Controversial plans to transform Synge Street CBS secondary school in Dublin into a Gaelcholáiste next year will proceed despite widespread opposition among teachers.
Many staff at the school feel they do not have the standard of Irish needed to teach through the language and are concerned about the potential impact on its diverse school community, which includes pupils of many nationalities.
However, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (Erst) - which oversees the school and owns the property – told staff at a meeting on Wednesday the plans to enrol and teach students through Irish in September 2026 will proceed.
Teachers will have the chance to upskill in Irish or be redeployed to different schools, the school’s patron said.
Due to staff concerns, it said there will also be a separate intake of students taught through English in September 2026. These students will be taught through English until they complete school in 2032.
The plans to turn the school into a Gaelcholáiste were plunged into doubt last February when the board of management told the Department of Education it would “not be proceeding” with all-Irish enrolment for 2026 on foot of staff concerns.
The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) said 91 per cent of its members at the schools were not in favour of the transition to a Gaelcholáiste.
Following a meeting between staff and representatives of the trust on Wednesday, the ASTI restated its call for a pause to the plans.
It said teachers expressed their anger and dismay at the “ongoing failure to engage with them”. ASTI deputy general secretary Diarmaid de Paor said the manner in which teachers at Synge Street had been treated was “shabby at best”.
“This treatment has included Erst and the department taking unilateral decisions which will have a significant impact on the lives of the teachers, whilst keeping those same teachers in the dark about their futures,” he said.
“This is unacceptable, and we call on ERST and the department to pause their plans and participate in meaningful and respectful engagement as a priority.”
Adrian McMahon, a teacher at the school, said it has been a distressing time for “those whose lives revolve around this great school, and particularly for those who will be most affected by the proposals”.
He added: “The manner in which these proposals emerged and have been communicated demonstrates a clear lack of regard for the school community. Teachers, parents and students deserve better.”
[ Protest at Dáil gates for Synge Street GaelcholáisteOpens in new window ]
In a statement, Erst said it was clear that staff were “understandably disappointed” and felt “disrespected by the lack of consultation in the change of status process, as well as the speed around which it has taken place”.
It added: “This is especially so because of the quality of their teaching and their strong commitment to the school and its pupils, as evidenced by Synge Street’s excellent 2023 whole-school evaluation.
“It has also become clear that given the lack of consultation, staff need more time to adjust to and prepare for the change of status.” In this context, Erst said it had reached agreement to continue enrolling students taught through English in September 2026, as per the board’s recent request to the patron.
However, to ensure the “total immersion” needs of those awaiting the Gaelcholáiste are met, it said the intake of students taught through Gaeilge in September 2026 will be accommodated in another building on the campus for their first year.
It said a number of other steps have been agreed by Erst with the Department of Education to support existing staff and the new school community with the transition to the Gaelcholáiste.
These include the appointment of a deputy principal to lead the development of the coeducational Gaelcholáiste; an upskilling programme to help current teachers prepare to teach in the Gaelcholáiste; and support and information for staff around the redeployment process for those who opt not to teach in the Gaelcholaiste.
The statement said the school’s board has been asked to prepare – in consultation with stakeholders – a detailed plan on the curriculum for the Gaelcholáiste, so Erst can feed this into a capital development plan for the school, which will be fast-tracked, as education through Irish is an identified need in the Dublin 8 area.
There have been long-standing campaigns by parents in the Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 postal districts for greater access to all-Irish second-level schools.
