Dear GCC Parents/Guardians & Students,
Please see below our latest GCC Parents Update which includes information on the following:
- GCC Leaving Cert Graduation 2026
- GCC Díograis 2026
- GCC Tyro Migration – Tuesday 19 May 2026
- Extended Opportunity to Pay 2026 Examination Fees or Claim the Fee Alleviation
- GCC Activities of the Week Monday 18 to Friday 22 May 2026
- GCC Upcoming Calendar Events – May/June 2026
- Cork Autism Class Games
- Survey on Wellbeing in Education
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – TravelWise
- Reminders from previous updates
GCC Leaving Cert Graduation 2026
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of our 2026 Leaving Certificate Graduation Ceremony last night. It was a truly meaningful and memorable occasion for our students and their families. We are very grateful to all who supported the smooth organisation and coordination of the programme, ensuring everything ran seamlessly throughout the evening. The teamwork and attention to detail was clearly evident and greatly appreciated by students and parents alike, who valued the special send-off they received from the school. Our graduates represent the very best of our school community, and it was a proud occasion for us all.
Please click on the link to view the Graduation Booklet:
GCC LC Graduation Booklet 2026
Photographs from the ceremony will be shared with staff in next week’s update.
GCC Díograis 2026
Please click on the link below to view a selection of photographs taken at our GCC Díograis ceremony last week by the photographer John Roche.
GCC Tyro Migration – Tuesday 19 May 2026
Please clink on the links below for all relevant information:
Extended Opportunity to Pay 2026 Examination Fees or Claim the Fee Alleviation
The State Examinations Commission has been engaging closely with schools since the Government announcement In October 2025 that Examination Fees are being re-introduced for the 2026 State Examinations. To facilitate all candidates in paying their fee or claiming the fee exemption in advance of the June examinations, the SEC is extending the opening date for the Fees Portal to Friday 22 May 2026. Please click on the link to view further details:
GCC Activities of the Week Monday 18 May to Friday 22 May 2026
Please click on the link to view the GCC Activities of the Week Monday 18 May to Friday 22 May 2026:
GCC Activities of the Week Monday 18 May to Friday 22 May 2026
GCC Upcoming Calendar Events – May/June 2026
| Date | Event | Note |
| Thursday 21 May | GCC Summer Exams Years 2 & 5 | 21/5 – 29/5 |
| Friday 22 May | GCC Summer Exams Years 1 | 22/5 – 29/5 |
| Friday 29 May | GCC Staff Meeting | Time TBC |
| Tuesday 2 June | GCC Summer Exam Results issued to parents | |
| Wednesday 3 June | Start day for State Examinations 2026 |
Cork Autism Class Games
Students from our Autism Hub recently attended the Cork Autism Class Games, an initiative developed and led by Glanmire Community College which brought together autism classes from three post-primary schools. Held in Nemo Rangers, the day focused on fun, participation and a strong sense of belonging, with students enjoying activities such as golf, cricket and rowing. Organised in partnership with Cork City Council and Cork Sports Partnership, the event placed autistic students at the centre and celebrated their participation and enjoyment. We are very proud to have been part of this initiative and look forward to seeing it grow into an annual event involving even more schools in the future. Our thanks to Louise Purdy who led the initiative.
Survey on Wellbeing in Education
With the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice Implementation Plan having come to its conclusion in 2025, the Department of Education and Youth is currently undertaking a review and assessment of the progress made and are now planning for its successor.
As part of this review, the Department is seeking the views and experiences of students, parents/guardians and school staff across primary and post-primary schools. Your school’s participation is important in ensuring that the policy reflects the lived realities of school communities and supports positive wellbeing outcomes. Please click on the link below to access the survey and to view some more detailed information about the survey.
Survey on Wellbeing in Education
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – TravelWise
With the Summer holidays fast approaching, many of our students will soon travel abroad. We are conscious that for many of these students, in particular those celebrating the end of their Leaving Certificate exams, this may be their first time travelling overseas alone or without family. While this is an exciting time, with new adventures ahead, it is also a time where the right travel preparation can ensure students Make the Right Memories this Summer. In a context of increasing global instability and changing travel environments, with students choosing to travel further afield, such preparation is more important than ever.
Next Friday 22 May, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee T.D., will launch the Department’s annual Make the Right Memories Summer travel campaign to coincide with the European Day of Safe Travel Abroad. The Summer campaign focuses on helping young travellers prepare for and stay safe, informed, and connected while travelling overseas. Please click on the link below to view a simple and practical TravelWise Tip Card, Poster plus further details of the initiative.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – TravelWise
Reminders
GCC Student Council Concert
Our annual GCC Student Council concert on Tuesday morning was a resounding success. GCC 1st and 2nd year students together with members of the Student Council were treated to the immense talent of our music students while raising €522 (to date) in aid of Cork Simon. Please click on the link to view some photos from the event:
GCC Student Council Concert Photos
Our youngest performer, 2nd Year student, Fia Bernard got not one, not two but three rounds of applause for her outstanding performance of ‘Wishing you were somehow here again’ from Phantom of the Opera.
We are incredibly proud of our music students who continue to wow audiences under the tutelage of Ms Mannix.
Special mention also to all of our 6th year performers and our superb Student Council MC’s Eimear Hurley and Eve Flynn, who reminded us that ‘music is the universal language which brings people together, regardless of who you are, where you are from, or what language you speak.’ Our thanks to Ms Caroline Fitzgerald and well done GCC Student Council.
Performances:
- ‘Rhubard’ – Eimear Hurley, Michael Lynch, Maeve Goggin, Ryan O Donovan, Jack Carruthers
- Emmanuel Godwin, Enrico Sibillano
- Robyn Bernard, Roisin O Connell
- Nikola Mis, Ruby Smithers, Diana Badmaeva, Jamie Fennessy
- Ciara Sheehan, Oran O’Donoghue,
- Fia Bernard,
- Jamie Fennessy, Lucas Nash, Sam Grygoryev, Oran O Donoghue
GCC Students visit Leinster House
GCC 4th Year students Sarah Kate Nally and Ailsa Canty have been involved in helping Dr. Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan, from the Department of Government and Politics at UCC promote her new Key to EU website [https://keytotheeu.com/] to key stakeholders in local and national government. Last Wednesday Sraah Kate and Ailsa were invited to Leinster House for a full day of meetings and a radio interview. A very full schedule included meetings with TDs and Senators from the various political parties as well as a radio interview with PJ Coogan on 96FM in the morning. Later in the day both students attended the Joint Committee on Education and Youth meeting and also had the opportunity to meet the Junior Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton. Well done to Sarah Kate and Ailsa. Please click on the link to listen to the interview.
Chartered Accountants Ireland – GCC National Winner
Congratulations to TY student Abimbola Fashade, who won the national prize in the Chartered Accountants Ireland – Be The Boss Bootcamp Challenge on Thursday. The organisers were incredibly impressed with her submission and Abimbola also won €1,000 in prize money. A fantastic achievement and great recognition for all the hard work Abimbola has put into the project.
Revised Droichead Policy
Droichead is the integrated professional induction framework for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) and plays a central role in the continuum of teacher education.
The Teaching Council conducted a review of Droichead (2017) between 2023 and 2025, to ensure that the policy continues to provide the best support for teachers during the induction phase. The updated Droichead Policy is now published and will be effective from 1 September 2026. Please click on the link to view an infographic which gives a summary of the main changes.
General-information-on-changes-to-Droichead
GCC Student Success at the National PE EXPO
Huge congratulations to TY students Cathal Galvin, Donagh Healy, Conor Reddy, Tom Hurley & Darragh Forbes who were National Category Winners in the PE Expo which took place in the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena yesterday. Their fantastic piece of work was titled “How the Physical Demands of Performance has changed in recent years in the GAA with reference to injury prevention”. As part of their work, they completed research in this area before surveying minor aged GAA players from Cork whose results were analysed and the statistics included in their discussion and final presentation. From day 1, they gave 100% dedication and commitment to their work. They earned every bit of this award, and we are very proud of them. A very special thanks to Ms Lisa Hegarty for her invaluable guidance and support of the students.
GCC Friendship Concert
We had the most wonderful morning of song (and dance) in the school as we were delighted to welcome the Vancouver Youth Choir to GCC. [Please click on the link to view their bio https://www.corkchoral.ie/festival_choirs/vancouver-youth-choir/]
The choir are visiting from Canada to perform and compete as part of the Cork International Choral Festival 2025. They gave a wonderful performance for all our Music students in the school led by Artistic Director Ms Carrie Tennant.
After the concert some of our GCC Music students performed for our visitors in the multi-purpose room followed by an impromptu performance by both the Canadian choir and our GCC students together. Please click on the link below to view some of this unplanned performance which highlights the power of music and dance to bring young people and communities together. Our thanks as always to Ms. Ann Mannix for her tireless promotion of musical talent in the school.
GCC TY CAT4 Testing
GCC Student Council Activities – April 2026
Please click on the link below to view a summary of the recent activities of our GCC Student Council. Of particular note is the ‘suggestion box’ to help communication within the school. The suggestion box will be located beside the Student Council noticeboard in B block social area. Our thanks to Ms. Fitzgerald for her support of the Student Council.
GCC Student Council Activities – April 2026
Agreed Report – GCC Board of Management Meeting Monday 27 April
Please click on the link below to view the Agreed Report from our GCC Board of Management Meeting last Monday 27 April
Agreed Report GCC BOM Meeting Monday 27 April 2026
Post-primary Schoolbook Grant Guidance 2026/27
The Post-primary Schoolbooks Scheme is a funding scheme where the Department of Education and Youth provides funding to post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme to purchase schoolbooks and core classroom resources. Please click on the link to view an information leaflet for parents which explains how the scheme is run and provides answers to some frequently asked questions.
Information for Parents Post-primary Schoolbooks Scheme 2026_2027
Department of Education Survey about AI in Education
The Department of Education is inviting all members of the school community to participate in a survey about AI in education (please see link below). The survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete and it’s important that we hear from as many people as possible in the school community, as this is a significant and changing area. The survey is available in both Irish and English at the below link:
survey.alchemer.eu/s3/91082849/UNESCO-AI-in-Education-Ireland
GCC Summer Programme 2026
We are delighted to confirm that our school will once again run the Summer Programme this year.
The Summer Programme is a two-week, school-based initiative designed to support students through a range of fun, engaging and structured activities. The focus is on building confidence, life skills and friendships in a relaxed and supportive environment. Activities typically include a mix of practical, creative and social experiences, along with opportunities for learning in a more informal way.
The programme is particularly suited to students who may benefit from:
- Additional support with confidence and social interaction
- A structured but enjoyable school-based environment
- Opportunities to build friendships and life skills
This programme has been very positively received in previous years, with excellent feedback from both students and parents.
Please note that the home-based summer programme will not be available for students who attend a school that are running a school based summer programme.
Dates:
Monday 22nd June to Friday 3rd July
If you would like your child to be considered for the programme, please complete the form below. The Programme Manager will be in contact with further details.
Information for Parents on Senior Cycle Additional Assessment Components
As advised last week, we are sharing information today with parents and students regarding the introduction of additional assessment components across various subjects at Senior Cycle. The information outlines what will be involved for learners and what will be expected of them going forward as well as how parents can support students. Please click on the link below to view:
Additional Assessment Components – Information for Parents & Students
GCC Autism Appreciation Week – Thank You
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our staff, parents and students for their enthusiastic support and engagement throughout our GCC Autism Appreciation Week. The week was a meaningful and positive celebration of diversity, inclusion and understanding across our school community. A wide range of carefully planned activities helped to promote empathy, raise awareness and celebrate the strengths of our autistic students.
Students engaged enthusiastically in a variety of events, including the Sensory Workshop for 2nd Years, supported by the GCC Meitheal Team; the Swimming and McDonald’s outing for Hub students; Hub’s Got Talent, which showcased creativity and confidence; and the Empower Youth Health and Wellness Workshop.
We were especially delighted to welcome Adam Harris from AsIAm to GCC on Thursday 23 April. His student and parent talks were one of the highlights of the week and we greatly appreciate the strong attendance and engagement from parents at the Parent Talk in the Multi‑Purpose Room.
On behalf of all in our school community, we would like to express our sincere to Louise Purdy and all the team who planned, organised and facilitated events. Together, these events reflect GCC’s ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive school environment where every student feels valued, supported and understood. Thank you all for making GCC Autism Appreciation Week 2026 such a success.
Languages Connect : Supporting Leaving Cert students in less commonly taught languages
Languages Connect run classes in more recently introduced languages to support students around Ireland to prepare for the Leaving Certificate exams.
• These classes are funded by the Department of Education and Youth.
• There is no tuition fee for students.
• The classes are for Leaving Certificate students who cannot access lesser-taught languages as a Leaving Certificate subject in their school.
• The classes are designed to be explored independently by students outside the school timetable
• Students should register the spring/summer before they begin fifth year.
https://languagesconnect.ie/language-classes/
GCC Deputy Principal Appointment
We would like to congratulate our colleague John Baldwin on his appointment as GCC Deputy Principal. John has worked in GCC since 2001 as a History and English teacher and has held a number of different post holder roles. John has also extensive experience as an advising examiner with the SEC. We wish John well in his new role which will begin in September.
GCC Summer Exams 2026 – Final Timetable and Student Guidelines
Please click on the link below to view the finalised timetables and student guidelines for our GCC Summer Exams in May. Students received this information on Google Classroom this morning as well as exam guidelines. 1st and 2nd years will receive a hard copy of their study guide next week. Subject teachers have been asked to refer to the revision guide with their classes in preparation for their Summer Exams.
GCC Summer Exams 2026 – Final Timetable and Student Guidelines
Updated HSE School Guidance for Schools on Vaping
Parents are asked to note that the HSE has updated the information and guidance on e-cigarettes and other nicotine containing products for schools. This 2nd revision of the guidance and information book for schools on e-cigarettes and other nicotine containing products reflects the wider variety of new nicotine products being marketed to children and young people and new and emerging legislation which is progressing in this space. If you have queries on same, please contact the Schools Team in the Health Promotion and Improvement. Please click on the link below for further details.
HSE-Information_and_Guidance_on_E-Cigarettes for Schools 2026
GCC Draft Calendar 2026/2027
Please click on the link below to view the draft calendar for the 2026/2027 school year.
Please note this remains a draft calendar at present as we are awaiting Oide staff training dates and confirmation of European school tours etc. We will share the finalised calendar with parents at the end of the term in late May.
GCC School Attendance
We recently shared an ESRI report with parents through our weekly update, highlighting the significant impact of school absence and how it leads to lower educational qualifications and poorer wellbeing in early adulthood. Attendance was also discussed at our recent GCC Parents Council meeting on Monday 2 March.
Please click on the link to view an important letter we wish to share in relation to attendance and the responsibility of parents to ensure their child/children are consistently attending and updating the school through the agreed procedures:
GCC Attendance Letter to Parents and Guardians
GCC School Office
A reminder to parents that our GCC school office opening hours are 9:00am to 2:45pm, Monday to Thursday and 9.00am to 12.30pm on Friday. This is to allow our clerical staff sufficient time to complete essential administrative duties and to help reduce the volume of queries at the office hatch during peak times.
We encourage parents to email the school where possible rather than phone. Email communication allows us to manage queries more efficiently and ensures that your concerns are directed to the appropriate staff member.
With over 1,140 students in our care, it may take a number of days before we are able to respond to queries. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to support all students and families as effectively as possible. We thank all our GCC parents for your continued cooperation and support.
