Full stream ahead as ET school wins class battle
NEW ROSS Educate Together national School has won its battle to educate all pupils who wish to be taught at the school, beginning in September.
‘I am absolutely delighted, completely relieved and over the moon,’ Acting Principal Aoife Mahon said, after the department of Education and Educate Together officials reprsenting five schools across the country reached agreement on Friday afternoon to upgrade schools from half stream to full stream.
This means that up to 13 additional children can be taught at the Barrett’s Park school from September, on top of the 13 who have already been accepted. There was shock and disappointment in February when prospective parents learned that a limit of 13 places was allocated to the fledgling multi-denominational school.
More than 1,200 people signed a petition to get full stream classes for the school and funding has been allocated for a pre-fab for the additional pupils in September. The grounds upon which the school was denied full stream status was that it is adversely affecting other more established Catholic primary schools in the area. At last week’s municipal district meeting councillors fully backed the school in their campaign. Ms Mahon said: ‘ The department is sending out details about individual schools over the coming weeks so we’ll know exactly what the implications are. They’ve said that it is no longer a policy to have half stream, so we’ll be single stream at last.’
She immediately contacted the parents of children still on the school’s waiting list to inform them of the news. ‘We are awaiting confirmation in writing before we take the next steps. It has been an emotional battle as this involves people’s lives. People were concerned about where their child would go to school.’
She said there were concerns the department would prioritise the ‘ bottom line’ over children’s welfare and parental choice, but ultimately they didn’t. Minister of State Paul Kehoe said he expects an official announcement, adding that he has been in constant communication on the matter.