St. Johns National School
Longford
Key facts
- DEIS
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 67 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 27 girls, 40 boys
- Ethos
- Church Of Ireland
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 12683A the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
Battery Road in Longford town is the setting for St John's National School, a primary school under Church of Ireland patronage with 67 pupils and DEIS status. Children of all faiths and of none are admitted. Classes are arranged in multi-grade groupings, an infant class followed by 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, then 5th and 6th, with roughly 6 to 10 pupils per class year. Staffing covers special education teaching, English as an Additional Language support, special needs assistants and a Home School Community Liaison post. School books are free and a hot meal is served daily, ordered individually. STEM project work is done through Microsoft Dreamspace, the Re-peat Bog Academy and a Boeing engineering project. Pupils from 1st to 6th class learn violin, drumming or ukulele through Music Generation, and swim weekly from January to June. Sport takes in FAI soccer, Cumann na mBunscoile, a Handball Ireland tournament and tennis lessons in the autumn term. There is a gardening club, a quiz team and a Green Flag team, with a bike bus on Wednesdays and weekly library visits. The school joins Longford County Council events including Longford Lights and the St. Patrick's Day Festival. Its stated motto is love, respect and kindness.
History
Founded in 1886, the school has served families from its Battery Road premises since then and marks 140 years of education in Longford town. Its original register books, handwritten records beginning in the early 1900s, are still held and still in use, and the school describes them as likely among the last of their kind in service. An open day is held annually for prospective pupils, and former pupils are invited back to the school each year as well.
Applying to St. Johns 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 St. Johns 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 St. Johns National School
How many pupils attend St. Johns National School?
St. Johns National School has 67 pupils enrolled, 27 girls and 40 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is St. Johns National School a DEIS school?
Yes. St. Johns National 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.
What is the ethos of St. Johns National School?
St. Johns National School has a Church Of Ireland ethos. It is a mixed primary school.