DEIS

Short for “Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools” — the Department of Education’s programme that gives extra funding, smaller classes, and home‑school liaison support to schools serving areas with concentrated socioeconomic disadvantage. A school is designated Urban Band 1, Urban Band 2, or Rural depending on its catchment profile.

Gaelscoil

An all-Irish-medium school. Every subject except English is taught through Irish. Post-primary equivalents are called Gaelcholáistí. These are distinct from Gaeltacht schools, which are in Irish-speaking regions.

Gaelscoil myths

You don’t need Irish at home to choose a Gaelscoil — most Gaelscoil families don’t speak Irish daily, and schools support children starting with no Irish at all. Research also shows Gaelscoileanna are not “elitist”: many serve disadvantaged areas, and immersion education doesn’t hold back English or other learning.

National School (NS)

Ireland’s state-funded primary schools. Most names end in NS, BNS (Boys’), GNS (Girls’), or CBS (Christian Brothers School). Fees are not charged; operating costs are covered by the Department of Education and the patron body.

Patronage

The organisation that owns and runs the school and sets its ethos. Common patrons include the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, Educate Together, An Foras Pátrunáchta (for Gaelscoileanna), and Education and Training Boards (ETBs) at post-primary level.

Multi-denominational

A school not run by a single religion: all faiths and none are welcomed equally, and faith formation (such as sacrament preparation) happens outside class time, if at all. In Ireland this mainly means Educate Together schools and Community National Schools.

Educate Together

An independent patron body running equality-based, co-educational, multi-denominational schools — children of every religion and none have equal access, and no uniform is required in most. It runs around 100 primary and a growing number of second-level schools.

ETB schools

Schools run by the local Education and Training Board — the State’s own patron. At primary level these are multi-denominational Community National Schools; at second level they include community colleges and community schools, all co-educational and non-fee-paying.

Roll number

The unique identifier the Department of Education assigns to every school — a mix of digits and a letter, e.g. 17953F. It stays with the school even if the name, patron, or address changes.

SNA (Special Needs Assistant)

A staff role allocated by the NCSE to support the care needs of students with diagnosed special educational needs. The figures on Scoil Scout are the number of SNA posts allocated to the school for the most recent published year.

SET hours

Special Education Teaching hours — weekly teaching time allocated by the NCSE so a school can support students with additional learning needs. Replaced the older “resource / learning-support teacher” model in 2017.

Special class

A small class inside a mainstream school dedicated to students with a specific additional need (for example ASD or EBD classes). Class sizes are capped and staffing is more intensive than mainstream.

Special school

A school dedicated entirely to pupils with special educational needs, with very small classes and specialist staff. Ireland has about 150. Places are applied for through the school, with guidance from your local SENO (NCSE).

NCSE

The National Council for Special Education — the statutory body that allocates SNA posts, SET hours, and special classes across Irish schools, and publishes that data openly.

PTR (Pupil-Teacher Ratio)

Total enrolment divided by the number of teachers at the school. A rough proxy for class size — actual class size varies by year, subject, and special-class allocation.