Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta Carn Tóchair 16 Márta 2016

1. An Leanúnachas ón mbunscoil go dtí an iar-bhunscoillán-Ghaeilge(Taighdereathamaoinitheag GaelscoileannaTeoranta)Dr Pádraig Ó Duibhir (ColáistePhádraig, DCU)Dr Laoise Ní Thuairisg (AcadamhnahOllscolaíochtaGaeilge, OÉ Gaillimh) Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta Carn Tóchair 16 Márta 2016

2. Leagan amach • Cúlra an taighde • Teoiric laistiar den leanúnachas agus an comhthéacsidirnáisiúnta • Modheolaíochtaí an taighde • Pléar an leanúnachassnaséchondae • Torthaí sealadacha an taighde • Céimeanna le tógáil

3. Leanúnachas ón mbunscoil go dtí an Iarbhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge agus na fachtóirí a théann i gcion air • Mar fhreagra ar thairiscint oscailte a rinne Gaelscoileanna Teoranta. • ‘Anailís ar Mhúnlaí Soláthair Gaelscolaíochta’(Ó Duibhir et al., 2015) • Túscurtha leis an taighdeimínaSamhna 2016 agusilárnagcéimeannadeiridhanailísefaoiláthair • Cosúlachtaí / Éagsúlachtaí le sonrúibpátrúinaistrithenaséchondae?

4. Teoiricbainteach leis an leanúnachassatumoideachas • Ainneointiomantastuismitheoirí don tumoideachas, tagannlaghdúar an rannpháirtíocht, go háirithesatréimhse sin nuair a aistrítearónmbunleibhéal go dtí an iar-bhunleibhéal(Bourdreaux, 2011; LlywodraethCynulliadCymru, 2010; Makropoulos, 2010; Wesley & Baig, 2012). • Dearcadhi measc tuismitheoirí nach bhfeilfidh an tumoideachas don dalta a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta foghlama aige / aici • Dúshláinbainteach le rátaíaistritheaguslaghdaithe a thomhais (Culligan, 2010; Halsall, 1994; Morton, Lemieux, Diffey & Awender 1999) Although improvement of programs is in and of itself a worthwhile goal, it might be that because of the optional nature of immersion programs, it is not possible, or even desirable, to create higher enrolments (Halsall, 1994: 315)

5. An Leanúnachassachomhthéacsidirnáisiúnta • Is bac an leanúnachasigcomhthéacsannatumoideachaisar fud nacruinne: Albain; Ceanada ; TírnamBascach • Luaitearmar aidhmsaWelsh Medium Education Strategygo gcuirtear an leanúnachaschuncinn‘to ensure that all learners develop their Welsh-language skills to their full potential and encourage sound linguistic progression from one phase of education and training to the next’ (LlywodraethCymru, 2013: 13). • Deacrachtshuntasach an doiléiresasainiú a dhéantararsholáthar an tumoideachais, go háirithe ag an iar-bhunleibhéal

6. An leanúnachas san oideachaslán-Ghaeilge in Éirinn ‘AnailísarMhúnlaíSoláthairGaelscolaíochta’ (Ó Duibhir et al., 2015) • deacrachtaífoghlama an daltaaguscomhairlefaighte ó shíceolaíroghaeileoideachais a lorg; • seirbhísítacaíochta a bheadharfáil do dhaltaí a bhfuilriachtanaisspeisialtafoghlamaacu; • mianphearsanta an daltaféin; • srianar an leibhéaltacaíochta a bheadharchumas an tuismitheora a thabhairtagusleibhéaldeacrachta an ábhairscoile, agusdáréir an raonteanga, ag ardú; • bac arghnóthachtáilacadúil; • easpaiar-bhunscoil san abhantrachnósacheantar. (Ó Duibhir et al., 2015)

7. Plé: an leanúnachas san oideachaslán-Ghaeilgesnaséchondae • An cinneadhleanúintnóganleanúint leis an oideachaslán-Ghaeilge • Cúiseanna leis an gcinneadh • An leanúnachasibpolasaínabunscoile / nahiar-bhunscoile • An caidreamhidir an bhunscoilagus an iar-bhunscoil

8. Torthaísealadacha an taighdereatha

9. Modheolaíochtaí an taighde • Léirbhreithniúar an litríochtbainteach leis an leanúnachasigcoitinneagus go háirithe leis an leanúnachassatumoideachas • Ceistneoirícainníochtúla: • Príomhoidí – sampla randamach 26 scoil = 100% ráta freagartha • Tuismitheoirí – 321 freagartha = ráta 56.2% • Daltaí – 284 freagartha = ráta 49.7% • Fóramplé do phríomhoidí • Agallaimh / Agallaimhghrúpanadtuismitheoirí

10. Rátaaistritheónmbunscoil go dtí an iar-bhunscoillán-Ghaeilge • Bhí sampla randamach de 26 scoil i gceist (20% de na scoileanna uilig) • Ráta aistrithe 38.2% nuair a cuireadh gach scoil san áireamh • Bhí 10 nach bhfuil iar-bhunscoil san abhantrach. Ráta aistrithe 13.1% sa chas seo. • Bhí 16 a raibh iar-bhunscoil san abhantrach. Ráta aistrithe 53.9% nuair atá iar-bhunscoil san abhantrach

11. Cé a dhéanann an cinneadh? • “Tá na páistí i bhfad níos bainteach leis. Labhair mise le tuismitheoirí faoi seo. Tá siad ag cur páistí 4 bliain d'aois, tugann siad ráiteas don pháiste ach tugann said tuairimí na bpáistí go mór san áireamh agus iad ag roghnú meánscoile, bíonn an-ráiteas ag an bpáiste, agus braitheann ana-chuid, ar mo thaithí, ar cén áit a bhfuil na cairde ag freastal” • what this has taught me is as a parent both of us had to listen to what our 12 year old was saying and we had to give some degree of choice to her and I suppose will I do the same with my son? I think I’d probably do the same with him . • Well I didn’t make the decision she made the decision, all along she’s always just said why would I go and learn everything again in English when I already know most in Irish. It seems like a lot of pointless hard work and I was happy enough with that decision to be honest • my husband was brought up through the medium of Irish and went to School through Irish so … pressure is probably the wrong word but you know the impetus is probably from his side and I’m happy to go along • I told my children I will choose their secondary school for them, I said I will take the responsibility for this decision and after that you can make the choices but I will make the mistake for you and you can blame me. They complained about it, Conor now would have complained but he would have wanted to go to the local secondary school here for the hurling even though he would not be a great hurler at all and I just felt that the Irish secondary school was better for them, they would get a better education there

12. Cén uair a dhéantar an cinneadh? • tá sé rodhéanach a bheith ag labhairt le páistí agus tuismitheoirí i rang a 6. Tá an cinneadh déanta cheana féin ag an bpointe sin. • deir múinteoirí rang 5 agus 6, téigh isteach chuig rang 3 agus a 4. É sin ráite, ceapaim go bhfuil an-tionchar ag na tuismitheoirí i rang a 5. I rang a 6, bíonn an intinn déanta suas • In 4th class … the principal came in to talk that time in 4th class and I thought that was really an optimum time • I think maybe 4th would be good because I think people really are starting to focus on it

13. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh:“a natural progression” • I just saw the natural part that she would go and continue in Irish • he is fine in here, he has no problem with the Irish and I think so it’s a natural progression • I’ve an older boy in 5th year at the minute and he is very happy throughout and to be honest we never really thought of any other School • probably we would have envisaged from the start that they would go onto the secondary school even when we were putting them into the primary school • I think it was the same as well again our older boy he wasn’t registered in any other secondary school and it never occurred, one boy in his class wasn’t going at that stage it kind of shocked me because I thought everyone was going and we never thought of that • The thing that I said earlier that when we put our children into an all Irish primary school then the decision was made more or less going onto secondary school only if there was a problem in an all Irish school or if it really didn’t suit the child you’d be thinking of another school really.

14. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh:Cultúr agus féiniúlacht • because my wife is from Kenya they have a dual identity. Reinforcing your Irish identity or the Irish aspect of their identity is important. So for them to be fluent in the language of the country I think is good for them • I’d hope that the whole ethos of the school would be based on reinforcing their Irish identity and the Irish language really and I think that is what’s happening at the moment … but he made the decision because he didn’t want to lose his Irishness. He was afraid going to English that he would lose that Irish and he really enjoys it maybe because I’m American he really clings onto his Irishness • I feel that you know as Europeans we probably should be a little bit more fluent in more languages

15. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh:Suíomh na scoile • Well for me I live near there so for mine that was the reason they went to the school … that’s my number one so they could walk to school. I just didn’t want them sitting in a car • the proximity to the school etc. and things like that are the key factors too and it’s actually walking distance for us to send the children there which is good • I think he was so looking forward to being able to walk down you know he sees all the lads and they walk down in the morning that’s a real big part of post-primary so he was looking forward to that, there was no way he was going to get on a bus . • With all your after school activities and stuff as well are also away from your home area it adds a lot of hours onto your day and week as well

16. “Tásuíomh na hiar-bhunscoilelán-Ghaeilgecóngarach”

17. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh:Cáil acadúil agus saor ó tháillí • well I looked up the league tables for the school I have to admit yeah I did • Well I’m sure people saw this on the Independent but I teach in another School and I was proud saying oh look there’s the School my son goes to • Similarly again I saw the school league tables as well and obviously it does have an impact, if it was still an Irish school and it wasn’t a good reputation I think I would look at alternatives but my next alternative would be another Irish school that we could get the children into if I’m quite honest about it . • I suppose the other thing is you have to balance the fact that it’s a non-fee paying school as well and look at all of the factors involved in it as well. • Yes and you put it into the mix that the Irish medium schools tend to be academically a good reputation number 1 and number 2 not be fee paying you know.

18. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh Bíonn tuismitheoirí buartha nach mbeadh an iar-bhunscoil Bhéarla ábalta freastal ar riachtanais speisialta an pháiste Tá dea-cháil acadúil ar an iar-bhunscoil lánGhaeilge

19. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh:Atmaisféar na scoile • you know they’re looking at the feel of it so it’s about what does it feel like to be in that School or what things can you do that are fun you know that almost maybe even social stuff as well. • I thought it was really good and I mean the building they’d been talking about I mean having a building for 20 years … you kind of didn’t see that it was more or less prefabs you didn’t see that you were kind of taken up with the Students talking and the different things that were going on you know the Arts, they’d a lot of music playing they’d just done it well. • The building didn’t matter it was a bonus if there was a new one coming but the building actually was so insignificant because it was such a good atmosphere.

20. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh:Roghaábharnascoile • that’s the only downfall with that School they don’t do any type of computer studies until transition year […] so that would be one of the downfalls of the School but subject choice I don’t have an issue with the variety • I’d kind of feel we could make that up somewhere else if we had that love for it, we can, he can do that somewhere else so that would be my thought • options are German or Spanish … I guess if French had been an option probably that would have been the preferred language for the children to be honest but I know they’ve already started German so again it’s probably similar where you compensate in one area where if it’s not available to you elsewhere • some of the bigger schools have bigger choice so you’ll get some feedback from parents say in say the sciences, I think they don’t do physics and I know from friends of mine that would of made the decision not to go to one of the bigger English schools it would be that they’re larger and have more choice of subjects.

21. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh Bíonn cairde an dalta ag freastal ar an scoil chéanna Bíonn rogha ábhar na hiar-bhunscoile lánGhaeilge oiriúnach don pháiste

22. Cúiseannaleanúintaraghaidh Bíonn suim ag an bpáiste féin sa Ghaeilge Bíonn suim ag tuismitheoir(í) an pháiste sa Ghaeilge

23. Cúiseannaganleanúintaraghaidh:dúil sa chomhthéacs teagaisc agus sóisialta lán-Bhéarla • I suppose the biggest influencing factor really … was to proceed through the Medium of English now really and the argument she would have made around it would have been that she would like to improve on her English … I think it’s more around she’s hungry for English. I suppose that’s probably the best way I could sum it up now. She’s hungry to get her teeth stuck into English now in a way that she felt she has been with Irish. She has loved being immersed in it and she feels that that’s what she wants now from English at Post-Primary level. • they’re kind of behind in their English comprehension and I’ve one in 3rd year and he’s struggling big time now with English and the girl coming out of 6th class this year she is struggling with her English comprehension as well and that was another big factor. • students feel as if they’re going back into another very small set up which to me as a parent would have been a huge advantage … my own little girl what she felt was she was ready to now mix with the girls in the Catholic girls school and boys school and not just stay with her Gaelscoileanna friends again

24. Cúiseannaganleanúintaraghaidh Bíonn rogha ábhar na hiar-bhunscoile Béarla níos oiriúnaí don dalta Tá suíomh na hiar-bhunscoile Béarla níos cóngaraí 

25. Cúiseannaganleanúintaraghaidh:caighdeán íseal an aonaid lán-Ghaeilge agus caighdeán íseal an teagaisc san oideachas lán-Ghaeilge • I mean it was well talked about that the calibre of the teachers was particularly poor, they were let’s say for example: one subject there was a geography teacher who was told now you need to go and teach this in Irish as well so they weren’t an Irish teacher. • [the aonad] isn’t of the calibre of a Gael Choláiste. • It isn’t fluent [for the teachers] then. I think it’s difficult to learn as much, to learn to your potential maybe not for every kid but for some. • I mean that is that’s been a slight issue with me for the secondary school as well sometimes and it’s not their fault but sometimes in some subjects that teachers would not have a great standard of Irish so if they’re writing a note back home to you it would be as if a 4th or 5th class student in the primary school wrote it and it would be a problem

26. Cúiseanna ganleanúintaraghaidh Bíonn an dalta  buartha nach mbeadh an iar-bhunscoil Ghaeilge ábalta freastal ar a riachtanais speisialta Níl dea-cháil acadúil ar an iar-bhunscoillán-Ghaeilge

27. Cúiseannaganleanúintaraghaidh:imní faoin téarmaíocht sa Ghaeilge amháin • Certainly another thing she would have said, they’re doing an awful lot of Geography, History and … Social Science … since the beginning of 6th class in School and she would come home to me and say but I don’t know what the English words are. I’ve no idea what the English words are mam you know I’d want to know them so we’d look them up but I think she found that part a bit frustrating as well. • but the only issue I would have would be with the maths as Gaeilge I just feel that it should be bi-lingual • My daughter would struggle for English terms ordinary terms like timetable you know she’d have the word in Irish but she would not know the word in English from being schooled all the way through in Irish.

28. Torthaí sealadacha (tuismitheoirí) Cúiseanna gan freastal Easpa seirbhísí tacaíochta sa Ghaeilge Mian feabhas a chur lena gcaighdeán Béarla Imní maidir le litearthacht sa Bhéarla Imní maidir le uimhearthacht Buairt faoi scoil / aonad nua-bhunaithe Suíomh na scoile Deartháireacha / deirfiúracha ag freastal ar scoil lán-Bhéarla Imní maidir le téarmaíocht sa Ghaeilge amháin, go háirithe in ábhair STEM Cúiseanna chun freastail • Cultúr agus féiniúlacht • Atmaisféar na scoile • Suíomh na scoile • Cáil acadúil • Scoil gan táillí • Deartháireacha / deirfiúracha ag freastal cheana féin • Leanúnachas “nádúrtha”

29. Céimeanna le tógáil sa taighde • Céimeannadeiridhnahanailísearthorthaína n-agallamhgrúpaagusnagceistneoirí • Iniúchadh a dhéanamharrólnadtuismitheoiríagus an tábhachtatá le muinínnóféin-éifeachtúlachtsaphróiseas (go háirithe ag an iar-bhunleibhéal) • Iniúchadh a dhéanamhar an mbearnaidirdearcadhnabpríomhoidíagusnadtuismitheoirí, másanndó • Léargas a thabhairtar an tábhachtatá le caidreamh (feiceálach, leanúnach) idir an bhunscoilagus an iar-bhunscoil

30. Go raibhmílemaithagaibh! laoise.nithuairisg@nuigalway.ie padraig.oduibhir@dcu.ie