Children start their post-primary education when they have completed primary school, usually around the age of 12, and it is compulsory for students to attend until the age of 15.
Post-primary education can be divided into secondary, vocational and community schools and community colleges. Vocational schools teach students to learn a particular job or trade while Community schools are non selective, co educational and combine practical and academic subjects. The main difference between all secondary educations lies in the way they are managed, who owns them and how they are funded.
Secondary school is the most popular choice for parents to send their kids to. It is provided free of charge by the state, although you will be required to pay for books, uniform and examination fees. However, a small number of private schools, mainly situated in Dublin, are fee paying. As a parent, you are free to send your child to a secondary school of your choice, as long as there are places available.
Secondary schools are privately owned and managed usually by religious communities or board of governors. They consist of a three-year junior cycle followed by a two year senior cycle with an extra year if students choose to take part in the optional Transition Year (TY) programme. TY provides an opportunity for pupils to take on work experience for a period of time and offers subjects like Mandarin, computers and typing in addition to the usual subjects without formal examinations at the end.
During the final two years of the senior cycle, students can choose to do the traditional Leaving Certificate, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) or the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA).
Just as in primary schools, you can choose to send your youngster to Gaelcholaistes where they will be taught the curriculum via the Irish language. Grind schools are also a popular choice when entering the senior cycle as they focus on the Leaving Certificate and offer students a chance to repeat the examination. These are fee paying, privately run schools that are outside the state sector and are popular when your child is looking to gain high points to gain entry into a particular college course.
When it comes to deciding where to send your child, it is important that you include them in the decision making.
