AS IN many country schools, a bell rings out first thing Monday morning in Scoil San Nioclas in Ring, Co Waterford. Teachers walk into their classrooms, doors are closed, books are opened, young students settle down for the day and work gets under way. The week has started.

The Gaeltacht school is only a stone's throw from the homes of many of its students. A number have walked up the hill from Baile na nGall, more have come from Maoil a Choirne and Cill an Fhuarthain. Others have cycled over the road from Helvick. Some have been dropped off from further afield by their parents. A few have come from Old Parish.

Outside the sun shines down on a deserted school clos. At the back, a green field slopes down towards the cliff and the sea where Dungarvan Bay and the Comeragh Mountains spread out to form an impressive backdrop.

Inside there is an early morning hush. Halla de hIndeberg, the school hall - and the local community hall for many years - is deserted. At lunch time it will be full.

Aine Ui Cheallaigh, a well known sean nos singer who performed in Riverdance, is the principal of Scoil San Nioda's. This morning she is in her office attending to the school's correspondence. She has no secretary.

"Ta mise i bhfeighil agus mo ladhar isteach i ngach aon rud," she says with a proprietorial beam. She has been principal for the past two years and is carrying on a 36 year old tradition Meinseoil San Nioclas has provided second level education through the medium of Irish in the Ring Gaeltacht since 1959.

"Ta muinteoiri breatha oga sa scoil," she says. "Ta siad anseo toisc go mbionn an gra acu don Ghaeilge."

There are 64 students at Scoil San Nioclas. This figure is expected to rise to 76 plus next year. The school will then get its four teacher quota.

The school's catchment area is quite small, as Aine Ui Cheallaigh explains. "Taimid ar inis anseo, ar leathinis," she adds.

Apart from the fact that everything is taught through Irish, Scoil San Nioclas also has to contend with all the disadvantages associated with being a small, country school. The school's facilities are underfunded and there is a shortage of space and resources. The large eachnamaiocht bhaile room alternately doubles as the art room, the teachers' lunch room and a meeting venue.

Another problem which the principal points to is the dearth of material available to teachers for teaching through Irish. The Transition Year's resource manual has not yet been made available. The school's computer programme provided by the Department of Education is in English. This is the greatest insult of all to an all Irish school, says Ui Cheallaigh. "Ti an Roinn Oideachais dar maslu o mhaidin go hoiche ... Sea, taimid ag snamh in aghaidh an easa," she says.

This year in recognition of these growing pressures and the wide sweeping changes in the educational field in general, the school and the county VEC, based in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, have formed a partnership.

The agreement, which was reached earlier this year, will allow for the school to be administered by Meanscoil San Nioclas and Co Waterford VEC under the Vocational Education (Amendment) Act 1970 - a piece of legislation which allows for formal co-operation and flexibility in dealings between secondary and vocational schools.

Because Scoil San Nioclas is so small, all the students know each other very well. They live close to each other. They eat together at lunch time. They sing together in the choir. Everyone in the school gets involved in the annual Easter ceolchoirm. Sixth years play on the same teams with students from all the other classes. Aine Ui Cheallaigh explains that the senior students have to deal with and Understand the first years. She believes that it certainly makes all of them more tolerant.

Out of necessity there is a great deal of interaction between all the classes. They enter Slogadh competitions together. They take part in Gael Linn debates. "Teann siad amach agus buann siad rudai. Tugann se seo fein mhuinin doibh." There are no problems with discipline.

FIONA NI DHROMA (17), who is currently repeating sixth year, lives about 10 minutes walk away from the school. "Taimid go leir sa, halla ceanna (ag am lon). Caithfidh gach einne caint le cheile," she says. She explains that she likes this school in particular because she loves Irish. "Rugadh anseo me leis an Gaeilge, leis an teanga. Taithnfonn an teanga liom." She says that her friends from the local area who go to school in Dungarvan (seven miles away) have lost out.

"Ta an Gaeilge go leir caillte acu. Is doigh liomsa go bhfuil si (an scoil) speisialta... Ta an caidreamh nios fearr idir na scolairi go leir. Faigheann tu nios mo attention anseo."

Aine Ui Cheallaigh wonders, in light of the school's past record and tradition, how serious parents in the area can be about educating their children through Irish. "An bhfail siad dairire faoi oideachas tri Ghaeilge?"

The first year's second class of the day is in full session. It is the school's biggest class with 24 students. There is a sea of grey jumpers, heads are buried deep in books.

Tadhg Mac Murchadha (13) is brought out to meet this particular member of the press. Does he like this school? He nods. "Sea," he says. Would he like to go to a bigger school. He opens his eyes wide and shakes his head. "Nior mhaith liom. Is maith liom an scoil seo." What is his favourite subject. His answer comes after a bit of a think. "Is maith liom stair," he says.