Gaelscoileanna: An open door or a closed system?

Brendan Shalvey put his daughter’s name down on the waiting list to attend his local Gaelscoil in Kilcock, Co Kildare, when she was just nine months old.

That was four years ago. Earlier this year, he was told his daughter wouldn’t be among the children starting school there.

“We wanted an Irish language education for our daughter but were told there weren’t enough places,” says Shalvey.

“Surely it’s a good thing that so many parents want to educate their child through Irish? It seems ridiculous that you can’t do that in Ireland. ”

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At the time, the school had 130 children on its admissions list with just 56 places available. The vast majority were reserved by siblings of current pupils.

He isn’t alone. Thousands of parents seek places for their children in Gaelscoileanna every year, though many end up disappointed.

Gaelscoileanna are growing in popularity and are far more likely to be oversubscribed than many other school types. There are waiting lists in more than a third of Irish-medium primary schools.

The benefits of a bilingual education, giving pupils a love of their language and culture, are key attractions, say their supporters.

They also have an impressive academic track record: many Gaelcholaistí at second-level consistently rank towards the top-end of feeder schools in the country which send the highest proportion of their students on to third-level.

But sceptics say their rise in popularity has more to do with middle-class families seeking to secure social advantage through soft barriers such as Irish-language admission rules.

They see Gaelscoileanna as the acceptable face of “educational apartheid”: a way to ensure your child is educated without being held back by non-Irish children who may struggle with English.

Although Gaelscoileanna have admission policies that welcome children of all nationalities and ability, their critics see the language as a natural forcefield that deflects students from minority groups or the less able.

Most of these accusations have been been flung around in the form of anecdote or polemic, with little supporting evidence.

However, a new statistical analysis into the nationality and country of birth of students in the education system sheds new light on the profile of schoolchildren in Irish-medium schools.

Striking difference

The figures show a striking difference in the proportion of non-Irish in Gaelscoileanna (primary schools) and Gaelcholaistí (secondary schools) compared with mainstream schools.

While 10.6 per cent of pupils across all primary level are non-Irish, this falls to 1.6 per cent in all-Irish primary schools.

There is a similar pattern at second level. While 12 per cent of pupils overall are non-Irish, this falls to 3.1 per cent among all-Irish secondary schools.

The trends seems clear: Irish-speaking schools are significantly less likely to have newcomer students than others.

But the factors behind these trends, and what exactly they signify, are hotly contested.

“There’s a kind of socio-economic profiling going on, though no one admits it,” says one figure in political circles, who declines to be named, and who is critical of the Gaelscoil model.

“They know there’s the comfort of their child being less likely to have to learn with students whose second language is English, with Travellers or anyone who would never consider a Gaelscoil . . . they’re like fee-paying schools, but without the stigma.”

The source quotes an ESRI study in 2012 which found that the numbers of Traveller pupils attending Gaelscoileanna were modest – 91 per cent of these schools reported having no Travellers among their pupil population, compared with a national average of 74 per cent.

Another source argues that children with learning disabilities are less likely to feature in Gaelscoileanna, on the basis that it can be difficult to learn for children with dyslexia or other learning difficulties.

“It’s another barrier at the gates of the school, though you won’t hear anyone ever raise it,” says one senior education source, who also declines to be named.

Admissions policies

They also question admissions policies that prioritise Irish language in the home as a barrier to Travellers and other minority groups.

Yet for all these firmly held views, it is difficult to get anyone to admit this publicly and on the record.

Various figures in political and education circles who are critical of Gaelscoileanna either declined to comment, or did so only on the basis of anonymity.

Why? Most said they do want to “draw the wrath of the Irish-speaking community” on them.

In a heavily oversubscribed school where siblings are catered for first and there is a lack of places, people are going to feel disappointed, excluded and discriminated against. That is the foundation for people's feeling of elitism

Supporters of Irish-medium schools, by contrast, are more than happy to publicly defend the model of education.

They firmly reject suggestions of elitism and, for the most part, feel a weary recognition of old allegations resurfacing.

“The notion that Gaelscoileanna are a middle-class choice is simply untrue, as our schools and parent bodies will attest,” says Caoimhín Ó hEaghra, ard-rúnaí of An Foras Pátrúnachta, the largest patron of Irish-medium schools.

“We’ve found the demand is the same whether it is in a disadvantaged or more affluent area. We apply to establish Gaelscoileanna, regardless of the area. We go to where the demand is.

“We’ve opened in Balbriggan, Ballymun, Finglas, Clondalkin. We have Gaelscoileanna in all these areas. Go to Longford town – we have a Gaelscoil which has Deis band one status [the most disadvantaged category of school]. This in no way reflects any kind of elitism.”

He says that the accusations targeted at the school movement may reflect a kind of middle-class, south Dublin myopia.

“Maybe they only see the schools in these areas,” he adds.

As for statistics which show that Irish-language schools have far fewer non-Irish pupils, Ó hEaghra feels these distort the reality on the ground as they include Gaeltacht schools.

These mostly peripheral areas never experienced a large influx of newcomers. In fact, he says a survey conducted among its non-Gaeltacht schools indicates that 9.6 per cent of its students were from “other” backgrounds.

It defines this as a student who themselves or at least one parent are from another country.

Preparing resources

Schools did note in feedback to the survey that there were “additional challenges” in informing newcomers about what Gaelscoileanna were; it says it is preparing resources for schools to help promote themselves among non-Irish nationals in their own community.

If anything, an An Foras Pátrúnachta feels it is getting a raw deal from the education establishment.

Since 2009, the Department of Education has decided on the patronage of new schools where there is population growth. These decisions are informed by parental surveys on their preferred patrons and the views of an expert group.

Ó hEaghra says there is consistently high demand for Irish-medium schools wherever these surveys take place – typically about 26 per cent – but Gaelscoileanna account for just 4 per cent of schools.

“If only 4 per cent of all schools are Irish-medium, it’s no wonder they are viewed as a prized commodity or difficult to get into. But if you flip it and only 4 per cent of schools were English-medium, we’d have the same conversation about elitism.”

The accusations of elitism which linger in certain circles may have something to do with the origins of the Irish-medium schools movement.

By the late 1960s, Irish-language schools were closing and had fallen out of favour with many parents; the schools were mainly confined to poor, rural parts of the west coast.

Campaigning by a small but well-connected wave of urban middle-class professionals from the 1970s onwards helped to halt the decline and led to a rebirth of the model.

The campaign was highly successful. In 1972, there were just 11 Irish-medium schools at primary and five at secondary level outside the Gaeltacht. Today, there are 145 at primary level and 26 at second level.

Bláthnaid Ní Ghréacháin, chief executive of Gaelscoileanna Teo, a national voluntary organisation supporting the development of Irish schools at primary and post-primary, says the popularity of the schools and limited places may be behind some of the resentment.

"The oversubscription leads to disappointment on behalf of parents and creates pressure in the system. Invariably, when people are disappointed and their child does not get a place, this leads to accusations of elitism," she told The Irish Times earlier this year.

“In a heavily oversubscribed school where siblings are catered for first and there is a lack of places, people are going to feel disappointed, excluded and discriminated against. That is the foundation for people’s feeling of elitism.”

All-comers

She also rejects suggestions that Gaelscoileanna have restrictive admissions policies.

Ní Ghréacháin says their schools take all-comers, and while some have admissions policies which favour Irish speakers in the home, this accounts for a tiny proportion of students.

“The truth is, the amount of Irish-speaking natives outside of the Gaeltacht is absolutely minute, around 3 per cent of the population” she says.

“The very large majority of children enrolling in Irish-medium primary schools are from English-speaking backgrounds. Children from Irish language backgrounds represent a tiny minority.”

On the issue of children with disabilities being less likely to attend Gaelscoileanna, Ó hEaghra says its schools are open and supportive to any child with a disability.

He adds that there is no basis to the belief that children with disabilities struggle in Irish-medium schools.

“Those arguments drive me nuts,” he says. “Gaelscoileanna are not stopping children with special needs coming to us . . . There is no difference. The key is what supports are in place.

“The fact is that children who learn a second language have improved cognitive functioning, problem-solving, mental dexterity. That is true for your typical students as it is for a student with learning disabilities.”

Emer Nic Chonchradha, the principal of Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille in Stepaside, Co Dublin, feels these issues are so hotly contested because of the biases that most people bring to the argument.

“We have a strange relationship with the language, based on people’s own experiences, how they perceive that they were taught and their resultant bias towards or against the language.”

Bilingualism

These issues, ironically, she says, are not factors for the non-Irish parents who opt to the send their children, who know all about the benefits of bilingualism.

Ruairí Quinn, former minister for education, admits that he, too, questioned whether the foundations of the Irish-language school movement were built on privilege.

He says he has since been convinced that the model is open and equitable and the accusations – in the absence of any compelling evidence – amount to “conspiracy theories”.

As a parent, says Shalvey, the attraction of education through Irish was simple. “I’m as far as you can get from being a nationalist, but I believe in the connection of place through language. Look at the place-names around us,” he says. “It’s about keeping the language alive.”

He feels mystified at times over the accusations of elitism and sees it as an issue in the south Dublin bubble more than anything else.

“I’m from Tralee and never came across it . . . I really don’t get the feeling that this is an issue here.”

Over-subscribed

Like many Irish-language primary schools, Gaelscoil Thaobh na Coille is heavily over-subscribed.

It receives about 120 applicants for the 60 places on offer each year, though this is a pattern shared with other primary schools in the catchment area, says Nic Chonchradha.

She says the school, established in 1995, has an open-door admissions policy for children, irrespective of linguistic, social, religious background or nationality. While the school may have fewer foreign national students than other primary schools in parts of the city such as west Dublin, Nic Chonchradha says this merely reflects the fact that the area is a little less diverse.

“It’s the same across all the schools in this area,” says Nic Chonchradha. “ People may use the terms like ‘elitist’, but we’re just a normal school that happens to teach through the medium of Irish.

“We are open to anyone and everyone. No one is turned down on any other ground than lack of space.”

She estimates that up to 10 per cent of students are from international backgrounds who, for the most part, work in local multinational companies.

The school’s enrolment policy allows for preference to be given to children who are being brought up through Irish. This, she says, accounts for a very small proportion of children each year.

“If we have one or two in a year group of 60, that’s about it. It’s a tiny minority,” she says.

Nic Chonchradha feels this is an important criterion to ensure those who are most committed to the language have a better chance of securing a school place.

“It makes sense that if you have a minority religion, that they should be able to access their [denominational] school. For me, personally, bringing up my children as Gaeilge, the language is my religion.”

Across the city in Ballymun, Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna – which has disadvantaged status – has a similar dilemma: it doesn’t have enough places to cope with demand.

Principal Ray Ó Diomsaigh says there is growing demand locally for education through Irish from both Irish and non-Irish families.

Ó Diomsaigh estimates that about 8 per cent of its students come from various cultural backgrounds.

He says the school may have lower numbers of non-Irish nationals than others, but believes this has nothing to do with admissions policies.

“There can be a concern among some parents that if a student struggles, they might not be able to help them. It’s a concern for some, not all. Nine out of 10 don’t have any difficulty.”

There can also be different patterns in school enrolment across different nationalities.

“We don’t have Polish students, but I know plenty here that do . . . but we have families from England, Nigeria, other parts of Africa that come here and have been coming here for years.”

The backgrounds of parents can range from painters and shop assistants to civil servants working in various government departments.

“It’s diverse, it’s mixed, there’s a nice feel to it. The children mix with others from different economic backgrounds. It gives them a broader understanding of the community,” he says.

Overall, he says the school reflects the community it serves, with about 90 per cent coming from the immediate catchment area.

“I think many choose us because they see the benefits of speaking another language. There are so many languages spoken in and out of town on the bus – so they feel: ‘why shouldn’t their children be able to speak our own language?’ ”