The National Office is open Monday- Friday, 9am-5pm GMT. Tuesday mornings (9.00 – 11.00am) are reserved for staff meetings so we would appreciate it if you could leave a voicemail or email at this time. We endeavour to respond promptly to all queries.

Who’s Who in Educate Together?

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Rowe, Chief Executive Officer

Overview

The representative role in Educate Together is managed by the Chief Executive Officer who works closely with the Board of Directors to ensure that the views and needs of the organisation are accurately represented to Government and to the public through the media.

The Chief Executive function is performed by a fully paid employee of Educate Together, while the Board of Directors are volunteer officers who are elected at Annual General Meetings (AGM).

Contact

Luke O’Shaughnessy Administration Assistant/PA to CEO Email: luke.oshaughnessy@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 429 2502

Leadership and Governance Development

	Deirdre O’Donoghue Head of Leadership and Governance Development Email: deirdre.odonoghue@educatetogether.ie Tel + 353 1 4292500 Fax: +353 1 4292502
	Barra Lysaght School Support Officer Email: barra.lysaght@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 429 2502

Deirdre O’Donoghue heads the Leadership and Governance Department at Educate Together.

School Support

Educate Together schools work in what someone described as a “committee rich environment”. This means that although people come together to further the aims and objectives of the school, sometimes individuals have widely differing views on how that might be achieved, and indeed on what those goals and objectives are.

Educate Together believes that respecting diversity isn’t limited to something we ask our teachers to pass on through the Ethical Education Core Curriculum, but is something that adults also need to model, on our committees, in our dealings with one another, and in how we do school business, internally and externally.
School support is part of how we put that belief into practice.

Training

• We provide training for:
• Boards of Management
• Patron/Executive Committees
• Parent/Teacher Associations
• Teacher/Staff
• Any group within the school community that feels it would benefit from exploring issues that arise from time to time in schools.

Some training is general, where two or more schools are “clustered”, and the emphasis is on updating and sharing information, best practice and knowledge.

Other training sessions might be more specific, designed in consultation with the relevant interested parties (Board, Patron, Principal, parents, staff and students, etc.)

Training sessions have been run on individual school communities on:

• The Education Act
• Keeping the Ethos alive
• The roles of various committees in our school, etc.

Training is also available for groups who are looking to open a new school. This training would cover:

• Provision of general information
• Looking to the future
• How to build good working committees
• Networking with other start-up groups

Services Provided to the Boards of Management

Educate Together provides a confidential service to Chairpersons of Boards of Management, Patrons, and Principals. Over the years, Educate Together schools have dealt with a variety of issues, and we have built up a knowledge base, which can be made available confidentially.

Where legal advice is required:

• We can recommend solicitors with particular skills in dealing with educational issues
• We also have access to mediation, facilitation and conflict resolution skills

School Support is a developing area, and is underpinned by Educate Together’s belief that partnership in education can be an enriching
experience for all involved, not just the children.

Regional Development Officers

The Regional Development Department in Educate Together has responsibility for the planning and development of new schools.
This covers the following tasks:

• Working to facilitate the growth of voluntary committees in local areas to establish new Educate Together school
• Assessing demand for Educate Together schools throughout the country
• Drawing up Strategic Plans for the development of a national network of Educate Together schools
• Working with the Planning and Building Sections of the Department of Education and Science and Local Authorities to plan new Educate Together schools
• Working with newly established schools to advance their progress to permanent accommodation of the highest possible educational standards

	Amy Mulvihill South Leinster Regional Development Officer Email: amy.mulvihill@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 4292502
	Gerry McKevitt North Leinster Regional Development Officer Email: gerry.mckevitt@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 4292502
	Jarlath Munnelly West Regional Development Officer Email: jarlath.munnelly@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 4292502
	Niall Wall South Regional Development Officer Email: niall.wall@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 4292502

In addition Regional Development Officers are responsible for:

• Research into demographic trends and national, regional and local development plans,
• Managing relationships with Planning Authorities, the Planning Section of the Department of Education and Science and all other relevant State and other bodies,
• Drawing up implementation plans and reports,
• Working with new local management bodies and supporting them in familiarising themselves with their duties and responsibilities,
• Liaising with exisiting schools, supporting those in temporary accommodation and acting as a link to the School Support function of the National Office

Second-Level Support

We believe that the Educate Together ethos and approach should be available at second-level, giving children the opportunity to further
develop themselves, not only academically but socially, in preparation for becoming active members of society in 21st century Ireland.
The second-level Project was therefore launched in October 2007 to explore how this can best be achieved.

	Emer Nowlan Head of Education and Network Development Email: emer.nowlan@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 4292500 Fax: 01 4292502
	Ann Ryan Second-level Education Officer Email: ann.ryan@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 4292500 Fax: 01 4292502

Directors of Educate Together

Elected 24th May 2008

• Robert Dowling (chairperson)
• Sean Bond (vice-chairperson)
• Andrea Burke-Khan (Hon. Secretary)
• Richard Bourke
• Brendan Kehoe
• Diarmaid MacAonghusa
• Patricia Murphy
• Delores O’Donnell
• John Roberts
• Declan Ryan

Fundraising

To enquire about fundraising events and donations please contact Masina.

Masina Johnston Fundraising Officer Email: masina.johnston@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 429 2502

Curriculum Support

Fionnuala Ward Education Officer Email: fionnuala.ward@educatetogether.ie Tel + 353 1 4292500 Fax: +353 1 4292502

The Educate Together ethical curriculum, Learn Together, seeks to promote a philosophy of education in which no child is considered an ousider, which promotes the fullest development of ability irrespective of gender, class or stereotype, and which encapsulates this ethos in a democratic partnership uniquely combining the involvement of parents with the professional role of teachers.

The curriculum itself is currently the subject of a great deal of activity in terms of advocacy, research and development. Our Teacher Education Officer, Fionnuala Ward, has responsibility for the introduction of the Learn Together Curriculum as an object of study and professional development within the Colleges of Teacher Education.

General Enquiries

To enquire about or register for Educate Together events, general meetings or training please contact Seònaid.

Seònaid Dunne Team Assistant Email: seonaid.dunne@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 429 2502

Office Manager

To enquire about accounts and general admin enquiries, please contact Louise.

Louise Byrne Office Manager Email: louise.byrne@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 429 2502

Communications

If you have a query, would like to discuss a media opportunity for Educate Together or would like more information about us, please contact our Communications Manager, John.

John Holohan Head of Communications Email: john.holohan@educatetogether.ie Tel: 01 429 2500 Fax: 01 429 2502

Opening Hours

The National Office is open Monday- Friday, 9am-5pm GMT. Tuesday mornings (9.00 – 11.00am) are reserved for staff meetings so we would appreciate it if you could leave a voicemail or email at this time. We endeavour to respond promptly to all queries.