Only about a dozen English teachers have attended training sessions for the new junior cycle programme, the Department of Education said.

Eight of 14 training sessions scheduled to date have been cancelled, while only a handful of non-unionised teachers attended the six sessions that went ahead.

The boycott of continuing professional development (CPD) continued on Monday with pickets at education centres in Waterford, Limerick and Drumcondra in Dublin.

The department said it was “unfortunate” teachers were being pressurised by their unions not to attend the CPD seminars in an escalation of their industrial action against junior cycle reforms.

“It is important to note that these seminars relate to the English curriculum currently being taught in schools and, accordingly, it is not only the teachers themselves but, ultimately, school students who are adversely affected by this course of action,” the department said.

English is the first subject to come under the new junior cycle programme, and its teachers have been allocated up to 16 days CPD as the reforms are rolled out.

However, the ASTI and TUI are obstructing the reforms until the department removes a plan to have teachers assess their own students in skills such as communications and problem solving as part of the new programme.