Educate Together says plans for new schools face disruption

The opening of four new Educate Together secondary schools, due in September 2016, is being "seriously disrupted" as the Department of Education has not revealed where they will be located, the organisation has said.

It says more than 250 children who are about to start their final year in primary schools next week, are expecting to start their second-level education in the planned schools in Dublin and Cork next year.

However, the organisation has not been told the exact locations for the new schools, in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, in north Co Wicklow, in Stepaside, Co Dublin and in south Cork city, despite repeated requests for clarity.

It is envisaged the schools will eventually have between 600 and 1,000 pupils each.

Educate Together says it will now have to defer advertising for school principals, adding that it fears having to offer places in October to prospective 2016 pupils in schools “which are, at the moment, pie-in-the-sky”.

"It doesn't engender confidence for parents in the system. Parents need certainty when it comes to the children's education," said Niall Wall, school manager for the Stepaside, Cork and north Wicklow schools.

The four geographical areas were identified two years ago by the department as needing new secondary schools, due to demographic pressures.

Potential patron bodies were invited to make submissions in May 2013.

Educate Together submitted its proposals, based on parental demand in the areas, in July 2013 and was awarded the patronage to run all four schools four months later.

Exact sites

However, Educate Together says it still does not know the exact sites for the schools. In the case of the new north Wicklow school, it says it has not even been definitively told which county it will be in.

Correspondence between the department's forward planning section and Educate Together, seen by The Irish Times, indicates the department has identified sites for the Cork south suburbs and the Balbriggan schools.

However, Mr Wall says Educate Together has not been told precisely where they are.

In a letter to Amy Mulvihill, New Schools Programme Manager with Educate Together, dated May 8th, 2015, the department's principal officer Tony Dalton says "permanent" sites have been identified for the Cork and Balbriggan schools.

Contingency arrangements

On the Cork school, he says: “In addition, options for interim start-up accommodation are currently being examined to provide contingency arrangements in the event that any unforeseen issues arise outside the Department’s control.”

On the Stepaside school, he says a “permanent site is being sourced” and “options for interim start-up accommodation are currently being examined”.

On north Wicklow, he says a “permanent site is being sourced in the general Bray area – options for interim start-up accommodation are currently being examined and planned.”

Educate Together says a location in Cherrywood, south Dublin has also been mentioned for this school.

“This morning we had to make a decision we cannot advertise for school principals for the schools. Without a location it would be very difficult to attract applicants.

“It is seriously disruptive and making an already complex process even more so,” said a spokesman yesterday.

Last night a department spokeswoman said that work to secure suitable accommodation for the new schools was “ongoing”.

“The department works closely with patron bodies in this regard. The advertisement process for a school principal is an operational matter for the school authorities.

“The department changed the process in recent years to allow new post-primary schools to appoint a principal before the pupils are enrolled.”