Institute of Education (Dublin)


The Institute of Education was founded in 1969 by Irish school teacher, Raymond Kearns, and is currently one of the largest private secondary schools in Ireland. The Institute of Education provides expert tuition for 4th, 5th and 6th Year students. As well as preparing students for the Leaving Certificate, fourth year students at the Institute have the option to study a selection of subjects from the Cambridge International GCSE programme as well as CEFR Language exams.

Programmes

Being a Senior Cycle-only school, The Institute provides several programmes to secondary-level students. Those who wish to study full-time at the school are known as day students and pay standard yearly fees. Students may also attend the school's part-time and evening grinds classes which take place in the evenings and Saturday mornings. These classes provide students with intense tuition support with fees based on the number of subjects taken. Intensive five-day revision courses are also available during normal school holidays at Christmas, Easter, winter mid-term break, in May and August. Study skills seminars available in September. The institute also runs preparation courses for the Health Professions Admissions Test.

Self-financing

The institute is one of very few secondary schools in Ireland that is not funded at least in part by central government through the Department of Education. As a result, the school is not subject to inspections from the Department, is not obliged to follow a certain curriculum and may pay teachers as it wishes, rather than according to the public service wages paid to most teachers in the country. The school is owned and run by the Kearns family.

Buildings and facilities

The school is located in a number of refurbished Georgian, terraced houses on Leeson Street in Dublin. It also has three newer buildings at the back of the terraced houses. The institute has a science laboratory, art room, home economics kitchen, computer laboratory, and a specialised technical drawing classroom. There are two halls for supervised study. There are also on-site cafe facilities serving a selection of warm and cold food and beverages.

Academic performance

The institute is a grind school due to its focus on exam results. The Institute of Education is the single biggest provider of students to third level colleges and universities in Ireland.

Exam Brief

The Irish Independent in cooperation with the Institute of Education produce Exam Brief, a yearly six-part supplement dedicated to preparation for Leaving and Junior Certificate exams. This supplement is published in February, March and April each year.

Exam Centre

The Institute of Education is an official exam centre for Irish Leaving Certificate and BioMedical Admissions Test.

Notable alumni