Primary schools can be religious, non-denominational, multi-denominational, stated funded or private; however, they all consist of junior infants, senior infants and first to sixth class. Deciding on which one to send your kids can be quite daunting, so it important that you understand the differences to help you make an informed choice.
National Schools
National schools are state aided parish schools, although the religious dominance is starting to change. While the state pays for the bulk of the running costs, parents are often asked to make a voluntary contribution. The Department of Education and Science pays the teachers’ salaries and the schools are inspected by the Department’s Inspectorate. National schools have to stick to a curriculum that is divided into Irish, English, Mathematics, Social, Environment and Scientific Education, Arts Education, P.E., and Social, Personal and Health Education.
Gaelscoileanna
Gaelscoileanna are national schools that teach pupils through the language of Irish and there are around 183 around Ireland. The Department of Education funds these schools on the same basis as national schools although they get a higher capitation grant. This is due to the fact that Irish medium schools have to incur additional costs such as extra photocopying. They often seek voluntary contributions from parents to help with funding.
Educate Together Schools
Educate Together schools are multi-denominational and are fully recognised by the Irish Department of Education. The Educate Together is the patron body of schools run according to the Educate Together Charter. They guarantee equality of access to children “irrespective of their social, cultural or religious background. Children are taught the Learn Together Ethical Education Curriculum rather than religious programmes taught in denominational schools. This has four strands: moral and spiritual, equality and justice, belief systems, and ethics and the environment. There are around 68 Educate Together schools in Ireland - half of these are located in Dublin.
Private Primary Schools
Private primary schools don’t receive state support and their curriculum, school day and school calendar are not subject to state regulations. Teachers who work in these schools are not paid by the state and there are no qualification requirements. However, most will provide the basic curriculum set out for national schools. There are about 45 such schools in Ireland and many accept children from pre-school right up to sixth year.
