Primary School Survey - Questions and Answers

The Department of Education and Youth is asking primary school communities to Have Your Say in a short but important survey regarding their local primary school – ‘Primary School Survey’.

The short, online survey is for:

• Parents and guardians of children who have not yet started primary school
• Parents and guardians of children currently attending primary school
• Primary school staff*
• Primary school Board of Management members*

*a separate survey is available for these groups.

The survey runs until the 16 December 2025.

The survey asks 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?

How to do the survey – step-by-step guide

Parents and guardians:

• Click on the survey here: www.gov.ie/schoolsurvey or scan the QR code
• When you have read the information on the first page of the survey, click “next”
• Enter your Eircode. 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.
• Click “Next”
• Click on “Yes” or “No” to each of the questions on the ‘Your Household’ page
• Click “Next”
• Click on “Co-educational school” or “Single-sex school” on the ‘Co-education or single-sex school’ preference page
• Click “Next”
• Click on “Denominational (religious) patron” or “Multi-denominational (non-religious) patron” on the ‘patronage/ethos preference’ page
• Click “Next”
• Click on “Education through English” or “Education through Irish” on the ‘language preference (education through English or through Irish)’ page
• Click “Next”
• Parents and guardian who indicate on the “Your Household” page that they have children who are not yet in primary school, will see a page called “School preference for child/children not yet in school”. Please write the name of your preferred primary school. If you have more than one child who has not yet started primary school and you are planning to apply to enrol them in different schools, please write the name of the primary schools. When you are including the name of your preferred primary school for your children please also include the name of the nearest town or village where possible, for example, St Clares Primary School, Cavan. If you don't have a particular school in mind, please write "none".
• Click “Next”
• On the “Review your choices” page, please take a moment to review your responses before submitting them. If you wish to change your responses, please click on “back” to scroll through the pages to go back to the page you wish to change your preference, click on your preference and then click on “next” to scroll back to the “Review your choices” page.

When you are happy with your responses, click on “I confirm these choices are correct, and wish to submit these preferences for this household”.

• Click “submit”
• A page will appear confirming that your responses have been submitted.

If your child is already in primary school, please make sure the school has your Eircode. This will help make sure your preferences in the survey are recorded properly.

If your child is not yet in primary school, where the survey refers to “your primary school”, this also refers to your preferred primary school for your child who is not yet in school.

What do the key terms in the survey questions mean?

Co-education or single-sex school

About 90% of primary schools in Ireland provide education to boys and girls across all classes. We call this co-education. The remaining 10% or so are single-sex primary schools and provide education to boys only or girls only in some or all classes.

patronage/ethos

All recognised primary schools (irrespective of patron):

• follow the national curriculum
• follow the Department of Education and Youth rules and regulations
• have a school patron.

The school patron appoints a Board of Management to manage the school on their behalf. Under the Education Act 1998, the patron also decides on the ethos of the school.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to seek to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education. Children in multi-denominational schools learn about all faiths and belief systems as part of the school day. They use multi-denominational programmes, like:

• Education and Training Board Community National School’s Goodness Me! Goodness You!
• Educate Together’s Learn Together
• An Foras Pátrúnachta’s Croí na Scoile.

Language (education through the English language or education through the Irish language

92% of primary schools provide education through English. The remaining 8% provide education through Irish.

Where can I access and complete the survey?

The survey is available in English and Irish and can be completed in either language. It can be completed on smartphone or computer/laptop by accessing the following link: www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey

The link also provides clear information on co-education and single-sex schools, patronage/ethos and language (education through the English language and education through the Irish language) and other useful information for parents and guardians, school staff and board of management members.

The survey is an online survey and will take at most 5 minutes to complete. For parents and guardians who for personal reasons are unable to complete an online survey, please contact the Department of Education and Youth for help at schoolsurvey@education.gov.ie

The survey runs until the end of 16 December 2025 and is for:

• Parents and guardians of children who have not yet started primary school
• Parents and guardians of children currently attending primary school
• Primary school staff
• Primary school board of management members

If you experience any difficulties completing the survey, you can e-mail the department for assistance.

Department of Education and Youth email address for queries: schoolsurvey@education.gov.ie

What do I need to complete a survey?

Parents and guardians

You will need to know your eircode to complete the survey. If you do not know you eircode, you can find it here: www.eircode.ie. The Department of Education and Youth will use your eircode only for this survey and future school planning purposes. The eircode you provided to the primary school your children attend for contact purposes is the key to completion of the survey.

If you have recently moved address or changed Eircode please ensure that you have updated your record with your school to ensure that your preferences will be recorded for your school.

School staff and board of management members

All school staff working in primary schools should click on the relevant link on the survey page and complete a survey in respect of the school you work in. Primary school board of management members should also use this link. As part of the survey arrangements, the department provides a unique PIN to each school for dissemination to all staff and board of management members. You will need this school PIN to complete a survey.

If you experience any difficulties completing the survey, you can e-mail the department for assistance.

Department of Education and Youth email address for queries: schoolsurvey@education.gov.ie

Why do I need to provide my Eircode?

Only parents or guardians of children who are in primary school now, or who will start primary school in the coming years, can take part in the survey. In other words, the parents of children from around the age of 0 to 12 years old (or when they finish primary school), can take part in the survey. Primary school staff and board of management members can also do the survey.

If your child is in primary school, we will use your Eircode to match your answers to your child’s primary school. We do this by checking your child’s Eircode with data in the department of Education and Youth Primary School Online Database.

If your child is not yet in primary school, we will use your Eircode to check that there is a young child in your household. We do this by checking your Eircode with data from the Department of Social Protection’s Child Benefit Database.

Your answers are confidential and will not be shared with anyone else.

Why do I need to provide the name of my preferred primary school, if my child is not in primary school?

The Department of Education and Youth will link the results of the survey with schools so that they know what the parents and guardians of the children in the school now, or who will attend the school in the future prefer.

If your child is not yet in primary school, you will be asked to provide the name of your preferred primary school. If you do not know, please write ‘none’.

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 enrolment process. You should contact schools to enrol your children in the normal way.

Why do I need to provide the name of my preferred primary school, if my child is not in primary school?

The Department of Education and Youth will share the results of the survey with schools so that they know what the parents and guardians of the children in the school now, or who will attend the school in the future prefer.

If your child is not yet in primary school, you will be asked to provide the name of your preferred primary school. If you do not know, please write ‘none’.

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 enrolment process. You should contact schools to enrol your children in the normal way.

Why do staff and members of boards of management in primary schools need a different survey link and unique PIN?

The survey for staff and boards of management is different because it has less questions than the survey for parents and guardians. The PIN will match responses to a local school. All answers are confidential and will not be shared with anyone else.

I am a teacher, and I am also a parent of a child in or about to enter primary school. Which survey do I complete?

You should complete both surveys.

What are the key survey dates?

Are the survey preferences confidential?

The Department of Education and Youth will protect the identity of the people who respond to this survey. We will not publish any individual response or identify to schools, any parent, guardian, child, staff member or board of management member. Preferences of parents, guardians, school staff and board of management members are confidential and will not be identified.

The individual responses from parents, guardians, school staff and board of management members will be available solely to the department for the purposes of the survey process.

Following the completion date the results will be collated and analysed. All individual responses will then be removed from the survey system.

What are the potential outcomes from the survey?

A good response rate will be important in analysing the outcomes of the survey. We will use the survey results to input into our analysis of national, local and school-specific data to help us with planning at primary school level. We will work with relevant stakeholders on actioning the outcomes from the surveys in the context of future school planning.

The survey is not a final step. Where there is clear support from parents and guardians for change to be considered, a further process of inclusive dialogue will begin.

Where there is demand from parents for a multi-denominational ethos, the department will provide a facilitator with a broad knowledge of the education system to assist the school community in their journey to becoming a multi-denominational school.

The survey preferences on providing education primarily through the English language or through the Irish language will inform potential future local consultation around opportunities to increase the provision of education through Irish.

The results of the survey question on parental preferences for consideration to be given to changing from a single-sex school to a co-educational school may prompt applications to the department for a change of status to co-educational. The decision-making authority for any change of status, including to co-educational provision, is the patron/trustees of a school, subject to the approval of the Department of Education and Youth. The department is generally supportive of proposed changes of status to co-educational, subject to ensuring that there will remain sufficient capacity for both boys and girls in the relevant area.

For more information, please go to www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey If you have any questions not answered on these webpages, you can contact the Department of Education and Youth by e-mailing: schoolsurvey@education.gov.ie

I have children who are not yet in primary school and have a number of schools in my area which I could send them to, which school should I express a preference for?

The survey asks 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 ?

You should express your preference for your preferred primary school. After you have selected your preferences on the above questions, parents and guardians with children who are not yet in primary school are asked to input the name of their preferred primary school (or primary schools where you have more than one child who has not yet started primary school).

Where the survey refers to “your primary school”, this also refers to your preferred primary school for your children who are not yet in school. You can enter the local name or official name of your preferred primary school. Please also include the area that the school is located in, for example: St Clares Primary School, Cavan.

If you have yet to decide what school is your preferred school for your children who are not yet in school, you can write “none”.

Please note: the survey is not part of the enrolment process and you should contact schools to enrol your child or children in the normal way.

I am a separated parent, which parent should complete the survey for our children?

The eircode you provided to the primary school your children attend is the key to completion of the survey.

You may indicate your preference for the school your children currently attend. If you have children who are not yet in school, you may indicate your preference for your preferred primary school.

Why are only parents of children in primary schools being surveyed? Why not post-primary schools?

The survey is for:

• Parents and guardians of children who have not yet started primary school
• Parents and guardians of children currently attending primary school
• Primary school staff
• Primary school Board of Management members.

This is the first survey of its type and involves significant logistical arrangements. The learnings from the process can be useful in respect of any future survey requirement.

Why are parents of children who have not yet started primary school included?

The survey is for:

• Parents and guardians of children who have not yet started primary school
• Parents and guardians of children currently attending primary school
• Primary school staff
• Primary school Board of Management members.

School communities reflect the rich and diverse society we live in. We need clear information on the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children currently attend or will attend in coming years. The results of the survey will help the department to plan how we provide education at primary level.

Why are all Primary Schools included in the survey?

The majority of primary schools (88.3 %) are ‘denominational’ schools under the patronage of the Catholic Church. These schools have a Catholic ethos. Faith formation and preparation for sacraments forms part of the school day.

To support Irish society changes, it is important to consider the option of making schools with a multi-denominational ethos more widely available, where the school community supports this.

Parents decide which school to send their children to for a wide variety of different reasons and ethos can be an important factor for some.

There is demand for schools that don’t have a denominational/religious ethos at their core.

Representatives of Catholic patrons have stated that “Bishops would like to move as quickly as possible to a situation in which the State supports parents with the provision of schools whose ethos genuinely reflects what they want for their children”.

All primary schools, including mainstream primary schools and special schools, are being included in the survey to get a full picture of school community preferences at primary school level. Denominational school communities (such as those under the patronage of other Church bodies such as the Church of Ireland) cater for minority faith communities, represent a small proportion of primary schools and add to the diversity of primary school options available to parents.

The survey is aimed at establishing whether there is demand for a single-sex school to change to become a co-educational school, demand for a school under a denominational (religious) patron to change to become a school under a multi-denominational (non-religious) patron, demand for a school which provides education mainly through English to change to a school which provides education mainly through Irish in order to provide more choice for parents.”

Who should parents contact if they want to discuss special educational needs provision for their 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

Any contact with the NCSE and/or SENO by a parent or guardian regarding special needs provision is completely separate to the primary school survey. All responses to the survey are confidential. We will protect the identity of the people who respond to this survey. We will not publish any individual response or identify to schools, any parent, guardian or child.

I have a question about completing the survey which is not answered in these FAQs, how can I get further information?

Information on the school survey and other useful information including on co-education and single-sex schools, patronage/ethos and language (education through the English language or through the Irish language) is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/primaryschoolsurvey

If you have any questions not answered on the webpages, you can contact the department by e-mailing: schoolsurvey@education.gov.ie