Can my fortnightly plan be my Cúntas Míosúil? What the 2026 guidance actually says

It comes up in every staffroom where the updated preparation guidance has done the rounds: if my fortnightly plan already says what we learned, am I really meant to write it all out again at the end of the month?

For the first time, the official answer is on paper. The 2026 Preparation for Learning, Teaching and Assessment guidance says, on page 18: “Where short-term documentation has clearly outlined the learning and the Learning Experiences, it may also be used for the purpose of your Cuntas Miosuil.”

That sentence is worth reading slowly, because it describes a different month-end than the one most teachers run.

What the sentence actually permits

The Cúntas Míosúil is still a Rule 126 expectation: a monthly record of the learning the children progressed, retained by the school. Nothing about that changed. What changed is the official recognition that the record does not have to be a separate document written from scratch. If your short-term preparation clearly outlines the learning and the learning experiences, the same documentation can serve as the monthly record.

There are two conditions hiding in the wording:

• “Clearly outlined the learning.” A plan that lists activities without the learning they serve does not qualify. The plan needs the Learning Outcomes or objectives, and what was done with them, legible to someone who was not in the room.
• It must be a record, which means it must be true. A plan says what you intended; a Cúntas says what happened. The guidance elsewhere describes recorded preparation as “tentative and dynamic”, evolving through annotations and amendments. A plan that carries your marks, what was covered, what moved, what was added, is a record. An untouched plan is still just an intention.

The same guidance confirms the reflection is optional and warns that a lengthy account of content taught is no indicator of effectiveness. And the structure of the Cúntas remains a whole-school decision, so the practical first step is a conversation with your principal about what your school agrees the month-end record looks like. We went through everything the 2026 PLTA guidance changes in detail.

The month-end this makes possible

Run it this way and the Cúntas stops being a Sunday evening:

1. Teach from a plan that names the learning, per subject, with the curriculum reference.
2. As the fortnight runs, mark it: covered, moved, added. A line each.
3. At month-end, the marked plans are the account of the month. Add a short reflection if your school keeps one, and hand it over.

The write-it-twice month, where the plan is written forward in September-you’s voice and the Cúntas is written backward in a tired October voice, is exactly what the guidance moved away from.

Where Pleanáil comes in

This workflow is Pleanáil’s architecture. Your fortnightly plans hold the Learning Outcomes and experiences; at month-end the Cúntas Míosúil generates from the plans you taught, with work covered filled in per subject and the curriculum references carried across. You mark what was covered, note what moved, add a reflection if your school keeps one, and export it as PDF or Word. The plan carries the record, which is precisely what page 18 describes.

Want to see the end product first? Download a completed sample Cúntas Míosúil (PDF), or read the full Cúntas explainer.

Frequently asked questions

Does this mean the Cúntas Míosúil is gone? No. The monthly record is still expected under Rule 126. What the guidance permits is the plan serving as that record when it clearly outlines the learning.

Do I still need a reflection? The 2026 guidance treats the reflection as optional. Many teachers keep a short one anyway: two sentences while the month is fresh feed next month’s planning better than any template.

Can my school still require a separate Cúntas format? Yes. The structure of the monthly record is a whole-school decision, so agree the format with your principal before changing your routine.

Let your plans write the record: three fortnightly plans, a real Cúntas Míosúil and long-term plans, free for 30 days, no card needed. Start your free 30-day trial.