framework, in modern schools with antiquated funding and resourcing structures. It has been clear for years our primary education system is heaving under the pressure of underfunding and under-resourcing, which is rarely addressed in the media or by government. For example, just last week the NCSE announced SNA reviews for all schools this year, which will no doubt result in serious cuts to these supports in our schools, as the criteria for SNA support has been narrowed considerably. This will further hugely disadvantage our pupils and schools. We need the government to step up their investment and support for our schools for these new specifications to become a reality. This begins with honest discussions and engagement with principals on the ground to better establish a full understanding of the educational landscape into which these changes are being introduced. Our Budget 2026 Lobby Campaign outlines these issues clearly for government, as we as a lobby group of dedicated school leaders, have tried to highlight for many years now”.

Support for Schools is Critical

While principals share the Department’s vision, the NPF stresses that successful implementation will require sustained investment and system-wide support, in line with the Forum’s pre-Budget priorities:

1.     Increased Investment and Ring-fenced Funding:

  • Increased funding across the board in schools to address the persistent underfunding of capitation grants, ancillary services grants, ICT grants, minor works grant. Etc. It is wishful thinking to bring new initiatives and subjects into the equation when basic utilities cannot be paid in our schools.
    • A guaranteed schedule of grant payment so that schools can budget for their exponentially increasing running costs.
    • Multi-annual resources to meet curriculum requirements in STEM, Arts, Wellbeing and modern languages.
    • Guaranteed annual grants for teaching materials, digital equipment and outdoor learning spaces.

2.     Time and Staffing:

  • Additional release days and substitute cover so principals and teachers can engage fully in professional learning and curriculum planning.
  • Increased leadership and administrative time for teaching principals to manage the significant change process.

3.     Professional Learning & CPD:

  • Comprehensive, high-quality training delivered during the school day, with follow-up in-school mentoring.
    • Funded opportunities for cluster collaboration so schools can share best practice and reduce duplication of effort.
    • A reduction in the slew of circulars and initiatives contributing to an unsustainable workload in our schools.

4.     Special Education and Inclusion Supports:

  • Fair and adequate allocation of Special Education Teachers (SET) and Special Needs Assistants (SNA) to ensure every child, including those with additional needs, can access the curriculum’s breadth. At present the ‘loaves and fish’ style allocation of SEN supports severely impacts the educational experiences of all pupils, most profoundly those with additional needs.

Collective Commitment

The NPF welcomes the Department’s €9.7 million initial investment but emphasises that full

enactment over the six-year rollout will demand ongoing funding and clear timelines.

“Principals are committed to delivering this exciting new curriculum,” Simon Lewis, NPF Member, added. “With increased funding, appropriate resources, adequate staffing and sustained professional support, schools can make the Minister’s vision of playful, inclusive and future-focused learning a reality for every child in Ireland. Without genuine political will to invest in making this a reality, these Redeveloped Primary Curriculum Specifications will just be tokenistic and aspirational and will merely add to the ever increasing workload in schools, which are already under immense pressure from financial shortfalls and SEN under- resourcing”.