Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

271. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider the introduction of a basic cookery skills program at national school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10297/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) advise the Minister for Education on curriculum and assessment in relation to early childhood education, primary and post-primary schools. This advice is shaped by feedback from consultations with the public, schools and early childhood settings, education interests and other stakeholders.

The NCCA is in the process of redeveloping the primary curriculum. The Primary Curriculum Framework (PCF), which launched in March 2023, sets out the purpose, structure and content for the redeveloped curriculum in all primary and special schools. It highlights what is important in primary education and why; and sets out what should be prioritised in children’s learning.

One of the key competencies of the PCF, 'being well', emphasises the important role all curriculum areas, together with the whole school community, play in nurturing children’s wellbeing. This competency develops children’s understanding and appreciation of well-being and their ability to be as healthy as they can be – physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. This competency helps children become healthy through physical activity, food, self-care, and interaction with nature.

The curriculum has been developed on the understanding that facilities available to schools vary, consequently, they offer a level of flexibility that allow each individual school to design a programme that can be delivered using the resources and supports available to it.

Work to develop five new curriculum specifications is underway. The new curricula will be introduced from the 2025/2026 school year and implementation will be on a phased basis, over a 5 – 6 year period. Further information on these curriculum developments, and others, can be found on NCCA.ie.