Greystones Community College Opens Its Doors

Stand tall…

atest press release from Greystones Community College, issued on Monday, September 7th 2020…

There was plenty of smiles, relief and a few first day jitters from students and parents as Greystones Community College, the new post primary school for Greystones, opened its doors for the first time this week.

65 new first year students arrived at the school gates in impeccable new uniforms as they began their journey into secondary education. The new multi-denominational school under the patronage of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training board is underpinned by the values of excellence in education, care, equality, community and respect.

The school has been established by the Department of Education and Skills to meet the huge demand from local parents for school places and its opening was brought forward by a year to facilitate these students.

The Chief Executive of KWETB, Dr Deirdre Keyes is delighted that Greystones Community College has opened its doors and she welcomes all the new first year students and new staff. Stating that this cohort of students and staff will pave the way for the school, will forever be part of the school’s history and will leave a positive, lasting impact on the school’s future, she also confirms that the school is in great hands under the principalship of Mr Ruairi Farrell who already has played an extraordinary role in the school set-up.

Dr Keyes acknowledges all the parents, Greystones Community National School, the local representatives and entire community who have worked hard and supported the establishment of Greystones Community College. The school was awarded to the patronage of KWETB last December 2019 and has worked under extraordinarily tight times lines and unprecedented obstacles to open up this September 2020.

The ETB wishes to sincerely thank Greystones Lawn Tennis Club for the temporary use of their premises for the school. It has proven to be a great collaboration and solution with plenty of space for social distancing and lovely outdoor amenities for students.

The ETB asks everyone to support the students, staff and school by keeping up to date on their activities through their vibrant social media and news reports. The ETB has no doubt but that Greystones Community College will play a vital role in the future of Greystones.

Principal Ruairí Farrell looked on with pride as the enthusiastic new students embarked on the next step of their education. “It’s amazing to see that from nothing,” he says, “we have created a school that will serve generations of children in Greystones for post primary education.”

This is down to the campaigning and leadership from the active parent body and, indeed, the drive and determination of the newly appointed, dynamic staff. “We have the makings of an absolutely amazing school here and I am excited about all the opportunities these young students will have over the next 6 years” continued Principal Farrell. The school is in the unique position to provide very specialised education and lots of pastoral support from teachers as it grows in size. The school is planned to grow to cater for 1,000 students in years to come.

The school has overcome many obstacles in recent weeks, given the announcement from the Department of Education and Skills that their planned interim school building at Greystones Community National School would not be ready for occupation as planned. The school sought out emergency accommodation locally and has now turned Greystones Lawn Tennis Club’s excellent facilities into a ready for purpose school building.

The school worked around the clock to make sure the accommodation was fully kitted out for students in addition to making sure the schools Covid-19 response plan was implemented successfully to ensure that the health and safety of all students and staff was paramount. ‘Opening a brand-new secondary school is challenging enough, but to do so in the middle of a global pandemic brings extra challenges’ added Mr Farrell who spoke highly of the dedicated staff who have already contributed over and above to make the vision a reality.

Mr Farrell said that he was heartened to see the support from the local community and neighbouring schools in Greystones in what has been a difficult few weeks. “It shows that the community is really at the heart of what a Community College is,” he stated, “and these students will have long term connections with their local community as a result.”

The school focus is around the three pillars of respect, excellence and pride and will offer a comprehensive academic programme where students will reach their full potential in a supportive and positive learning environment coupled with an extensive programme of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The school offers new short courses of learning in areas such as Digital Media, Philosophy, Artistic Performance and Coding.

For the teachers, students and parents, the establishment of Greystones Community College is like having a blank canvas. As Mr Farrell put it, “we have a clear design brief and the student is at the centre of that.

“Now with the support of the staff, community, parents and students, we will paint a happy, vibrant and welcoming school where students feel a sense of belonging”.