Starting junior infants: a practical checklist
What to sort before September, how schools help with the move from preschool, and simple ways to get your child ready.
Updated 5 October 2026
Most children start junior infants in the September after they turn 4 or 5. Junior infants builds on the play-based approach of preschool (the Aistear framework), so your child doesn't need to read or write before they start.
Over the summer
- Visit the school if you can, and talk about it positively. Many schools run information evenings or send a welcome pack.
- Practise the journey: how they'll get there and who'll collect them.
- Move bedtimes and mornings towards the school routine a couple of weeks before term.
- Check vaccinations are up to date.
- Ask your preschool about Mo Scéal, a short report it can share with the school, with your consent, about your child's interests and strengths.
Things to have ready
- Uniform, if the school has one, with every item labelled. Getting your child to help label things builds excitement.
- Shoes they can put on themselves, with a little room at the toe. Velcro beats laces at this age.
- A school bag with two padded straps.
- A lunchbox and bottle they can open on their own. Many schools have a healthy eating policy, so check what's allowed.
Skills that help on day one
- Going to the toilet and washing hands independently
- Putting on a coat and opening their lunch
- Saying their name and asking an adult for help
In the first term
Public health nurses usually do vision and hearing checks in junior infants, and some vaccines are given in school. Tiredness and a few wobbles are normal in the first weeks; ask the teacher if you're worried.
Make a first day of school sign for the photos, and check whether school is open on any day.
Sources
- Department of Education: Supporting the transition to primary school
- NCCA: Mo Scéal reporting templates
- HSE: Back to school guidance
- HSE: mychild.ie
Rules and rates change. Check the official source before you rely on a detail, and tell us at [email protected] if something's out of date.