Kilkenny City Vocational School
Kilkenny
Key facts
- DEIS
- Some Irish-medium
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 300 smaller than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 130 girls, 170 boys
- Ethos
- Multi Denominational
- Teaching through Irish
- Some pupils taught all subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 70610W the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
Location
About
Kilkenny City Vocational School is a co-educational secondary school in Kilkenny city. The school has DEIS status. The curriculum includes the Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied and Transition Year programmes. Transition Year is compulsory for students who have completed their Junior Cycle education, and is centred on four student dimensions: Personal Growth, Being a Learner, Civic and Community Engagement, and Career Exploration. Core subjects include English, Maths, Irish/Cultural Studies, Career Guidance, SPHE, Religion, and IT Skills, with taster subjects swapped three times during the year across bands such as Graphics/History/Manual Craft, French/Business/Biology, and Art/Geography/Engineering. Students complete work experience in three one-week blocks and take part in activities including an enterprise competition, SCIFEST, educational trips, college open days, certified barista training, a First Aid course and a drugs awareness programme. The school participates in the Trinity Access Programme and is designated a School of Sanctuary. Assessment in Transition Year combines a credit system with school assessments, an end-of-year completion certificate, and standardised testing including the Cat 4 Cognitive Abilities Test and the PASS test.
Applying to Kilkenny City Vocational 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 post-primary school dates apply broadly to Kilkenny City Vocational 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: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (primary schools: Thu 18 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 Kilkenny City Vocational School
How many pupils attend Kilkenny City Vocational School?
Kilkenny City Vocational School has 300 pupils enrolled, 130 girls and 170 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is Kilkenny City Vocational School a DEIS school?
Yes. Kilkenny City Vocational School is part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme called Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools. DEIS schools serve communities at risk of educational disadvantage and receive additional supports, which can include smaller classes, extra teaching posts and funding for books and meals.
Does Kilkenny City Vocational School teach through Irish?
Partly. Kilkenny City Vocational School teaches some subjects through Irish.