Students from Galway Educate Together Secondary School are participating in a University of Limerick research examining Junior Cycle education through student-led learning.
Negotiating the Essentials for Education in Democratic Societies (NEEDS ) is a UL School of Education research project aiming to reimagine education through democracy, student voice, and curriculum co-construction. NEEDS responds to a recent UL Report that examined the Framework for Junior Cycle and highlighted the lack of school-developed short courses and issues relating to wellbeing.
Over 150 first and second year students and teachers from three post-primary schools across Limerick, Galway and Kerry gathered at UL to take part in the 2026 NEEDS Schools Conference. Presenting their projects at the event were St Michael's College, Listowel, Co Kerry; Galway Educate Together Secondary School, Co Galway; and John the Baptist Community School, Hospital, Co Limerick.
Throughout the day, students and teachers shared their learning and experiences through poster exhibitions, creative displays, oral presentations and collaborative plenary sessions designed entirely by the participating schools.
One second year student from Galway Educate Together Secondary School, whose project looked at the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and rising rent pressures, said: “In this course, we strive for creative, innovative and important ideas and projects. We take pride in how we display our work since it is so special and unique to us. Because each topic is completely original to each class, there is no right or wrong way to learn.”
The six teachers involved in the NEEDS project across the three participating schools reported shifts in classroom dynamics, with students demonstrating increased confidence, responsibility, and self-direction.
"Negotiated Learning has completely transformed my classroom and my approach to teaching," said Leanne O'Toole, a teacher from Galway Educate Together.
"Students are deeply engaged, passionate about their research and genuinely invested in their learning. I have noticed stronger relationships developing within the classroom, with students showing a much higher level of intrinsic motivation and ownership over their work.
"One of the most valuable aspects of the process has been watching students grow in confidence particularly in presenting, discussing ideas and challenging themselves intellectually. It differs greatly from more traditional approaches because students are not simply receiving information; they are actively shaping, questioning and directing their own learning journey," she added.
Dr John O’Reilly, Associate Professor at UL’s School of Education and Principal Investigator on the NEEDS project, explained the significance of this research.
"While the Junior Cycle reform envisioned short courses as flexible, school-designed learning experiences that would support key skills, learner agency, and innovative curriculum design, research has indicated that this potential has remained largely unrealised.
"The NEEDS framework enables Junior Cycle students to co-create their learning experiences alongside teachers by designing and enacting short courses that address the real-world issues that matter most to them.
"Through this process, students shape what, how, and why they learn, taking ownership of their learning and explicitly placing student voice at the centre of curriculum."
Following the success of last year’s inaugural conference, this year’s event presented the evolution of students’ work under the theme 'Deepening our understanding, applying our knowledge and creating meaningful learning experiences'.
"The second NEEDS conference provided opportunities for students and their teachers to explore the point of negotiated learning, focusing on those things that cannot happen without education. Students described meaningful learning in relation to themes such as the cost-of-living crisis, climate change, mental health advocacy in sports, and the complexities of being a young person,” Dr O’Reilly continued.
"The research offers growing evidence that NEEDS demonstrates how the short course structure can be utilised to enact and realise the core principles of Junior Cycle reform through negotiated learning, including student wellbeing, active participation, critical thinking, collaboration, and student ownership of learning.
"The aspiration that schools should have increased autonomy in their programme design to act as knowledge generators in their communities is being considered."
NEEDS draws strong national support, with collaboration from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA ), WorldWise Global Schools, Oide, Teachers Union of Ireland, Department of Education and school leadership organisations including the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools and the Joint Managerial Body.
