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Early Edition with Aideen Finnegan
Second Level
News and advice on the second-level education system.
Most primary and secondary students refused to go to school at least once last year
Anxiety, difficulties engaging with lessons and friendship problems cited as reasons in Barnardos study
My daughter’s classmates have left for a grind school and she is desperate to join them
Grind schools have grown in popularity but they are not a guarantee of high achievement
The issues worrying students – and parents – when it comes to Leaving Cert 2026 results and CAO offers
Next Tuesday at 3pm is the cut-off point for receipt of acceptance of CAO round-one offers
A parent’s guide to helping your children start college life
‘Almost 4,500 every year in Ireland do not progress from year one to year two … There’s a lot of unhappy students and parents’
Advice for college first years: ‘You need to force yourself to go to at least one club’
If initially it can seem a bit hard to break into circles, clubs and societies are key to settling in to college life, says one fourth year
Reality of Irish schools is far from ‘placing children at the centre’
An overstretched system is placing school communities under serious strain
Cost of college: How much can you expect to pay for third-level education in Ireland?
Rent, food, travel, books, laptops and the €2,500 contribution fee add up to a considerable amount for students and families
Starting college: ‘The social life, making new friends, new connections, the education’
New horizon beckons for teenager who hails from DRC but has progressed from St Aidan’s Community School in Tallaght
Relief at securing a college place: ‘I’m just going to enjoy Galway city’
Having been denied Dare, Grace McNamara is very excited to have secured an arts place
CAO points and college places: Good news and bad for the class of 2026
For some, the good fortune of high points is countered by the misfortune of random selection
How to study at third level and what to expect in your first year
Many students find the change from learning at second level challenging, but there are a variety of supports in place
Education matters: ‘Committing to something for four years, I needed to think about it’
When the offer came through, Alex Murphy was unsure if he wanted to pursue the course
‘It felt like I’d won’: CAO delight on anniversary of teen’s diabetes diagnosis
Danny Goff says moving to Maynooth will pose challenges, but he can’t wait to get started
CAO round one offers bring delight, surprise and disappointment
Applications for veterinary medicine, physiotherapy and medicine all increased this year
Got a CAO offer? The temptation is to accept immediately, but take your time
How to accept or defer – and what happens if you get an upgrade in your Leaving Cert points
Skills-based FET courses versus traditional university education: Which are the real routes to opportunity?
What are the outcomes for respective graduates, particularly on durability of skills and earning potential, in the age of AI?
What is an apprenticeship and would it work for me?
Being paid while you study is a key factor, and there are more than 80 programmes available across all sectors of the economy
Apprenticeships: ‘It’s hard, working and studying at the same time’
A social media post planted the idea of an accounting technician’s apprenticeship in Lauren Hickey’s head
What’s college life like for disabled students?
Specialised disability support services are improving, but stigma still exists and transition to third level can be a challenge
‘Sending just one secondary school child back to school could cost more than €1,000′
Conor Pope’s guide to surviving the September squeeze on your finances
Restricted courses: It’s difficult when everyone around you is going, ‘oh, you’ll get in’
Students typically apply for restricted courses earlier in the CAO process
Huge range of options now available to school leavers to secure their desired course choices
Further Education sector growing in popularity with school leavers
‘Even the canteen lady knew my name at the PLC college. Everybody is so close-knit’
Lana Dowling was ‘lost’ for a long time in secondary school, but PLC courses proved a huge help in building her future
‘The Swiss Army knife of the school’: Principals report burnout due to heavy workloads
Unrealistic expectations from Department of Education also cited as factors in DCU study
Leaving Cert: All thoughts now move to CAO round one offers
Good luck on Wednesday, and please do get in touch if you have any questions
Further education and training should be considered a winning choice, not a consolation prize
FET options are simply different tools for different goals, and choosing such paths is a decision made on its own merits
Leaving Cert students query free fees, Dare/Hear, and off-key music
Irish Times Help desk team continue to respond to readers’ questions
Back-to-school costs: the €285 allowance and other ways of savings hundreds of euro
To hard-pressed parents, it can feel as if extra busyness and unnecessary expense are intentionally built into the start of the school year
‘Imagine if my two kids ended up in TUS as well and they’re looking at their old man walking around’
Having begun a tertiary degree at 45, David Faulkner is proud of being able to say: ‘I am able; I am capable’
It’s not too late to apply for one of the many tertiary degrees on offer in Ireland
Entry to these programmes is not based on Leaving Cert points but instead looks at student drive, suitability, skills and ability
‘They called me and I went for the interview ... They just needed my Leaving Cert results’
The tertiary degree route is one student Saira Mughal highly recommends to others
What impact will ongoing grade-enhancement reductions have on CAO points?
Continuing enhancement of Leaving Cert results, even at a reduced level, means an ongoing distorting effect
Leaving Cert results: Will CAO points rise or fall? The questions students are asking
Many school leavers are concerned about points requirements for courses. But there are also career pathways beyond the traditional route
Recruiting and retaining teachers: Department of Education could act on existing report
Some might reasonably question whether a review is what is now required
‘Mum is in tears, she can’t talk’: Student who left school in second year gets 625 points in Leaving Cert
She studied the Leaving Cert course through online grinds, which she worked to pay for, and through the use of free online teaching videos on YouTube
Balancing act continues as Leaving Cert grades drop back by an average of just over 1%
Timelines for fully removing pandemic-related post-marking adjustment will continue to be informed by the 2026 experience
Appeal, wait, go abroad, repeat: what can you do if you don’t get your first CAO choice?
Students from the class of 2026 have more options than ever
You have your Leaving Cert results. Now what?
Stay calm and ensure you are clear on how to interpret your grades as they relate to your college requirements
Teacher censured for falsifying letter of professional standing
Secondary school teacher who began his career in England and Northern Ireland altered document, panel finds
Leaving Cert results: One of the most beloved subjects proves, yet again, to be one of the hardest
Physics and chemistry are often perceived as difficult subjects, but they tend to have a high H1 rate
Leaving Cert 2026: A unique second-level journey ends
Whatever results you have just received are a mark of your resilience over six uniquely challenging years
Covid impacts and enhanced grades: five takeaways from 2026 Leaving Cert results
Friday’s results, in the aggregate, are close to those awarded in 2020
CAO points system cannot be used to measure intelligence
People possess distinct intelligences, not just one or two that can be captured by an IQ test or examination
Leaving Cert results grade inflation cut again as number of H1s falls
Percentage of H1 grades falls from 12.1% to 10.1% as State continues unwinding of measure
Catholic education sector recognises greater plurality of choice is required
Political will is needed to adequately invest in publicly funded services
Advice for first years: ‘You don’t find yourself at university, you kind of create yourself there’
Bel Aghedo has completed her first year of a law degree at University of Galway
Are you too late for campus accommodation? What should you do now?
On-campus housing can be both expensive and difficult to secure
Leaving Cert results: Life isn’t about exams, fractions or poets
The Irish Times will publish a special supplement for those navigating one of the most important milestones in Irish education
Leaving Cert 2026: What time are the results out and what are other key dates?
From the initial release of results through to the appeals process and on to rounds of college offers
A parent’s guide to results day: This is not the time for ‘I told you so’
Thousands of disappointed students have always found a way forward
How can incoming students get the best out of their first year at college?
Making the library a second home can pay dividends when exams and assignments fall due
‘Students prefer to work with books’: Is classroom tech worth it?
Despite cost, an increasing number of schools are turning to individual iPads for students
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices