Saturday Classes FAQs

Fifth year students who are due to sit the Leaving Certificate in 2027 can attend Saturday Classes*. They must also be attending a school in Ireland and be unable to access relevant language classes within their own school curriculum. A level of proficiency in Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Romanian is needed prior to the class. Students registering for Japanese or Chinese classes do not need knowledge of these languages prior to registration. To find out more about what classes are offered online and in person, as well as the proficiency expected, please click here. 

*Sixth year students interested in Romanian can attend Saturday Classes as this is a non-curricular language.  

Students will need to register via an online form. Click here for further information, including registration details for each language class.

Students are encouraged to sign up as early as possible once registration opens, as spaces in the classes fill up fast. Registration typically opens in April of each year. Registration information on each class can be found here. 

Registration closes August 29th, 2025. After this time, we will operate a waitling list up until the November mid-term. All waiting lists and registration forms will officially close afer the mid-term, and we do not accept any new students from this point. Registration information on each of the language classes available can be found here. 

If a student is not initially offered a place in a class, they will be placed on a waiting list. Should another student drop out after securing a place, those on the waiting list can be offered a place up until the end of October, after which no further placements will be offered.  

Students must be entering fifth year* in September 2025 and be due to sit their Leaving Certificate exam in 2027 in order to qualify for a place in a Saturday class.

*Sixth year students interested in Romanian can attend Saturday Classes as this is a non-curricular language.  

It is a requirement for students of Saturday Classes to complete 180 hours of tuition in advance of sitting Leaving Certificate curricular language exams,  regardless of level/fluency. A strong commitment to attendance is expected. Due to this requirement, it would not be possible for a sixth year to attend if they did not attend in fifth year*.

*Sixth year students interested in Romanian can attend Saturday Classes as this is a non-curricular language.  

Classes are funded by the Department of Education and Youth. There is no tuition fee for students to attend. 

There are no split levels within the teaching of the classes. All year groups will be taught together regardless of their preferred level of exam. You can discuss the appropriate exam level for you with your PPLI teacher and your school Guidance Counsellor. At the Leaving Certificate exam your school will manage the selection and registration of the level of exam you choose to sit

Incoming fifth year students who will sit the Leaving Certificate in 2027 can attend the online classes. They must also be attending a school in Ireland and be unable to access relevant language classes within their own school curriculum. They must also not live within a reasonable distance of an in-person Saturday class in the language of their choice. To find out more about what classes are offered online and in person please click here. 

A level of proficiency in Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Romanian is needed to register for these classes. Students registering for Japanese or Chinese classes do not need prior knowledge of these languages to registration. For more information about the languages on offer and the level required, click here.

No, students are not required to wear a uniform. 

Students must register their chosen language for the Leaving Certificate exams with their school and will sit their language exam in their own school also.

Registration is open to students entering fifth year only. There is no waiting list or registration for students outside of this cohort*. For any interested students who are not yet entering fifth year, we recommend revisiting this website the March/April before they are due to commence fifth year. 

*Students in sixth year who are interested in Romanian Saturday Classes can register as it is non-curricular

Students can find application forms to relevant Saturday classes here. 

No

As a unit of the Department of Education and youth, Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) delivers the Saturday Classes as a full Leaving Certificate course. The courses are carried out with the same expectations and commitment from students as courses delivered in school. It is a requirement for students of Saturday Classes to complete 180 hours of tuition in advance of sitting Leaving Certificate exams, regardless of level/fluency.
Students are required to attend for the full duration of each class. Classes are three hours long and take place on Saturdays. Students who register for the course must be fully committed to attending classes. Due to this requirement, it is not possible to only attend every second Saturday.

For any further queries, not answered above, please email classes@ppli.ie.

No – students are only admitted from 5th year. We do not allow students into the class on a partial basis, or as a visiting student.

No – once the registrations and waiting lists are closed, we cannot accept new students regardless of their language proficiency. It is a requirement for students of Saturday Classes to complete 180 hours of tuition in advance of sitting Leaving Certificate curricular language exams.

No – registrations open in Late March/Early April and are only open to incoming 5th years. The classes operate on a first come, first served basis. We do not operate a preliminary waiting list.