Primary Online Database (POD)

The Department has developed an electronic individualised database of primary school pupils, called the Primary Online Database (POD). This has been thoroughly piloted with a selection of schools and has been extensively discussed with the education partners and management bodies. The database will hold data on all primary school pupils including their PPSN, First Name, Surname, Name as per Birth Certificate, Date of Birth, Gender, Nationality, Mother’s Maiden Name, whether one of the pupil’s mother tongues is  English or Irish, whether the pupil is in receipt of an exemption from Irish and if so the reason for same, whether the pupil is in receipt of Learning Support and if so the type of learning support, whether the pupil is in a Mainstream or Special Class. The database will record the class grouping and standard the pupil is enrolled in. The database will also contain information on the pupil’s religion and on their ethnic or cultural background. 

In the near future, POD will:

• replace the need for schools to complete the National School Annual Census.
• replace the need for schools to maintain the Clárleabhar.
• facilitate inter-school transfers.
• facilitate the transfer of data from primary to post-primary schools.
• identify pupils who do not make the transition from primary to post-primary,
• allow schools to update DES centrally-held, school-level data such as School Name, Address and Telephone Number. This will provide schools with one point to correct or amend contact details which will then be available to be accessed by all areas across the Department.