General aims: to enable the child to live

a full life as a child .

At the end of third year, students will

receive a new qualification called the
national certificate of junior cycle
education.

The Transition Year is a one-year

informal course taken by an increasing
number of students usually ages 15 or
16.
The senior cycle builds on the junior cycle
and culminates with the Leaving Certificate
Examination.

Third-level education in Ireland includes all

education after second-level

Education follows on from third level or

higher education.


This depends on the age group.

Primary - Sept 1st to June 30th.

Secondary/high school - All secondary schools

operate on a unified national calendar. All high
schools now open in the last few days in August. They
all finish about the end of the first week in June. Third
year students (in the US. this is 9th grade) and 6th
year students (US 12th grade) attend for another 3
weeks of exams.

Third level/University - The starting date varies

widely with the Technical Institutes usually opening
earlier and closing later - mid-September to early
June. The University Colleges usually begin around
the first week in October and finish around the end of
May. After a short "study" break there is a several
week round of exams for all students.