Graduates of Portobello Institute PE diploma cannot register with Teaching Council

Recent graduates of a diploma in physical education offered by the private Portobello Institute have been unable to register with the Teaching Council.

The Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton, confirmed that most applicants who completed the diploma between 2022 and 2025 did not meet the Council’s registration requirements. Applicants who have taken additional modules to address identified shortfalls still do not satisfy the criteria, she said in a parliamentary question.

The Teaching Council will contact each applicant who reaches out to confirm whether any further study could remedy the shortfall. The number of affected graduates is understood to be in the double‑digits.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) acknowledged concerns about the information given to learners. QQI confirmed the programme is not accredited by the Teaching Council, does not meet subject curricular requirements for entry onto Professional Masters in Education (PME) programmes, and cannot be used by existing teachers to add physical education as an additional subject.

While the course is not validated by QQI, there is a statutory expectation that education providers give accurate information. Portobello Institute did not comment. A Teaching Council spokesman said the Council does not accredit programmes but has advised the Institute and the awarding body, Liverpool John Moores University, that the curriculum does not meet requirements.

Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins said she will raise the issue further with the minister, expressing concern that a course can be marketed as leading to specific qualifications when it does not.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels.