Teaching union calls for 'pause' in plans for Synge Street CBS to become gaelcholáiste

A TEACHING UNION has called for plans to convert a Dublin secondary school to a Gaelcholáiste to be “paused and stopped”.

Plans to convert Synge Street CBS in Dublin 8 to a Gaelcholáiste will go ahead in September 2026, despite the vast majority of the school’s staff being against the move.

In September 2026, there will be another intake of students taught through English, as well as an intake of students taught through Gaeilge. 

However, these students learning through Gaeilge will be “accommodated in another building on the campus for their first year” in order to allow for “total immersion in Gaeilge”.

Synge Street CBS is under the trusteeship of the Edmund Rice School Trust (ERST), a network of over 90 schools in the Republic of Ireland which were formally under the trusteeship of the Christian Brothers. 

In a statement yesterday, the ERST said it has met with the school’s board of management and staff and noted that “staff are understandably disappointed with and feel disrespected by the lack of consultation in the change of status process”.

The plans were announced in September 2024, following growing demand in the area for an Irish-language school.

However, teachers were only informed of the decision the day before it was announced publicly.

Since then, school staff – along with the Association of Secondary School Teachers (ASTI) – have campaigned for the plans to be put on hold.

According to the ASTI, 91% of staff at Synge Street said they were not in favour of the transition to a Gaelcholáiste.

‘Hurt and anger’

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Diarmaid de Paor, deputy general secretary of the ASTI, called for the move to be halted. 

De Paor said the “biggest problem” is the way the proposed change has been handled.

He added that teachers “have been kept in the dark for the whole process, as has the rest of the school community”.

De Paor said his understanding is that the board of management at the school asked the ERST to examine the feasibility of becoming a Gaelcholáiste.

However, de Paor said that the ERST instead took this as a “request to move it to a Gaelcholáiste and went to the Department and started the ball in motion”.

De Paor said members want the move to be “paused, stopped, brought back to the beginning and done properly”.

He added that staff want other alternatives to be examined also, such as becoming co-educational or amalamating with other schools. 

“These teachers have been, without any consultation, basically told their lives are being turned upside down and they’ll either have to find another school or upskill to Irish,” said de Paor.

He added that while no one is objecting to the idea of a Gaelcholáiste, the issue is with how it has been communicated. 

“They still haven’t talked to the parents and the way the staff has been treated is shameful,” said de Paor.

He added that there is “a lot of hurt and anger” and that teachers want other options to be explored. 

“They are looking to be part of the process; it is inconceivable that they have been totally excluded from the process.

“We are saying push it back a year, see if there are other options, and make sure people are part of the process and not totally excluded from it.”

‘Problematic’

Meanwhile, Jen Cummins, education spokesperson for the Social Democrats, also criticised the lack of communication with parents.

She said that while the move was initially welcomed, further discussions with parents have “highlighted significant ongoing issues”.

“Many parents have complained they were not directly informed by the Department of Education and instead learned of the developments through secondary sources,” said Cummins.

She noted that politicians were informed before many families.

Cummins said further concerns have been expressed about the “proposal to separate the two school communities”, as those learning through Gaeilge will be taught in a different building on campus.

Cummins said this approach “could be problematic and may not be the right direction for fostering an inclusive educational environment”.

She added that a “successful transition should prioritise integration”.

Cummins called on the Department to “proactively communicate with all stakeholders to ensure transparency and inclusivity in decision-making”.

 “A transparent process would ensure that all children – regardless of background, ability, or preferred language of education – have access to a supportive learning environment.”

Elsewhere, Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh remarked that it’s a “pity” that the Department “damaged the confidence of teachers and staff” by not consulting them beforehand.

He called for Education Minister Helen McEntee to meet with the working group of the Gaelcholáiste without delay to reach an agreement.