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?

There are loads of cheap summer camps in Ireland for parents to put their children into

I was surprised at how seriously they take, taking children out of school during term time in England.

We also have lots of sports/science/swim camps etc that children go to during the summer. I never think they are THAT expensive either tbh. One next to my workplace is from 10-4 mon-Fri for €100.

I always thought 6 weeks summer holidays in the UK sounded very short

Yes too short! I can’t wait for the summer tbh.

I remember telling my auntie in the UK that I was off school for three months and she said 'I thought 6 weeks was bad enough" haha

Being in Ireland I genuinely feel almost anxious reading threads on here about taking a child out of school in England and the sheer hassle of it. Parents have autonomy in Ireland as it should be. I think thats the biggest difference. My youngest has chosen not to go to school for the last few days so finishes up for summer holidays today until September. Will only miss sports day and some other optional thing but I certainly don't have to stress about being fined anyway and while school is back the last week in August we are off on holiday then so they wont be back in school till I think 3rd September but a quick message on the school app to say that will suffice. Definitely this is the biggest difference.

Muintoir, no? With first name
At DD's gaelscoil. ... residential Gaeltacht in 6 class, no Easter bonnets but mata hata every year, no SATS but we have Drumcondra tests... everything just seems a bit more chill than Uk schools. No fines for instance, I'm the parent, it's up to be if they miss a week for a holiday, nobody cares.

You apply via CAO - Central Applications Office . UCAS is the UK system ?

I teach in Dublin and think much of what is being attributed to ' primary schools in Ireland' is more in line with rural based schools ? The strong influence of religion , everyone learning the tin whistle , dominance of Gaelic sports .
We have many religions in our school and even though it is 'Catholic' the ethos is neither strong nor prevalent anywhere . No statues or other religious icons .

We have every sport including Gaelic sports - we have tennis, rugby , football . Never see a priest around our school and they most certainly do not control who is on the BoM . There is always a parent representative - I think there has to be ?

Start at 8.40 - finish at 2.20 like most Dublin schools . Later starts are a rural 'thing'. I can leave at 2.20 if I need to . People always take their kids out for holidays . Every class at the moment has about 3 gone . As a teacher I just wish them a lovely break . Or ask them to bring me !!!

I take my own kids out for a skiing week evey year . Teachers here get 3 Extra Personal Vacation days when they do a summer course . We also get 5 Family Days a year ( illness ) and can take 10 days Unpaid if sanctioned by the BoM.

Best job in the world !

You have a nice life! What I find unfair about the Irish system is its very hard for non Irish people to be primary teachers. I moved to Ireland when I was 8. My mum is Irish. I always wanted to be a primary teacher in Ireland but I couldn't master the Irish language, which you need to be a primary teacher there.

Yes, DS has missed a fair few days here and there at primary and secondary for family occasions, or when DH, who works away a lot, takes him/us along. He's at a very academic secondary now, but no one has turned a hair. The school trusts us not to take him out to an extent that will damage his education. The fining at UK schools strikes me as absolutely draconian. Though we certainly took him out of school in his English primary, and were honest with the school. and were never fined...

And the 6 weeks holiday is very short, and has the mad effect that holiday pricing, flights etc leap up in price during that period.

@JustAnUdea -- but you just use childcare, same as in the UK regardless of the length of the school day or holidays. DS was always in breakfast and afterschool clubs in his Irish primary, same as he'd been in his English school, on days where neither DH nor I could work flexibly, and in holiday camps in the summer when he was still too young to be home alone when DH and I were working. He's 14 and just finishing second year, and breaks up for summer this Friday. He will obviously do a lot of teenage loafing around, and also has some sports camps and a residential Gaeltacht thing.

Totally agree ! I really think the Gaeilge requirement could be a little more flexible - as in maybe other teachers could teach your Gaeilge ? It’s very restrictive really .
Although Gaeilge permeates our whole day so I suppose that is why ? Precludes a lot of great people though .

But what's 'unfair' about a country's school system requiring teachers to be able to teach its native language? Also, why couldn't you learn Irish if you were eight when you arrived ? DS moved here when he was about to turn eight, and he's done Irish just like his peers. (As did a fair few other overseas kids who came in at around the same time -- you only qualify for an exemption if you're 12 when you arrive, or have learning difficulties, additional needs, are attending a special school, or other contributing factors.) He's at a secondary with quite a few peers who were at gaeiscoileanna for primary, and while I wouldn't say it's his strongest subject, he holds his own.

It depends on the school. I went to primary school in Ireland and Gaeilge didn't permeate the whole day. We did 40 minutes of Irish a day. Yes, we could have got a specialised Irish teacher in to teach it.

I suppose that would make more hassle for teaching boards

Really ? That’s most unusual ? All the ‘orders’ - like stand up , line up , take out your lunches , greetings etc all done in Irish . Talking to other teachers is much through Irish . Informal Irish should be used as much as possible. And our school has a very poor standard of Irish .

It's unfair because lots of Irish people move to work abroad, then move back when their children their older. Like my parents.

Their children are then never able to be irish primary teachers as the children are too far behind in the irish langauage.

It also makes it harder for any other children/teenagers that move to Ireland at a later age to become teachers, as they can't get to a good enough level of Irish.

I notice your DS hasn't done his leaving cert yet. When he does, you can let me know if he gets a high enough mark in Irish to be a primary teacher. I sat my leaving cert and i didn't get a high enough mark in Irish.

That's your school and all schools are different.:) Why would orders in my school have been in Irish though? I didn't go to a gaelscoill.

It’s just part of the curriculum . Irish used as much as possible. Called ‘Gaeilge Neamhfhoirmuil’ - informal Irish . Nothing to do with my school . Just the curriculum.

Yes, but you are talking about the curriculum now, remember. I went to primary school in Ireland 30 years ago .

There's no summer school term in Ireland. My siblings and I always pitied our English cousins.

You said you were 'never able master it' -- that's entirely different to not having performed well enough in LC to be able to train as a primary teacher, surely? I mean, could you not have repeated and taken extra classes if you really wanted to train as a primary teacher?

I mean, DH and I were those Irish people who moved abroad to work and came home with an almost eight year old who had never previously done any Irish at all. We'd been living out of Ireland for nearly 25 years, and I certainly hadn't spoken any Irish since my own LC. DS was in the same situation as lots of peers who came from abroad in second and third class with no connections to Irish or Irish parents at all, who were in a worse position because their parents didn't have any Irish either, so couldn't help with homework. And Covid hit and the schools closed in DS's first term at an Irish school, so his education was pretty disrupted for a while.

It was even more so long ago! Remember I went to school here too !!
Am sure there will be another teacher from Ireland along who will agree that Gaeilge is meant to be used all day .
Anyway, it’s a pity you didn’t get to become a teacher here . I have the most lovely South African friend in school who is highly qualified in SA and is being paid as an ‘ Unqualified Sub’ here . Awful !

No. Because if I repeated the lc and wasted another year, there was no guarantee that I would get the required mark. I wasn't good at irish. I definitely think that this wasn't helped by missing the first three years of Irish. Young children learn languages better.

Gaeilge definitely wasn't used all day in my school. Thanks for the rest of your comment. Yes it would be good if they were a little bit more flexible in the language requirement.

I went to primary school in the late 60s/ early 70s. Teachers used quite a few Irish phrases in normal classroom life (suigi sios, bigi ciuin, canaigi amach, etc). When we started French (in 5th class), the French teacher issued all classroom instructions in French.