Primary school traditions in England that are less common in Ireland

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I’ve noticed a lot of differences between primary schools in rep of Ireland and primary schools in England lately that I thought were quite interesting,so far we don’t have;
-residentials
-school fetes
-Easter bonnets
-harvest festival
-SATS

what else do you have in England that we don’t?

Thank you. Yes, the children aren’t prepped for the Irish exams that’s true. In fact teachers are specifically told not to teach to the exam and parents don’t prepare for them.

School special ed support is partially dependent on these results though, and I know teachers take them seriously (several friends and relatives are primary teachers).
But no, the overall pressure isn’t the same thank goodness.

Rural Irish school for DC was small. 5 classrooms covering 7 years with year classes doubled up in most years. Only 6th class guaranteed their own classroom and teacher.

Teachers called Mrs, Miss or Mr surname.

No school hall, so no assemblies or in school canteen meals until secondary school. This is changing and lunch meals are being brought in but quality is dubious.

The Parents Association is not a PTA and comprises just the parents and has no teachers on it. The chair liaises with the Head, (called the school Principal). It seems to be solely about fundraising and running events and doesn’t get involved in any education issues at all!!

There’s a separate management committee involved in discussing education matters and usually includes 3 parent members who are voted in, the local Priest and the odd local businessperson. It’s not remotely democratic though as they happily ignore any written education dept. policies if it doesn’t suit their preferred agenda. The Priest can be VERY influential in some primary schools!

The annual school day trip is called a School Tour here. Often to someone’s farm…! 😂

On the plus side, teaching staff are extremely flexible about most things and have much longer holidays and shorter working days compared to English primary schools.

The Parents Association is not a PTA and comprises just the parents and has no teachers on it. The chair liaises with the Head, (called the school Principal). It seems to be solely about fundraising and running events and doesn’t get involved in any education issues at all!!

There are always representatives from the Parents’ Association on a school’s Board of Management. At least two I think, that’s the case in our school anyway. So there’s a bit of influence in that sense I suppose. The reps will liaise between the two groups.

I think that the Arts are taken more seriously here in Ireland.

All children are taught to play the Tin whistle and the basics of Irish dancing is taught too. Most children seem to learn to play other instruments with fiddles, flutes and banjo’s being quite popular. Regular concerts are put on throughout the year.

No ordinary track athletics as it’s all about GAA football training where we live, not even Hurling gets a look in! Needless to say our local area dominates the County GAA results. (I stopped DS attending training as the filthy language from some of the supporters was eye watering!)

Quite! That’s what’s meant to happen.

Here, the Priest decides who will be on the management committee and it’s never anyone from the PA. 🤔 ☹️

Really?
That’s outrageous!
How on earth does he get away with that these days?

Is ‘here’ Ireland or a Catholic school in the UK?

ETA Do you mean there are no parents at all on the BOM, or just not any that are psrt of the PA? 🤔

I had DC in English and Irish schools. Irish primary schools in my experience are way less intense. Homework is reading and sums, no projects or displays. Maybe an annual assembly or Christmas show, we had monthly assemblies and preformaces we "had" to go to in England. Less dress up and non uniform days. Less trips though, just the annual tour and no overnight trips. DC had a 3 night trip in Y5 and a week away in Y6 in comparison. And I miss the summer dresses, but Irish kids aren't in school in July so they don't really need them.

Irish Catholic Primary school.

Members of BOM hand picked by Priest although there is a pretend vote but it’s completely rigged. Principal admitted this to me some years ago when she was a bit tipsy. 😂

To be honest, I think it might be slowly changing as the “we’ve always done it this way” Principal is leaving and a new Principal has been appointed to start next September. She grew up in the townland but she’s lived and studied elsewhere and is married to an actual foreigner, so fingers crossed she brings some new ideas with her.

Plus the old Priest is finally retiring… Hurrah! 🎉

And I miss the summer dresses, but Irish kids aren't in school in July so they don't really need them

Ours tend to wear their PE uniform in hot weather in May or June (at other times of the year there are set days for PE uniform vs regular uniform). So school shorts and polo shirt, boys and girls. They can still wear their regular uniform if they prefer though.

I think that’s another difference I’ve noticed through being on MN actually. There’s no changing for PE in Irish primary schools, that I’ve experienced at least.
When I was in secondary many moons ago we used to change, but my DC in secondary now just wear their PE uniform into school on PE days. No changing at school for them.

Yes, I think it will change so, thankfully.

Otherwise I’d recommend complaining to the Dept of Education. There is a strict protocol set out for the formation of school board of management groups.

The principal should have stood up to that priest years ago.

Our headteacher is from NI but taught in England. There were lots of very confused parents wondering what the hell "mufti" was. She also introduced an Easter bonnet parade 😀

You'd almost think schools vary even in the same country.

Of course they can. I was insinuating that they couldn’t…

I remember hearing a 3rd hand tale of parents in Ireland paying for text books.

Is that still the case?

Wasn’t 🤣🤣

It very much used to be the case up until 2/3yrs ago yes.

Not in primary schools now, or in second level up to Junior Cert (aged about 15). I’m not sure if the situation has changed for Leaving Certs yet?

ETA Just checked and leaving certs now get free books too…I think that just changed last year. Free primary books were only introduced for the 23/24 school year, so not long ago. But many schools or parents associations had organised book rental schemes before that, which did help somewhat with costs.

North of Ireland dc primary has a big hall, summer dresses, PTA (very good) residential, call teachers by their first name, very big on sport, don’t pay for textbooks. Have nativities, summer fetes, big P7 leaver events (including hoodies). They test from p5 (I think) using PTE/PTM and drumcondra Irish (all standardised tests) that you get the results for each year. Most kids do a separate exam for grammar school entry.

One of mine did Maypole dancing at the school fete. One was too cool for it.
They had sibling priority in the applications. (England

No grammar schools in Ireland (ROI), that’s another difference. At least not in the sense that you do the 11plus exam as an entry requirement and top performers are selected.

Schools here aren’t allowed to select students on the basis of their academic performance.

I think a few schools do have ‘grammar’ as part of their school name, but that’s as far as it goes.

I know that’s about secondary schools, but it makes a big difference to children in later primary years too.

And of course primary is longer here too, with transfer to second level happening at age 12 or 13.

The Gdcs’ primary (C of E) recently had the little ones all dancing round a Maypole. ❤️

Not in Ireland though?

C of E - Church of England school - not sure they have any of those in Ireland!

No. We do have some Church of Ireland schools.
It was just the context (in terms of the post you were replying to) made me unsure if it was a typo for C of I, sorry.

I believe the school day is shorter in Ireland (in younger years?) Do they have wrap aroind care too?

(For example, Dds old school opens at 7.30-8.45 for Breakfast club, School 8.45-3.30pm, then ASC until 5.30pm.)