TAP+ (Teacher Artist Partnership+) is a Department of Education-approved professional development summer course for teachers, artists and creative practitioners to work in partnership with children in primary and special schools. The programme supports and enhances arts education in primary and special schools, to develop the creative potential and voice of every child.

TAP+ free professional development course  & opportunities for participating teachers to apply for a fully funded in-school Residency in their school in 2025/2026 academic year is now open for applications from teachers and creative practitioners. 

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD for Supporting & Enhancing Arts in Education in Ireland (Primary Schools Initiative)

Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD is a unique Department of Education and Skills initiative which commenced on a pilot basis in 2014/15 in response to the objectives outlined in the Arts in Education Charter. This initiative is guided by the principles expressed in the Arts in Education Charter (2012) and Pillar 1 (Creative Youth) of the Creative Ireland Programme (2017–2022).

Nurturing the abilities and commitment of artists and teachers for the promotion of arts-in-education is a central concern of the Arts in Education Charter. One of its major initiatives in this regard was the design and implementation of a pilot teacher-artist CPD Partnership Summer Course. Part of supporting schools in the provision of high quality arts education for children, this pilot arts in education initiative was Association of Teacher Education Centre of Ireland (ATECI) led, in partnership with the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG), Encountering the Arts Ireland (ETAI) and the Association for Creativity in Arts Education (ACAE).  The initiative is administered by the Education Centre, Tralee. This innovative teacher-artist CPD programme was aimed at developing a model of arts in education CPD for teachers which could be used as a template for the future.

The Pilot Project was researched and the Research Report on this Pilot initiative was launched by both the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in March 2016 and has been published (available on here).

Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD Summer Course & Residency Programme is now mainstreamed and consists of free DES approved (EPV days) Summer Courses operating in each of the 21 full-time Education Centres in Ireland in either July or August each year. Each Course will have 20 primary teachers and 4 professional artists participating. It will be delivered by a trained and experienced Teacher Artist Facilitator Pair. The initiative includes funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which participating teachers and artists work together in collaboration in the School during the following academic year.

Opportunity: Teacher Artist Partnership+ Summer Course and Residency Programme 2025

Photo credit: St Columbas Cork ESC 2023.

Department of Education: Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) 2025

The Department of Education is pleased to announce Teacher Artist Partnership+ 2025 Summer Course Teacher Registration and Creative Practitioners Call Out is now open.

TAP+ 2025 Summer Course for Teachers, 1 – 5 July 2025
Closing date: 20 June 2025 

Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) is a creativity rich summer course that supports professional development through wellbeing, relationships and creative partnership for teachers and artists /creative practitioners.

Free to all primary & special school teachers. Hosted by your local full time Education Support Centre. Approved and led by the Department of Education and Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) under Creative Youth 2023-2027.

Please use the following link to register for the upcoming TAP+ Summer Course: Click here

TAP+ Call Out for Creative Practitioners 2025/2026
Closing date: 6 June 2025

Announcing a wonderful opportunity for creative practitioners of all disciplines to broaden their practice through Teacher Artist Partnership+ (TAP+) professional development and in-school residency programme.

Develop creative partnerships with teachers and children. Receive funded training and residencies that bring the arts and creativity to children all over Ireland through TAP+, an initiative of Creative Youth 2023-27 under Creative Ireland and led by the Department of Education.

Creative Practitioners apply for TAP+ via an Expressions of Interest Letter sent to the Director of your local Education Support Centre no later than 5pm on Friday 6th June 2025. Find out more by clicking here: edcentretralee.ie/teacher-artist-partnership/teacher-artist-partnership-course.html