Ireland · Dublin
Wesley College is a co-educational, fee-paying Methodist school in Ballinteer. It offers day places and five-day or seven-day boarding from a Preparatory class through Sixth Year.
Wesley College is a co-educational, fee-paying Methodist day and boarding school in Ballinteer, south Dublin. It is the only Methodist second-level school in the Republic of Ireland. The school welcomes pupils of all faiths and none.
The practical choice is between a day place, five-day boarding and seven-day boarding. Epworth House accommodates girls and Embury House accommodates boys. The boarding department has a published maximum of 120 pupils and provides supervised evening study, nursing, chaplaincy and guidance support.
The school day normally runs from 8:55am to 4:00pm. It ends at 1:20pm on Wednesdays for sport and other activities. Wesley also runs one Preparatory class, typically for pupils aged 11–12, alongside its six secondary years.
See our guides to Dublin and education in Ireland for the wider setting.
The secondary route follows Ireland’s national curriculum. Pupils complete the three-year Junior Cycle, then Transition Year, followed by the two-year Leaving Certificate. Wesley’s public pages place Transition Year directly between these stages, but do not explicitly say whether it is compulsory.
Junior Cycle core subjects include Gaeilge, English, Mathematics, History, Geography, Science and Religious Education. Pupils also choose a modern language and two further subjects. The current modern-language choices are French, German and Spanish.
For the Leaving Certificate, Wesley requires three examinable core subjects: Gaeilge, English and Mathematics. Pupils add four choice subjects. Religion and non-examination Physical Education also remain on the timetable.
Teaching is in English. The Department of Education record says that no subjects are taught through Irish. An exemption from Gaeilge is possible only under the relevant national rules and requires a written application.
Daily assembly and special services form part of school life. The ethos statement describes Religious Education as promoting understanding rather than faith formation. The public material does not explain any opt-out process, so families should ask if participation is a concern.
The Preparatory class is a separate, common-level programme containing many elements of the Irish Sixth Class curriculum. It is not recognised by the Department of Education. It therefore has no access to SNA, learning-support or resource teaching on the same basis as a national school.
Parents may submit a registration form for a future First Year day place. Wesley then contacts registered families one year before entry and asks them to complete the formal application. Registration is not an offer and does not override the statutory application window.
As of 4 September 2026, the live admissions page still linked only the 2026/27 Annual Admission Notice. Wesley had not published 2027/28 application dates or a 2027 place count. Families should check the admissions page again rather than reuse the previous dates.
The latest notice is useful only as dated context. It published 160 First Year places for 2026/27, comprising 136 day places and 24 boarding places. Its day application window ran from 1 to 22 October 2025.
That notice contains an internal error. Its title and capacity section say 2026/27, but the heading over the day-place timetable says 2025/26. The dates themselves correspond to entry in 2026.
Boarding has a separate application form. The school permits boarding applications before the day-place dates in the annual notice. Its Admission Policy also allows an interview, open day or other meeting to be required for a boarding applicant.
A boarding application is for boarding, not a route to a day place. Later transfer to day status is considered only exceptionally. The fee terms also impose continued boarding liability unless Wesley finds a replacement boarder and a day place is available.
Families register interest separately for the Preparatory class. Wesley requests the formal application one year before entry. For Years 2–6, families must first ask whether a day or boarding vacancy exists and then use the relevant application form.
The policy says later-year applications are processed during the year before proposed entry as places become available. A waiting list applies only for the school year concerned. Late First Year applications are considered, but join the end of that waiting list when no place remains.
Academic ability is not an admission criterion. The policy applies these nine priorities in order to timely First Year applications:
Categories 1, 4, 5 and 7 require the College’s church-affiliation form. The eligible Protestant denominations are those on the Secondary Education Committee list.
Ties are broken through four feeder-school tiers set out in section 5.4 of the policy. The first tier names seven Protestant schools; the next covers other Protestant-managed national schools. A third tier names eleven local schools, followed by all other schools.
If applicants remain tied within a feeder tier, Wesley uses random selection. Multiple-birth siblings applying for the same year are treated as one unit for the draw, then placed consecutively.
The Special Education Needs Policy describes a team of special-education teachers, SNAs and a coordinator. Support may include co-teaching, small-group work or one-to-one withdrawal. Its level can change as a pupil’s needs change.
Incoming First Year pupils undergo formal and informal assessment after admission. The school also seeks information from primary schools and parents. Families should provide professional reports early so that Wesley can assess support and any examination accommodations.
Support is needs-led and is not subject-specific private tuition. SNA access depends on care needs, professional evidence and the NCSE process. A weekly student-support team brings together special education, guidance, nursing, chaplaincy and senior leadership.
Wesley’s public pages do not describe a dedicated English-as-an-additional-language programme. Families needing EAL or intensive language help should obtain a written account of available provision before accepting. The Preparatory class has the separate support restriction noted above.
These are the latest fee schedules linked on 4 September 2026. They are for 2026/27, not 2027/28.
For EU pupils, the published annual charges are:
For pupils from outside the EU, the published annual charges are:
The registration or application fee is €100 per child and is non-refundable. The EU deposit is €800 for a day pupil or €1,000 for a boarder. The non-EU deposit is €1,200.
If a pupil takes up the place, the deposit is applied to the final fee account. Any refund is made in August of the leaving year. If the place is not taken up after acceptance, the deposit is non-refundable.
Both schedules list these additional charges:
The optional fee-rebate scheme costs 1% of fees. It covers defined illness absence and limited remission after the principal fee payer’s accidental death. Parents must opt out before the academic year if they do not want it.
Optional individual music or singing lessons cost €1,000 a year; shared lessons cost €500. Day-pupil meals are charged in arrears at €7.05 for a hot lunch, €5.30 for a pop-up lunch, or €3 for a snack.
Other variable costs can include overnight trips, extra textbooks, practical-subject materials and mock-examination papers. Boarders may also be billed for outside medical care, travel to appointments and staff supervision.
Sibling reductions apply when children attend simultaneously and use one account. The second, third and fourth day pupils receive 5%, 15% and 20% reductions. The equivalent boarding reductions are 5%, 20% and 30%.
Residential fees are not reduced merely because a sibling is a day pupil. The EU terms list a means-tested SEC grant for eligible Protestant families, external trust support and limited discretionary bursaries. The non-EU terms do not repeat that support section.
EU invoices are issued in July. Families pay 50% in August and 50% in January, or use eight direct debits from 1 September through an Irish bank account. Non-EU tuition, boarding and estimated incidentals are payable before the academic year starts.
The Admission Policy also mentions a First Year advance for a family new to Wesley. Neither fee schedule states the amount, so new families should request the full acceptance invoice before paying a deposit.
Withdrawal requires one full term’s written notice to the Principal. If a pupil will not return for the next academic year, notice is due by 31 March. Otherwise, one additional term’s fees are charged, with the deposit offset against that liability.
The fee terms allow Wesley to withdraw a pupil when an account remains unpaid without an agreed written plan. They also reserve powers concerning reports, facilities, State examinations and debt recovery. Families facing difficulty should obtain any alternative payment schedule in writing.
Wesley publishes a non-EU fee schedule, but its public pages do not state whether the College sponsors visas or accepts legal guardianship. Do not infer either service from the availability of seven-day boarding.
Irish immigration guidance says a non-EEA or non-Swiss pupil needs an enrolment letter and proof that fees are paid. A visa may also be required. A pupil under 18 needs a guardian in Ireland.
For a boarder, the visa file requires a school letter confirming accommodation. A day pupil living with another family must give the responsible adults’ names and address. The authorities do not vet a host family on the parents’ behalf.
Ask Wesley to confirm its role, accommodation dates and holiday arrangements in writing. Families should also verify insurance, consent, visa and residence-registration requirements directly with Irish Immigration before travel.
Wesley is a distinctive option for families wanting a co-educational Irish curriculum, a Methodist ethos and a genuine choice of day, five-day or seven-day boarding. Its admissions priorities matter: all-faith welcome does not mean equal position in an oversubscribed First Year.
The Preparatory class can ease the move into secondary school, but its support status is materially different from a recognised national school. Families needing SNA, learning-support or EAL provision should resolve that question before applying.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
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Dublin’s options include Irish Leaving Certificate, IB and French routes, with day and boarding schools. A religious ethos and a familiar school name do not replace admissions checks.
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