Parents get a say in patrons for new school

PARENTS and carers in Carrigaline have been invited to vote in an online survey and their responses will decide the patronage of the town’s newest primary school.

The data gathered will be used to decide the patronage of the town’s new primary school which is scheduled to open in 2020. The brand new school will eventually extend to 16 classrooms.

There has been an ongoing campaign to bring a second Educate Together primary school to the town, due to the success of the original ET school. Educate Together schools welcome all children regardless of religious, social or cultural background.

‘Parents can now vote in an online patronage process survey hosted by the Department of Education and Skills,’ explained Niall Wall, regional development officer at Educate Together.

With just over three weeks to go before the deadline, campaigners are determined to bring a new Educate Together national school to the town, said Mr Wall, who is also helping co-ordinate the Carrigaline campaign.

‘We’re hoping that a new Educate Together national school for Carrigaline will alleviate some of the pressure felt by Carrigaline ETNS, as places there are in extremely high demand,’ he added.

The Cork ETB is also hoping to gain patronage of the school, which they would run under the ethos of the Community National Schools (CNS).

The ETB says that its CNS system can provide ‘governance, educational, administrative, financial, human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) support to schools’.

To vote, parents should visit https://patronage.education.gov.ie/.