Gaelscoil Questions

awec

I'm sure this has been asked before but it's hard to find with the new search function on boards.

Our eldest is due to start school in 2023 (she'll be 5 1/2). Geographically there are 4 schools within walking distance of our house and one of them is the Gaelscoil (which is also the closest of the 4). The idea of her learning Irish properly appeals to both of us, and if nothing else she should find Irish in secondary school a breeze.

However, I have no Irish at all and my wife I would describe as your typical Irish person when it comes to the language, she did it in school herself but has never used it. She can speak a bit but definitely couldn't hold a conversation. My thinking is we can kind of pick it up a bit with her as she progresses through the years.

I am assuming that kids who go to a Gaelscoil don't suffer with their English?

Are we signing ourselves up for pain with this? In 4 or 5 years time are we going to be frustrated when every bit of homework takes longer than it should? I am assuming from the child's point of view it's not just immediate total immersion into the language, but it's built gradually over the first few years?

Would love to hear feedback or thoughts from any other non-fluent Irish speaking parents with children who went Gaelscoil.

Furze99

Closest and within walking distance are great pluses. Can't usefully comment as a parent of primary school gaelscoil but used to regularly drop one of ours into after hours activity at a gaelscoil. Whatever about what happens in school hours, I can tell you that they and they parents were all yabbering away as bearla when they came out and were being collected! So no fears there.

Have a relative who would be good at the gaeilge and whose children went to primary gaelscoil and local community school for secondary. It didn't do them any harm as they say, but their standard of Irish and interest in speaking it faded away. So you might want to consider that as well and go the full hog.

glic83

Both of my daughters go to a Gaelscoil, both flying it, I remember having a chat with the principal a few years ago,he told me, by about 3rd class they will have passed you out in Irish comfortably and won't need help with the Irish but just to make sure they are doing their homework, I wanted them to go to a Gaelscoil as it offers a great route for secondary schools where I live,but both are enjoying it so thankfully it's working out.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058273222/gaelscoil-questions

Regardless of language, pick the school that you feel right about. That's often the nearest school to you, but if it's one of the others then so be it. The two schools nearest to us were a Catholic school at the top of my street and a Gaelscoil nearby. We bypassed both for personal reasons, despite my own fluent Irish and commitment to the language.

Kids who go to Gaelscoileanna often have better English (and better English results in school) than those who go to English-medium schools. However, that may be for a variety of reasons. If your daughter is a "wordy" child, then a Gaelscoil is likely to massively increase her competence at that. If she's not, it won't, but it won't make it any harder for her either.

Gaelscoileanna are harder to find at second level, so your daughter may end up with Gaeilge-medium education at primary followed by English-medium at secondary. That won't bother her at all, but it's a factor that some people would care about.

You can pick it up as you go along, and most parents do. There are also resources and activities out there to help parents and families, and they might be worth looking at. The availability and quality varies depending on location, and it might be worth asking the school principal or parents' association. I know of some great resources in Kildare, for example, and I've heard of a summer holiday programme in Irish for parents and primary school children that happens each year in the Gaeltacht and is attended mostly by families from Dublin and the east coast (not, of course, that the feckin' details will spring to mind right now while I'm composing this post).

Most Gaelscoileanna are designed to foster the speaking of Irish, so there's a lot of immersion and it happens fast, because that's what works best for children. But each school is independent, so to know what happens in your local school the best bet is to ask the school principal or parents' association.

The homework question depends on so many factors I can't even start to answer it. We helped our guy with homework, but at a bit of a distance, and we did it less and less as the years went by - but that depends on the child, the parents, and a ton of other stuff. Had he been in a Gaelscoil I could easily have helped, but the reality was that I didn't do all that much even in English (if you see what I mean).

Finally, we have a local Gaelscoil where as far as I can see 99% of the kids come from English-speaking households. But they have as good a time as any other kids, and the fact that they are immersed in Gaeilge while the parents aren't doesn't really seem to bother anyone.

ShamoBuc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058273222/gaelscoil-questions

All my kids went to a Gaelscoil - they loved it. I've fluent Gaeilge but it mattered little. Parents do indeed pick up Gaeilge from their kids as they go through school. Most of the neighbours have only a few words of Gaeilge and they say it wasn't in any way a problem.

Immersion is key !! No English in Junior Infants in my kids school. I think it was half way through Senior Infants before English was taught. This would be fairly normal. Songs, peoms and games all the way in Juniors. You would be surprised by how quick kids pick up a language, immersion really is key.

Their English will most definitely not suffer, STEN scores are more than comparable between Gaelscoils and other primary schools and it is said that learning a further language in Secondary school can often be easier having attended a Gaelscoil.

Neighbours kids will surely be attending the Gaelscoil aswell, so the social aspect shouldn't be an issue either.

Gaeilge aside, if you have 4 schools to pick from, what vibe do you get from each school. Do they have open nights so you can have a look around at the classrooms, hall, green areas, library and other facilities? Are they in good nick or have a few prefabs, waiting forever for an extension or in a new building or what do the other neighbours say about the schools.

From a secondary school perspective, where do they go from the Gaelscoil - presumably the same secondary schools as the other 3, so there shouldn't be any enrolement issues there.

Personally, if there wasn't any huge draw towards either of the 4, I would pick the Gaelscoil.

byhookorbycrook

Research shows that children in a Gaelscoil are sometimes slower to pick up on English reading, but will usually outstrip their peers down the line. Whilst facilities are very important, the shiniest and " best equipped" school isn't always the best school. I'd recommend you make an appointment to meet with the principal in the new year and have a look around the school, if possible. Talk to other parents and get their views.

Gaelscoileanna are in huge demand, check with the school about their enrolment policy as soon as you can.

Most Gaelscoil parents wouldn't be in any way fluent, teachers will make every effort to ensure that the children understand the homework , both in content and language. The child should be able to translate for you, if push comes to shove, homework wise. She will soak up the language really quickly. Many Gaelscoileanna also run Irish courses for parents.

Studies also show that children who are bilingual early on will find it easier to acquire a 3rd language when they are older. Have a wander around the Gaeloideachas site.

https://gaeloideachas.ie/i-am-a-parent-pupil/primary-schools/

dara10

Gaelscoils use immersion to teach children Irish. Its not gradual as you suggest. Its nothing but Irish and the kids just absorb it all and are speaking Irish before Christmas of Junior Infants. Depending on the school English reading starts after Christmas in Senior Infants or in First class. English literacy is therefore behind English medium schools at that point but they catch up quickly. Gaelscoil kids actually score higher in English than English medium schools.

Most parents do not speak Irish fluently, if at all. Communcation from the school will be bilingual. Many children will have parents who speak no Irish at all. Schools often run Irish classes for parents. In terms of homework its not a problem. Instructions are provided in English and by 2nd/3rd the kids can read and translate by themselves.

For most people the only disadvantage of a gaelscoil is that its not local but thats not a problem for you so go for it. Your child will be fluent in another language at no extra effort, and their brain will be able to pick up further languages easier. The benefits of immersion education are well documented.