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Droichead Induction at EC Kildare

Droichead Induction Programme at Kildare Education Support Centre

Droichead is the integrated induction process for teachers and is available to both primary and post-primary teachers. 

Droichead Cluster Meetings for NQTs

Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) are required to attend up to three different cluster meetings for the duration of their Droichead process. Each cluster meeting is a forum where NQTs can discuss and seek clarification about the Droichead process and professional practice. NQTs are encouraged to ask questions, seek guidance, reflect upon particular challenges and share successes, ideas and experiences. Cluster meetings are facilitated by experienced Droichead Induction Associates and provide avenues of both professional and personal support to NQTs. This shared-learning approach builds professional relationships, confidence and competence. NQTs must complete their full cluster meeting requirement in line with the Droichead Cluster Meeting Calendar 2023.2024.

Cluster Meeting Requirement

NQTs must complete one different cluster meeting (specific to their sector, primary or post-primary) per term in sequential order for the duration of their Droichead process. NQTs must complete Cluster Meeting 1 (CM 1) before engaging in either Cluster Meeting 2 (CM 2) and/or Cluster Meeting 3 (CM 3). NQTs should not submit their online Form D until all aspects of their Droichead process, including their full cluster meeting requirements, have been fulfilled. If a Form D is received where all the cluster meeting requirements are not met, it will not be processed by the Teaching Council.

CM 1 will be available face-to-face in education support centres. CM 2 and CM 3 will be available online as per the Droichead Cluster Meeting Calendar 2023.2024 and they will start the week of the 15th January 2024.

In order to attend Cluster Meeting 2 and/or Cluster Meeting 3, NQTs are required to book a place via www.oide-droichead.com. Once the NQT has booked their place for CM 2/CM 3, they will receive an email confirming their place at the selected event. This email will also contain the link to attend the online CM. 

This should be read in tandem with Cluster Meetings: Important Information & Attendance Protocols.

Registration on DESC website

Donegal Education Support Centre is the central administration hub for Droichead Cluster Meetings nationally. All NQTs must first register here in order to receive and download cluster meeting certificates. The submission of cluster meeting certificates to the Teaching Council is one of the requirements when concluding the Droichead process.

Important: NQTs who register with oide-droichead.com are asked to use the same email address when registering with Kildare Education Support Centre.

Read more …Droichead Induction at EC Kildare

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Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice

Review Date

Revised by

Section Revised

Ratified at MC meeting

Feb-May 2018

Management Committee

All

May 2018

March-April 2021

Management Committee

All

13/04/2021

This Privacy statement is effective as and from 25th May 2018

Your privacy is important to Kildare Education Support Centre and maintaining your trust is important to us.  We are fully committed to keeping your Personal information safe.  We will comply with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all other relevant Data protection legislation.  If we ask another organisation to provide a service for us, we will ensure that they are also in compliance. This Privacy Policy is intended to provide you with information about Personally identifiable information we collect about you and how that Personal information is used and shared.

Any reference to the “Service” within this Privacy Policy includes “Kildare Education Support Centre’, (“KESC”, “we” or “us”), our website at https://www.eckildare.ie (the “Site”), other services provided by us and on which a link to this Privacy Policy is displayed and all other communications with individuals through written or oral means such as email or phone (collectively, together with the Site, our “Service”).  This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes the information that we gather on or through the Service, how we use and disclose such information and the steps we take to protect such information. By visiting the Site, or by using the Service (registering and booking Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses/ events/any related training & education provisions), you accept the privacy practices described in this Policy.

KESC will intermittently update this Privacy Policy.  If we make changes, we will notify you prior to the changes taking effect by posting a notice on our website and where appropriate, sending you a notification.  By continuing to use our “Service” after such revisions are in effect, you accept and agree to the revisions.

KESC values your opinions.  Should you have any questions in relation to our Privacy Policy, please contact us at

Data Controller

KESC is the Data controller of the Personal Data you provide to us.  We can be contacted by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or by phone on +353 (045) 530200.

Data Compliance Officer

We have appointed an internal Data Compliance Officer for you to contact if you have any questions regarding our Privacy Policy and our privacy practices.  Whilst we have appointed a Data Compliance Officer, the Administration Office team will be your initial point of contact for all Data protection inquiries. They can be reached by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone +353 (045) 530200.

Information We Collect

All the Personal information we gather about you is gathered under Principle 1 (lawful, fair and transparent) under our legal obligation as an Education Support Centre appointed under the Education Act 1998, Section 37.

How We Use Your Information

When you register as a “User” on the KESC “Site”, “Service”, we gather Personally identifiable information about you i.e. your profile (your Personal Data, school Data address, ip address) and/or similar.  We will gather your profile solely to provide access to your registration area, to generate and view your record of participation in our CPD / Training & Education provisions in conjunction with maintaining your attendance and certification record(s). We will not use your collected Data for any other purpose or to send you any commercial advertisements.

How We Share Your Personal Data

We will not share, rent or sell your Personal Data to others.  We store Personal information in locations outside the direct control of KESC e.g. on servers or Databases provided by our licenced GDPR compliant hosting provider.  Management, security and integrity of Data storage are under the direct responsibility of our hosting provider company and are governed by the privacy Policy of the organisation providing the hosting service. KESC is responsible for the security of all Personal Data gathered. Data processing agreements are in place with all our 3rd party contractors who manage Data on our behalf.

How We Protect Your Information

KESC is responsible for the protection of Personal Data. We have put every measure in place to secure the Data we gather. These measures are outlined in the Data Protection Policy. KESC is concerned with protecting your privacy and Data but we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or guarantee that your information on KESC “Site” “Service” may not be accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed by breach of any of our Business standard physical, technical or managerial safeguards.  When you enter sensitive information (such as log in credentials) on our registration or order forms, we encrypt that information using secure socket layer technology (SSL). No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. We use external third-party payment processors such as PayPal and Stripe to process your payment when you book a course.  These third-party payment processors do not retain share, store or use Personally identifiable information for any other purposes.  Your interactions with these external payment processing organisations are governed by their own privacy policies.

Access and Retention of Data Controlled by Our Users

For existing/current Education Centre Kildare Users, you can review, correct, or update your current profile by logging into your profile e.g. to update your password.  We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with our services. Profiles are deemed inactive if your account has not been accessed for 7 years. Inactive accounts will be deleted after 7 years. Attendance records are stored under our legal obligations for 7 years. We retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. On an annual basis you will receive an email inviting you to update your details or to delete your account if you no longer wish to have one. If you wish to delete or export your account Data, please contact us directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Under Principle 4 we strive to ensure that Data is up to date.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies – how we use Cookies

We use cookies for the best browsing experience.  Cookies are very small text files that are stored on your computer when you visit websites.  We use technical cookies to help identify your device so we can tailor your user experience, track your session, course/event booking and remember where you are in the booking process.  You can disable any cookies already stored on your computer but these may stop our website from functioning properly. The following is strictly necessary in the operation of our website.

KESC “Site” will:

·       Remember what courses you are applying for (e.g. when logged in and booking a course)

·       Remember where you are in the booking process

·       Remember that you are logged in and that your session is secure.  You need to be logged in to complete a booking.

Functional Cookies are not Strictly Necessary but are required to provide you with the best user experience and also to tell us which pages you find most interesting (anonymously).

KESC “Site” will:

·       Track the pages you visit via Google Analytics

·       Third-Party Cookies

This “Site” will not share any Personal information or directly use third parties cookies.

Social Media Widgets / Analytics

Our Site may include social media features, such as the Facebook Like button and other widgets, which run on our Site.  These features may collect your IP address, identify which page you are visiting on our Site and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Social media features and widgets are either hosted by a third-party or hosted directly on our Site.  Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy Policy of the organisations providing them. Our website uses Google analytics, which collects information about your session whilst you interact with our website. Analytics will collect your IP address, your location and identify the page you are visiting on our Site.  It will set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. Your interactions with these features are governed by the privacy Policy of the organisation providing them.

The casino also makes a generous contribution to the education of the population. In the 2001/02 school year alone, the casino donated more than $ 400 million to school districts around the world. the www.casinosfellow.com/payout/instant-withdrawal-casino/ also donated thousands of dollars in expenses and equipment for schools in need, and even donated prizes for improving grades. In addition, extra money from the casino will help improve the school environment so that students can learn in a safe environment. In addition to funding public schools, the casino sponsors youth and community events.

KESC CPD training courses (Contract)

KESC is a CPD provider under the Education Act 1998. We provide CPD/ Training & Education services for Primary, Post Primary Teachers and other members of the school community.  To register/enroll/ and book/pay for our training courses/ programmes and CPD services you will, in most instances, need to be a registered “User” on our website.  By enrolling/booking on a CPD training course/programme with us, you agree that your Personal information is being processed in the manner described in this Privacy Policy.

We use your Personal Data, which you provide to us to administer and manage these CPD/ Training & Education services including registration, billing, collection of fees and charges.  We collect your profile solely to provide access to your registration area, to generate and view your record of participation in our CPD/ Training & Education services and to maintain your course attendance and certification(s) records.  We use the email address you provide for the purpose of distributing any training materials related to your CPD/ Training & Education undertaking(s) and to keep you informed. Your permission is sought either at the point of registration or at attendance.

Your Personal information may be shared with our third-party Training & Education partners, professional development support personnel, trainers, facilitators, tutors and various education bodies and agencies under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) or other relevant Government agencies and organisations (e.g. PDST, JCT, NIPT, NEPS, HSE).  If your CPD / Training & Education provision is delivered by an external educational body, we will share your Personal Data with that external educational body only as applicable and appropriate. You will be informed at the point of registration who/if any 3rd party organisations your details will be shared with (under our legal obligations).

To pay for CPD courses you have requested from us (Contract)

When you book a course with us, our third-party payment processors such as PayPal and/or Stripe (Payment Card Industry compliant payment providers) will collect your payment information.  Your interaction with third-party payment processors is governed by the privacy Policy of those processors.  We will not share by any manner or means your Personal Data with PayPal and Stripe payment gateways.  You are redirected from KESC website to these external websites and the interaction with these external websites is governed by the privacy Policy of those organisations.

To receive our Newsletter communications (Consent – Opt in)

With your permission, KESC intermittently sends our Newsletter and information emails about CPD/Training & Education provisions to the email address you have provided.  You may at any time choose not to receive our Newsletter communications by following the unsubscribe instructions included at the end of each email communication.  Any existing registrant/User can also unsubscribe by logging in and editing his/her profile.

In line with Data protection regulations, GDPR, KESC will give existing registrants (Users) the opportunity to click on a link to “opt in” to subscribe to the Newsletter, therefore agreeing to continue receiving the Newsletter communication.  Any existing registrant/User that does not use the link to “opt in” will automatically be removed and deleted from the Newsletter Database.  Registrants who have not booked a CPD/Training & Education provision within the last 7 years or more will also be automatically deleted and removed from KESC website Database.

In communication with us (Legitimate Interest)

If you correspond with us, we will collect information such as your name, address, phone number and email address and any other Personal information contained within the communication and use it to respond to your inquiry.  We process this information in pursuit of our legitimate interests i.e. providing CPD for teachers and school communities and implementing our statutory remit.

If you attend one of our CPD /Training & Education provisions (e.g. courses, programmes, other educational events) (Contract)

KESC organises a comprehensive CPD /Training & Education programme during the year.  If you register for one of these training courses/programmes/ events your Personal Data is collected. Your consent is actively sought either at the point of registration or at attendance. We use this information to facilitate your registration, process your payment and provide you with the associated information and services. In some circumstances, we take photographs or make video recordings of these events.  We will always inform you if the provision is being photographed /recorded so that you can choose not to participate.

When you provide services to us (Contract)

If you provide professional services to KESC, you are obliged to provide Personal Data under the Principle of Contract. This typically includes: your contact information, address, phone number, VAT registration number/PPS No. and possibly your banking information, we will process this information so that we can administer, manage and pay for the relevant services you provide and as per the terms and conditions of our contract or SLA. We retain and store this in line with our legal obligations for 7 years. We are legally obliged to share this information with TES, auditors and the revenue commissioners.

For all other information regarding the safety, storage and use of your Personal Data or access to same, please read our full Data Protection Policy.

Employees:

By contract we manage the Personal Data of employees in line with our overall Data Protection Policy.

Data Controller: KESC This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Data Compliance Officer: The Director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Further information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Welcome to Education Centre Kildare

Kildare Education Support Centre

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
045 530200

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    New users create an account.

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    Existing users please login.

  • CPD Courses

    CPD Courses

    Range of Primary and Post Primary Courses

  • Latest News

    Latest events and information from our centre

  • Facilities

    We have a range or training rooms and services.

Upcoming Courses

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About Us

The Kildare Education Centre has been offering professional development opportunities to the education community of Co Kildare, east Offaly and west Wicklow, since 1997. A programme of Local courses, projects and initiatives to support teaching and learning in our schools is offered annually.

The Centre is managed by a Management Committee that is elected annually at the AGM by the members of the Centre. 

Kildare Education Centre wishes to acknowledge the funding provided by the Teacher Education Section of the Department of Education and Skills with assistance from the National Development Plan.

Since 1997

Serving the Educational Community

The Centre is also involved in the development and provision of CPD opportunities at a regional, national and international level. In partnership with the PDST - Technology in Education, the Centre offers a national and local ICT programme that is both Centre and school based. Working with and alongside the PDST the Centre supports the implementation of the National Strategy to improve Literacy and Numeracy. We support the consolidation of curricular review through supporting Primary teachers (TPCs) and Post primary teachers (TPNs). In partnership with the NIPT programme we offer support for NQTs through the NIPT Programme and Professional Support Groups (PSGs) The Centre also works with the SESS to support teachers working in special education.

Read more …Welcome to Education Centre Kildare

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The National Children’s Choir / Cór Náisiúnta na n-Óg

Kildare Regional Concert - National Children’s Choir

The National Children’s Choir / Cór Náisiúnta na n-Óg is a school-based choral experience for primary school children. Affiliated pupils from 4th, 5th or 6th classes in Irish Primary Schools learn a common repertoire of songs in a variety of languages that more than satisfies many objectives of the music programme at the senior end of the primary school. The repertoire challenges the pupils to perform a broad programme from Bach to the Beatles. Contemporary composers are frequently included in the repertoire.

The choir enables young people to experience the sheer joy of involvement in music and song. Formed by Seán Creamer in 1985 to celebrate ‘European Music Year’, the choir has enjoyed tremendous success to date. Next year’s concerts (2015) will be the sixteenth in a series of bi-annual concerts.

The NCC is much more than large groups of children singing magnificent music to adoring parents, families and friends on local stages and in our National Concert Hall. It is a philosophy, a way of thinking about and celebrating children's musicality. As a movement it absorbs their energy and gives it back in multiples.

In 2013 the first Kildare Regional Concerts were held. The second biennial concert of the National Children’s Choir (Kildare) will feature 500 Kildare primary school children performing a repertoire of 18 songs in City West Hotel on May 21st, 2015 at 8pm.

If you would like to receive more information please contact me - Breda Fay (0872417226)

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Write-A-Book 2013-2014

For detailed information on this year's Write-A-Book Project, please click here

IMPORTANT DATES:

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF ENTRIES:   FRIDAY 21ST MARCH 2014

DATE FOR RECEIPT OF JUDGED BOOKS:       FRIDAY 11TH APRIL 2014

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