New school ‘testament to parent power’

PARENT power was credited with the Department of Education’s decision to open a new school in Laytown yesterday.

Scoil Oilibheir Naofa school made national headlines last year when it was originally proposed that junior infants be accommodated in part of Bellewstown racecourse.

East Meath has seen some of the largest population growth in the country and the Department of Education came under criticism for not providing a proper site for the school before the situation had reached crisis point.

Instead the junior school operated out of two-storey pre-fabs built on part of the playground of Laytown senior school.

The 16-class school is in a large building, albeit a temporary one, a short walk from the senior school and is on a greenfield site.

The department is expected to seek planning permission for the permanent school later this year and there is also room on the site for a secondary school.

School principal Mary Carpenter said yesterday was, “a great day for the school”, as she welcomed 260 children into the school.

According to Sharon Tolan, of the parents’ association, “We are absolutely overjoyed that finally the children have a roof over their heads that is not part of a racecourse, or another school or in another school’s gym.”

Education Minister Mary Hanafin suggested yesterday that primary schools should extend their deadlines for enrolling infants to allow greater inclusion of children of families moving to Ireland.

She said that the reason many children are left without places when the school year starts each September is that they have arrived to the country just a few months beforehand, at which stage most primary schools have already closed for accepting applications.

“One of the ways to avoid this would be that schools wouldn’t close their application dates too early. Because if you close your application date, for example, three or four years before the child is due to go to school, well naturally that excludes any child who comes into the country late,” she told Pat Kenny on RTÉ Radio 1.

Her department has asked multi-denominational schools organisation Educate Together to open two new schools at short notice this month to cater for dozens of children without a school in Lucan and Balbriggan in Dublin.

Among the four junior infants classes who began their education in Laytown yesterday was Rory Herridge, aged four-and-a-half, who was looking forward “to seeing my friends Ryan and Ross”.

His dad, Mark, said, “The biggest problem was getting the first concrete block in” while his mum Leonie said, “This is the result of parent pressure.”

Twins Gavin and Gerard Nolan had Superman capes on their bags to ensure they got to school on time. They came with Patricia Farrell who said, “It is a perfect school building and most definitely a step up on last year.”

Five-year-old Megan Daly was enthusiastic about her new school and meeting her friends there. Her mum Louise Daly said it was testament to the parents “not accepting what was being given and demanding that our children go to school in a nice building”.