Educate Together, the multi-denominational education patron, has welcomed the Minister of Education and Skills’ announcement of 40 new schools to be built over the next five years. It also hails the announcement of a new formal recognition process as an important step forward for all stakeholders in education.
Commenting on the announcement, Educate Together CEO Paul Rowe said ‘Educate Together welcomes the opportunity that this announcement offers all parents who are interested in multi-denominational education for their children.
The growth projections for primary and secondary pupil numbers are very significant. As a patron body we are especially pleased that the Department of Education and Skills is taking proactive measures to establish these schools in a measured and managed way’.
With new primary and secondary enrolments expected to grow by 80,000 and 20,000 respectively over the next five years, the need for new school paces is urgent. Educate Together currently has 70 primary and 12 second-level new school applications lodged with the Department â many of which correspond to the areas announced today.
Paul Rowe again ‘We have existing applications and active start-up community groups in a large number of the areas announced by the Minister. A critical element of today’s announcement will be the need for prospective patrons to be able to illustrate local demand for their new school applications. The new process offers Educate Together the opportunity to clearly present the healthy demand that exists both for our existing approach to primary education and our proposition at second-level.
’ Educate Together has 58 primary schools in its national network with two more set to open in September. Its formal recognition as a second-level patron was announced in May this year. There are currently 12,600 pupils and over 1,000 teaching staff in Educate Together schools nationwide.
