Educate Together today welcomes the opening of the Department of Education’s Online Patronage Process System (OPPS). The OPPS will give parents in four areas the opportunity to express their preference for patronage of a new second-level school.
Educate Together has applied for patronage of all four schools. The schools will serve families in:
- Donaghmede/Howth/Dublin 13 (Belmayne/Clongriffin);
- Galway City and Oranmore;
- Laytown & Drogheda;
- Wicklow
Parents and carers of children in First to Fifth class can express their preference for Educate Together on the Department website.
Says Paul Rowe, CEO of Educate Together:
‘This is a great opportunity for families in these four areas to access an Educate Together second-level school. Our second-level schools in Dublin, Wicklow, Cork and Louth are going from strength to strength and I’m sure their innovation, their equality-based ethos and their warm and inclusive atmosphere will be replicated in these new schools.’
Says Mary Carty, parent in Drogheda:
‘There is terrible academic pressure on young teenagers today. l want my children to be educated in a child centred environment that will support them and nurture them to perform to their best ability. If a teenager feels supported and that their opinion matters it will lead to a more productive and happier learning environment.’
Educate Together schools are equality-based and co-educational, welcoming girls and boys from all backgrounds and abilities on an equal basis and their learner-centred model ensures that all students’ needs are met and their abilities are nurtured in a caring and supportive school community.
All members of the Educate Together school community, irrespective of their beliefs, social or cultural background, work together in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. Students follow an Ethical Education curriculum, which includes themes on values, worldviews and beliefs, global citizenship education, diversity, migration and equality, including gender equality. This ethos provides a strong moral, ethical and spiritual framework for the whole school community, and informs all policies and practices in the daily life of the school.
