thumb|Sign at St Columba's Infant National Schools, [[North Strand, Dublin]]

In Ireland, a national school () is a type of primary school that is financed directly by the state, but typically administered jointly by the state, a patron body, and local representatives. In national schools, most major policies, such as the curriculum and teacher salaries and conditions, are managed by the state through the Department of Education. Minor policies of the school are managed by local people, sometimes directed by a member of the clergy, as representative of the patron, through a local 'board of management'. Most primary schools in Ireland fall into this category, which is a pre-independence concept.

While there are other forms of primary school in Ireland, including a relatively small number of private denominational schools which do not receive state aid, there were just 34 such private primary schools in 2012, with a combined enrollment of 7,600 pupils. By comparison there were, as of 2019, over 3,200 national schools in Ireland with a combined enrollment of 567,000 pupils. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent to a national school is a primary school.

History

National schools, established by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland government, post the Stanley Letter of 1831, and were intended to be multi-denominational. The schools were controlled by a state body, the National Board of Education, with a six-member board consisting of two Roman Catholics, two Church of Ireland, and two Presbyterians.

In the national schools, there was to be strict delimitation between religious and non-religious education, where the teacher had to declare that religious education was beginning, hang a sign on the wall or door indicating that religious education was in process, and remove all religious symbols and objects from sight when religious education finished. Also, parents had the a notional right to remove their children from this period of religious education if it conflicted with their religious beliefs. Lastly, schools who failed to abide by these rules or who refused admissions of different faiths to the patron were denied state funding. These rules largely remain in place today, but are not consistently recognised by the state, the patron bodies, or the general public.

In the early 19th century, in a climate of animosity between the churches, the multi-denominational system was strongly opposed: the established church (Church of Ireland), though the church of the minority, held a special position and a right to government support in promoting Anglicanism. Both the Roman Catholic Church, which was emerging from a period of suppression in Ireland, and the Protestant Presbyterians, who had also suffered under the penal laws, had sought state support for schools of their own tradition.

thumb|A former national school (est. 1897) in Askanagap, [[County Wicklow (now in use as the local community hall)]]

In 1831, Edward Stanley (who later became the 14th Earl of Derby), Chief Secretary for Ireland, in the Stanley letter to Augustus FitzGerald, 3rd Duke of Leinster, outlined the new state-supported system of primary education (this letter remains today the legal basis of the system). The two legal pillars of the national school system were to be (i) children of all religious denominations to be taught together in the same school, with (ii) separate religious instruction. There was to be no hint of proselytism in this new school system. The new system, initially well supported by the religious denominations, quickly lost support of the Churches. However, the population showed great enthusiasm and flocked to attend these new national schools. One of the civil servants managing implementation was Belfast-born Sir Alexander Macdonnell, 1st Baronet.

In the second half of the 19th century, first the Catholic Church, and later the Protestant churches conceded to the state, and accepted the "all religious denominations together" legal position. Where possible, parents sent their children of a national school under the local management of their particular Church. The result was that by the end of the 19th century the system had become increasingly denominational, with individuals choosing to attend schools primarily catering to children of their own religion. Today, following many years of immigration, a majority of national schools cater for more than one religion; today national schools are both and multi-denominational.

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File:Plaque, Carnowen National School - geograph.org.uk - 993349.jpg|Plaque at Carnowen National School, near Raphoe in the east of County Donegal in Ulster.

File:Plaque, Coracloon National School - geograph.org.uk - 1119115.jpg|Plaque at Coracloon National School, County Leitrim.

File:Plaque, Curratavey National School - geograph.org.uk - 1089684.jpg|Plaque at Curratavey National School, County Cavan.

File:Plaque, Meenbane National School - geograph.org.uk - 1749453.jpg|Plaque at Meenbane National School, near Ballybofey in the east of County Donegal in Ulster.

File:School-122641, Castlegregory, Co. Kerry, Ireland.jpg|Plaque at Castlegregory National School, County Kerry; dated 1843, it is among the earliest National Schools.

File:Cullen NS.jpg|Plaque at Cullen National School, County Tipperary.

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See also

  • Educate Together
  • Gaelscoileanna, (primary schools which teach through the Irish language) cater for 6.4% of the schooling population in the Republic of Ireland and 0.4% of the schooling population in Northern Ireland.
  • Education in Northern Ireland

References