New Parents FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the questions to view the answers.

I really want to send my child to an all-Irish school but we live a good bit away. How will we manage to get there?

We have a school bus service provided by Bus Éireann. If you live 3.2 km or more from our school you are eligible for this service. Children who live less than this distance can also available of the service provided there are seats available on the bus. Currently, we have two bus services operating to our school – one from the Maigh Cuilinn/Loughwell direction and one from Oughterard/Roscahill. For the 2022-23 schoolyear this service is free of charge to all pupils.

I work early and sometimes late. Is there a childcare facility nearby?

We have a Before and After school service onsite at Scoil Bhaile Nua. This is operated by An Crann Taca, an established childcare service, with their own crèche in Indreabhán. Children can be dropped off from 7:30am in the morning for the Breakfast club or stay after school until a time that suits you, up until 6pm. A hot meal is provided for those staying after 2:30pm and children can do their homework as well as taking part in various activities indoors or outside on the school pitch or basketball court.

I have no Irish. How will I know what is going on in my child’s school?

Many of our parents/guardians do not have Irish. We are aware of this and ensure that all our official communications, Newsletters etc. are in Irish and English.

In the case of individual parent/teacher meetings, emails, notes etc. these can be in Irish or English once we know what your preference is.

How will we manage homework?

When it comes to homework, we endeavour to prepare the child so that they can do a certain amount independently.

For younger children, you may be asked to listen to your child reading as Gaeilge but don’t worry. Usually we have many people listening to your child’s reading. In school this could be the class teacher, special education teacher, language support teacher, language support assistant and sometimes we organise buddy reading with an older class. By simply listening to your child reading you are supporting all of this work.

For older children, sometimes the Irish terminology in Maths can be challenging. We can provide the English language version of some workbooks so that parents can follow this at home.

I am concerned that my child may have special needs. How will he/she cope in an all-Irish setting?

We would advise any parent whose child has special needs to contact us well in advance of the child starting school. This way we can discuss the child’s needs and put supports in place to help them. As a Gaeltacht school we have a support team which includes a Special Education Teacher, Language Support Teacher, Language Support Assistant and a Special Needs Assistant.

Once the appropriate support is put in place the child can enjoy all the benefits of learning in a Gaeltacht school.

My child has dyslexia. How will they manage learning through Irish?

If your child has a Specific Learning difficulty we will work with you to put supports in place to help their learning. Children with dyslexia can still enjoy learning Irish and benefit hugely from all that our Gaeltacht school has to offer.

My child has no Irish. How will they cope if the teachers are all speaking Irish?

From Junior Infants we immerse the child in Irish. This way they learn it in the same way as their first language. They hear words around them that match their experiences. A lot of learning takes place through play, drama, role-play, action rhymes, song, music, art, sport and fun! We provide a diverse range of activities so that your child can enjoy learning through Irish.

My child is a fluent Irish speaker. How will his/her needs be met?

Along with the class teacher, our team differentiates activities according to children’s needs to ensure all children are progressing and achieving their best.

As part of the Gaeltacht Recognition scheme our school has a Language Support teacher. We also have a Language Support Assistant.

What if our child progresses to an English speaking secondary school or university? Will they be at a disadvantage having attended an all-Irish primary school?

On the contrary, your child will have the advantage of being able to communicate in a second language with confidence and ease. They will also have a deep understanding of Irish culture, sport, music and heritage. Research shows that learning through a second language also improves attainment levels in other subjects such as maths. It can also improve their ability and confidence when learning other languages.

Which secondary schools have Scoil Bhaile Nua pupils attended?

Irish medium schools:

Coláiste na Coiribe, Cnoc na Cathrach
Coláiste Chroí Mhuire, An Spidéal,
Coláiste Cholmcille, Indreabhán

English medium schools:

Salerno College, Threadneedle Road,
Dominican College, Taylor’s Hill
St. Mary’s College, Mary’s Road, Galway
St. Joseph’s Patrician College (The Bish), Nun’s Island
St. Paul’s, Oughterard
St. Enda’s, Salthill