Schools have been told that they cannot award exemptions for the study of Irish on the basis of psychologists’ reports commissioned by parents which recommend that their children should not have to study the language.
The move comes against a backdrop of rising numbers of pupils securing exemptions issued by school principals amid concerns over the status of Irish at second level.
Irish is mandatory at school but a student or their parent can apply to their school for an exemption under “exceptional circumstances”, such as a learning difficulty or having been educated outside the State. There has been an increase in exemptions granted at second level nationally over recent years, up from 9 per cent of students in 2017-2018 to more than 12 per cent in 2022-2023.
School principals report that they feel under pressure from parents to award exemptions in cases where educational psychologists’ reports – typically costing €700 to €800 – recommend exemptions from the study of Irish. Such reports may typically cite issues such as learning difficulties or other issues such as school refusal or anxiety issues.
The Department of Education has contacted some schools with high numbers of exemptions to tell them that psychological reports alone “do not meet the criteria for granting an exemption”, according to records seen by The Irish Times.
Instead, schools may grant exemptions only where there “significant and persistent literacy difficulties” for a student across all subjects, along with documentary evidence such as students’ support plans which show evidence of low test scores in reading, comprehension and other scores of language or literacy.
The guidance says that where a school is presented with a psychological report indicating that a student has significant literacy difficulties, it must respond to their learning needs.
“It is only after this process, if the difficulties persist and, despite intervention, the student’s scores remain at or below the 10th percentile in a discrete test of literacy ... that the school can consider an application for an exemption from the study of Irish.”
School principal Barbara Ennis of Alexandra College in Dublin said the points race was driving demand among some students to secure exemptions.
“Principals are definitely under pressure,” she said. “Parents spend a lot of money on these reports and there is an expectation that the principal will follow through. I am very strict about exemptions. While a student’s scores in normalised tests over time are irrefutable, the recommendations in these reports are opinions and they will typically push for the most they can get.”
Last March, the department contacted more than 50 schools with “significantly and consistently higher percentage of exemptions” following an audit of the post-primary sector. In some cases, the proportion of exemptions in individual schools was several times the national average.
The letter told principals that the department “acknowledges the increasingly complex environment in which schools are working” and recognised that making decisions on applications from parents for exemptions “can be challenging”.
Responses to the letters, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show most schools cited a range of factors including growing numbers of students with special needs and students from abroad.
One principal told the department that the school was “sticking rigidly to the guidelines, much to the annoyance of some parents”, but had high numbers of exemptions due to the volume of students from abroad.
Another principal said: “I had a request for an Irish exemption last week from a student in-person [many tears] and their mum via email. I explained that the student did not qualify under any criteria for an exemption and no formal application was received.”
