Synge Street CBS board of management says it will ‘not proceed’ with move to Gaelcholáiste

Plans to turn Synge Street CBS into a Gaelcholáiste next year are in doubt after the school’s board of management told the Department of Education it will not proceed due to staff concerns over the move.

The then minister for education Norma Foley announced the move last year, describing it as “great news” for the school and the communities of Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8 given the lack of all-Irish second-level options locally.

However, the board of management said in a letter to the department this week that it would “not be proceeding” with the Gaelscoil enrolment for 2026. It said it would continue with its normal practice of visiting English-medium feeder schools and recruiting from them for September of next year.

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.

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In a statement issued via the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), staff said there had been “no meaningful communication” on how the change would be implemented and any transition of this scale “should be guided by transparency, collaboration, and careful consideration of all children’s needs”.

When surveyed by ASTI school representatives, 91 per cent of teaching staff were not in favour of the transition to a Gaelcholáiste.

The Department of Education, however, said it was “fully supportive” and “remains committed to the establishment of a Gaelcholáiste in the Dublin south city area.”

“The Department is currently working with the Edmund Rice Schools Trust to ensure there is continued and clear engagement with Synge St CBS on the successful transition to a co-educational Gaelcholáiste on a phased basis from September 2026,” it said.

The Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) – which oversees the school and owns the property – declined to say whether the switch would go ahead, as planned.

“ERST had a productive meeting with the Department of Education yesterday which covered a wide range of issues – including matters raised by various stakeholders in the school community,” it said in response to a query.

“The trust will be providing a full update on what transpired at the meeting with the Department through a series of meetings with the board, staff and other stakeholders immediately after the midterm break.”

Under articles of management for secondary schools, boards of management operate under the “general supervision” of trustees or patron bodies.

Education sources say, in theory, the patron body could override the wishes of the board of management or replace the board if it wished. However, such a move appears less likely given the strength of opposition to the move to date among teaching staff.

The development will come as a blow to parents and children from five Gaelscoileanna based in south Dublin who have been campaigning for an Irish-medium secondary school in the area.

The campaign group, Gaelcholáiste 2, 4, 6, 8 said a lack of communication from the Department of Education since the announcement had done “huge damage” to the plans.

“We are calling on the Minister for Education to publish a timeline for the Gaelcholáiste and if the Gaelcholáiste is to be located at an alternative site then we need to know this also. It is essential to move on this now, to communicate with all stakeholders and to make up for lost time,” it said, in a statement.

Earlier this week parents and children from Gaelscoil Lios na nÓg, Scoil Bhríde, Bunscoil Synge, Gaelscoil Inse Chór and Gaelscoil Eoin demonstrated outside Leinster House, calling on Minister Helen McEntee to act.

Enrolments at Synge Street CBS have been growing in recent year and it has celebrated academic accolades such as winning the BT Young Scientist competition for an unprecedented fourth time in 2022.

In recent years Bunscoil Synge Street – the neighbouring primary school of CBS Synge Street – introduced an Irish language stream – or a sruth lán Ghaeilge – and provides education through Irish for all years.

The school’s past pupils include notable politicians such as David Andrews, Niall Andrews, Todd Andrews, Eric Byrne, taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, Charlie O’Connor, Richie Ryan, Michael Woods, president Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh and Irish revolutionary Harry Boland.

There have also been well-known figures from the world of media and the arts including broadcasters Eamonn Andrews and Gay Byrne, film director John Carney – who used the school as inspiration for his movie Sing Street – actor David Kelly and author John Connolly.

High-profile sports people also attended including footballers Don Given, Andy Reid and motorsport owner Eddie Jordan.