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What children learn in each class

A plain-English guide to Maths, English and Irish in primary school in Ireland – so you know what your child is working on, from Junior Infants to 6th Class.

5th Class · Stage 4 (5th and 6th Class): more abstract thinking – percentages, algebra, critical reading – and getting ready for secondary school.

Maths

Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023)

  • Numbers into the millions
  • Decimals to thousandths; percentages
  • Adding and subtracting fractions
  • Multiplying and dividing by two-digit numbers
  • Negative numbers (e.g. temperatures)
  • Simple equations and number rules
  • Measuring angles with a protractor; angles in a triangle add to 180°
  • The 24-hour clock and timetables
  • Averages; the probability scale from 0 to 1
  • Area and perimeter of more complex shapes

English

Primary Language Curriculum (2019)

  • Reading longer novels and a wide range of texts
  • Thinking about why the author wrote something
  • Comparing texts and characters
  • Drafting, editing and improving their own writing
  • Varied sentences and paragraphs
  • Debates and presentations
  • Research skills: finding and using information

Gaeilge (Irish)

Primary Language Curriculum (2019)

  • Longer conversations and giving opinions
  • Reading short stories and novels in Irish
  • Writing letters, diaries and stories
  • Confident use of past, present and future
  • Prepositional pronouns: agam, orm, liom
  • Adjectives and describing in more detail

Easy ways to help at home

  • Talk about the news, adverts and what's true online
  • Involve them in budgets: shopping lists, comparing prices
  • Encourage reading for fun – any book they enjoy counts

Good to know

  • The official curriculum sets goals for two-year stages (Infants, 1st–2nd, 3rd–4th, 5th–6th). The points for each class are typical examples – every school plans its own order, so your child may meet some topics a little earlier or later.
  • Children learn at different speeds. If something here seems far ahead of where your child is, that's completely normal – their teacher is happy to help with any questions.
  • Standardised tests in English reading and Maths take place at the end of 2nd, 4th and 6th Class.
  • In Gaelscoileanna and Gaeltacht schools, children learn through Irish, so their Irish is usually well ahead of this guide.

Sources: Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023) and Primary Language Curriculum (2019), NCCA – curriculumonline.ie. More parent resources: ncca.ie/en/primary/resources-for-parents.