Patronage of new Cork schools awarded to the Edmund Rice Schools Trust and Educate together following consultation with local parents
Fine Gael Cork South Central Deputy, Jerry Buttimer, has today (Thursday) welcomed the awarding of the patronage of two new schools in the south Cork region to Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) and Educate Together saying that these new schools, which will accommodate 1,200 students when built, will offer greater choice to parents in the education their children receive.
“As part of a wider announcement of the awarding of patronage of nine new post-primary schools nationally, the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn TD, outlined that a new ERST and an ET school, both with a capacity for 600 students, are to be built in the south Cork suburbs and Carrigaline. This will come as extremely welcome news to the families in south Cork as populations have grown in these areas in recent years.
“These schools are scheduled to open between 2015 and 2016 and the fact that prospective patrons were asked to provide evidence of parental demand when making applications for patronage of the new schools, means that the educational needs of local families are being met.
“Despite our financial constraints, we are continuing to prioritise education and the provision of good quality infrastructural facilities for our school going population. The building of these two new schools in the south Cork region will add significantly to the schools that are already in the area, provide greater choice for parents and ease the pressure each year as children progress from primary to secondary level.”