GCC Parents Update Friday 16 October 2026

Dear GCC Parents/Guardians & Students,

GCC Winner Quercus Talented Students’ Programme 2026

We would like to congratulate former GCC student Nathan Manley who will be awarded the prestigious Quercus scholarship in the area of Innovation/Entrepreneurship at the Quercus Talented Students’ Programme Awards Ceremony in November. The Quercus Talented Students’ Programme is one of the most prestigious scholarships at UCC. It recognises students who demonstrate exceptional talent and achievement in specific areas, alongside their academic studies. Nathan graduated from GCC in June 2025. This is the second consecutive year that a GCC student has won this award following Toby Tangney’s success in the same category last year. Nathan will be presented with a silver acorn pin as a symbol of the Quercus Scholarship and the school will receive a Quercus plaque, with Nathan’s name & scholarship strand printed on it, to display in the school.

We would also like to congratulate Leah Hallihan who will also be a recipient of a Quercus Scholarship in November for Ladies Football. As you will know Leah is on her second year of teaching placement here in GCC.

Please click on the link below to view more information about Quercus, the benefits for winners and bios for both Nathan & Leah.

Quercus Information & Bios.pdf

GCC Parents Council Meeting

We are very grateful to our Parents’ Council for the time and energy they give to our school. Their work helps build a strong sense of community and supports many of the activities and opportunities enjoyed by our students.

The next meeting of the GCC Parents Council takes place next Monday 19 October at 7pm.

GCC Car Park

We would like to remind all members of our school community of the importance of adhering to the school’s parking arrangements. While the vast majority of our community consistently follow these arrangements, a small number of ongoing parking concerns continue to arise. We are therefore asking for everyone’s continued cooperation in helping to ensure that designated parking areas are used appropriately and that access routes remain clear at all times.

We wish to highlight to parents that last Friday, there was no accessible parking available for a parent who was collecting one of our students who is a wheelchair user. These spaces are essential for families who genuinely need them. A valid blue badge/permit is required to occupy these spaces and they should not be used by any parent or staff member without a permit even temporarily.

Parents are asked not to drive into the school car park when dropping and collecting students from school. In addition, we are currently making arrangements to install a barrier at the school entrance in the near future. We are hopeful that this will help address many of the parking issues and improve safety and traffic management on school.

GCC 3rd Year PPT Meeting Tuesday 20 October 2026

A reminder to parents that owing to the current industrial action, GCC must move our 3rd Year PPTM next Tuesday 20 October 2026 within the standard school day so that all staff are available to attend. This means the meeting will take place from 1.20pm to 3.50pm.

Classes for all students will finish at 12.30pm on Tuesday to facilitate the start time of the meeting.

Parents are asked to note that should there be a resolution of the current industrial dispute, the PPTM will revert to its normal scheduled time. We will endeavour to provide parents with as much notice as possible if this scenario arises.

Please click on the following link for details of teacher locations and registration centres.

GCC 3rd Year PPT Meeting Tuesday 20 October 2026 – Glanmire Community College

GCC CAT 4 Assessments

All students enrolled in GCC complete the CAT4 assessment before commencing in 1st and again in TY. If your child is new to the school or missed the assessment day, he/she will complete this assessment over the coming weeks.

Please click on the link to view additional information on the assessment at https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/assessments/products/cat4-for-secondary/

GCC Maths Week 2026

A sincere thank you to Ita O’Regan and all of the teachers in our GCC Maths Department involved in the organising and running of Maths Week in the school. Our students were provided with a wide range of enjoyable and engaging mathematical activities, helping to promote a positive attitude towards mathematics across the school. It was wonderful to hear and see the positive energy of the students towards Maths on the corridors and in classrooms. We will continue to innovate in engaging all our students in their Maths learning journey through providing fun, interactive and experiential learning opportunities when appropriate.

Maths Week in GCC 2026.pdf

Autumn Nasal Flu Vaccine Programme 2026

Parents are asked to note that Glanmire Community College has arranged for the Health Service Executive and Dr John Crowley, GP ( www.YourGP.ie ) to administer the free Nasal Flu Vaccine in GCC on Thursday 22 October. This is a nationwide HSE school immunisation project, where all schools are encouraged to participate, and all children are to be offered vaccination by the HSE and their teams.

This is completely optional and vaccination will only be given upon receipt of parental consent. It will be administered in the school, by Dr John Crowley, Dr Paddy Crowley and their nursing team. There is no requirement for parents to be present for the vaccinations. It is a nasal spray, and no injection is involved.

Registration, vaccine information and consent are available at:https://yourgp.ie/hse-nasal-vaccine-programme-glanmire-community-college/

Please note registration will close on Wednesday 21 October @ 09:00

If you have more than one child in the school, please do a separate submission for each.

We would like to thank the HSE and Dr John Crowley’s team for providing this very important community service.

The recording of Tuesday evening’s webinar for parents in Studyclix licenced schools is now available to watch back on the Studyclix Parent Centre via this link –

https://www.studyclix.ie/parent-centre/for-parents-of-schools-with-a-studyclix-licence

The Studyclix Parent Centre also has a range of helpful articles for parents of secondary school children along with recordings of previously hosted webinars.

If your or your child have any Studyclix related questions, you can contact their support team directly by emailing info@studyclix.ie

GCC Activities of the Week Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October

Please click on the link to view the GCC Activities of the Week Monday 19 October to Friday 23 October 2026:

GCC Activities of the Week Monday 19 October to Friday 23 October 2026

GCC Upcoming Calendar Events – October 2026

Monday 19 October	GCC Board of Management Meeting	@4.30pm
Monday 19 October	GCC Parents Council Meeting	@7.00pm
Tuesday 20 October	GCC 3rd Year PPTM	1.20pm to 3.50pm
Wednesday 21 October	Industrial Action*	School closed
Monday 26 – Friday 30 October	Mid-term break	School closed to students

*to be confirmed

GCC TY School Musical 2027

Our GCC TY musical team is delighted to announce that the TY musical production this year is Climb Every Mountain inspired by The Sound of Music. We look forward to seeing our TY students bring the show to life on stage this January.

GCC Junior Certificate Results 2026

We would like to congratulate all our students on their outstanding achievements in the 2026 Junior Certificate. These results mark a significant milestone in each student’s educational journey at GCC and reflect the hard work, commitment and determination they have shown throughout the three-year Junior Cycle programme.

Once again, our GCC students have achieved excellent academic results. We would like to extend a special congratulations to Aisling Lynch and Chloe Lynch, who both achieved an incredible nine Distinctions, the maximum number possible. This is an exceptional achievement and one of which they can be extremely proud.

We commend all our students on their dedication and perseverance. We also wish to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of our teachers, SNAs and support staff, whose guidance, expertise and encouragement have played such an important role in their success.

Finally, we extend our sincere thanks to parents and guardians for their continued support and encouragement throughout their children’s Junior Cycle journey.

For those interested in appealing a subject descriptor from the Junior Certificate results, please see below the information from the SEC.

Applications will only be accepted from the school to the SEC.
Each subject review carries a fee of €32, payable to the school via Way2Pay
To raise an appeal, the Principal must confirm that the result was significantly at variance with the expected outcome.
Students must speak to their subject teacher prior to appealing a result.

All applications should reach the SEC no later than 5pm on Thursday 15 October, 2025. The fee will be refunded if on review the candidate’s work is deemed to merit the award of a higher grade.

GCC 58 Minute Classes – Parents’ Feedback

We would like to thank parents for taking the time to provide feedback on our proposed timetable changes. We recognise and understand the variety of concerns raised, particularly regarding concentration, wellbeing, neurodivergent students, classroom management and the proposed reduction in lunch time. Please note that parents’ feedback has been shared with our Board of Management in advance of its next meeting on Monday 19 October.

Student wellbeing and high-quality learning remain at the centre of any decision made by the school. We are particularly mindful that students learn in different ways and that some students may find longer lessons more challenging than others. Any implementation of a revised timetable structure would require careful planning to ensure lessons incorporate a variety of teaching approaches, there are opportunities for movement and engagement, and appropriate supports for students with additional educational needs. The experience in many of our sister Cork ETB schools is that longer class periods can provide educational benefits when planned effectively. Extended lessons allow teachers more time to develop concepts in depth, facilitate practical and collaborative learning activities, reduce the disruption caused by frequent transitions between classes, and provide greater opportunities for individual support and differentiated instruction. Longer periods can also allow students to engage more deeply with a subject rather than feeling rushed to complete learning activities within a shorter timeframe. Upskilling of teachers and staff will be an important aspect of the process if the changeover happens.

Please note all feedback received will be carefully considered as part of the school’s review process. We appreciate the thoughtful and constructive contributions from parents and will continue to strive to place the best interests of students at the forefront of our decision-making [GCC SLT].

Please click on the linkk below to view a summary of parental feedback on our proposed 58-Minute Classes.

GCC Proposed 58 Minute Classes – Parents Feedback.pdf

GCC October Assessments 2026

Parents are asked to note that the deadline for entering October Assessment results and comments on Tyro is Monday, 19 October 2026. Parents may recall the work undertaken by our GCC Assessment Feedback Group last year to improve the consistency and quality of feedback provided to students and parents. As part of this process, a bank of effective comments was developed across subject areas to support meaningful feedback while also making the reporting process more efficient for teachers.

For this year’s October Assessments, we have again asked teachers to provide feedback using the assessment template, which includes:

• Areas for Improvement – containing a drop-down menu of agreed comments.
• Engagement in Learning – containing a drop-down menu of agreed comments.
• Teacher Comment – a free-text section where teachers may enter their own comments.

For the upcoming October Assessments, teachers are asked to complete either:

1. The Areas for Improvement and Engagement in Learning sections using the pre-populated drop-down comments;
or
2. The Teacher Comment section, where teachers may provide their own written comments as in previous years.

To ensure that feedback remains personalised, meaningful and relevant for each student, we have asked teachers to use a broad range of comments across the classes they teach. Varying comment selection helps to reflect individual student progress and achievements more accurately, providing parents and students with feedback that is both specific and informative.

GCC B Block Science Labs – Commencement of Building Works

Parents are asked to note that work on the redevelopment of our three B Block Science labs will commence on Monday 19 October. Enabling works will begin in B42 & B43 on this date with B49 to be completed after these two labs have been returned to use in the school.

There will be restrictions in place which will limit the movement of students and staff around the school. In particular, there will be no access to the Annex [A Block building] via the courtyard next to the Music Room [B1]/Technology Room [B56]. Staff and students will have to access the Annex via the B Block exit across from the PE Hall and use the school walkway to travel down to the A Block. The outdoor area between B53 up as far as B42 will be also closed off. Use of the basketball courts, astro, grass pitch and walkway will continue as normal. Please see layout below.

It is planned that B43 & B43 will be fully redeveloped and in full use before the February mid-term. We would like to thank staff and students and all in our school community for their cooperation with these restrictions as this major redevelopment work is completed.

GCC Application for Admissions 2026/2027

Applications for admission to GCC for the 2026/2027 school year are now open. Parents/guardians of current GCC students are reminded that an application must also be completed for any sibling wishing to attend GCC next year.

Please click on the link below in order to complete an online application to 1st Year and all other year groups in Glanmire Community College for September 2027:

GCC Admissions Link for September 2027

Parents are asked to note that once you have submitted the application you will receive a confirmation email to the email address you provided. The confirmation you will receive will be as follows:

Thank you for your application to Glanmire Community College, which has been successfully submitted. A confirmation email of receipt of your application should be delivered to the email address entered. You may also wish to take a screenshot of this message for your own records.

The Takeaway Tuesday Parent Talks

We are delighted to let you know that GCC in conjunction with Ryan’s Supervalu has signed up every parent and guardian in our school community for the Takeaway Tuesday Parents’ Talks. This is a series of webinars designed by parents and it is completely free to you.

What is it?

The series is eight evening panel discussions with experts on the issues that matter most to parents. The talks are run by Super Generation in conjunction with Claire O’Neill founder of The Calm Curriculum.

When?

The talks take place live online at 8:00 pm on the first Tuesday of each month, from October to May. Each one lasts about an hour and includes time for your questions.

Can’t make it on the night?

Every talk is recorded, so you can watch it later at a time that suits you.

You can see the full list of topics here:

https://supergeneration.examcraftgroup.ie/course/parent-subscription-series

How to register

Our school’s code is TAWAYT32. It gives you a 100% discount, so there is nothing to pay.

Go to https://supergeneration.examcraftgroup.ie/
Click Learn More on the Takeaway Tuesday slider and on the next screen click Enrol.
Create an account, or log in if you already have one.
4. Skip the payment section to enter your bank details
Enter the code TAWAYT32 in the Have a coupon? box and click Redeem.
Click Buy. Your total will be €0.

Once you have registered, you will receive the Zoom link 24 hours before each talk.

GCC NGRT (New Group Reading Tests) for 1st Year Students

Please click on the link below for information on the New Group Reading Test (NGRT) which is a formative assessment designed to evaluate a student’s level of reading. The NGRT will be administered in the school for our 1st year students throughout October.

NGRT Letter to Parents

The Reading Curriculum at GCC

The following link provided some supplementary information to parents regarding the NGRT test.

https://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/assessments/new-group-reading-test/

CAO Online Information Evening for Students and Parents/Guardians

An online information evening for Students and Parents, in association with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and Admissions Officers from Higher Education Institutions, will take place on Thursday, 15 October at 6pm. Registration for this event is now open at www.cao.ie/webinar

GCC Mobile Phone-Free Learning Environment

After the successful implementation of a Mobile Phone-Free Learning Environment for first and second year students over the last two years it has been decided to extend the Mobile Phone-Free Learning Environment to include third year students this year. All students in the junior school will NOT be required to have a mobile phone in school to access any part of the curriculum.

Mobile phones are not required by any student in the junior school to access or engage with the curriculum. Where the use of technology is beneficial to teaching and learning, staff have access to Chromebook trolleys that can be booked for classroom use.

We thank parents and guardians for their ongoing support and cooperation in implementing this initiative.

DARE Information Clinics

Access UCC’s Disability Support has organised live online advice clinics to distribute information on the DARE application process. Parents/prospective students/guidance counsellors and other interested parties will be afforded an opportunity to get advice on applying for the DARE scheme. For the first 30 mins approximately, there will be a presentation giving an overview of the DARE scheme with an opportunity for questions and answers afterwards.

Please note booking is essential for the online DARE clinics & once you have booked you will receive a reminder and link 24 hours before the clinic.

Please click on the link for more detailed information on the DARE scheme:

DARE Information Clinics – GCC Parents Update

Parents are asked not to drive into the school car park when dropping and collecting students from school. Our school car park is always very busy and it is important that we minimise the throughput of cars on the school grounds.

We would also be grateful if parents could remind students:

to use the pedestrian footpaths and not walk along or between cars when entering/leaving the school
use the new pedestrian gates only and not enter or leave the school via the main gate
students are to take care in general when walking or cycling to school particularly with so many different sets of roadworks happening currently in Glanmire.

We kindly ask parents who are collecting their children from our school not to park their vehicles inappropriately. For example, we ask parents not to park up on footpaths. We are aware of some cars taking up the whole footpath, leaving no space for either our students or members of the public to walk freely by and limiting the access of wheel chair users.

We also ask parents and students to be respectful of the housing estates near the school around drop off & collection times. Cars queuing in school traffic on the Hazelwood Road can block the entrances to Old Avenue & Oakfield housing estates. Please leave a gap for residence trying to leave their estates.

We thank you for cooperation in ensuring safety for our students when accessing the school grounds.

Communication with GCC Parents via Tyro

We wish to remind parents that Tyro has a facility which allows the school to email parents with updates instead of texting. You will already have noted that our regular weekly updates are now emailed on a Friday. It is important that parents have access to Tyro and are checking notifications for updates. Please access Tyro consistently and have notifications active to ensure you are accessing information from the school.