Newtown School Takes A Step Closer

Newtownmountkennedy APR24

atest press release from the Newtown campaign for a secondary school, issued on Friday, but Santa’s visit pretty much took up our entire weekend…

A petition calling on the Department of Education to build a new secondary school to cater for students in Newtown and Roundwood has passed 1,000 signatures.

The campaign was started by a group of local parents concerned about the rapidly rising population in east Wicklow and the scramble every year to get secondary school places.

Land was zoned for community and education purposes as part of the Local Area Plan for Newtownmountkennedy, as far back as the 2002 edition. It was expected this would be used to build a secondary school but the Department of Education have yet to make any plans for this, even with thousands of new housing units being built in Greystones, Kilcoole, Newtown and Roundwood.

With the general election fast approaching, three more candidates have met with the group and pledged their support for a new secondary school.

Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, chairperson of KWETB and Labour general election candidate Paul O’Brien met the group in Newtown Community Centre to give them advice and pledge his support. Speaking at the meeting, Cllr O’Brien said: “I’m looking forward to working with the campaign group established in calling for a secondary school for Newtown. As we all know, the surrounding schools are bursting at the seams and Newtown has expanded rapidly over the last few years. It desperately needs a secondary school and I’ll be doing all I can to ensure this happens.”

Independent candidate for the general election and previous two-term councillor on Wicklow County Council, Shay Cullen met the group at a meeting in Roundwood Parish Hall and shared his previous experience lobbying for a secondary school in the area. Mr Cullen said: “I continue to support people in the communities of Roundwood, Newtown and surrounding areas with access to education and getting places in local schools. As a Councillor with Wicklow County Council I helped to get this project off to a start by assisting with successfully zoning land for the preferred school site in the Local Area Plan for Newtown. I will continue to work with and facilitate the aims of this new campaign group and use my experience to drive this project to fruition. Our young people deserve the best but right now we’re letting them down when it comes to providing adequate secondary school places in the local area.”

Also attending the meeting of the group in Roundwood, Green Party TD, spokesperson for planning and election candidate Steven Matthews, shared his experiences from working with local planners and helping students who had missed out on secondary school places in the area.

Deputy Matthews said: “Newtown needs its own secondary school. This will reduce the pressure on schools in Greystones and Kilcoole, and provide the opportunity for the young people in Newtown and Roundwood a school closer to home. It’s our job to ensure the Department of Education plans and delivers this school over the coming years.”

Other general election candidates who have given their support to the campaign group include Jennifer Whitmore TD, who attended and advised the first meeting of the group in October, and Simon Harris TD and John Brady TD who have written to the group pledging their support.

You can read more about this campaign and support the petition on change.org right here.