Campaign for new Eduate Together school in Cork moves step closer
A campaign to establish an Educate Together secondary school in Cork has moved a step closer with an announcement from the group that a temporary site for a school may be located at a city-suburb property.
Educate Together said it was confident that the proposed Cork ETSS would open in temporary accommodation in Tramore House, Reeves Wood in Douglas.
A Department of Education spokesperson said: “Discussions are ongoing in relation to securing a lease on a property in the area.
“However, until the leasing arrangement is agreed it would not be appropriate to identify the property.”
Educate Together’s regional development officer for Ireland South, Niall Wall, said: “The current plan is for us to be there.
“For us it’s an ideal location, and we’d be happy to be there.”
The location of permanent accommodation for the proposed school has yet to be confirmed.
The Department of Education confirmed temporary sites for two other new Educate Together second-level schools in Dublin, which are set to open next year.
A fourth school, North Wicklow ETSS, will be based in Bray. The location of accommodation for this school has yet to be confirmed.
Bremore Educate Together Secondary School in Balbriggan will open in prefabs located beside St George's National School, currently occupied by Coláiste Ghlór Na Mara.
The Department of Education said that it is envisaged that permanent accommodation for the new school will be located in this general area.
Stepaside ETSS will open in temporary accommodation on the site beside Gaelscoil Thaobh Na Coille in Belarmine.
This is the future permanent location of Stepaside ETNS and the second-level school will share the site temporarily. The permanent location of Stepaside ETSS has yet to be confirmed.
The establishment of the Cork school, designed to cover a catchment area of the south suburbs of the city, came after a concerted campaign by parents in Carrigaline, Co Cork.
A separate group of Cork parents, who have been campaigning for an Educate Together second-level school within the city boundaries, gave a guarded welcome to the news.
“I certainly welcome the announcement in so far as it gives some degree of certainty for parents/children starting secondary school next September and interested in applying to that new school,” said spokesman Conor O’Toole.
Tks to all who came out to help on Sat in Cork - over 600 sigs now in support of new @EducateTogether 2nd level pic.twitter.com/os4NWSj4vz
— CorkCityETS (@CorkCityETS) September 21, 2015
“I think this new Educate Together second-level school just highlights the lack of a real solution for city residents to an even greater extent.
“The fact that an Educate Together second-level level will exist so close to Cork city just reinforces the need to answer the demand for this type of school (co-ed, equality of access for children of all religions and none, student-centred, democratically run), a demand that our campaign has highlighted to the tune of over 600 Expressions of Interest to date.”
