Explorers Education Programme 2025 / 2026 (Primary Schools)
Applications to book your class on the Explorers Education Programme™ 2025-2026 are now open to Primary School teachers and their classes.
The award-winning Explorers Education Programme™ brings our oceans to life for primary level students through participation in a variety of specially designed modules. Each module usually involves two class visits by an Explorers Officer, who will introduce students to the topic, provide teaching guides and fun, engaging cross-curricular lesson plans that support the NCCA curriculum through thematic learning. Students will be challenged to complete a small project inspired by the first visit.
Teachers may apply for one of the following exciting interactive modules:
- Explorers Aquarium in the Classroom - one of the Explorers Officers will facilitate two 1.5-2 hour classroom sessions with your class, including setting up an aquarium with local marine life in the classroom.
- Explorers Marine Class Project - one of the Explorers Officers will facilitate two 1.5-2 hour classroom sessions with your class on a particular ocean-themed topic, e.g. the deep sea, sharks, squid, turtles and more.
- Explorers Seashore Safari - one of our Explorers Officers will deliver two 1.5-2 hour sessions with your class, one of which will be shore-based, giving students the opportunity to learn more about the biodiversity of their home shore.
- Explorers Healthy Ocean School Project - this is designed for larger schools who want more than one class to avail of our programme. The Explorers Officer would spend 6 hours facilitating sessions among a number of classes with the aim of inspiring those classes to carry out a project that they would showcase to the wider school community.
The Explorers Education Programme™ is supported by the Marine Institute, and is funded under the Marine Research Programme by the Irish Government.
The Explorers Education Programme is fully funded by the Marine Institute meaning there are no costs to the school to access the programme. The only thing that isn't covered by the funding is a bus should one be required for the shore visit as part of a Seashore Safari module.
Website: https://www.marine.ie/site-area/areas-activity/education-outreach/explorers-education-programme?language=en
How to Apply?
- Teachers must complete page 2 and 3 of the attached Explorers Education Programme™ application form (included below) and return them to me via email (
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) by Sunday 21st September 2025.
- Teachers should indicate their preference of modules and term time. While the Explorers team aspires to visit all classes, spaces are limited and there is no guarantee that the teacher’s first preference will be successful – alternatives may be offered where possible.
- Where multiple applications are received from one school, the Explorers team may not be able to accommodate all classes. If you are in a larger school, and would like more of your students to participate in the Explorers Education Programme™, be sure to select the Explorers Healthy Ocean School Project.
- Teachers participating in the programme will be required to take part in an information session prior to the commencement of the programme to assist with preparing for the modules in class. Teachers will be asked to partake and assist with an evaluation of the Explorers Education Programme™ including pre- and post-evaluations of the student’s ocean literacy knowledge, collecting images of work samples and providing feedback.
- Explorers Education Programme™ social media channels @Explorersedu on Twitter and @ExplorersMarineEducation on Facebook are used to like and share Explorers activities and events. Teachers and schools are encouraged to like and share where possible.