I have no experience with schools in Northern Ireland, so can't answer your question from a personal perspective. However, here's a link to the Northern Ireland Dept of Education. On there you'll find the various policies and procedures, including admissions & transfer policy. You also might want to try talking to individual principals at the schools you're interested. That website might contain contact info, and if not, there's a Wikipedia page that lists most (if not all) secondary schools in NI. You'll find that here.

hi liam, thank you for the reply, we are interested in county wexford also- my daughter was interested in finfing help with schools that had a strong drama department, a school that was mixed, boys and girls. we understand that in wexford there are several choices- we just arent clear about entry- and are a tad scared about wanting a certain school, only to find- it isnt available- and that hinders the search for homes....

I definitely feel your pain @redhead. I have young kids too, and getting them into good schools in an area we wanted to live, was an issue for us too. I hope everything falls in to place for you and your daughter.
One thing I'd like to point out is that Ireland is still a little behind the times with regard to mixed gender schools. They are becoming more and more common, but the heavy influence the Catholic church had on Ireland in days gone by, still looms. Many towns will only have all boy or all girl secondary schools, so keep that in mind when looking.
Schooldays.ie has some very useful information regarding all schools in Ireland. Here's the link for secondary schools http://www.schooldays.ie/articles/secondary-Schools-in-Ireland-by-County

thru your link- i found this info- very helpful, then each school posted offered a link direct to their schools website- The post-primary education sector comprises secondary, vocational, community and comprehensive schools. Secondary schools are privately owned and managed. Vocational schools are state-established and administered by Education and Training Boards (ETBs), while community and comprehensive schools are managed by Boards of Management of differing compositions.
Post-primary education consists of a three-year Junior Cycle (lower secondary), followed by a two or three year Senior Cycle (upper secondary), depending on whether the optional Transition Year (TY) is taken.
Students usually begin the Junior Cycle at age 12. The Junior Certificate examination is taken after three years. The main objective of the Junior Cycle is for students to complete a broad and balanced curriculum, and to develop the knowledge and skills that will enable them to proceed to Senior Cycle education. A new Framework for Junior Cycle is going to make significant changes to the current Junior Cycle beginning in September 2014.
The Senior Cycle caters for students in the 15 to 18 year age group. It includes an optional Transition Year, which follows immediately after the Junior Cycle. TY provides an opportunity for students to experience a wide range of educational inputs, including work experience, over the course of a year that is free from formal examinations.
During the final two years of Senior Cycle students take one of three programmes, each leading to a State Examination: the traditional Leaving Certificate, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) or the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA).
The Leaving Certificate
The traditional Leaving Certificate examination is the terminal examination of post-primary education and is taken when students are typically 17 or 18 years of age. Syllabuses are available in more than 30 subjects and students are required to take at least five subjects, one of which must be Irish.
The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme
The Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) is similar to the traditional Leaving Certificate Programme, with a concentration on technical subjects and some additional modules which have a vocational focus.
The Leaving Certificate Applied Programme
The Leaving Certificate Applied
- See more at: http://www.education.ie/en/The-Education-System/Post-Primary/#sthash.iH60J8MS.dpuf
now i will have to email each school, ask for what is needed to gain entry to their schools.

I have 1 in school and 1 home school child this could go either way on arriving in Ireland as we haven't decided which way to go on this but would like to know more about the school system for exams and colleges etc as 1 in school is 14 and I have heard home schoolers have to register on arrival anyone have any info on this?

see http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/the_irish_education_system/home_education.html

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post in, Please let me know if it should be moved to its own thread.

My son is 14 and will be going into grade 9 next year.  he has been homeschooled for the last 4 years in a 'cottage school' environment. We live in a very rural area in South AFrica and will want to move somewhere rural in Ireland too.

Does anyone know if there are the equivilant of these types of schools in ireland? Would it then be classed as private education?

Any help is appreciated 🙂 Thank you

Kim, Most rural communities, will have public schools. I'm not too sure what you mean by 'cottage school', sorry!

Have you looked in to the school system in Ireland yet? Here's some info to get you started

https://irelandmoveclub.com/enrolling-child-school-ireland/

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/the_irish_education_system/overview_of_the_irish_education_system.html

https://www.educatetogether.ie/