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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.

Junior Infants · Stage 1 (Junior and Senior Infants) is about play, talk and building confidence. Children learn a lot through games, stories and hands-on activities.

Maths

Primary Mathematics Curriculum (2023)

  • Counting objects up to 10, forwards and backwards
  • Recognising numbers 0 to 10
  • Sorting and matching by colour, shape and size
  • Comparing: more, less, the same
  • Simple patterns (red, blue, red, blue…)
  • Flat shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle
  • Comparing longer/shorter and heavier/lighter
  • Time words: morning, night, days of the week

English

Primary Language Curriculum (2019)

  • Talking about their own news and experiences
  • Following simple instructions
  • Rhymes, songs and listening to stories
  • Letter sounds (phonics) and hearing the first sound in a word
  • Recognising their own name and a few common words
  • Holding a pencil, making marks and starting to form letters
  • Writing their own name; drawing and 'writing' about pictures

Gaeilge (Irish)

Primary Language Curriculum (2019)

  • Songs, rhymes and simple action games
  • Greetings: Dia duit, Slán, Conas atá tú?
  • Is mise… (My name is…)
  • Classroom words and instructions: Seas suas, Suigh síos
  • Colours and numbers 1 to 5
  • Mostly listening and speaking – very little reading or writing yet

Easy ways to help at home

  • Read stories together every day and talk about the pictures
  • Count everyday things: stairs, apples, cars
  • Sing songs and rhymes – including Irish ones

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.