Educate Together seek helpers for Carrigaline primary school plan

THE move to set up a multi-denominational primary school in the growing Cork town of Carrigaline has stepped up a gear and helpers for the project are being sought.

A group was set up two years ago to assess interest in a school under the patronage of Educate Together, which already helps to run more than 40 schools around the country.

However, the project was put on hold because of Educate Together’s decision not to support any new schools until the Government accepted responsibility in providing permanent accommodation and proper funding of these projects.

This was recently achieved when the Department of Education agreed to do so in respect of a new school opened to relieve pressure on demand for primary places in north and west Dublin this autumn.

The Carrigaline Educate Together Association is now once again trying to find out the level of interest in a new school for the area, which could be open as early as next September. The group hopes to hold a public meeting with local politicians and parents later this month.

“We’re also looking for people who can commit to putting time and effort into the establishment of a new school,” said spokesperson Billy Tague.

The town has already been identified as an area in which the department has indicated it is actively seeking suitable sites for a new primary school. The existing schools are already reaching capacity as new housing schemes in the area continue.

Educate Together has said it will open a school if enough interest is shown by the community and if the department provides a permanent building and reasonable funding.

Similar groups have also been set up in the Midleton and Rochestown areas with a view to setting up local Educate Together schools in the next year or two.

* Anybody seeking more information about the Carrigaline Educate Together project can contact Billy Tague at 087 2484658 or e-mail him at [e-mail]