Lawrence's Self-Esteem Questionnaire (LAWSEQ) was administered to 120 Year 1 pupils in six schools in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A principal components analysis indicated that the scale items were unidimensional and that the reliability of the scores, as estimated by Cronbach's alpha, was satisfactory ([alpha] = 0.73). There were no differences between boys and girls on either total scores or the individual items comprising the LAWSEQ. A follow-up study, involving 71 of the children in Year 3, confirmed these findings but the stability of the scores between the two occasions (as indicated by Pearson's "r") was extremely low. (Contains 1 table.)