17 Must-Read Ireland Education Facts [100% true]

The Best Facts About School in Ireland

Ireland is a country located in Europe, right next to England. It is made of low-lying mountains around a central plain, and its capital city is Dublin, which has a bit more than 550,000 inhabitants.

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its education. In light of that, I have listed my 17 best facts about the Ireland education system, and I hope you will love them:

1. Education in Ireland is free and compulsory for children from the ages of 6 to 16

For children aged 6 to 16, which corresponds to completing the 3 years of secondary school, education is both free and compulsory.

Unless parents choose to send their children to private schools, education is funded by the state at all levels: primary, second, third-level, and further.

2. Even adults can keep being educated in Ireland

Lifelong learning is a concept that is becoming more and more popular. While it originated from Scandinavia, many countries use it nowadays.

In Ireland, there are programs such as “Post-Leaving Certificate” courses, as well as “Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme”, which is targeted at unemployed people.

3. Disabled students have access to education in Ireland

Everyone can have access to education in Ireland, even students with special educational needs.

The three possibilities for them are: being in a mainstream class but with additional support, or being in a special class within a mainstream school, or being in a special school, specifically adapted to these students.

4. English is the main language of Irish schools, but Irish-language schools are on the rise

“Gaelscoileanna”, which are Irish-language schools, have become more and more popular in the country, even though English is almost always used.

There, at all levels, Irish is the primary language of education, while English is taught as a foreign or second language.

5. Irish national schools date back to 1831

State primary education in Ireland was introduced in 1831. Since then, national schools are under the control of a board of management under diocesan patronage. There is often a clergyman on top of that.

Recently, more and more Irish people are asking schools to be fully secularized.

6. Multidenominational schools are an innovation in Ireland

Multidenominational schools are under the patronage of a non-profit company.

Every religious group is welcome, and these schools are most of the time open due to parental demand. Often, it is voluntary organizations that manage such schools, like “An Foras Pátrúnachta” and “Educate Together”.

7. There are preparatory schools in Ireland

Preparatory schools in Ireland are completely independent and do not rely on the state for any funding whatsoever.

These schools are dedicated to the preparation of children for entry to independent or voluntary secondary schools. Most of them are, again, under the patronage of a religious order.

8. Primary school Irish teachers are trained in colleges of education

If anyone wants to become a teacher in primary school in Ireland, they need to graduate from a college of education.

These are specialized in training for primary school teachers. For post-primary teaching certificates, there are many dedicated third-level institutions.

9. There are many small schools in Ireland

One of the key features of the Irish education system is the fact that there is a large number of small schools.

In fact, out of the 3,250 primary schools, 200 of them are 2-teacher schools, 200 others are 3-teacher schools and 200 others are 4-teacher schools.

10. Technically, the school system in Ireland is private

While this does not mean that schools have tuition fees, the school system in Ireland still remains private, because every school is locally owned by organizations or religious denominations.

Almost all children attend these schools, which are funded by the state.

11. The early childhood education and care sector has grown since 2000

When the Irish government decided to significantly invest in the early childhood education and care sector, in 2000, it helped develop services outside the formal education system.

Now, this sector has really grown and helps more and more children (and parents!).

12. Preschool children can enjoy many dedicated facilities

Irish parents can rest assured that their children are in good hands.

With all the state investment in the early childhood education and care sector, facilities like crèches, nurseries, pre-schools, Irish language pre-schools, playgroups, and daycare services are available to them.

13. There are two official education languages in Ireland: Irish and English

While English is the main medium of instruction in most schools, Irish is still being taught. There are also a few Irish medium schools in urban areas.

The Irish language is an important part of local culture and heritage.

14. In 2010, a free pre-school year scheme was introduced

Back in January 2010, a free pre-school year scheme of 38 weeks was introduced in Ireland

It is also called ECCE scheme, and was extended to a maximum of two free pre-school years, for children from the age of 3 years and 2 months to the age of 4 years and seven months in September of the relevant year.

15. School is mandatory for Irish children aged 6, but most of them attend begin school at the age of 4

In Ireland, school is only compulsory for children at least 6, but almost all of them begin attending school after their fourth birthday.

This is possible because there are also infant classes within primary school, on top of all existing pre-schools.

16. Irish primary education has many different aims

When it comes to primary education in Ireland, pupils need to achieve many goals.

They will mainly realize their potential as an individual, be prepared for a continuum of learning, develop their social skills and interactions with other children, and learn from a broad range of academic skills.

17. There are four types of second level schools in Ireland

Levels of education in Ireland are a bit more complex after primary education as there are 4 types of secondary level schools: secondary, vocational, community, and comprehensive schools.

While secondary schools are privately owned and managed, vocational schools are established by the state and are administered by ETBs.

So there you have them, these were all my 17 fun facts about schools in Ireland. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about the education of Ireland, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Irish School Hours

Let’s keep going with our next part, dedicated to Irish school hours. The typical school schedule in one country can often be very different from your own, and it’s always interesting to have more details on how students go on about their day.

Ireland Primary School Schedule

Primary school in Ireland is compulsory for children aged 6. They may begin school the September after their fourth birthday though, in infant classes within primary schools.

The curriculum there is very child-centered and aims at developing every important academic and social skills.

They are owned privately by religious communities but are still state-funded.

Primary education ranges from the age of 4 or 6 to the age of 13 and the sixth class.

A school day in Ireland typically lasts from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and the school year runs from September to early June. At primary level, schools are required to open for at least 183 days, and this number decreases to 167 at post-primary level.

Irish High School Schedule

Irish high school, or secondary school, is made of three cycles: Junior cycle, transition year, and senior cycle.

Junior cycle itself is divided into three years, from age 12 to age 16. At the end of the third year, students need to pass the Junior Certificate examination, which is not mandatory across all schools, since these are not state examinations.

Transition year, for students aged 15 to 17, may be either compulsory, optional, or simply unavailable, depending on schools.

Finally, the senior cycle consists of another two years, from ages 15 to 19 (depending if the student took a transition year or not), and ends with the Leaving Certificate examinations.

General Facts About Schooling in Ireland

This last part is dedicated to general facts about schooling in Ireland. More specifically, we’ll check 2 key figures that will give you a better understanding of the education level in Ireland.

Enrollment in tertiary education for Ireland: 73.17%

(Average for regions: Sub-Saharan Africa: 8.6% | South Asia: 20.8% | Arab States: 36.4% | East Asia: 36.5% | Latin America: 43.3% | Europe and Central Asia: 62% | North America: 84%)

Data from World Bank EdStats/UNESCO

Ireland literacy rate: 99%

(Average for regions: Sub-Saharan Africa: 65.3% | South Asia: 72.9% | Arab States: 79.4% | Latin America: 93.7% | East Asia: 95.8% | Europe and Central Asia: 98.5%)

Data from World Bank EdStats/UNESCO

More Education Facts!

Do you want even more education facts about other countries?

Check out these facts:

• Education in the Netherlands
• Education in Poland
• Education in Germany

Or click here to see ALL the education facts up on the blog!

The Full List of 17 Irish School Facts

1. Education in Ireland is free and compulsory for children from the ages of 6 to 16
2. Even adults can keep being educated in Ireland
3. Disabled students have access to education in Ireland
4. English is the main language of Irish schools, but Irish-language schools are on the rise
5. Irish national schools date back to 1831
6. Multidenominational schools are an innovation in Ireland
7. There are preparatory schools in Ireland
8. Primary school Irish teachers are trained in colleges of education
9. There are many small schools in Ireland
10. Technically, the school system in Ireland is private
11. The early childhood education and care sector has grown since 2000
12. Preschool children can enjoy many dedicated facilities
13. There are two official education languages in Ireland: Irish and English
14. In 2010, a free pre-school year scheme was introduced
15. School is mandatory for Irish children aged 6, but most of them attend begin school at the age of 4
16. Irish primary education has many different aims
17. There are four types of second level schools in Ireland

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