Still No School Place For The Greystones Eight

Greystones Community College build FRI26JULY24

atest press release from Steven Matthews TD, issued on Tuesday, July 30th 2024…

Steven Matthews has criticised Minister for Education Norma Foley for letting down eight families in Greystones whose children are still without a secondary school place for the coming school year.

The shortage of secondary school places in the wider Greystones area has been a consistent issue in recent years but has come to a head this month with urgent intervention required to ensure every student has a place.

Discussing the issue, Deputy Matthews said: “Huge credit must go to the school principals, secretaries and other staff who have done all they can to accommodate as many students as possible within their limited space. With just over six weeks before school starts, we need direct intervention from the Minister for Education to offer certainty to these remaining eight families.

“The stress and worry this has caused the eight families and in particular the students impacted is deeply unfair and totally unacceptable. I am in frequent contact with these families and while I have submitted Parliamentary Questions, spoken to the Minister and her officials directly as well as raising it in the Dáil Chamber, the issue remains unresolved.

Greystones Community College artist impression

“These families feel let down and forgotten about. I have written on a series of occasions to the Minister for Education and the Taoiseach to request an urgent meeting but I have received no response. We are no closer to a solution than we were two months ago.

“I can’t understand how this is being allowed to continue when we have two senior ministers including the Taoiseach not only in the constituency but living in the same town. They sit with Minister Foley at cabinet and need to actively engage with her to resolve this.

“We are now at the end of July with new first years starting to go back on August 23rd. Even for the most basic necessities including buying school uniforms, schoolbooks and planning how to get to school – we have 8 families who can’t do that as they have no idea where their children will be attending.

“As a parent whose son started first year last year, I can only imagine the additional stress it would have caused during what is already a challenging transition from primary school.

“What is hugely frustrating is that this was foreseeable and avoidable. It became clear as early as January this year that there may be a shortage of first year places this year in Greystones. I along with other Wicklow TDs met Department of Education officials and received countless assurances that all applicants would be accommodated with plenty of notice so that families could make plans.

“We have seen positive progress with shovels in the ground for Greystones Community College and the extension for Coláiste Chraobh Abhann going to tender shortly but these big announcements gloss over the reality for these families without a school place.

“This needs to be urgently resolved while also working on the long-term solutions that include both the construction projects for Greystones Community College and Coláiste Chraobh Abhann but also the extension for Temple Carrig School and the provision of a new secondary school in Newtownmountkennedy,” concluded Deputy Matthews.