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News Release 25th September 2008

School action day puts further pressure on Minister O’Keeffe to facilitate Educate Together’s move to Second-level

Over 2,000 signatures have already been collected as the 56 Educate Together national schools around the country launch a petition for second-level Educate Together education today.

Today’s action day was held to launch a petition which has been set up to call on Minister Batt O’Keeffe to register Educate Together as a Patron of second-level schools. By the end of the school day, over 1,000 online signatures (for latest online figures go to http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/educate-together-second-level-campaign.html) had been collected and it is anticipated that at least that number again have been collected on paper in the 56 Educate Together schools around the country. This is evidence of the growing demand for Educate Together second-level schools, and the increasing frustration felt by families who feel that their right to choose this specific ethos at second-level is being ignored.

Of particular note is the wide geographical dispersal of the signatories, with the four corners of Ireland represented.

Ever since the first Educate Together primary school opened in Dalkey thirty years ago, pressure has been mounting on Educate Together to expand its successful model to second-level. With 12 new schools opening this year, and the number of pupils in the sector’s primary schools approaching 10,000, parents are becoming more vocal in their campaigns.

However, there is much more to this move than supporting parents. Educate Together believes that reform of second-level education in Ireland is overdue. Irish society has been undergoing huge social, economic and demographic change in recent decades. Calls for a different approach to education; one which can better prepare young people for life in 21st century globalised Ireland; have come from bodies as diverse as the Combat Poverty Agency and Forfás.

Speaking about the benefits this move offers, Emer Nowlan, Second-level Project Manager with Educate Together said “The need for second-level education that promotes innovation and creativity, responsible citizenship, and social inclusion and cohesion has never been greater. Since Educate Together has proven its capacity to deliver on exactly these qualities, the time is right for parents' voices to be heard”.

“We have an exciting second-level project underway which is drawing on the best practice in Irish schools and elsewhere. We are keen to implement the Educate Together ethos at second-level and are ready to open schools, either in partnership with other providers or on our own. There is great support for this move from parents, teachers and other interested parties in Irish education and we look forward to the opportunities that it presents for our organisation and for the system as a whole”.

Educate Together applied to the Minister for Education and Science last December to be registered as a patron of second-level schools, based on its outstanding track record at primary level, and on the positive results of an extensive feasibility study carried out by Trinity College Dublin. Since then the only response from the Minister’s Department has been that the matter is “under consideration”. After 9 months, national school communities who are campaigning for second-level schools are becoming increasingly frustrated with this response.

The petition asks for public support in lobbying the Minister to confirm this registration as a matter of urgency so that Educate Together can proceed to work with families at local level to provide for the type of modern, holistic, equality-based, learner-centred education they want. Events taking place today included coffee mornings and school-gate petitions.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/educate-together-second-level-campaign.html

Contact: Emer Nowlan for more information – 087 0549753 emer.nowlan@educatetogether.ie