THE MULTI-DENOMINATIONAL education body Educate Together is to run two secondary schools for the first time.
A school in Blanchardstown, Co Dublin will come under the responsibility of the body while another in Drogheda, Co Louth, will be shared between Educate Together and County Louth Vocational Education Committee (VEC) according to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.
A Church of Ireland post-primary school in Greystones, Co Wicklow and a Catholic run school in Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, will also be opened, as will two Irish speaking Gael-Choláistí in Dundrum and Balbriggan.
He was announcing details of 14 new primary schools to be established next year and in 2014.
“I am particularly pleased that Educate Together will be patron in one school and co-patron in a second school, given that Educate Together was officially recognised by me as a second level patron just one year ago,” he said.
“I am also pleased that for the first time in a generation a new Catholic and a new Church of Ireland voluntary secondary school are to open. This demonstrates clearly that I and the Department are committed to diversity of ethos and respect for parental choice.”
Educate Together was set up in 1975 but until now has only run primary schools.
Speaking on today’s announcement, Michael McLoughlin, Chair of the Dublin 15 Educate Together Second-level Campaign Group, said: “We are delighted. After all the hard work parents in the area have put in, the dream that our children will be able to attend an EducateTogether second-level school is to become a reality. We are looking forward to working with Educate Together and the whole community to make the Blanchardstown West school a high quality, welcoming option for families in the area.”
However, the organisation expressed regret that other second level schools in Lusk, Co Dublin and Greystones, Co Wicklow, were not granted to the body.
They said the decision would deprive many thousands of parents of their first choice of school for their children.
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