Children are older starting school and fewer likely to repeat a year, new data shows

In 2000, almost 7,000 students repeated a year of primary school, compared to just under 2,000 in 2020. File picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

More children are starting school older, and fewer are repeating a year of primary school, now than at the turn of the millennium.

The vast majority of schools remain under religious patronage, despite the introduction of Government targets to improve parental choice when it comes to schools, and the closure of roughly eight Catholic schools on average each year since 2011.

The details are included in recent figures published by the Department of Education, looking at enrolment, school, and student data.

The figures show the age of junior infants starting school has been steadily increasing for the past 20 years.

Preschool schemes

Since the introduction of preschool schemes, the age of junior infants starting school has been steadily increasing. File picture: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

This is most likely due to the introduction of preschool schemes, which the department outlines in an overview of education over a 20-year span.

Prior to the introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme in 2010, almost half (46.5%) of children starting school were four years old, or under. Last year, this figure stood at just under 17% of junior infants.

The number of children who repeat a year in primary school has also dramatically fallen over the last two decades. 

In 2000, almost 7,000 students repeated a year of primary school, compared to just under 2,000 in 2020.

In 2000, just under 4,000 students repeated junior or senior infants, and 1,179 repeated fifth or sixth class. Last year, 979 students repeated junior or senior infants, and 343 repeated fifth or sixth class.

Catholic schools

The figures also show that Catholic schools still make up the vast majority of primary schools here, despite the closure of almost 130 schools with a religious ethos over the past two decades and the establishment of 74 multi-denominational schools.

Since 2000, 119 Catholic schools, and nine Church of Ireland primary schools have closed due to declining enrolments or the amalgamation of schools in close proximity to one other.

All 25 new mainstream primary schools opened in the past five years have been multi-denominational in ethos, spread over various patrons. At post-primary level, most students also attend schools with a Catholic ethos, despite increasing numbers who attend a multi-denominational school.

The number of students in multi-denominational schools increased by 3.2% over the last year, which works out at 5,478 pupils.

This was ahead of the rise in students attending Catholic schools which saw their numbers rise by 2,112 (1.1%).

All 25 new mainstream primary schools opened in the past five years have been multi-denominational in ethos, spread over various patrons. File picture

Across the board at post-primary level, student enrolments have risen by 33,641 over the past five years.

The largest increases in enrolments can be seen in counties close to Dublin, like Laois (40.8%), Meath (40%) and Kildare (36.1%).

Over the past 10 years, the only decrease in enrolments was recorded in Dublin City and Cork City, which saw a fall of 1.4% and 0.8% respectively. Enrolments in Fingal rose by 49.8%, and South Dublin by 23.7%.

Enrolments in post-primary schools are expected to continue to rise in the coming years. Enrolments at primary schools peaked in 2018.

Mixed-sex schools

More boys than girls consistently attend mixed-sex schools. More than a third (37.8%) of young women attended an all-girls school last year, compared to 30% of young men attending an all-boys school.

More girls than boys consistently opt for transition year, and uptake is consistently lower in Deis schools than non-Deis schools.

Notwithstanding, the percentages of students taking part in transition year have increased across the board since 2000.