Emer Smyth

23 results

Narrowing the education gap: pupils at Francis Street CBS primary school, in Dublin, in a yoga class
‘To survive the Irish school system, you have to become middle class’

At Francis Street CBS primary school, in south inner-city Dublin, the work of narrowing the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peer(...)

The Growing Up in Ireland study is the biggest and most complex social science project ever to be undertaken in this country and provides thousands of insights into the lives of children. Photograph: iStock
Growing Up in Ireland: what we've learned from a decade of research

A quarter of our three-year-olds are overweight or obese; 50 per cent of Irish-born mothers don’t even start to breastfeed their babies; 16 per cent o(...)

Valerie Gaynor with some of the pre-school children at Creative Kids & Co in Walkinstown, Dublin. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
Helping your child get ready for ‘big school’

Regina Bushell still remembers having to be brought in “kicking and screaming” on her first day at primary school, just a few weeks after her fourth b(...)

Children from middle-class families are more likely to outperform those from less well-off homes from three years of age, according to a new study. Photo: iStock
Middle-class children outperform others before starting school

Children from middle-class families are more likely to outperform those from less well-off homes from before they even begin primary school, according(...)

On average, and all things being equal, girls generally outperform boys in Leaving Cert subjects, whether or not they have boys sitting beside them in the classroom.
Majority of schools in top flight are single-sex

Boys and girls About a third of Ireland’s post-primary school are single-sex. By international standards, this is unusual. Today’s feeder school lis(...)

Schoolchildren who are frequently reprimanded by teachers are much more likely to lose self-confidence in their ability to do schoolwork, new research shows. Photo: iStock
Schoolchildren who are ‘given out to’ often are more likely to lose self-confidence

Schoolchildren who are frequently “given out to” or reprimanded by teachers are much more likely to lose self-confidence in their ability to do school(...)

Moving on up? “It is one of the first times you are going to have your beautiful child going into a situation that you can’t really control,” says teacher Ray Silke.
Smoothing the way into secondary

“Walking school bags” is one name for them. The first-year pupils arriving at their new secondary school, barely visible underneath a huge, brand new (...)

Students taking part in group work as part of the new junior cycle.
Is our education system fit for purpose in the 21st-century?

Liam Wegimont, principal of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Clontarf, Dublin, produces a neatly typed letter from his files. It is from a previo(...)

Secondary school students taking part in group work as part of the new junior cycle.
Are junior cycle reforms on the right track?

Every three years, half a million 15-year-olds in more than 70 countries take a two-hour test designed to measure their ability to think. The release(...)

There is plenty of evidence that co-education is a better social preparation for boys and girls. Photograph: iStock
Single-sex or mixed: what’s best for your child?

When it comes to school choice, it’s one of the biggest questions facing parents in Ireland. As a western country, we’re somewhat unusual in that abou(...)

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