Greystones Educate Together updates

larbis

Hi Everyone,

We will be having a public meeting on Tuesday 13th of May at 8pm in Greystoned Rugby Club.

We will be showing the plans for the new school buildings and answering any questions that people may have.

See you there!

ryecatcher

Hi - wasn't able to attend this meeting or the one last night - does anyone have any updates or info I should know about?!
Thanks!

Son of Jack

Hi Ryecatcher,

Greystones Educate Together have an excellent website, very informative and up to date which can be accessed at www.greystoneset.ie.

All the most recent developments seem to be posted there.

larbis

Hi all,

Just to let you know that after successful negotiations between the
Department of Education and Science and the developer of the Blacklion
site it looks as though building WILL go ahead on that site for a
September opening.

Due to time constraints only one building (of 8 classrooms) would be
completed by September 1st, with the other being finished a few weeks
later. Until the second building's completion Greystones Educate Together
and Gaelscoil Greystones would be sharing one premises.

mikedragon32

Larbis (and everyone else), there's no need to create a new thread every time there's a development.

I've merged the most recent threads, so please use this thread to discuss the ET school.

Son of Jack

Curious as to where most recent update on Educate Together went. It was posted Monday, June 16 (I think) and announced the appointment of a new principal.

The welcome to the appointee has also disappeared from the Greystones Educate Together website.

A case of 'X Files' or 'Lost'?

larbis

Sorry about that! A new announcement will be published shortly - have been advised to wait until end of school year..

Son of Jack

Thanks for the info, Larbis.

larbis

Just a quick thanks to everyone who came to our Teddy Bears Picnic on Sunday. We had a fantastic day!

annieee

We were there, it was a brilliant day! Well done to all the organisers.

(Our 2 year old had a ball, first time on a bouncy castle and first time to 'win' a prize in the wheelbarrow race.)

larbis

As some of you may be aware Educate Together are in the process of applying for second level patronage. It would be great if we could compliment our new primary school with a second level facility, and we believe that Blacklion would be an ideal location for this, as it could service both Bray and Greystones.

There is a huge need for another second level school in Greystones. At the moment nearly half of all second level students go outside Greystones for their education and providing a school here would be great for the community (not to mention freeing up morning DARTs for all you commuters!)

We would like to get an idea of parental interest in the area so if you are interested in/support the idea please get in touch with me

dreamingoak

Larbis, i'm crying out for this. My daughter is currently in 3rd class at st kevins. Because i didnt have the forsight to get her down for secondary schools earlier i'm now having to think about moving her to a different primary purely so that she is in the feeder school for a decent secondary. there seems to be no other option for us at this time. I really really dont want her ending up in st davids, where my brothers and i languished and failed to develop our potential. I would send her to an educate together secondary in a heartbeat. What is the likelyhood of one opening before our cut off date of sept 2012?

GingerDave

dreamingoak wrote: »

I really really dont want her ending up in st davids, where my brothers and i languished and failed to develop our potential.

I would welcome a choice of local secondary schools but surely past performace isn't always an indication of future performance? From what i hear St David's is a much improving school so by 2012 who knows.

I'd rather send my children to a local school than have them commute for 2hours a days...they'll have enough of that to do when they are adults. So more choice would be a great thing.

Son of Jack

GingerDave you have a point, the commute for those who go to school outside Greystones must be tiring.

Yes, St. David's is improving certainly and this seems to be recognised in the local schools where the numbers going on to St.David's has been increasing since the new principal took over there a little more than three years ago.

With this increase in local support St.David's has potential for further growth and development in terms of what it can offer.

As Larbis knows from the involvement she has in Educate Together, schools like St.David's are funded by capitation grants i.e. an amount per pupil in the school. When numbers depleted, funds shrank also. As numbers grow St.David's can develop further.

Capitation grants pay for heating, light, cleaning and maintenance as well as teacher requisites. When numbers drop the need for heating, light etc., doesn't drop in proportion and as any householder knows all these utilities are getting more expensive, while the capitation grant remains relatively static and is likely to remain so in these current economic conditions.

So more often than not, again as Larbis will know in many schools parents fund raising is required to cover the basics.

My question is that would two secondary schools just divide the available school going population in such a way that there would be two schools competing for students, capitation grants and then ever decreasing resources in these recessionary times?

dreamingoak

what is happening with the second level educate together for greystones now? wasn't there a rally recently?

loyatemu

there was a meeting in November in the rugby club, reasonable turn-out. Theres a petition doing the rounds. Currently though there are no ET second-level schools anywhere in the country as they haven't yet been approved as a 2nd-level patron, so it could be some time before we see any movement in Greystones.

Rasmus

Hi all,
I would like to start a thread to keep info current on the proposed ET second level school, unless it should all be kept here? I'm very interested in seeing what I can do to make sure we can get a second level school in Greystones within the next 4 to 5 years or as soon as possible!

LEIN

mikedragon32 wrote: »

Larbis (and everyone else), there's no need to create a new thread every time there's a development.

I've merged the most recent threads, so please use this thread to discuss the ET school.

Rasmus wrote: »

Hi all,
I would like to start a thread to keep info current on the proposed ET second level school, unless it should all be kept here? I'm very interested in seeing what I can do to make sure we can get a second level school in Greystones within the next 4 to 5 years or as soon as possible!

Son of Jack

First let me say that I believe that parents should have a choice in where their children are educated.

In making these points I am not being judgemental of these in any way.

St. David's is the only secondary school in Greystones at the moment. It is co-educational and has a Catholic ethos. Having said that currently it provides education for children of all backgrounds, all faiths and none.

Children at second level leave Greystones for
- private schools
- single sex schools
- education through Irish
- reasons of 'faith' or preferring a non or multi-denominational approach

There is also the option of the relatively new, most modern and well run community school in Kilcoole.

An Educate Together school will mostly probably not provide what a parent who sends their child to private school is aspiring to.

And certainly it wouldn't cater for those who wish their child to be educated in a single sex school or through Irish.

It won't provide a Church of Ireland ethos

so by definition it would cater for those who would like a multi-denominational education for their child.

An Educate Together school doesn't have a catchment area so students can come (on that first come first served basis) from commuting distance.

Dalkey ET, Bray and Wicklow have larger primary schools and surely are more likely to have an ET second level and sooner, as a result.

So who would a Greystones second level ET serve beyond the children who already attend their excellent and thoroughly modern primary school?

Putting my cards on the table, I am concerned at the effect that establishing an ET second level school would have on the existing secondary; St. David's.

At the risk of repeating myself St. David's on the up and up and the numbers going to St.David's has been increased year by year since the dynamic new principal took over there four years ago.

With this increase in local support St.David's has potential for further growth and development in terms of what it can offer.

Schools are funded by capitation grants i.e. an amount per pupil in the school. In the past when numbers dropped in St.David's, funds shrank also. As numbers grow St.David's can develop further.

Capitation grants pay for heating, light, cleaning and maintenance as well as teacher requisites. When numbers drop the need for heating, light etc., doesn't drop in proportion.

As any householder knows all these utilities are getting more expensive, while the capitation grant remains relatively static and is likely to remain so in these current economic conditions.

So more often than not, in many schools parents fund raising is required to cover the basics.

I ask this question again;
Would two secondary schools just divide the available school going population in such a way that there would be two schools competing for students, capitation grants and then ever decreasing resources in these recessionary times?

dreamingoak

There is also the option of the relatively new, most modern and well run community school in Kilcoole.

So who would a Greystones second level ET serve beyond the children who already attend their excellent and thoroughly modern primary school?

I ask this question again;
Would two secondary schools just divide the available school going population in such a way that there would be two schools competing for students, capitation grants and then ever decreasing resources in these recessionary times?[/QUOTE]


The Kilcoole school, while it looks lovely, (and has a very high ratio of kids going to university) caters for 600 children overall. since they do a transition year, thats roughly 100 kids per year. St. Davids, last I heard, takes about 120 each new year. There are 6 primaries in the greystones area (st Kevins, St Bridget's Greystones, St.Patricks, Delgany National, St. Bridgets Kilcoole and St Anthony's Kilcoole) Most of these schools have two classes of roughly 30 children a year (excepting st.pats) all looking for somewhere to go to secondary school. Thats about 300 kids a year. The Greystones area is growing in density all the time, the population will only get higher, and in these recessionary times, less parents are sending their children to private fee-paying schools.

I think numbers alone justify a new Secondary in the area. But the issue of choice should also be acknowledged. Parents should have a choice between types of schools, but also between schools in general.

Two Boys

Can I ask, is there going to be a second round of offers for a place in Sept 2010. My sons birth date is June 19th so because your cut off is June 1st we didn't get any offer of a place. I would liek him to attend and I don't want to hold him back to 2011. Any information would be great!

Rasmus

2nd round offers have been sent already: www.greystoneset.ie