National school (Ireland) Facts for Kids

Sign at St Columba's Infant National Schools, North Strand, Dublin

In the Republic of Ireland, a national school (Irish: scoil náisiúnta) is a type of primary school. These schools get their money directly from the government. However, they are run by the government, a special group called a 'patron body', and people from the local area.

The big decisions for national schools, like what students learn (the curriculum) and how much teachers are paid, are handled by the government's Department of Education. Smaller decisions are made by local people. Sometimes, a religious leader helps manage these schools as a representative of the patron. This is done through a local 'board of management'. Most primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are national schools. This idea of national schools started even before Ireland became independent.

There are other types of primary schools in Ireland. Some are private religious schools that do not get money from the state. In 2012, there were only 34 such private schools, with about 7,600 students. But in 2019, there were over 3,200 national schools in Ireland. They had more than 567,000 students! In Northern Ireland, schools like national schools are simply called primary schools.

How National Schools Began
School Names and Terms
Gallery
See also

How National Schools Began

National schools were set up by the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This happened after the Stanley Letter was written in 1831. The main idea was for these schools to welcome children from all religions. A government group called the National Board of Education controlled the schools. This board had six members: two Roman Catholics, two from the Church of Ireland, and two Presbyterians.

Rules for Religious Teaching

In these early national schools, there were clear rules about religious education.

Teachers had to announce when religious lessons were starting.
They had to put up a sign saying religious education was happening.
All religious symbols had to be put away when religious lessons finished.
Parents could take their children out of religious lessons if it went against their beliefs.
Schools that did not follow these rules, or refused students from different faiths, would lose government money.

Many of these rules are still officially in place today. However, they are not always followed by the government, the patron groups, or the public.

Churches and the New System

In the early 1800s, there was a lot of disagreement between different churches. The idea of schools for all religions was not popular with everyone. The Church of Ireland, even though it was a minority church, had special support from the government. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Presbyterians had faced difficulties. They wanted government support for schools that taught their own traditions.

For example, James Doyle was a Roman Catholic Bishop. He wanted to improve the informal 'hedge school' system. He believed that separating children by religion would cause problems. He told a government committee, "I do not know of any measures that would prepare the way for better feeling in Ireland than uniting children at an early age, and bringing them up in the same school." He felt that children who grew up together would learn to know and love each other.

The Stanley Letter of 1831

In 1831, Edward Stanley was the Chief Secretary for Ireland. He wrote the Stanley Letter to Augustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster. This letter set out the new government-supported primary education system. It is still the legal basis for the system today.

The national school system had two main rules:

Children of all religions should be taught together in the same school.
Religious instruction should be separate.

The new system aimed to prevent anyone from trying to convert others to their religion. At first, the churches supported this system. But they quickly changed their minds. However, people were very excited about the new national schools and many children started attending them.

Changes Over Time

In the second half of the 1800s, both the Catholic and Protestant churches accepted the idea of schools for all religions. But parents often sent their children to a national school run by their own church. This meant that by the end of the 1800s, most schools mainly served children of one religion.

However, the law still said that all national schools were for many religions. Even after Ireland became independent, the Catholic Church tried to change this law. But the government never agreed. A report in 1953 showed that over 90% of national schools had students from only one religion. This meant they were religious schools in practice, even if not by law.

From 1965, new rules allowed religious education to be part of the regular school day. Today, with more people moving to Ireland, most national schools now have students from many different religions. So, national schools are now for many religions both by law and in practice.

School Names and Terms

There isn't a strict way to name national schools. But sometimes, initials are used in the name to show what type of school it is.

GNS stands for Girls' National School. This means it's a school only for girls.
BNS stands for Boys' National School. This means it's a school only for boys.
SN is short for the Irish language term Scoil Naisiúnta. It might appear before the school's name.

In the past, national school teachers sometimes used the letters 'N.T.' after their names. But this is not common anymore.

Gallery

Plaque at Carnowen National School, near Raphoe in the east of County Donegal in Ulster.
Plaque at Coracloon National School, County Leitrim.
Plaque at Curratavey National School, County Cavan.
Plaque at Meenbane National School, near Ballybofey in the east of County Donegal in Ulster.
Plaque at Castlegregory National School, County Kerry; dated 1843, it is among the earliest National Schools.
Plaque at Cullen National School, County Tipperary.