Back to school 2026: the fortnight-one planning kit for Irish primary teachers

The first fortnight of 2026/27 carries more planning weight than any September in a generation: it is the first fortnight of the redeveloped curriculum’s enactment. The good news is that the work divides cleanly, and most of it is decided once and reused all year. This kit walks the sequence, with the deeper guide linked at each step.

Step 1: settle the curriculum question (once)

Before any plan is written, know which document each subject plans from this year: the new specification for your school’s enactment area, the Primary Language Curriculum for English and Gaeilge, the 2023 curriculum for maths, and the 1999 curriculum for the rest. The subject-by-subject guide settles it in one table, and the Primary Curriculum 2026 guide explains the rollout behind it. Ten minutes, once, and the question is closed for the year.

Step 2: the long-term plan (the map)

Write the year’s sequence per subject, respecting whole-school decisions, at map-level detail only. The September working method is the step-by-step; the completed English and Maths samples show the pitch to aim for. If you teach multigrade, one plan, not four is written for you.

Step 3: fortnight one (the plan you actually teach)

September’s first fortnight plan is mostly routines, assessment of where the class actually is, and a gentle start in the core subjects, and it is still a real plan with real curriculum references. The fortnightly plan template with completed sample shows every section; the 15-minute method is the fastest route through it. NQTs: the first-September guide covers Droichead expectations too.

Step 4: know what the Cúntas needs before October asks

The end-of-September Cúntas Míosúil writes itself if your fortnightly plans carried real content, and becomes a Sunday-evening rewrite if they did not. See what a completed one looks like now, in September rather than October: it changes how you write the plans feeding it.

The checklist

• Enactment area confirmed with the principal
• Curriculum version per subject written into the long-term plan headers
• Long-term plans at map level, all subjects
• Fortnight one planned with objectives, not just activities
• Cúntas format seen and understood
• The full September checklist for everything beyond the folder

Frequently asked questions

When should planning for September actually start? The long-term map benefits from late August; fortnight one can be written in the last days before opening. Earlier than that trades accuracy for comfort.

Does fortnight one need to be as detailed as a November fortnight? It needs the same structure with different content: settling-in routines and baseline assessment are legitimate planned learning experiences in September.

What if my school has not told me the enactment area yet? Plan language and maths (unchanged) and prepare the 1999 subjects; slot the enactment area in when the decision lands. The school-led closure day exists partly for this.

One tool for the whole sequence

Every step above is one workflow in Pleanáil: the right curriculum per subject built in, long-term plans, fortnightly plans generated against them, and the Cúntas Míosúil written from what you taught. The 30-day trial covers a full planning month: three full plans, a Cúntas, and your long-term plans.

Walk into September with the folder already breathing. Start your free 30-day trial.