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POLICY PATCHWORK: Do schools have adequate policies to support transgender students?

Ireland

Responsibility for drafting policies for transgender students in school falls to individual boards of management with no centralised State guidelines, meaning that Ireland is a patchwork of policies.

8 Backers raised €240 of €1990

Open

NOT UNIFORM: Why do schools still have gender-based dress codes?

Ireland

Most schools in Ireland enforce strict dress codes with uniforms, sometimes even specifying the colour of scarf to be worn and minimum length of skirt.

9 Backers raised €160 of €1900

Open

BALANCING THE BOOKS: Are publishers profiting from new school book editions?

Ireland

Despite the Government’s plan to introduce free school books for primary school pupils from September 2023, they continue to be one of the most costly expenses for parents of secondary school students.

9 Backers raised €165 of €1730

Open

PRICE OF KNOWLEDGE: Are rising costs a barrier to third-level education?

Ireland

Ireland has the highest third-level fees in the EU, with students also burdened with increasingly higher accommodation costs.

2 Backers raised €30 of €2530

Open

CLASSROOM TO IMPROVE: Why are our children still educated in prefabs?

Ireland

Most students who have come through the Irish primary and secondary school system over the past number of decades will almost certainly have experienced classes in prefabricated buildings.

3 Backers raised €50 of €2035

Open

ECONOMY CLASS: Why do schools still rely on parents to pay for essentials?

Ireland

Children in Ireland are entitled to free education yet schools continue to rely on parents to help pay for essentials such as heating, lighting, insurance and classroom equipment. This is due to the ongoing funding gap between running costs and State grants.

6 Backers raised €65 of €2770

Open

KIDS IN CARE: Are children falling through the cracks of the care system?

Ireland

Almost 6,000 children are currently living in care in Ireland, with nearly 90% of those in foster care. As of October 2022, 87% of children in care had an allocated social worker, meaning over 750 children did not have this support.

6 Backers raised €100 of €2330

Completed

TOUGH START: Is the opportunity gap for Traveller children ever going to close?

Ireland

Children in the Irish Traveller community are at a disadvantage from the moment they are born. Infant mortality is over three times higher, suicide is six to seven times higher and life expectancy is over a decade lower than the general population.

69 Backers raised €2130 of €2130

Open

POSTCARDS OFFER: Give the gift of investigative journalism

Ireland

Have you enjoyed our award-winning reporting? This is your chance to share the gift of investigative journalism - and receive a set of limited edition Noteworthy postcards.

20 Backers raised €543 of €5000

Completed

ASSESSING AUTISM: Why are children left waiting for years for support?

Ireland

Research shows that early diagnosis of autism leading to early interventions and treatment can have major long-term positive effects for children.

29 Backers raised €710 of €710

Completed

ACADEMIC UNCERTAINTY: How are universities and institutes of technology allowed to employ so many researchers and lecturers on precarious contracts?

Ireland

In Ireland, we hold academics in high esteem but are they being treated properly by their employers and the Government?

44 Backers raised €1300 of €1300

Completed

LOSING FAITH: Why is it taking so long to provide non-denominational school options to parents around the country?

Ireland

With one in ten Irish people declaring they have no religion in the latest census, the provision of suitable education options is becoming ever more pressing.

10 Backers raised €1450 of €1450

Completed

INFLATING GRADES: Is it getting easier to graduate with first class honours?

National

Almost every generation seems to think they had it much harder than the one that follows.

6 Backers raised €1350 of €1350