Exemptions peak approaching State exams in secondary schools, prompting many to suggest that the system is being “gamed”.
In any case, a department review of the exemptions system last year found it was “not fit for purpose”. It also found wide variety of different practices and arrangements among schools that have the authority to grant Irish exemptions under official rules, while there was confusion in interpreting exemption rules set out in official circulars.
Students with special needs or learning disabilities in mainstream schools will no longer require a psychologist’s report . It says automatic exemptions for special-needs pupils sent out a “problematic message” that Irish-medium education was not suitable for students with special educational needs., by contrast, welcomes the changes, which it says will help create a fairer system.