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Guides to the Five Primary Curriculum Areas

Free 15-minute guides to the five redeveloped primary curriculum areas: what each specification asks, how the time divides, and learning outcomes by stage.

25 September 2026

Curriculum

A Short Guide to Each of the Five Curriculum Areas

Free fifteen-minute reads on what each redeveloped specification asks of you โ€” with every learning outcome set out by stage.

Coding Ireland  ยท  September 2026  ยท  3 min read

Schools are hearing from Oide around now about which curriculum area they will be enacting first, and about the professional learning that comes with it.

We have written a short guide to each area. They are free to read, and each one is about fifteen minutes: what the specification actually asks of you, how the time divides, and every learning outcome set out by stage so you can read only your own class.

๐ŸงญStart here, whichever area you are focussed on

A Teacher's Guide to the Redeveloped Primary Curriculum

The five areas, what you teach from which document this year, what an assigned area commits you to over two years, and the planning conversation that catches most schools out. Read the guide โ†’

๐Ÿ“šThen the one for your area

Wellbeing

PE and SPHE in one specification, how the two divide, and the parts that need care. Read the Wellbeing guide โ†’

STEM Education

Two specifications and two guides, because STEM is Science, Technology and Engineering alongside Mathematics. Read the STE guide โ†’ ยท Read the Maths guide โ†’

Arts Education

Art, Drama and Music under one set of elements, what is genuinely new, and the monthly time budget. Read the Arts guide โ†’

Social and Environmental Education

Three scales from the locality outwards, planning when the specification prescribes no topics, and where History and Geography separate. Read the SEE guide โ†’

Language

Our guide covers the modern foreign languages part: 3rd to 6th class, what changes at 5th, and the honest answer to teaching a language you do not speak. Read the Language guide โ†’

โ„น๏ธWhat these guides are โ€” and are not

These guides are ours. They are not from Oide or the NCCA, and they are not a replacement for the professional learning days your school has been given. They are a short read for a staffroom before or between them. The specifications themselves are published by the NCCA on curriculumonline.ie.

How Coding Ireland Helps

  • โœ“A free short guide to each of the five redeveloped curriculum areas โ€” about fifteen minutes each
  • โœ“Every learning outcome set out by stage, so you can read only your own class
  • โœ“Written for the staffroom โ€” a short read before or between your Oide professional learning days
  • โœ“Not sure which area your school is enacting first? Pick your focus at codingireland.ie/guides/focus and go straight to the right guide

Ready to bring this to your school?

Start with the Teacher's GuideFind Your Area's Guide

Coding Ireland
Coding Ireland
Guides to the Five Primary Curriculum Areas
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