Government unlikely to raise school entry age

THE age at which children can start school is highly unlikely to be raised as part of government efforts to cut the cost of running the country’s schools.

While the Department of Education would not confirm any measures currently under consideration for next year’s budget, the Irish Examiner understands that the proposal which had been on the table during the lifetime of the last government is no longer being considered. It emerged yesterday that department officials had last year drawn up detailed figures on the potential savings achieved from raising the age of entry to primary education up to five.

Legally, children must be given an appropriate education between the ages of six and 16, but schools are entitled to set their own polices on whether to enrol children at an earlier age, and around 40% of junior infants are aged four. As well as reducing teacher numbers, raising the entry age could soften the cost of education of a rising young population by also delaying additional building requirements and increases in day-to-day spending for schools.