Clock is ticking as Harry waits on a school place
TO say that the final months of sixth class were unusual for 12-year-old Harry Kehoe from Coolcotts would be an understatement. Covid-19 robbed him and his classmates of the opportunity to bid a proper farewell before heading off for secondary school. However, for Harry things are a little more stressful as two months out from the start of the new term, he still hasn’t been offered a school place in his hometown.
With friends calling to say where they would be starting in September, it’s been quite a stressful thing for the youngster to shoulder and it’s also something that’s taking its toll on parents Emma and Richie.
‘We applied to both boys schools, the CBS and St Peter’s, back when Harry was in first class,’ Emma explained. ‘Both schools replied and back in September we were asked if we still wanted to enrol, so we said we did. We attended an information evening at the CBS and all that kind of thing, but shortly after we received a letter from both schools to say that Harry hadn’t got a place and would be placed on the waiting list.’
Initially, Harry found himself at place 112 on the CBS list and 190 in St Peter’s. As the months ticked by, mother of two Emma periodically checked on the progress, as some prospective students opted to take places elsewhere. Covid-19 brought an inevitable halt to everything, but the latest update that the family has received is that Harry is number 86 on the list at St Peter’s and won’t get a place and is number 10 on the list at Wexford CBS, where there’s been no movement for a few weeks.
‘Harry is a really good kid,’ Emma said. ‘He’s involved in the panto and the tennis club and plays soccer with Albion. All we’re looking is for him to be able to go to school in his own town, but the longer this goes on the longer it looks like we’re expected to put him on a bus out of the town he’s grown up in and where all his friends are.’
‘It is very upsetting for him, and us,’ Emma said. ‘All of his mates are going to one or the other and we’re left waiting it out. Usually, I’m the type of person who is very organised, but on this occasion we’re going right down to the wire. It’s really nerve-racking. We’re not trying to say that our case is more important than anybody else’s or anything like that, but you’d hope the bare minimum would be that your child could go to school in his hometown, where you’ve built your life.’
It’s manifested into a very stressful situation for the young family, as they desperately await updates from the schools.
‘I go through phases,’ Emma conceded. ‘Some days I just tell him it will all work out fine and then other days I find myself getting upset and then angry. It should be an exciting time for him, moving on to secondary school, but instead we’re afraid to talk about it in our house because somebody will inevitably get upset.’
For now, Harry and his parents are left waiting to see how it plays out. Emma has booked time off work around the start of the school year for a last minute dash to get uniforms and books in the event that a place becomes available. If not, they’ll have to look at sending their 12-year-old on a bus or train to a different town.