Unprecedented demand for new Educate Together National School in Balbriggan

  • 17 September 2007
  • test

Opening of Bracken Educate Together National School Delayed to September 24th

On August 27th, Educate Together was requested by the Department of Education and Science to accelerate its plans to open a second school in Balbriggan. Plans were set in place to set up a school to accommodate a list of 32 children who had no places in schools in the area this September. Educate Together agreed to this request and the school was scheduled to open on September 17th.

 

Today, applications for places for this school now amount to 106. The extent of this additional demand has forced the school to seek extra accommodation and postpone the scheduled opening date by one week.

Educate Together is now working with the Department of Education and Science to double the amount of space available for the school. This space is being secured in Sunshine House, Balbriggan. The Department  is providing additional support for the school in an emergency programme to allow the school to open in such a short time.

The school will open with 2 junior infant classes and 2 other classes. However, the work required to secure the staff for these additional classrooms and to prepare rooms properly for children, necessitates a delay of a week in the scheduled opening. The school will now commence on Monday 24th September.

Educate Together would like to thank the parents of the children applying for places for their patience and support for our work in opening the school in such a challenging schedule.

We are confident that the school will be a successful Educate Together school with a parent base that will reflect the diversity of the community in Balbriggan. All Educate Together schools are based on a legally binding commitment to provide equality of access and esteem to children irrespective of their social, cultural or religious backgrounds.

We would like to thank the authorities in Sunshine House, the officials in the DES and our members for their support and assistance in this programme.

Tags: 
Forum