Subject Inspection of Irish at Roscrea's Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré

One of Roscrea's top schools has received a positive assessment of its provision of teaching and learning in the Irish language.

Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré underwent a Subject Inspection of Irish on January 30 this year, and the report was published on October 5th last.

All schools are subject to such regular inspections to ensure national guidelines and standards are upheld.

Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré is a post-primary, coeducational school; there are 576 students on the roll at present. All programmes are provided in the school curriculum, including the Transition Year (TY) as an optional programme. Ten percent of the total number students are exempt from Irish according to provisions of Circular M10/94.

The key findings of the report are: “In the case of half of the lessons, teaching methodologies were good or very good and teaching practice was of a satisfactory or fair level in the remaining half. The learning experience was very good or good in half of the lessons; learning was not as successful in the other half and there was evidence that there was an over-reliance on simultaneous translation to English as part of student’s learning experiences of Irish. Satisfactory assessment procedures are employed by the Irish department. There is good provision being made for the teaching and learning of Irish in the school. The department has made good progress in the planning process for the subject.”

The key recommendations are: “It is recommended that extended use be made of collaborative learning, of ICT resources and of differentiated practices. It would be beneficial to develop a broader range of assessment methods; of learning and for learning, and that all language skills be included in these methods. It is necessary for the department to discuss the issue of the use of translation in order to agree strategies to decrease the current practice. It is strongly advised to develop success criteria as part of the department’s action plan to achieve progress in the recognised areas.”

The schools' Board of Management responded to say it noted the contents of the report stated that there is “good provision made for the subject on the school curriculum,” and “Staff actively participate in professional development. Quality of planning for the subject is good.”

“As a follow up to the subject inspection report, Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré will continue to promote a student-centred learning environment that is in line with best practice around teaching, learning and assessment. The school management in conjunction with the Irish Department will work to address the recommendations in the coming year.” Full unedited report at education.ie