Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Planned new schools for Douglas, Rochestown and Carrigaline will provide important facilities for the many young families in the areas.
The Minister has confirmed to me that three new schools have been planned to assist in meeting the need for extra pupil places in the Carrigaline, Douglas and Rochestown areas. The first of these new schools will open this September in Garyduff Sports Centre catering for Douglas and Rochestown areas under the patronage of Educate Together. These three new schools form part of the Ministers a €2 billion five-year capital investment programme.
This new primary school will help to meet the increasing demand for school places in the area. Figures from Census 2011 showed that there are 3,747 families in the Douglas and Rochestown areas, 31% of these had children under four years of age. As well as these families with young children, in terms of family cycle 16% are at the pre-family stage, showing that this demand for school places will continue.
Given the family profiles in the area it has been vital that the Minister acted quickly and approved this new primary school. This new school will allow parents to send their children to a local school within their community.
As well as the new primary school two new Post-Primary schools are planned for the Carrigaline area. Opening in September 2014 will be the first of these new secondary schools, a Gaelcholáiste under the patronage of the Cork Education and Training Board. The second Post-Primary school will be an English medium school which is due to open in 2016 and projected to cater for around 500 pupils when fully developed. The application process for patronage of this second school closed on 12 July. There were two applications for patronage, from Educate Together and Edmund Rice Schools Trust, and the Department will now consider these applications.
More than half of all families with children in the Carrigaline area have children under 10, putting in place additional secondary school places that will be available over the next three years is essential. I am delighted that the Minister has recognised the imperative of planning for the needs of families in Carrigaline, Douglas and Rochestown.