Minister for Education and Youth reminds primary schools to inform her department by 31 October 2026 deadline to join first phase of Primary School Survey changes

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton has today reminded primary schools that they must notify the Department of Education and Youth and their patron by 31 October 2026 if they wish to be considered for the first phase of changes arising from the Primary School Survey.

The department has this week written to all primary schools outlining the steps to be taken during September and October and has published guidance for schools here.

Published in June, the Primary School Survey provides the most comprehensive picture to date of the views of parents and guardians on the future direction of primary education in their communities.

The survey examined preferences on school patronage and ethos, co-educational or single-sex provision and language of instruction (English or Irish).

Individual school results were shared with schools in June, enabling boards of management to review the findings and begin engagement with their school communities.

Speaking today, Minister Naughton said:

The Minister encouraged schools to review their results carefully and engage openly with parents, staff, patrons and the wider community before making any decisions.

The Department of Education and Youth will continue to support schools as they engage with parents, staff, patrons and the wider community on the survey findings and consider potential next steps.

Schools interested in joining the first phase of implementation should undertake consultation with their school community before submitting an expression of interest.

The department will provide targeted supports to participating schools, with the first changes arising from the process expected to be introduced from September 2027.

Primary School Survey Timeline

June

Department provided school-specific reports and explanatory information to primary schools and published all school-specific reports online. Schools were asked to circulate their school-specific report to their school community.

September/ October

Schools have been asked to make arrangements for their school community to submit their feedback to the Board of Management by the end of September or early October.

October

Schools have been asked to arrange a special Board of Management meeting to review the feedback and decide if the school wants to explore a change in configuration.

31 October

Deadline for schools to let the department and school patron know if they want to be part of the first group to act on the survey results, after reviewing their results and consulting with their school community.

Notes to Editor

Overview of Primary School Survey

The Department of Education and Youth ran the Primary School Survey from 4 November to 16 December 2025.

Through the survey, the department has obtained clear information on the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children currently attend, or will attend in coming years, on a number of important areas of primary school provision, including patronage/ethos, co-education or single-sex school provision and language of instruction (English or Irish).

Primary schools received their school-specific results in June 2026, marking the next stage in the process of engaging school communities on the future direction of their schools. The department published all school-level reports on www.gov.ie/PrimarySchoolSurvey, alongside a national summary report, including a county breakdown of the results. School planning area results, providing additional local and regional context, have also been published on gov.ie

School boards of management have the opportunity to consider being included in the first group of schools to action the survey results, following a period of engagement and consultation with their school community, including their parents and parents’ association, student council, school staff and local community, including parents with children not yet in school.

Schools are being asked to inform the department and their patron by 31 October 2026 if the school requests to be included in the first group to action the survey results.

The department will support schools which are included in the first group to action their survey results. The first changes arising from this process are expected to be seen in schools from September 2027.

What happens if there is demand for change?

Over 200,000 parents/guardians took part in the Primary School Survey. Each school has received results based on the views of parents with children in the school, or those who plan to enrol a child.

If a school requests to be included in the first group of schools to change arising from this work, the department will assign a dedicated point of contact to support the school throughout the process of implementing a change in configuration. A range of additional supports will also be made available.

Schools that teach through Irish

• About 92% of schools teach through English
• About 8% of schools teach through Irish
• Children in schools that provide education through Irish follow the same curriculum as those in other schools but are taught all subjects (except English and other languages) through Irish.
• If a school wants to change and teach through Irish, the department will support the school on their journey.

Multi-denominational schools

• About 95% of schools have a religious (denominational) ethos.
• About 5% of schools are multi-denominational. In a multi-denominational school, children learn about different religions and beliefs. These schools do not provide religious instruction during the school day.
• If a school wants to become multi-denominational the department will support the school. In order to ensure schools are appropriately supported on their journey, it is planned that the maximum number of schools any multi-denominational patron would be involved in supporting in any given year would be 8-10 schools.
• When a school changes to multi-denominational patronage, most things in the school stay the same. For example, the school remains open, operating from the same school building and continues to have a Board of Management, and the department provides the same supports, like grants, inspections, regulations, curriculum, and staff.
• A change of ethos to multi-denominational can take place all at once, or gradually.

Co-educational schools

• About 90% of primary schools are co-educational. This means boys and girls are taught together in all classes.
• About 10% of schools are single-sex, meaning they teach only boys or only girls, in some or all classes.
• If a school wants to become co-educational, the Department of Education and Youth will consider this request through its Planning and Building Unit.
• When looking at these requests, the department will check things like whether there are enough school places for boys and girls in the area, and the timing of any changes would reflect this.