The phases of education explained

Education requirements

In the Republic of Ireland, children need to receive a certain minimum education (through school or home schooling) between the ages of 6 up to 16, or until they’ve successfully accomplished 3 years of post-primary education. 

There are ‘recognised schools’ (schools overseen by the Department of Education) and independent schools or non-recognised schools (which aren’t overseen by the DoE).

Pre-school education

Similar to the UK education system, early years education settings are either government or privately funded.

• Government funded – The Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (ECCE) is a free, two-year government funded programme that offers childcare and education for children as young as 2 years and 8 months old.
  
• Privately funded – Privately run early years education settings are an alternative option, and parents can access financial support from the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) to help with the costs.

Post-primary education

Children typically attend post-primary school (also known as secondary school) once they are 12 or 13 years old.

The majority of post-primary schools don’t require fees to attend but parents need to pay for books, exam fees, school uniforms and other essential items. There are two phases or ‘cycles’ of post-primary education:

• Junior Cycle – for pupils typically aged 12 to 15.
  
• Senior Cycle – for pupils typically aged 16 to 18.

And there are three different types of post-primary schools:

• Voluntary secondary schools – these are owned and managed by private groups, often by an individual body e.g. a charitable trust, private charitable company, or religious community.
  
• Community colleges – these are set up by the local Education and Training Board (ETB) – the school’s sole patron.
  
• Community schools – these are set up by one or more patrons (private or religious) with an Education and Training Board. But they can also be formed via an ETB school joining with a voluntary secondary school.

There are also special schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

What subjects do schools in the Republic of Ireland teach?

Schools in Ireland teach the same subjects as schools in the UK, with the addition of the Irish language.

What assessments do students take?

Just like SATs and GCSEs in the UK, there are a number of assessments pupils take in the Republic of Ireland:

Primary School Assessments

There are 3 standardised tests that pupils take in primary school for English and Maths

Junior Cycle Exams

Junior Profile of Achievement (JCPA) – this is an exam pupils take at the end of the 3-year Junior cycle

Senior Cycle Exams

In the last 2 years of the Senior Cycle, students take one of the following:

• Established Leaving Certificate (this is for learners looking to go to university and largely determines whether they’ll secure a place).
  
• Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (this is for learners looking to take a more technical and vocational route, focusing on equipping them with both practical and academic skills.)
  
• Leaving Certificate Applied Programme (this is for learners looking to pursue a vocational or practical programme, and focuses on preparing learners for the world of work).

Who are the main school decision makers?

Although not required, most primary schools in Ireland have a ‘board of management’. This includes:

• The school principal
• Two patron nominees
• A teacher at the school, chosen by the other staff
• Two additional members chosen by the school community, specifically, representatives of the patron, parents and teachers.
• Two parents of pupils who attend the school (one mother and one father) chosen by the other parents

The rules for who sits on the board of management do vary with the different types of schools. If you’re curious about the variations, check out this handy resource here.

Secondary schools also have boards of management. Generally, the board of management are responsible for overseeing the school, appointing the school staff, reviewing finances, and making sure education requirements and policies are fulfilled and adhered to.  

How do schools in the Republic of Ireland make purchasing decisions?

Just like schools in the UK, the cost of a product or service determines the process for purchasing. For example, for lower cost investments, schools can award contracts without opening it up to several competitive suppliers. However, the higher the cost, the more suppliers required in the process.

For example, according to the government’s Procurement Guidance for Primary and Special Schools, if the school is awarding a contract that’s less than €5000 (exc. VAT), they need to get a written or verbal quote from one or more competitive supplier.

If the contract is between €5,000 and €50,000 (exc. VAT), they need to collect responses to written specifications from at least three service providers or suppliers. And contracts between €50,000 and €221,000 (exc. VAT) require a lengthier tender process.

If you’d like to dig even deeper into Republic of Ireland schools and the specifics of different types of schools, check out the Citizens Information website for Ireland.