Number of children starting school aged four drops to 17%

It is claimed that the drop in numbers is most likely due to the introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010, and its expansion to two years in 2016.

The number of children starting primary school at the age of four has fallen by 30% in the past 20 years, according to latest figures.

Four-year-olds now account for 17% of junior infants, a figure that stood at 47% in 2001.