Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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128. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider more flexibility on the Irish criteria for students in relation to at-risk schools that are on the border of a Gaeltacht area and which rely on feeders from both English- and Irish-speaking primary schools; if a hybrid approach could be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18853/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The criteria for recognition as a Gaeltacht School were set out in circular 0034/2017 for post-primary schools when schools were invited to join the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme in 2017.

There are 11 criteria for post-primary schools, including the requirement to “deliver high-quality educational experiences through Irish to all students focusing particular attention on the differentiated language needs of native Irish speakers, as well as learners of Irish”.

A validation process for recognition as a Gaeltacht School was completed in 2024. This involved a validation visit from the Inspectorate to evaluate the implementation of the criteria for the scheme. A small number of post-primary schools required an additional period of time to make further progress on the implementation of the criteria. Officials from my department have since visited most of these schools to discuss their particular circumstances.

There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to continue to provide support to Gaeltacht schools through the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme. The supports provided include additional language support hours for Irish, an annual grant to purchase Irish-language resources and access to the innovative e-Hub project. These supports also continue to be available to schools that are still on their journey towards official recognition.

As part of my department’s work on the new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht, a taskforce is being established to explore issues and opportunities relating to the various models of Irish-medium education provision. The establishment of this taskforce will facilitate collaboration between the department and key stakeholders in this area. The taskforce will also look at models of education within the Gaeltacht, which will inform future decisions in relation to Irish-medium education provision at post-primary level in Gaeltacht schools.