With the inclusion of play as a right, schools are urged to consider whether "all" children can access play opportunities in schoolyards. Refocusing on play as occupation is identified as an important way in which occupational therapists can contribute within schools. Greater knowledges of children's play and teachers' practices, in…

Meaningful Physical Education (PE) is a pedagogical approach to PE instruction designed with the aim of helping teachers explicitly prioritise meaningful experiences for students. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a small-scale implementation of a preliminary version of Meaningful PE with a sample of five primary classroom teachers…

Injury and illness can occur in children. Since children spend a considerable amount of time in school, teachers must have the ability to assist when required. However, no research to date has examined Irish primary school teachers' experiences, training and knowledge in first aid. An online survey (n = 587) examined Irish male and female primary…

Students who grow up in disadvantaged areas face more challenges and are less likely to complete their education than peers from non-disadvantaged areas. In response to this inequality, the Irish Department of Education and Skills implemented an intervention called Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) to address it. Before the…

Whether school composition makes a difference for student outcomes has been the subject of much controversy. This article draws on "Growing Up in Ireland" data, a rich source of information on nine-year-old children along with the characteristics of their school and classroom teacher. In contrast to many studies which rely on a single…