Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 April 2014
170. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if Wicklow and Greystones Educate Together primary schools will form part of the new Educate Together secondary school in Bray, County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19077/14]
View answer171. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will look at the situation of north Wicklow parents who campaigned for a long time for an Educate Together secondary school and who find themselves in a situation where a school has been allocated to another group of schools entirely, with Greystones and Wicklow Educate Together primary schools not included in the list of feeder schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19078/14]
View answer206. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the position regarding the catchment area of the proposed Educate Together secondary school in north Wicklow which is decided by his Department; whether the catchment area is described as a geographical area or specific primary schools that will feed into the secondary school; if the enrolment policy will decide who will get preference from those within the catchment area; if Wicklow Educate Together and Greystones Educate Together are not included in the catchment area then will they be excluded from entering the new north Wicklow Educate Together secondary school regardless of the enrolment policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19475/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 170, 171 and 206 together.
As the new post-primary school for North Wicklow is not opening until 2016, the enrolment policy for the school has not yet been put in place. Enrolment policies are a matter for a School's Board of Management in consultation with the Patron, which, in this case, is Educate Together. While it is intended that the school will be located in the North Wicklow area and priority in the school's enrolment policy will be required to be given to pupils from that school feeder area, the school will be a regional provider to meet parental demand for diversity of provision from a broader area and it would be expected that this will be reflected in the School's enrolment policy when this is decided and published by the Board of Management and Patron in due course.
