Mayo principals join call for high stake exams and curriculum overload to be tackled

A poll of almost 200 post-primary principals and deputy principals from across Ireland’s Education and Training Boards, including Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim ETB, has identified high stake exams and curriculum overload as the biggest limits on students’ positive school experience.

Almost all surveyed agreed that student needs have become more complex in the last five years, and three quarters feel the education system is not adapting fast enough to those needs.

The poll was carried out at Education & Training Boards Ireland’s annual conference of principals and deputy principals, where over 300 delegates gathered to contribute to the national conversation on the government’s upcoming Convention on Education, which is seeking the views of educators, students and parents on the future of Ireland’s education system.

While two-thirds of principals and deputy principals polled believe the current education system is serving most students ‘fairly well’, 80% do not believe current system structures support teacher and school leader wellbeing.

The two-day conference, held in Galway, also saw delegates explore AI, school buildings, curriculum reform, Irish language in schools and the links between schools and youth services.