Féilte Bursary Scheme 2025 – Successful Applications

St. Laserian’s School, Carlow, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with South Eastern Technological University Waterford, Scoil Aireagail and Duiske College to form a regional professional learning community focused on inclusive practice, wellbeing, creativity, and sustainability among teachers of Home Economics. Teachers will engage in evening workshops on felting and creative textiles, fast fashion and the circular economy, nutrition and wellbeing, financial literacy, inclusive teaching, and developing new culinary skills. The project also aims to strengthen cross-curricular links with Business, Economics, Science, Art, and Physical Education, culminating in a digital Padlet and reflective video showcasing professional learning in action.

Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, Ennis, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with four schools* to build a professional, collaborative Irish-medium education Community of Practice. A range of professional learning activities on the theme of immersion education will be organised. The project aims to support the professional learning of the school staff involved in implementing inclusive, innovative, high-quality all-Irish education. It will develop cross-curricular links between Mary Immaculate College, Líonra na hlnse Language Planning Officer, and Clare Education and Support Centre.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Cíosóg
• Gaelscoil Donncha Rua Sionna
• Gaelscoil Uí Choimin Cill Rois
• SN Iosef Naofa Maigh

Tubber National School, Co. Clare, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with the University of Galway and four schools* in the “Gort Small Schools Cluster” to co-design and deliver a programme of teacher professional learning through coding and AI workshops. The collaboration will support teachers in embedding coding and computational thinking across the 2023 Primary Mathematics Curriculum and draft STEM Curriculum. Teachers will engage in joint workshops, peer collaboration, and classroom implementation, supported by staff from the University of Galway. The project emphasises professional relationships, shared leadership, and reflective practice, enabling teachers to co-design lessons, exchange expertise, and strengthen digital capacity within their schools.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Tierneevin National School, Co. Galway
• St. Columba’s National School, Co. Galway
• Kilbeacanty National School, Co. Galway
• Lurga National School, Co. Galway

Owenabue Educate Together National School, Carrigaline, has been awarded €2,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Carrigaline Educate Together National School and Douglas Rochestown Educate Together National School to strengthen inclusive teaching and learning through a Peer Observation for Inclusion project. Teachers will engage in a structured programme of peer observation, reflection, and collaboration. Through school visits, shared reflection, and collaboration, teachers will deepen their understanding of inclusive pedagogy. The project aims to build a sustainable professional learning community across the three schools, a shared “Inclusion in Action” digital resource, and enhanced teacher confidence in inclusive practice.

Ballymore National School, Co. Donegal has been awarded €5,000, as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme, to collaborate with three schools* to utilise outdoor spaces. Digital technologies will be used to create and improve effective learning spaces. Participating teachers will engage in workshops, peer collaboration, lesson study and delivery cycles to explore how digital tools can enrich teaching and learning in outdoor environments. This project supports teachers in reimagining the school grounds as dynamic, technology-enhanced classrooms. This project aims to develop teachers’ confidence and skills in integrating outdoor and digital learning to foster pupil engagement, creativity and environmental awareness.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Holy Trinity National School
• Creeslough National School
• Killygordon National School

Blackrock Educate Together Secondary School has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with ten schools*, to observe each other’s classroom practices across different schools, creating a reflective, supportive culture where teachers can exchange insights, deepen their understanding of effective teaching, and enhance their teaching and learning. Through engaging in peer observation, teachers will gain insights into diverse approaches, build professional relationships, and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement. The project emphasises shared learning, mutual respect, and the value of seeing teaching through other teachers’ perspectives.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Gorey Educate Together Secondary School
• Harold’s Cross Educate Together Secondary School
• Clogher Road Community College
• Goatstown Educate Together Secondary School
• Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School
• Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School
• Kishoge Community College
• Educate Together Secondary School Wicklow
• Cabra Community College
• Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School

Chanel College, Coolock, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Catholic University School and St. Mary’s College to empower teachers and students to explore ethical and innovative uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. This project aims to build a professional learning community where teachers engage in shared leadership, co-design AI-enhanced learning experiences, and reflect on inclusive and ethical digital practices. Through interactive workshops, PlayLab sessions, and expert-led seminars, educators will explore AI tools that foster creativity, critical thinking, and responsible technology use in the classroom. By fostering teacher leadership in ethical AI practices across schools, this project advances national priorities while modelling a professional learning approach that is collaborative, future-focused, and inclusive.

Coláiste Cois Life, Lucan, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with six schools* to promote philosophical education using Philosophy4Children (P4C) pedagogy in the context of primary and post-primary Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. By facilitating two workshops, in which teachers actively engage in P4C methodologies, it aims to form a network of educators, trained in P4C trí Ghaeilge, and continue to promote the value of philosophy for Irish-medium education.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Gaelscoil Naomh Phádraig
• Coláiste Chilliain
• Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin
• Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada
• Gaelscoil na Camóige
• Gaelscoil Inse Chór

Dalkey School Project NS has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Blackrock Education Support Centre and three schools*, to build a professional learning community focused on Nature Based Learning (NBL). Through a Community of Practice, teachers will share expertise, resources, and reflective practice to embed outdoor, experiential learning across the curriculum. The project aligns aims to build teacher capacity and promoting wellbeing, creativity, and environmental stewardship.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Monkstown Educate Together National School
• Dun Laoghaire Educate Together National School
• St. Cronan’s National School

Dublin College Blackrock has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with four colleges of further education*, to design and pilot a professional learning programme on the effective and ethical use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in teaching and learning. Teachers will participate in a structured CPD process involving a needs analysis, a bespoke Articulate Rise e-learning course, and an online Community of Practice hosted on Moodle. The project aims to build teachers’ digital capability and confidence, and create reusable CPD resources aligned with the Digital Strategy.

*List of collaborating colleges of further education:

• Dublin College Dundrum
• Dublin College Dún Laoghaire
• Dublin College Sallynoggin
• Dublin College Stillorgan

Goatstown Educate Together Secondary School, Dublin, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with St. Kilian’s Deutsche Schule, and Ballinteer Community School, to form a professional learning community for wellbeing. The project aims to strengthen positive school relationships and promote kindness by providing Restorative Practice (RP) training to teachers in participating schools. Led by a team of three trained RP practitioners, the professional learning will focus on developing staff capacity to use restorative language and approaches in everyday interactions. By expanding the number of teachers trained in RP, the project supports the Bí Cineálta anti-bullying initiative, aiding empathy, respect, and accountability, resulting in a more connected, inclusive, and preventative school culture across the school communities.

Scoil Mhuire Junior, Blakestown, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with the Irish Museum of Modern Art and four schools* to form a professional learning community. This project aims to introduce the teachers to the all-inclusive teaching methodology of “Visual Thinking Strategies” (VTS), an all-inclusive practice designed to benefit students of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and learners of English as an additional language. VTS develops language by using carefully selected artworks and guided, open-ended questions to facilitate student-centred conversations that build critical thinking and communication skills. The project will strive to improve social and emotional wellbeing while developing empathy and respect for others, enhancing teacher capacity to use this teaching methodology across all curricular subjects.

*List of collaborating schools:

• St. Philip The Apostle Junior National School
• Blakestown Community School
• Rath Dara Community College
• Scoil Mhuire Senior, Blakestown

St. Michael’s House Special National School has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with The Kolbe Special School and Little Angels Special School to identify and integrate effective communication practices that support how adults and children in special schools communicate and interact. This will involve a distillation of concrete practices and activities which facilitate and empower student voices. It will also involve the trialling of resources and activities in order to refine and share with other special schools in the Republic of Ireland. The project also aims to explore and examine the effects of greater student and adult voice in special schools.

Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School, Dublin, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Dublin City University and four schools* to establish and strengthen a national network of SPHE educators committed to inclusive, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to teaching SPHE. As there is currently no national subject association or formal network for SPHE teachers in Ireland, this initiative seeks to address that gap by connecting SPHE teachers across diverse school contexts to identify shared professional learning needs, enhance inclusive practice, and co-design a teacher-led professional learning event. Teachers in this project will engage with 40 other schools nationally, aspiring to establish a professional learning network through an event focused on inclusion and culturally responsive SPHE. The project will also be supported by cross-sectoral partners including advocacy and educational organisations focused on teacher professional learning (ShoutOut and Dublin Rape Crisis Centre).

*List of collaborating schools:

• Kildare Town Community School
• St. Munchin’s College, Limerick
• Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, Galway
• Pleasants Street Youthreach, Dublin

Coláiste na Ríochta, Listowel, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with three schools*, to focus on embedding inclusive practices for all learners, through the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. This project aims to establish a Community of Practice to support whole-school implementation, drawing on the national Cosán Framework. Teachers will engage in shared planning, professional development, peer mentoring, and reflective collaboration to build confidence and provide meaningful choices, accessibility, and engagement in classrooms. The project aims to create a sustainable culture of inclusion supported by adaptable UDL resources and ongoing dialogue across schools.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Castleisland Community College
• Coláiste Gleann Lí Post Primary School
• Causeway Comprehensive School

Scoil Mhuire, Ballymore Eustace, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with St. Brigid’s National School, Manor Kilbride and SN Nicoláis Naofa, Dunlavin, to build their professional capacity in supporting children’s self-esteem, resilience, and emotional regulation through working with a play therapist and an occupational therapist. Professional learning will take place through joint workshops, reflective sessions and shared practice. The project aims to promote teacher collaboration, enhance classroom strategies and ensure consistent approaches to wellbeing across all three schools.

Scoil na Naomh Uilig, Newbridge, has been awarded €2,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Newbridge Educate Together National School and Mary Immaculate College to support teachers in deepening their professional understanding of playful pedagogies through collaborative inquiry aligned with the Primary Curriculum Framework (2023). Teachers from both schools will co-design, implement and reflect on playful learning experiences while exploring how children perceive play in the classroom. Supported by Mary Immaculate College, the project aims to compare children’s perspectives with existing research, leading to actionable insights for practice. It will further enhance teacher confidence, stronger alignment between pedagogy and pupil voice as well as producing creative digital resources for national professional sharing.

Ballinakill Mixed NS, Co. Laois, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with four schools* to engage in targeted leadership development, through engagement with LIFT (Leading Ireland’s Future Together). In facilitated workshops, peer-learning sessions and roundtable conferencing, teachers will reflect on leadership values, meeting with leaders from within and outside of education to explore approaches to leadership challenges and build shared leadership capacity. This project aims to strengthen leadership cultures that enhance teaching and learning, and enables the creation of a sustainable leadership network across this rural community.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Heywood Community School
• Holy Cross National School
• Scoil an Chroí Ró Naofa
• Clonenagh National School

Coláiste Iósaef, Kilmallock, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Scoil Mocheallóg and Coláiste Íde agus Iósef, to focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) implementation within their schools. This project aims develop teachers’ understanding and knowledge relating to UDL, as well as providing teaching colleagues with the necessary confidence to implement a range of inclusive practice that the UDL framework caters for within diverse classrooms.

Dunboyne College of Further Education has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Dublin City University, and three schools*, to explore teaching media and digital literacy across primary, post-primary and further education sectors. Through a shared learning day with expert speakers and collaborative workshops, participants will examine disinformation, misinformation, Artificial Intelligence, and digital responsibility, emphasising the teacher’s role in guiding students. The project aims to empower teachers, enhancing their knowledge, therefore improving student learning. Additionally, the project aims to foster ongoing communities of practice and long-term professional connections across education sectors, supporting continuous development.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Dunboyne Senior National School
• Ó Fiaich College
• Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education and Training

Central Technical Institute, Clonmel, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with three schools*, and Mary Immaculate College, to embed educational coaching into the professional learning culture of participating schools. Through workshops, online sessions, and coaching cycles, teachers will explore Growth, Instructional, and Transformational Coaching models. The initiative aims to build capacity for reflective practice, peer support, and leadership development, culminating in a digital asset that showcases coaching strategies and supports replication across schools in Tipperary.

*List of collaborating schools:

• St. Ailbe’s, Tipperary Town
• Coláiste Mhuire Co-Ed Thurles
• Comeragh College

Coláiste Mhuire Co-Ed, Thurles, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Scoil Ruáin Killenaule and Leugh National School. This project focuses on developing a collaborative, student-led learning environment that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving while building strong connections between primary and post-primary schools. The schools aim to co-host a ‘Student Leadership Summit’ to share best practices and resources developed.

St. Stephen’s De La Salle, Waterford City, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with Portlaw National School, Mount Sion National School, South Eastern Technological University and Waterford Education Support Centre build upon the success of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Focused Community of Practice: More than Words, which brought together teachers from three DEIS schools in Co. Waterford supported by SETU and Waterford Education Support Centre. This project aims to deepen and expand on existing professional learning by empowering teachers to become UDL Ambassadors and leaders in their own schools and the wider community.

Columba College, Westmeath, has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with six schools*, to enhance teachers’ understanding of DEIS planning, aiding implementation, and expanding action planning for improvement. Through creating a Community of Practice, the planned events will allow school leaders, DEIS Coordinators, and classroom teachers to share best practice and practical examples of DEIS planning, renewing a focus on planning for DEIS in teaching and learning across the schools involved.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Templemichael College
• Ardscoil Phádraig
• Castlepollard Community College
• Mullingar Community College
• Lanesboro Community College
• Ballymahon Vocational College

Mullingar Community College has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with and Dublin City University and eight schools* to co-develop trauma-informed, inclusive practices. Through collaborative CPD, student voice, and resource co-creation, the project aims to build teacher capacity and improve student wellbeing. Designed using UDL principles, the schools aim to create an accessible and adaptable toolkit, refined through teacher and student feedback. With strong alignment to national policies and a clear sustainability plan, this project offers meaningful, scalable impact across diverse educational contexts.

*List of collaborating schools:

• Templemichael College
• Lanesboro Community College
• Ardscoil Phádraig, Granard
• Ballymahon Vocational School
• Castlepollard Community College
• Columba College, Killucan
• Athlone Community College
• Cornmaddy National School

Delgany National School, Co. Wicklow, has been awarded €2,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with St. Kevin’s National School, Greystones, to form a professional learning community focused on applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to the teaching and learning of spellings. Teachers will collaborate to explore inclusive approaches that support all pupils in developing spelling skills. Through shared planning, reflection, and classroom-based inquiry, participants will trial and adapt UDL strategies in their literacy teaching. Through the intervention of experts in UDL and literacy providing research based professional learning, the key aim of the project is to help connect theory with classroom practice and strengthen teachers’ confidence in designing accessible and engaging spelling instruction for every learner.

North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School has been awarded €5,000 as part of the Féilte Bursary Scheme to collaborate with seven schools* to support teachers in implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to foster inclusive, flexible, and student-centred teaching. It is a collaborative professional learning initiative involving schools across primary, post-primary, and special education sectors in the south-east of Ireland. Through structured training, Communities of Practice, and shared resources, teachers will lead school-based innovations tailored to their contexts. The project aims to build leadership capacity, enhance professional collaboration, and promote inclusive education aligned with national priorities.

*List of collaborating schools:

• New Ross Educate Together National School
• Our Lady of Fatima Special School
• Bridgetown College
• Glenart College
• Bunscoil Rís
• St. Mary’s Secondary School, New Ross
• St. Mary’s Academy CBS