Scoil Cholmáin Tuairíní

At Scoil Cholmáin, we are fully embracing Ireland's new Primary Curriculum Framework. One of the biggest and most exciting shifts is how we teach children about the world around them.

The traditional subject grouping of SESE has evolved into two dynamic, forward-thinking curriculum areas:

• Social and Environmental Education (SEE): This area brings History and Geography together into a deeply integrated study of people, places, and society. Through SEE, our pupils explore social, cultural and historical dimensions of life, helping them build empathy, critical thinking skills and a strong sense of local and global citizenship.
• STEM Education: To better prepare our children for the future, Science has now moved into a dedicated STEM block alongside Mathematics, Technology and Engineering. This encourages playful, real-world problem-solving, ingenuity and scientific inquiry.

By structuring our classrooms this way, we help our pupils develop open, responsible attitudes as active, caring members of our community.

STEM and SEE in Action at Scoil Cholmáin

We don't just teach these concepts from textbooks—we bring them to life through hands-on experiences, community connections and engaging, fun competitions! Here is how our students live the new curriculum every day:

• Celebrating Innovation: Science Week and Engineering Week are highlights of our school year, celebrated with massive enthusiasm across all classes.
• Bringing in the Experts: We love connecting with the wider community. Whether hosting in-person workshops or connecting with specialists via live interactive webinars, we ensure our classrooms have a direct line to cutting-edge expertise. We also maintain a close relationship with the University of Galway, participating in their fantastic campus events.
• The START Competition: Our 3rd and 4th class pupils took on the University of Galway's START competition (Schools Teaching Awareness of Randomised Trials). Acting as real-world scientists, they designed a simulated clinical trial to answer the question: "Does seating affect mood and concentration?" with Rang a Dó stepping up as the blind trial participants. 5^th and 6^th class have also entered the START competition investigating ‘How music and light affects plant growth’  and asking questions such as ‘If raising your heart rate in exercise is good for you, then is raising your heart rate through gaming good for you also?’  You can even check out their completed research project book in our school library!
• Classroom Tech & Coding: Technology and Engineering aren't just concepts; they are tools our students use. We have regular coding classes and borrow incredible interactive resources from the Galway Education Centre—including BeeBots, IZAK-9 cubes, and Micro-Bits—to build logical thinking and design skills.
• Intel Mini Scientist Success: Our senior pupils (Rang 5 & 6) achieved incredible success in the Intel Mini Scientist competition. One of our brilliant teams won their way through to the Connacht final in Shannon, and proudly represented our province at the National Final in Dublin with their project, "An Investigation into Energy Drinks" (which scientifically tested electrolytes, heart rate impacts, and effects on teeth!). The following year our project ‘The Science of Skin’ made it all the way to the finals in Dublin and most recently our project ‘How Sugar and Salt Affect Your Body’ also made it to the finals in Dublin!
• Galway Science and Technology Festival: We participate in the Galway Science and Technology festival in the University of Galway every year! 5^th and 6^th class have an amazing opportunity to show off their science projects to the people of Galway!
• History and Heritage Projects: Our senior classes partner up with Tullykyne school to publish our own books based on the history and heritage of our community, Ireland and other countries. We have released two books to date. The latest book was released in June 2026 and yes there are copies in our library if you would like to read them!

We are incredibly proud of how naturally our pupils have stepped into their roles as young historians, geographers, and scientists and we look forward to many discovery-filled years ahead!