For Parents

Is your child attending a NEEDS school, or are you interested in involving your child in the NEEDS project? This page will help you understand exactly what the NEEDS project means for your child and how it impacts student learning. Please see the end of this page for our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.

Previous findings have indicated that NEEDS can have a significant impact on student engagement, agency, self-direction and wellbeing through learning that really matters to them. The research will track these developments in students over time and allow their teachers to be responsive to their ideas, concerns, and voice. This reflective work will likely support the Principles and Key Skills of the Junior Cycle and prepare them for reforms at Senior Cycle based on competency frameworks. It will also allow students to take on a leadership role in demonstrating the practical realization of authentic student voice and Democratic Education for other schools to learn from.

Four schools will take part in NEEDS with at least one 1st Year class per school engaging in the Negotiated Learning Short Course. At the end of each school year, a NEEDS conference will be held at the University of Limerick, where students and teachers involved in this study will be able to share their learning and showcase their work.

Documents for Parents

The following documents contain information about the NEEDS project for parents and guardians to learn more about their child's involvement. Click the icons to download.

The Parent/Carer Information Sheet provides a detailed explanation of what NEEDS is about and how your child can be involved.

The Student Information Sheets explain to your child what the NEEDS project is about and how they can be involved.

The Research Privacy Notice explains outlines how data collected will be stored, secured and managed under GDPR.