The Department of Education is pleased to announce the opening of a new round of Creative Clusters. The deadline for receipt of applications is 10th April.
Each Creative Cluster will receive grant funding of €3,000 per school over a two-year period to implement their project 2025–2027.
3 schools would receive €9,000
5 schools would receive €15,000
In addition to financial support above each cluster will also receive:
A Creative Cluster Facilitator
Teacher Substitution to attend Workshops and Meetings
Applications are to be completed online using the following link: Creative Clusters 2025 Application should you need assistance, please contact your local full-time Education Support Centre (list at Appendix 1 of Guidelines document on DE website) or use this link Appendix 1
Any queries, please contact your local Education Support Centre or email National Arts in Education Administration This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Eligible Schools - The following schools are welcome to apply to participate in Creative Clusters:
Schools that have not yet participated in Creative Clusters.
Schools that have not yet participated in Creative Schools and those who will complete Creative Schools Year 2 in the 2024/25 school year.
Schools that will complete Creative Clusters Year 2 in the 2025/25 school year. However, they must apply as part of a cluster who have not yet participated in the initiative. In this instance, it is required that this school applies to lead a cluster of schools that are new to the initiative.
The local Education Support Centre will have a key role in identifying and supporting a Creative Cluster for their local area.
42 Creative Clusters will be selected nationally - 2 per Education Support Centre.
Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Department of Education, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Education Centres (Education Support Centres Ireland - ESCI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund.
Ficheall.ie is the national network of primary teachers promoting chess in their schools for the social and cognitive benefits it has for primary school students. Ficheall teachers use chess as a tool to teach through and an opportunity for their students to develop new skills and values, as well as representing their school at Ficheall tournaments called Féile Fichille (chess festival).
The Ficheall.ie website contains many excellent resources created by fellow primary school teachers such as:
Cork Education Support Centre have hosted the Chess for Social Skills summer course previously with great success. Upon completion of this course teachers can play chess (most attend the course having never played chess before) and can teach the basics of chess to students in their class while also teaching key SPHE curriculum objectives from 1st to 6th class (all of this without worksheets).
Féile Fichille Chess Tournaments
Féile Fichille tournaments are non-competitive chess tournaments organised annually in Term 2. No medals, prizes or trophies are presented. Instead, the day is a celebration of the students learning chess and social skills as well as their teachers’ leadership skills to introduce the initiative in their school. For many students it is their first opportunity to wear their school jersey and represent their school. More details about Féile Fichille Tournaments can be found here (including a checklist to ensure students are ready for the Féile Fichille)
Féile Fichille Timeline
September: Registrations Open
October: Registrations Close
November: Schools informed of tournament date and venue
January/ February/ March: Féile Fichille tournament will be scheduled in term 2. Registered schools will be allocated one Féile Fichille tournament to attend. Schools are required to be at the venue at 9.30am with the event concluded by 2pm
Announcing a wonderful opportunity for artists and creative practitioners of all disciplines to broaden their practice through Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) professional development and in-school residency programme. Closing date for expression of interest Friday 7th June 2024.
Develop creative partnerships with teachers and children. Receive funded training and residencies that bring the arts and creativity to children all over Ireland through TAP+, an initiative of Creative Youth 2023-27 under Creative Ireland and led by the Department of Education.
TAP+ Overview
TAP+ Summer Course running 1st to 5th July 2024 in your local Education Support Centre
Fully paid training to support artists and creative practitioners to work in primary and special schools
TAP+ In-school Residencies
Bringing learning into practice through creative partnership with teachers and children
Funded 20-hour residencies in the school year 2024/25
Access to the BLAST register of creative practitioners to deliver in-school residencies
TAP+ Details
Open to artists and creative practitioners, working in any art form, discipline or creative practice, who are committed to sharing their practice with children and teachers in primary and special schools
Training 1st - 5th July 2024 through your local nearest full-time Education Support Centre (esci.ie) to facilitate creative practitioners and collaborating teachers to work in creative partnerships with children.
Training allowance of €150 per day over the 5-day summer course training (€750 in total), plus travel and lunch provided.
Professional development through partnerships and creative, collaborative relationships with teachers, in schools committed to the arts and creativity in learning, practice and community.
Guarantee of paid, follow up in-school residency within a local primary or special school (€1,100 Fee total inclusive of €200 Travel) to carry out a 20-hour residency (14 contact hours plus 6 hours planning, preparation and evaluation) in partnership with your teacher partner in the school year 2024/2025.
Creative Practitioners must complete TAP+ in-school residencies following participation on the TAP+ Summer Course.
TAP+ trained creative practitioners are also eligible to participate in BLAST in-school residencies. We invite successful TAP+ creative practitioners to join the BLAST register and where possible to deliver BLAST residencies. See here for further details: BLAST information
Information, learning and networking opportunities for further freelance work within the education system.
Artists / Creative Practitioners must
have a track record of a minimum of three years’ professional practice in any art form / creative practice
demonstrate an interest in / commitment to: the principles of Arts and Creativity in Education and to enhancing the lives of children through arts/creative practice
be willing to learn about classroom culture and to work in equal partnership with teachers and children
Combine a sense of fun, joy and collaboration with professional dedication and high artistic/creative vision
Be willing to undertake child protection training as part of the induction week, and undergo standard Garda vetting before taking up project placements.
Artists / Creative Practitioners apply for TAP+ via expressions of interest sent to the Director of your local Education Support Centre no later than 5pm on Friday 7th June 2024. Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.
The letter should outline:
1. Training institute/ organisation
2. Brief description of practice
3. Why you aim to work in education and in partnership teachers and children
4. What qualifies you to undertake the TAP+ summer course training and residency programme
Places on this Creative Youth initiative are limited to four Artists / Creative Practitioners per full-time Education Support Centre area. Please ensure that it will be possible for you to meet all requirements of the programme before applying.
Final decision on offers of places will be taken by the Director of the local Education Support Centre. Any queries in relation to TAP+ should be directed to your local full-time Education Support Centre.