News Release from Educate Together
 21 September 2007
 
Bracken Educate Together National School will open for children at 8:30am on Monday 24th September at Sunshine House, Balbriggan. This school has been configured in record time to provide places for a considerable number of local children who have no school to go to. The school will open with 4 classes, 2 of Junior Infants and two other classes. Frieda McGovern, a recently retired Educate Together Principal, is leading the school on an interim basis until the usual recruitment process for permanent staff can be completed.  Frieda is a Director of Educate Together and one of the four authors of the Learn Together ethical curriculum.

Educate Together agreed to open this school as an emergency response because we believe that there is a serious shortage of places in Balbriggan for families who wish to have their children educated in an ETNS. We were already planning to open a second school in the area in 2008 and this development allows us to accelerate these plans. In addition, we are in receipt of assurances from the DES that the State is in the process of acquiring and building permanent accommodation for the school and that the DES will take full responsibility to provide any temporary accommodation needed until this is ready.

Speaking today, Paul Rowe, CEO of Educate Together, the patron of the school  said "We would like to thank all those who have supported us in our efforts to get this school up and running in time for children next Monday. The Department, local schools and businesses, the North Dublin Educate Together network and many well-wishers have given us fantastic support.

We would also like to thank all the local, national and international media who sensitively reported on this complex situation in which a considerable percentage of children seeking places in the school are from Irish ethnic backgrounds.

We are confident that this school will develop to reflect the diversity of the Balbriggan community. It will operate an enrolment policy that is based on equality of children irrespective of social, cultural or religious backgrounds."

Educate Together
Educate Together is a patron body for schools that are committed to equality of esteem and access to children irrespective of their social, cultural or religious backgrounds. It currently operates 44 national schools in Ireland. It is campaigning for an end to the system whereby thousands of houses can be built without the provision of necessary schools, for a national network of Educate Together Model schools to provide an alternative to the 98% predominance of faith-based schools in Ireland and for a thorough overhaul of the system whereby new schools are provided.

For further information:

www.educatetogether.ie
info@educatetogether.ie

Paul Rowe is available for interview:

Please contact Louise Daly: 0876109598

Instructions for members of the press:
The first day of school is always an important one for both parents and children. We would ask all members of the media to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the occasion and make it as stress free as possible for all families. A press conference is being held at 9.15am in the Bracken Court Hotel which is a short walk away from the school.  Unfortunately Bracken ETNS can not give permission for any photographers or camera crews to have access to the school on Monday. This would require permission from the parents which we cannot obtain at this stage. The children have missed three weeks of important school time and the priority must be for them to settle in with as little fuss as possible. Members of Bracken ETNS’ patron- Educate Together would be happy to answer any questions you may have on Monday at the Bracken Court Hotel.