Anger over school class size U-turn

CHILDREN are being prevented by the state from attending New Ross Educate Together NS in September.

This is the message prospective parents of pupils are expected to hear at a meeting on Thursday night after the school was one of five designated by the Department of Education to be ‘ half stream’, meaning it is being deprived funding to teach a full Junior Infants class of 26, despite the fact that there are more than that number of pupils enrolled.

A father of two pupils at the school said the New Ross school is one of five to be downgraded by the department, capping enrolments to 13 pupils per year.

Brian Hamilton said: ‘New Ross Educate Together is one such school that is affected by this decision, despite having enough enrolments for a full stream class this year and the future. Us parents are very angry over this backtracking by the department and really feel it’s a backwards step for the future of education in New Ross, where choice is already very limited.’

An information meeting about the issue is being held in the school in Barrett’s park this Thursday at 7.30 p.m. to which the parents and interested members of the community have been invited.

Mr Hamilton has set up an online petition to the department urging them to revert back to its original decision to allow the school to become a full stream school so that it can continue to grow to its full capacity and serve our community into the future. See https://my.uplift.ie/ petitions/secure-the-future-ofnew