Blog Category: Seán Cottrell

Seán is executive director of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network, the professional body for primary school leaders.

ICT in primary curriculum – an enabler for economic recovery?

The Government announced last month that all second-level schools are to get high-speed broadband by 2014. They failed to offer any similar commitment to primary schools where, according to a … Read more

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ICT as a foundation for future learning

At a recent Science Foundation Ireland forum on how science and industry can work together for economic recovery, Mark Little, the former RTÉ broadcaster and now a social media entrepreneur, … Read more

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Conference 2012 – a worthwhile exercise

Last month’s IPPN conference was a huge success, drawing together more than 1,100 primary school leaders and renowned educationalists for a three-day symposium on how the role of principal has … Read more

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The role of parents in primary education

Considering the critical role parents play in the education of their children, and how that role is underpinned by the constitution, parents collectively have had relatively little influence in shaping … Read more

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Budget rips heart out of rural Ireland

Last month, RTE’s Six One news carried the happy and heart-warming story of Coolderry hurlers returning with the Leinster club hurling trophy to the cradle of their hurling civilization – … Read more

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Budget 2012 – Death by 1,000 cuts

The impact of Budget 2012 is still being digested. While the initial reaction was one of ‘it could have been worse’, on further examination it is clear that this budget … Read more

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