Fewer junior infants starting at age 4
Department of Education figures indicate the proportion of four-year-olds in junior infant classes has fallen from more than 43% of almost 58,500 who started primary school in September 2005 to less than 40% of those in infant classes four years later.
The data is based on information collected by the Department of Education from every school each autumn, including a question asking what ages children in each class group would be the following January 1.
In the same period, the proportion of five-year-olds in infant classes has rose from 55.2% to 58.6% of the 64,874 pupils who started in September 2009.
Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) president, Noreen Flynn, said a decision on sending a child to school has to be made in the child’s best interests.
“It’s a matter for parents to decide when they want to send their child to school. It is then a question of whether the school they choose has space. And, where there are issues of more children seeking entry than the number of available places, age is one of the fairest criteria to use,” she said.
In the last school year, just over 63,000 boys and girls took part in the first full year of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, around 94% of those expected to begin primary school this year.
At an estimated cost of €166 million this year — up from €153.5m in 2010 when 53,000 took the first programme running from January to June — the benefit is valued at around €2,400 per child.
The scheme is open to those aged from 3¼ to 4½ in the September of the pre-school year, so children born between February 2007 and June 2008 are eligible.
