Help reduce pupil teacher ratio from 36:1 to 23:1 in Scoil Chualann Bray

Calling all friends and families of Scoil Chualann, please sign the petition to request an appeal to Department of Education decision to reduce the number of permanent full time teachers in Scoil Chualann for Academic Year 2026- 2027.

Scoil Chualann has been at the heart of education in Bray for generations building a proud tradition of academic excellence and cultural excellence.

Scoil Chualann is a co-educational, all-Irish primary school (Gaelscoil) situated on Vevay Road in Bray, County Wicklow. Established in 1977 it is dedicated to providing Irish-medium education while nurturing Irish culture and heritage. A major milestone in its history occurred in the 1980s when a dedicated, permanent 8 classroom purpose built facility was opened to it's pupils. 

For the academic year 2026 & 2027, parents have been informed following the release of Dept of Education Circular 0025/2026 there will multi grade class for Rang 3 & Rang 4 with proposed class size of 36 pupils.

This proposal has naturally raised many concerns for parents of children currently enrolled, which we outlined below:

1.  A multi grade class of 36 children is 57% higher ratio than the recommended national ratio of 23 : 1 pupils to teacher ratio for primary school. 

2. This local issue also highlights a national issue. According to the Department of Education, more than 43,000 Irish primary school pupils were in classes of 30 or more last year, while the average primary school class size remains at 22.5 pupils, which so happens to be the highest in the EU. Despite repeated commitments to reduce class sizes, many schools continue to operate overcrowded classrooms that place enormous pressure on children, teachers, and parents. 

3. Gaelscoileanna operate through full immersion in Irish.

Pupils are taught through Irish across all subjects, often with varying levels of fluency. Learning through Irish requires:

additional classroom interaction, 

engagement and reinforcement to ensure children can fully access the curriculum confidently through the Irish language.

Introducing new concepts, encouraging participation through Irish,

supporting language development

maintaining immersive classroom environments

4. Protect the long-term sustainability, accessibility and growth of Irish-medium education across Ireland and align staffing policy with the State’s commitments to strengthening the Irish language. (Action Plan for 2026-2028 launched in support of the National Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2024-2030)

5. It is about recognising that equal numerical formulas do not always create equal educational outcomes.

If Ireland truly values the Irish language, then our schools must be properly supported to deliver it.

6. If the Department of Education genuinely wants to support and grow the Irish language, then our education system must actively support the schools and communities doing that work every day.Children learning through Irish should be encouraged and properly supported, not expected to succeed within increasingly stretched classroom environments that fail to recognise the additional educational demands involved.