PLEA OVER EDUCATE TOGETHER PLACES
RENEWED calls have been made to amend the enrolment policy for the new Educate Together secondary school in Bray.
Deputy Stephen Donnelly has appealed to Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan to amend the enrolment policy which gives priority to children from South Dublin over children from Wicklow.
The secondary school in Bray is to open its doors to 1,000 pupils in 2016.
However the Department of Education said earlier this year that the catchment area would be Bray, Shankill, Ballybrack and Kilternan with just ‘some’ places for Greystones.
Parents who campaigned for the school were horrified when the news broke in April. The campaign for the school began in 2010 with a large presence from Greystones among the campaigners.
Patronage was granted on the basis of parental demand for an Educate Together school, with the vast majority of the names expressing interest coming from County Wicklow.
Over 1,000 families in County Wicklow expressed interest in the school, with 460 of those from Greystones, Kilcoole, Delgany and Newcastle. Only 133 families outside Wicklow expressed interest. ‘We do not accept the decision by the Minister of Education to favour South Dublin feeder areas over Wicklow ones in the catchment of the new North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary school,’ said Jessica Bird, Chairperson of the North Wicklow Educate Together Action Group at that time.
‘ The enrolment policy for the new Educate Together school confirms that Ballybrack and Kilternan will have Priority one access to the school. But children from the Greystones Educate Together and the Wicklow Educate Together primary schools will have Priority two only,’ said Deputy Donnelly, who also asked the previous Minister for Education to examine the policy.