Education in Ireland 2024

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Educat ion

Contents Starting School........................................................................................................................ 1 Comparison ............................................................................................................................ 1 Primary School........................................................................................................................ 3 Secondary School ................................................................................................................... 3 International Schools/ New England Association of Schools and Colleges:............................. 4 Finding a School Place ........................................................................................................... 5 Documents that schools request ............................................................................................. 6 Unable to secure a place close to your home?........................................................................ 6 Education Helpline .................................................................................................................. 7 Starting School Most children in Ireland start their first-level education in primary schools (also called national schools) at the age of 4 or 5 years of age. Legally, children can be enrolled at primary school from the age of 4 upwards (but must have started their formal education by the age of 6 years). The primary school cycle is 8 years long. Schools generally have 2 years of infant classes, followed by class 1 to class 6. In general, for Junior Infants, the child must be 4 years of age by September 1st in the year of entry.

Comparison Child's Age

Ireland (Class/Year)

U.S.A. (Grade)

St Killians (German School)

Lycee Francais d'Irelande (French School) Based in Foxrock from Maternelle to CM2 - then move to Clonskeagh for CCM

England (Year)

Usually children begin school in the September following their fourth birthday.

Education in Ireland

3 years

Free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) children aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months on 1st September each year. There are nearly 5,000 pre- school services notified to the Health Service Executive or registered with the Irish Montessori Educational Board. 3 years 3 months to 4 years 6 months

Maternelle Petit Must be 3 by December of the year the first term commences.

Junior Infants

Year 1

4 to 5 years

Kindergarten 4yrs by 1st Sept

Moyhenne Must be 4 by December of the year the first term commences. Grande Must be 5 by December of the year the term commences. CP Must be 6 yrs. by December of the year the term commences. CE1 Must be 7 years by December of the

Senior Infants

Vorschule

Year 2

First Class

Year 3

1 6 years by 1st Sept

Second Class

Year 4

year the term commences.

Third Class

Year 5

CE2 Must be 8 years by December of the

year the term commences.

Fourth Class

Year 6

CM1 must be 9 years by December of the

year the term commences.

Fifth Class

Year 7

CM2 Must be 10 years by December of the year the term commences.

12 13 14

Sixth Class First Year Second Year

CCM

Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 (GCSE) 6th Form

7 8 9

First Year

Cinquieme Quatrieme

Second Year

Troisieme

Third Year (Junior Cert)

Seconde

Transition Year (optional in some schools)

Transition Year

6th Form (A level)

Fifth Year

Premiere Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB)/French Baccalauréat

Terminale Final Exams Internationale du Baccalauréat

Sixth Year (Leaving Cert)

(OIB)/French Baccalauréat

Education in Ireland

Primary School Curriculum: Languages, mathematics, social, environmental and scientific education; Arts education, including visual arts, music and drama) Physical education: Social personal and health education. The Irish national curriculum has been updated and expanded within the last few years. It is at a very high standard although it is a different system from American and British schools. + Start - September after the 4th birthday generally, however the compulsory starting age is 6. + Duration 8 years. + Primary school Curriculum https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Primary/Curriculum/ New Primary Language Curriculum for English and Irish - Junior Infants to Second Class The new curriculum for English and Irish is for all children from Junior Infants to Second Class in all schools (English medium schools, Gaeltacht schools, Irish medium schools and Special schools). More information can be found online at: www.curriculumonline.ie/Primary/Curriculum-Areas/Language New-Junior-infants-2nd-class into the Junior Cycle, Transition Year and the Senior Cycle - Duration 5/6 years* The Junior Cycle is three years: The Junior Certificate is an educational qualification awarded in Ireland in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects (usually 11) by Students aged 14 to 15. Twenty-six subjects are currently available, however, not all schools offer them. Education to Junior Cert level is required of students who study for their leaving certificate. The Junior Cert is supervised by the State Examinations Commission https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/ *Transition Year is an optional one-year, school-based programme between Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle. Senior cycle education in Ireland may be of two or of three year's duration. Students may follow a two-year Leaving Certificate programme or they may take an additional optional year at the start of their senior cycle. This year is called Transition Year. Secondary School Following Primary School, children attend Secondary or Post Primary Schools. This is split

Most students take the Leaving Certificate examination at the end of their senior cycle. Students normally choose 6 to 8 subjects from the list of approved subjects.

Students following the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) take 6 or 7 Leaving Certificate subjects and two additional Link Modules: Preparation for the World of Work and Enterprise Education. Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) students follow a pre-vocational programme made up of a range of courses that are structured round three elements: Vocational Preparation, Vocational Education and General Education. https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Senior-cycle/Curriculum/

Education in Ireland

International Schools/ New England Association of Schools and Colleges: There are only four International Baccalaureate World Schools in Ireland offering one or more of the three IB programmes. Plus, one associated with The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. which is the United States. + Primary Years Programme is offered by The International School Dublin + St Andrews College offers the Diploma Programme (St Andrews College Blackrock) - secondary level International Baccalaureate (IB programme is 5th & 6th year only (6th form in the UK)) + Nord Anglia Dublin is now open for KG3 (3 years old) up to Grade 12 (17 years old). For full details on the different grade levels, please visit the Admissions section of the website: The French school Lycée Français d’Irlande offers OIB and the French Baccalauréat + Lycee Francais d'Irelande in Clonskeagh offer the Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB)/French Baccalauréat is in the equivalent of 5th & 6th year only (6th form in the UK)) The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. + Sutton Park is associated with The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. which is the United States' regional accreditation association, providing educational accreditation for all levels of education. Sutton Park provide a Transcript of results that takes into account continuous assessment as well as examination results. The principal will also write a reference outlining each child's specific skills. St. Kilian’s Deutsche Schule Dublin is A co-educational German/Irish school with a European culture and spirit for pupils aged 4-18. Kindergarten and Vorschule children are mixed in classes, as would be the norm in Germany. In Primary School the Irish Primary School Curriculum (DoE) with the exception, initially, of the Irish language is taught. Starting on the first day of school at the age of four, St. Kilian’s pupils learn German; however, prior knowledge of German is not a requirement. Having started with German as their first foreign language, the children will learn Irish from 5th and optionally French from 6th class. St. Kilian’s offers extended German tuition in Secondary School which prepares students not just for the Junior or Leaving Certificates, but for the German Sprachdiplom exams at levels I and II. These exams provide them with the language entry requirement to study at a German University. They also ensure that our students leave St. Kilian’s with a language proficiency level in German which is significantly above what is needed for the Leaving Certificate. German School:

Education in Ireland

Finding a School Place Parents are responsible for finding a school place for their child. When parents need to find a new school for their child sometimes they may have to look a little further away than the nearest local schools. This link is to the Department of Education “Find a School” https://www.education.ie/en/find-a-school Parents need to look at where they live, where they have to travel to for work, and the different means of transport in their area to see what options are practicable for them. Applying for schools further away from your home than your local schools When the schools nearest you are full and unable to offer you a school place for your child, you need to keep trying the next nearest schools until you find one that can offer you a suitable school place.

Apply in writing with a very brief note along the following lines: APPLICATION FOR A SCHOOL PLACE

I wish to apply for a place in

school for my

son/daughter

(Date of Birth:

He/she should be in

Class/Year.

We live at

Please send me a copy of your Admissions Policy.

Keep a record of all the schools you have applied for – see example John Doe, born 20.01.2011 Male Jane Doe, born 06.06.2009 Female School and contact details Application in

Response

All Saints NS

Sent email 8/4/22 Sent email 8/4/16

Carysfort National School – mixed (250 + 250)

Full

Shelly Banks Educate together

Sent email Can offer both

Guardian angel national school, Dun Laoghaire – mixed (210+210) Holy family national school, dun Laoghaire – mixed

Sent email 8/4/16 Sent email 8/4/16

Waiting list

Can offer John

John Scottus National School, Northumberland road – mixed (115 boys, 123 girls)

Sent email 8/4/16

Can offer both (not free).

Education in Ireland

Documents that schools request • Birth certificate • Baptismal certificate (requested by some schools for purpose of First Communion for example) • School reports (For children who are already in school)

Unable to secure a place close to your home? Applying for financial assistance to meet the costs of travel to and from a school some miles away from home If you end up having to travel a considerable distance to bring your child to school, you may need to consider asking each school between your nearest school and where you eventually choose or end up for a brief note saying that they could not offer you a place because they were full. You may need this if you decide to seek financial support for the additional transport costs from the School Transport Section in the Department of Education and Science. And it would be best to keep a copy of these letters. When you have enrolled your child in a school, you need to write a letter along the following lines:

APPLICATION UNDER SCHOOL TRANSPORT SCHEME

Date

To:

School Transport Section, Department of Education and Science, Portlaoise Road,

Tullamore, Co. Offaly

My child’s name is Date of Birth: Our Address is

Education in Ireland

I tried the following schools but was unable to get a place for my child in any of them because they said they were full.

I finally had to enrol my child in the following school

This school is

miles from our home.

In view of the distance involved, and the extraordinary circumstance that I was forced to enrol them in this school because there was no school place available nearer to our home, I wish to apply for financial assistance to meet the costs incurred in travelling to and from the school. Where you feel that your child is too young to travel alone on public transport, you might need to change the letter to reflect this: As my child is only years of age, I have to accompany them to and from school. In view of the distance involved, and the extraordinary circumstance that I was forced to enrol them in this school because there was no school place available nearer to our home, I wish to apply for financial assistance to meet the costs incurred by me in travelling to and from the school with my child.

Education Helpline If you still do not find a school place or want advice and assistance in making the applications, call the Education Helpline, 1890 36 36 66

Education in Ireland

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