Letter to Parents/Guardians with children in primary school
- Published on: 8 May 2025
- Last updated on: 4 November 2025
Subject: Have Your Say - Primary School Survey
Date of Issue: 4 November 2025
Dear Parent/Guardian,
We are asking you as a parent or guardian of children in primary school to ‘Have Your Say’ about your primary school. We are doing this through a short, confidential survey, which will take at most 5 minutes to complete. This is an important survey and is the first time that a survey of this scale is being run by the Department of Education and Youth. The results of the survey will help the department plan how we provide education at primary level.
How to do the survey
Click the link below to take part:
www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey
It only takes 5 minutes!
For parents and guardians who for personal reasons are unable to complete an online survey, please contact the department for help at:
You will need to know your Eircode to complete the survey. If you do not know your Eircode, you can find it here:www.eircode.ie/
We will use your Eircode only for this survey and future school planning purposes. Please ensure that your school has your Eircode on record to ensure that your preferences will be recorded for your school.
Why take part?
School communities reflect the rich and diverse society we live in. We want to understand the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children attend now or will attend in coming years.
What will I be asked?
We will ask you a small number of questions, including the following:
“Would you prefer your primary school to be a co-educational school or a single-sex school?
Would you prefer your primary school to operate under a denominational (religious) patron or to operate under a multi-denominational (non-religious) patron?
Would you prefer your primary school to provide education primarily through the English language or through the Irish Language?”
Further information is available here:
How will my information be used?
Your answers are confidential and will not be shared with anyone else. The answers from your school will help the department and your school to plan for the future.
Please note: The survey is not part of the school enrolment process. If you have a child who is not yet in school, you should contact schools to enrol your child in the normal way.
What will happen with the results of the survey?
Initial high-level summary results (response rates) will be published in early 2026. The results of the survey will help the department in planning education provision at primary level.
Who do I contact if I want to discuss special educational needs provision for my child(ren)?
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was set up to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs with particular emphasis on children. The NCSE local service is delivered through their national network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) who interact with parents and schools. The number of SENOs has increased from 65 to 120 with the aim of providing an improved level of service for parents and schools.
As part of the forward planning for special education provision, the NCSE aims to assist parents seeking a special class/school placement for their child/young person. Parents of children and young people seeking a special class or special school place should contact the NCSE and have regard to the annual process and timelines for notifying the NCSE. For example those seeking a special class or special school place for the 2026/2027 school year were asked to notify the NCSE by 1 October 2025.
NCSE contact information: www.ncse.ie/contact-the-ncse
Questions?
For more information, visit: www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey
Don’t miss your chance to have your say!
The survey will close on 16 December 2025.
Thank you for your time and valuable input.
