Dear Principal/Teacher,
Included below is a summary of all CPD events for the upcoming week beginning 18th May 2026 aswell as some other highlights in May 2026 and beyond.
You can also review all of these CPD events in either the Primary or Post Primary courses section of the centre website.
Here is a summary of some other great events/initiatives your school may be interested in:
- NCSE Events - Details of any upcoming NCSE Teacher Professional Training can be found here. To register for any of this training please click here.
- Oide Events - Details of any upcoming Oide Teacher Professional Training and how to register can be found here.
News Feature of the Week
2026 Ficheall Chess Tournaments
Thank you to all the schools who recently participated in the recent friendly chess tournaments, organised between the Donegal Education Support Centre and Ficheall. It was fantastic to see hundreds of students from Donegal primary schools participate in this tournament and a big thank you to the four schools for hosting these events - Dromore NS, Woodland NS, St. Aengus NS and Scoil Ísoagáin.
A special word of thanks to their teachers for organising the students and to our two Ficheall area co-ordinators - Jennifer Tedstone and Niamh Kelly, who act as co-hosts at Féile Fichille tournaments and are familiar with all the logistics involved.
The social benefits of playing chess for children are well documented and include:
- Learning to win with grace and accept losses. Chess etiquette promotes good sportsmanship.
- Developing impulse control: Playing chess teaches children to consider the consequences of their actions.
- Mental resilience and confidence: Learning a new skill can help to build confidence and learning from one’s losses helps to develop mental resilience.
This year the Chess for Social & Cognitive Skills - Summer Course will take place in Robertson NS, Stranorlar. Chess for Social & Cognitive Skills is like no other summer course as it is extremely hands-on and teacher-centred. Chess is a growing pastime in Irish primary schools with 1 in every 5 primary schools now having joined the Ficheall network. It is an excellent extension to teaching the SPHE curriculum from 1st-6th class as well as being a fun hobby for students (and teachers) for rainy days.
