Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 December 2013
96. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will meet with representatives from Maynooth schools group to address its concerns regarding the proposed new post-primary school in Maynooth. [54588/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra97. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons there should be two separate post-primary schools located on the same site in Maynooth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54589/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra98. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has had a cost-benefit analysis conducted of plans to have two separate schools located on the same site in Maynooth, County Kildare; if he had a cost-benefit analysis conducted on having one amalgamated school on the same location; if he will release this information to the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54590/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra104. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the members of the new schools establishment group were made aware of the error in the report to the new schools establishment group on the patronage of the new post-primary school to be established in Maynooth in 2014, clarified by the forward planning section on 19 September 2012. [54678/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra105. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the error in the report to the new schools establishment group, clarified by the forward planning section on 19 September 2012, on the patronage of the new post-primary school to be established in Maynooth in 2014 when he announced on 25 July 2012 the successful patron for the new post-primary school to be established in Maynooth in 2014. [54679/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 96 to 98, inclusive, 104 and 105 together.
I have met with representatives of the Maynooth Schools Group and I also recently wrote to the Chairperson of that Group fully outlining the reasons for my decision to provide Maynooth with two fully-vertical post-primary schools and confirming that I am adhering to this decision.There are fundamental educational reasons for not allowing a junior/senior post-post primary school configuration in Maynooth. These include: the introduction of a third major transfer point for students between primary level and third level; The question of which school the Transition Year should be placed in; The undermining of Department policy to maintain as common a curriculum as possible for as long as possible to avoid the risk of specialisation too early and school drop out; The potential danger that the senior school will come to be seen as the 'specialist' Leaving Certificate centre into which transfers are sought at senior cycle; The loss of the advantages to be gained when teachers regularly teach students from first year to sixth year; The possibility of students from other schools seeking entry to the senior school with the attendant repercussions for other schools. Apart for these compelling educational reasons, patronage of the new school, was awarded to the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) specifically on the basis that it would deliver the prescribed curriculum at both Junior and Senior Cycle. Any change to this stated intention could lead to a challenge or to calls for the patronage determination process to be commenced afresh. This could have the effects of both delaying the establishment of the new school and, of course, re-opening the patronage of the new school to other applicant patrons. I am also satisfied that the erroneous description of the existing post-primary school in Maynooth as being a designated Community College and which was notified the New Schools Establishment Group on 24 August 2012, was corrected as soon as it came to light and that this had no bearing on the outcome of the patronage determination process for the new school. It was never the intention to provide separate junior/senior school buildings in Maynooth. Therefore, the cost benefit analysis which the Deputy refers to does not arise. This issue is moot in any event because the configuration within the buildings would not impact building costs.
