There is optimism about the development of a new primary school in Dublin 4, with the announcement that Educate Together is assessing demand, with a view to opening a school in the area.
Amy Mulvihill, Regional Development Officer for Educate Together said ‘We have been delighted and encouraged by the interest coming from parents in the area and we are working with them to establish an Educate Together school.’
She explains what makes Educate Together schools attractive to parents: ‘The schools were created with four guiding principles in mind. They are multi-denominational, co-educational, child-centred, and democratically run; there is a significant emphasis on schools being run in a democratic, inclusive manner. Parents have a very active role in the day-to-day running of the school and it is common for them to support the teachers in classroom activities.’
Educate Together schools are fully recognised by the Department of Education and Skills and work under the same regulations and funding structures as other national schools. They are typically founded by parents.
‘Our schools are driven by parents who want to choose this specific model of education for their children. This is not to say that our schools in any way claim to be better than other schools. Educate Together recognises that every parent in Ireland deserves a choice as to the type of school that their children can attend. Clearly, some parents are faced with the reality of only having a denominational school in their locality, and become interested in setting up an Educate Together school.’
