Starting school

Most children in Ireland start their first-level education in primary school (also called national school) at the age of 4 or 5 years of age. Legally, children can be enrolled at primary school from the age of 4 upwards and must start 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 - junior and senior infants - followed by class 1 to class 6.

There are different types of primary schools in Ireland. All schools have a patron who sets the ethos of the school. The patron may be a religious order. There are denominational schools, multi-denominational schools, Irish-speaking schools (called Gaelscoileanna), special schools and non-State-aided private primary schools.

Education in State primary schools is free of charge. The current and capital costs of primary schools, including teachers' salaries, are funded mainly by the Government and supplemented by local contributions.

You can send your child to the primary school of your choice, provided there is a place available for them. Where there is a shortage of places the school must give priority based on their admissions or enrolment policy. This is drawn up by the board of management and should be available to you on request. You can find out more about different types of primary schools and their admissions policies.

Finding a place

To enrol your child in primary school, check the list of primary schools in your area. You should contact the school of your choice to see if there is a place available. The school of your choice may place your child on a waiting list or you may need to contact other schools to find a place.

Children with special educational needs are generally educated in mainstream schools. Though there are some special schools.

Your child in school

Schools hours and days

The length of the school day in primary school is 5 hours and 40 minutes. This includes assembly time, roll-call and breaks which are usually around 11am and 12.30pm. Primary schools may reduce the school day by an hour for children in their first 2 years at primary school (commonly called junior infants and senior infants) and in their third year at primary school (commonly called first class). You can read the Department of Education Circular 11/95 Time in School (Primary) (pdf).

Overall, primary schools must be open for a minimum of 183 days in each school year. All schools must close for the months of July and August. Christmas, Easter and mid-term breaks are standardised in both primary and post-primary schools.

Teachers and staff

The principal is responsible for running the school. Each class has a class teacher who teaches all subjects to their class. In some smaller schools the teacher has more than one class. There may be other teachers in the school such as a language support teacher to help learn English or a learning support teacher to help children who are having difficulty with the curriculum. Schools set their own policy in relation to homework.

Starting class

Children starting school for the first time will be in junior infants class. If your child has attended school before, the principal, you and the class teacher will decide together which class your child will be in. Primary school children are only allowed to repeat a year for educational reasons and in special situations. You can get more information in the Department's circular retention of primary pupils in the same grade.

The school must provide reports for each child and the school must allow parents to have access to their child's school record. Schools usually hold a parent/teacher meeting during the year. If you are concerned about your child's progress at any stage during the year, you can speak to the class teacher.

Uniforms and school bags

While students do not have to wear a uniform at primary school, many schools (in consultation with parents) have introduced school uniforms. Check with your school about their policy. The Department has published recommendations on school uniforms and on the the weight of schoolbags.

If your child has a problem that you cannot sort out, you can arrange to speak to the class teacher. If this doesn't resolve the problem you can speak to the school principal.

If you have a complaint about a teacher or about the school, the first step is usually to speak to the class teacher. Then, if the complaint is not resolved, you can speak to the school principal. The next step is to approach the chairperson of the school's board of management.

If you have exhausted the school's complaints procedure and are still not satisfied, you can appeal to the Ombudsman for Children.

If your complaint is about a teacher’s fitness to teach, you should first use the school’s complaints procedure. If you have exhausted this procedure and are not satisfied with the outcome, you can make a complaint to the Teaching Council.

The Department of Education has no legal powers to investigate individual complaints about schools or to instruct schools to follow a particular course of direction with regard to individual complaints. The Department provides information on the complaints procedure in primary school.

If your child cannot attend school you must tell the school the reason for the absence. Write a short note to the school to explain why your child was out and send it in with your child when they go back to school.

If you are changing school you should tell the school that your child is leaving and will not be returning. You can ask the principal to give you a report on your child's progress which can be given to the new school when you are enrolling your child.

You can find documents on our website about preschool education, teaching your child at home, admissions policies in schools, the curriculum in primary schools, the ownership of primary schools, school discipline, bullying, school attendance, help with costs of books and uniform and school health screenings. You can also find out more about programmes that address educational disadvantage such as tackle educational disadvantage in primary schools including the Early Start Pre-school Programme and special educational arrangements for Travellers.