The 1999 primary school curriculum and your child as a learner

When a child starts school in junior infants it is as much a land-mark event for the parents as it is for the child. From the very start of a child’s school life, parents, more often than not, ask questions to find out about what school means to them. The three questions above capture some key aspects of curriculum: What did you do today?” asks about content and various activities of the school day. “How did you do in school today?” asks about how a child is doing; that is, how well their son or daughter is learning — an as-sessment question. Parents bring these questions to parent–teacher meetings, often adding a third question at that point: “How is my child doing compared to the rest of the class?” All three questions are about curriculum.