Minister Foley welcomes publication of case-study report on schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD today welcomed the publication of the first of a series of research and evaluation reports on the experiences of schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme.

The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme on the provision of education through the medium of Irish in participating Gaeltacht schools.

The report describes the progress made to date by these schools in implementing the language-based criteria for immersion education. It is based on findings from case studies, conducted by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) in collaboration with the Department of Education’s Inspectorate. The report also includes schools’ self-reflections on the scheme to date. These provide an excellent insight into the schools’ own innovations and good practices, and on their learnings to date.

The case studies were carried out in twelve primary schools and seven post-primary schools and form part of a three-year research and evaluation study.

Minister Foley said:

“This comprehensive research and evaluation report marks an important step in the implementation of the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme.

“I am delighted that the analysis of the research findings of the ERC and the Inspectorate demonstrate how schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme have taken major steps forward. Schools are developing their capacity as key hubs in the community to support the extended use of the Irish language and culture in the Gaeltacht.

“The findings highlight aspects of good practice in the implementation of immersion education in Gaeltacht schools, such as the use of early-intervention strategies to support language learning, the stronger links fostered with the local community, and the renewed emphasis on the language enrichment of students. The report also emphasises aspects of practice that need to be further developed in some cases, such as planning to facilitate the effective transition from early learning and care settings to primary school, and strengthening the role of parents and students in the action-planning and school self-evaluation processes.”

The case studies illustrate how the scheme is enabling schools to promote the extended use of Irish in local communities. Links with naíonraí and language-planning personnel are being strengthened to promote the rich heritage of the Gaeltacht.

Minister Foley continued:

“School leaders are successfully communicating the vision of the scheme to enhance language provision in the school. This in turn is having a positive impact on how school communities are using Irish in the school.

“It is heartening to see that the two-year period of early immersion in Irish is implemented in all case-study primary schools in the Gaeltacht. Many innovative strategies are also being used in post-primary case-study schools to extend the use of Irish.

“Progress has also been made in the use of technology as a teaching resource. Resources provided by national agencies, such as An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG), have enhanced practice in Gaeltacht classrooms.

“I believe that the ideas and exemplars of good practice in this case-study report will support and build upon the continuing work of Gaeltacht and Irish-medium schools and early learning and care settings in the provision of high quality Irish-medium education for all of our young people”.

The Report on case-study schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme can be accessed here

Ends

Notes to the editor:

The Report on Case-Study Schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme describes the extent to which Irish is used and promoted in schools. The evaluation findings identify many positives in the quality of teaching and learning, the quality of leadership and management, and the quality of partnerships with naíonraí and local communities. An analysis of the views of teachers, parents and school communities in relation to the Scheme was undertaken by the Educational Research Centre (ERC).
The research and evaluation activities undertaken in the case-study schools included: a review of in-school documentation, pupils’/students’ work and assessment data; observation of teaching and learning across a range of curricular subjects, class levels and year groups; and an analysis of findings from focus groups with teachers, parents and pupils/students.
The overarching goal of the Policy for Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 is to ensure that a high quality educational experience through Irish is available to all young people living in Gaeltacht areas and, in this way, to support the use of Irish as the main language of Gaeltacht families and communities. This objective is the same as that of the language-planning process, which has a statutory basis under the Gaeltacht Act 2012. The participation of schools in the local language-planning process is particularly important to promote the increased use of Irish in Gaeltacht communities.
The Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme, launched in April 2017, is one of the key actions of the Policy for Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. The Scheme provides primary and post-primary schools located in Gaeltacht language-planning areas with an opportunity to achieve recognition as Gaeltacht schools. To achieve this recognition, schools are required to meet specific language-based criteria to strengthen immersion education, and to participate in the local language-planning processes provided for in the Gaeltacht Act, 2012 to promote the use of Irish.
Schools located in Gaeltacht language-planning areas were invited to participate in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme, following consultation with their local school communities. The main goal of the Scheme is to support the provision of a high quality Irish-language immersion experience in schools, to strengthen links with early learning and care settings and with the community, and to improve pupils’/students’ language acquisition and enrichment. Additional resources have been provided for schools to support their active participation in the scheme in order to strengthen the quality of Irish-medium education in the Gaeltacht.
Currently, 105 primary schools (80% of primary schools in the Gaeltacht), serving approximately 7,418 students, participate in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme. 29 post-primary schools (100% of post-primary schools in the Gaeltacht), serving approximately 6,686 students, are participating in the scheme.
The language-based criteria to gain recognition as a Gaeltacht school are set out in the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 and in the Guide for Gaeltacht Primary Schools: Indicators of Good Practice for Immersion Education (2020) and Guide for Gaeltacht Post-Primary Schools: Indicators of Good Practice for Immersion Education (2020), which may be accessed on the Department of Education website.
The language-based criteria to gain recognition as a Gaeltacht school are set out in the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022 and in the Guide for Gaeltacht Primary Schools: Indicators of Good Practice for Immersion Education (2020) and Guide for Gaeltacht Post-Primary Schools: Indicators of Good Practice for Immersion Education (2020), which may be accessed on the Department of Education website.
In 2021, the Department of Education published a Guide for Gaeltacht Schools: Partnership with the community to promote the use of Irish and a Guide for Gaeltacht Primary Schools: Strengthening links between primary schools and early learning and care settings. It is hoped that these publications will support the work of school communities and early learning and care settings as they develop partnerships to promote the use of Irish.
The ERC continues to conduct research on student attainment and to gather the views of principals, teachers, pupils/students and their parents through the use of survey questionnaires to all schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme. The findings of this ongoing research will be published in 2022.