TGD-020
Technical Guidance Document TGD-020: General Design Guidelines for Schools (Primary and Post-primary).
TGD-020 is the Department of Education's general design guidance for primary and post-primary schools in Ireland. Its school signage section sets the Irish language, accessibility and wayfinding requirements for signs on Department-funded school projects.
For signage and wayfinding
What it asks of your signs
- 01All school signage is Irish or bilingual under the Official Languages Act, Irish first, no smaller and no less prominent than the English. Two separate signs are allowed where a bilingual sign would be too large or hazardous.
- 02Site signage must lead visitors from the site entrance to reception, and identify student, staff and public entrances, the sports hall and car parking where they are not obvious. Speed limit signs within the site and no smoking signs at entrances are required.
- 03Every door gets a nameplate with the room name or use and its room number, and departments are signed.
- 04Signs should contrast strongly with their background and carry embossed lettering, braille and a braille locator. Door signs go on the wall beside the leading edge of the door, consistently, with the centre line at 1400 mm.
- 05Embossed lettering is specified at 16 to 50 mm high and 1.0 to 1.5 mm raised, sans serif, initial capital then lower case. Grade 1 braille is used for single words and Grade 2 for longer messages.
- 06The school authority must check names, crests, spelling and grammar before manufacture.
What it is and when it applies
TGD-020 is part of the Department of Education's suite of design guidance for schools, written by its Planning and Building Unit. Design teams on Department-funded projects are expected to comply with it along with the Department's Design Team Procedures and other TGDs. The current text is Revision 2 of November 2017, and it remains the current version on the Department's design guidance page.
Section 10, School Signage, is the part that matters to a wayfinding designer. It covers the Official Languages Act, general signage, aids to communication and safety signage.
What it asks of signage
The general signage clauses ask for a project-specific strategy covering identification of the school from the public road and movement around the site and building. Signs should be consistent in type and position throughout, and integrated into the architecture. Typical external signs include a brown directional sign on the approach where the school is set back from the public road, site wayfinding signs, and main identification lettering on the building, typically 300 to 400 mm high in popped-off acrylic or stainless steel. Internal signs identify public areas, departments and every room.
Where parts of the school are open for community use, extra directional and nameplate signs are needed, scoped with the school authority. Road markings on private roads within the site may be in Irish, English or both, by agreement.
What has changed since 2017
The document is nine years old and some of its references have moved on. It cites BS 8300:2009, which has been replaced by BS 8300-1 and BS 8300-2:2018. It cites the Official Languages Act 2003, which has since been amended by the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021. Its accessibility clauses point to TGD M, Building for Everyone and the Sign Design Guide, all still relevant. For safety signs it refers to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations. Apply current editions of each referenced document and treat TGD M as the statutory floor.
UK comparison
In England the Department for Education's employer's requirements, in particular the Technical Manual, play the equivalent role for schools built through its framework. The DfE text is specification-led and points to British Standards; TGD-020 is more prescriptive on tactile detail and on language. Neither replaces the Building Regulations in its own jurisdiction.
Editions and history
TGD-020 was first issued in August 2007 and revised in October 2011 (Revision 1), both now superseded. Revision 2 (November 2017) is current. The Department's earlier General Design Guidelines for Primary Schools (2000) and for Post Primary Schools (2004) are archived as superseded. Some references within it, including BS 8300:2009, are out of date.
Sources checked
- gov.ie/en/department-of-education/publications/primary-and-post-primary-design-guidance/
- assets.gov.ie/static/documents/tgd-020-general-design-guidelines-for-schools-primary-post-primary-5f52cbe2-b78f-4e8a-.pdf
- gov.ie/en/publication/6a046-design-guidance/
A summary in our own words, checked on 16 October 2026. It is not the document itself and not legal advice.
Equivalents and related
The same ground, elsewhere.
- Design standards: employer's requirements, Technical Manual (school and college buildings)England
- Building Regulations Technical Guidance Document M: Access and Use (2022)Ireland
- Official Languages Act 2003 (as amended), with the Official Languages Act 2003 (Section 9) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 391 of 2008)Ireland
- Building for Everyone: A Universal Design ApproachIreland
- Sign Design Guide+: a guide to designing inclusive wayfinding informationUK
- Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. Buildings. Code of practiceUK
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007, Part 7 Chapter 1: Safety Signs at Places of WorkIreland
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Working to TGD-020 on a live project?
Wayfinding design, compliance, manufacture and installation, with the signage certificates signed off by us.