Holy Child Boys National School
Whitehall, Dublin
Key facts
- Boys
- Pupils enrolled
- 297 larger than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 17318C the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Holy Child Boys National School is a boys' primary school on Larkhill Road in Whitehall, Dublin. The school is under Catholic ethos. It has a parent association and a board of management. The school takes part in the Green Schools and Active Schools programmes. A uniform policy introduced in 2022 means boys in 1st to 4th class wear a school tracksuit daily, while 5th and 6th class pupils wear full uniform and use the tracksuit on PE days. The uniform consists of a grey shirt, maroon tie, maroon jumper with school crest, grey trousers and black shoes. The school has a school lotto and publishes newsletters. Pupil activities have included assemblies, art and dance, and trips such as a visit to the Book of Kells Experience at Trinity College.
History
Holy Child Boys' National School opened on 1 July 1942 to serve the Parish of Larkhill and Whitehall. The Holy Child Infant School and Holy Child Girls' School opened the same year. The boys' school took pupils from 1st to 6th class, with 447 pupils enrolled in its first year. Numbers grew to over 600 by 1945 and peaked at over 950 in 1975. The first principal was Giles Cooper. Past pupils include singer Seán Dunphy, who represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967, Dublin footballer Jimmy Keaveney, and footballer Liam Brady, who attended in the 1960s.
Applying to Holy Child Boys National School
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide primary school dates apply broadly to Holy Child Boys National School. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (post-primary schools: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about Holy Child Boys National School
How many pupils attend Holy Child Boys National School?
Holy Child Boys National School has 297 pupils enrolled. That makes it larger than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is Holy Child Boys National School a DEIS school?
No. Holy Child Boys National School is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of Holy Child Boys National School?
Holy Child Boys National School has a Catholic ethos. It is a boys' primary school.