Presentation College
Galway
Key facts
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 857 larger than the median Irish post-primary school (585 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 399 girls, 458 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects taught through Irish
- Roll number
- 63040Q the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
Presentation College Headford is a voluntary Catholic secondary school that welcomes students of all backgrounds. Guided by the CEIST ethos and the charism of the Presentation Sisters, the college delivers a balanced curriculum that blends academic rigour with a strong emphasis on personal, spiritual and social development. Learners follow the Junior and Senior cycles, with a range of pathways including the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, Leaving Certificate Applied and the Junior Certificate Schools Programme, ensuring that both academically‑oriented and practical‑focused students can thrive. The campus incorporates extensive facilities built over decades of development. A modern sports centre provides a gymnasium, stage, ball alleys and changing amenities, while dedicated spaces support creative and technical subjects – music rooms, art studios, woodwork and metalwork workshops, engineering and technology labs, and well‑equipped science laboratories. A Resource Centre caters for additional educational needs, and the John Boner Building offers a large study hall, classrooms and a library at the heart of the school. A vibrant extra‑curricular programme, including debating, public speaking and a wide variety of clubs, complements classroom learning and promotes holistic growth.
History
Presentation College Headford opened on 26 August 1942 in a disused army hut behind the presbytery, founded by the Presentation Sisters who had been involved in local primary education since 1906. Initially a girls‑only secondary school, it enrolled seventeen first‑year and twenty second‑year pupils. By 1946 the school expanded into the parochial hall and convent dining room. In 1953 a purpose‑built building costing £12,000 added six classrooms, a home economics room and staff room. Co‑education began in 1955 with the admission of eighteen boys. Subsequent extensions in 1978, 1982 (sports centre), 1991 (new wing with music room, canteen, laboratories, language lab and technology rooms), the mid‑1990s specialist engineering area, a Resource Centre in 2004, the John Boner Building in 2010 and the Sr Bríd Brennan library in 2013 have continually enhanced the school’s capacity to offer a comprehensive curriculum and support services.
Applying to Presentation College
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
View Presentation College's own calendar (2026/2027 school year)
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide post-primary school dates apply broadly to Presentation College. The school publishes its own calendar, linked above, and that is the authoritative source for its reopening date and discretionary closure days.
- 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 Presentation College
How many pupils attend Presentation College?
Presentation College has 857 pupils enrolled, 399 girls and 458 boys. That makes it larger than the median Irish post-primary school, which has 585 pupils.
Is Presentation College a DEIS school?
No. Presentation College 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 Presentation College?
Presentation College has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed post-primary school.