This chapter outlines the structure and organisation of compulsory primary education in Northern Ireland (ISCED 1). It covers pupils who have reached the school starting age of 4, up to the age of 11, when they transfer from a primary school to a post-primary school.

The date when children begin full-time compulsory primary education depends on their fourth birthday. Children start school in September if they have reached the age of 4 by the previous 1 July. Primary schools may also provide education for children from age 3, in a nursery unit or class (ISCED 0).

Types of school 

Publicly funded schools in Northern Ireland are known as ‘grant--aided schools’,  which include a number of different legal categories.

Schooling is largely organised along denominational lines, with most Roman Catholic children enrolled in Catholic maintained schools and most Protestant pupils enrolled in controlled schools. There are also officially recognised integrated schools which bring together children and staff from Catholic and Protestant traditions, as well as those of other faiths and none. For more information on the different legal categories of school, see the article ‘Administration and Governance at Local and/or Institutional Level’.

Primary schools generally cater for much smaller numbers of pupils than secondary schools. In 2018/19, there were 813 primary schools compared to 196 post-primary schools. There is a fairly even split between the number of Catholic maintained primary schools (363) and controlled primary schools catering mainly for Protestant children (365), while most of the remainder are integrated primary schools (45). Most primary schools cater for boys and girls but there are some single sex primary schools. A small number of primary schools (25 in 2018/19) are Irish-medium schools.

Note: Under the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, the Department of Education (DE) has a duty to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education. In 2000, it established Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG) to promote, facilitate and encourage Irish-medium Education.

A minority of children attend a fee-paying independent school (see the article on the ‘Organisation of Private Education’).

A small number of children do not attend primary school and are educated at home (see the subheading ‘Home education’ in the article on the ‘Organisation of the education system’ for further information).

Curriculum and assessment 

The curriculum in grant aided primary schools must be balanced and broadly-based, and all must provide the statutory Northern Ireland Curriculum within the wider curriculum experienced by pupils.

The Northern Ireland Curriculum is divided into stages. Primary education (ISCED 1) includes the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2:

• Foundation Stage – Years 1 and 2, pupils aged 4-6
• Key Stage 1 – Years 3 and 4, pupils aged 6-8
• Key Stage 2 – Years 5-7, pupils aged 8-11.

Throughout primary education, teachers assess pupil progress annually in all areas of the curriculum. In the final years of Key Stage 1 (Year 4, pupils aged 7-8) and Key Stage 2 (Year 7, pupils aged 10-11), there is statutory summative assessment of pupil performance in the cross-curricular skills of ‘communication’, ‘using mathematics’ and ‘using ICT’. Levels of progression are used to record the outcome of these assessments and report them to parents.

Legal framework 

There is no single framework Act for primary education. Key aspects of compulsory education, school structures, and curriculum and assessment are underpinned by the legislation summarised briefly below.

The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 places the responsibility for a child’s education on his / her parents. Section 45 states:

‘The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.’

The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 provides the basis for the management of schools in Northern Ireland, and placed a duty on the Department of Education (DE) to encourage and facilitate integrated education (the education of Roman Catholic and Protestant pupils together at school). It also revised the definition of compulsory school age so that all children would receive 12 full years of education (from age 4 to 16).

The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 requires schools to provide a curriculum that is balanced and broadly based and promotes the spiritual, emotional, moral, cultural, intellectual and physical development of pupils. It also made provision for the introduction of the Foundation Stage covering Years 1 and 2 of primary education (pupils aged 4 to 6), as well as the changes necessary to implement revised statutory curriculum and assessment arrangements.

The Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 established the Education Authority (EA), replacing the five Education and Library Boards (ELBs). The EA is responsible for ensuring that efficient and effective primary education services are available to meet the needs of children and young people. Working through regional offices, it is also responsible for giving curriculum advice and support to schools.

More detailed information on the legal framework for particular aspects of education is provided in the various articles within this chapter. In addition, for a list, with brief notes, of the legislation that provides the legal framework for education in Northern Ireland, see the ‘Legislation’ chapter. Most legislation for schools applies to both primary and post-primary (secondary) schools.

Note on devolution: The Northern Ireland devolution settlement, made under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, gives legislative control over certain matters, known as ‘transferred matters’, to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Education is a transferred matter. Further information on devolution and the legislative framework in Northern Ireland is provided in the article on the ‘Main Executive and Legislative Bodies’.

Policy objectives 

The Department of Education (DE) has published a Draft Business Plan for 2019/20, which includes six corporate goals:

• improving the wellbeing of children and young people
• raising standards for all
• closing the performance gap, increasing access and equality
• developing the education workforce
• improving the learning environment
• delivering high quality education services.

These goals are accompanied by 18 strategic objectives, of which the most relevant to primary education are to:

• enhance the level of parental involvement in the learning and development of children and young people
• support and promote positive emotional health and well-being in children and young people
• strengthen and develop pre-school, school and youth education provision
• ensure optimum delivery of the statutory curriculum in the interests of children and young people
• expand the network of sustainable schools
• encourage, facilitate and promote shared education
• encourage and facilitate integrated and Irish-medium education
• improve developmental and learning outcomes for children and young people who are underachieving
• secure the greatest effectiveness of the education workforce.

The Business Plan flows from the draft Programme for Government (PfG) Framework 2016-21. The DE’s focus is on Outcome 12 of the PfG: ‘We give our children and young people the best start in life’.

The Draft Business Plan 2019/20 is also closely linked to the draft Children and Young People’s Strategy 2019-2029. The overarching aim of the strategy is to ‘work together to improve the well-being of all children and young people in Northern Ireland, delivering positive long lasting outcomes’.

The Business Plan and the Children and Young People’s Strategy remain in draft form. They have been prepared for consideration and approval by an incoming minister; the Northern Ireland Assembly is not sitting at the time of writing and there are no executive ministers.

Responding to Northern Ireland’s difficult political history, cross-community initiatives and collaboration have long been a feature of the education system, in particular through integrated schools. These bring together children and staff from Catholic and Protestant traditions, as well as those of other faiths and none. In response to the slowing growth of integrated education, the Government commissioned an independent review, published in March 2017, to examine how the effective planning, growth and development of integrated education could be supported in the 21st century.

In addition, in May 2016, the Northern Ireland Assembly introduced the Shared Education Act. This conferred a duty on the Department of Education (DE), and on arms-length bodies such as the Council for Catholic-Maintained Schools (CCMS), to encourage and facilitate shared education. Section 2 of the Act defines shared education as:

‘the education together of –

(a) those of different religious belief, including reasonable numbers of both Protestant and Roman Catholic children or young persons; and

(b) those who are experiencing socio-economic deprivation and those who are not,

which is secured by the working together and co-operation of two or more relevant providers’.

As such, it not only focuses shared education on collaboration across religious communities, but also on improving education for disadvantaged young people, which is one of the other key policy priorities for education in Northern Ireland.

In October 2018, more than 60,000 pupils from 600 schools were participating in a range of shared education projects.

Article last reviewed April 2021.