No school places for dozens of children in East Cork

Dozens of students will be without a secondary school place next year due to a chronic shortage of schools in East Cork, a group of concerned parents has claimed.

Up to 100 children in East Cork have been put on a waiting list for a place in a school in their local areas, according to the ‘East Cork Secondary School Crisis’ group.

It has been an issue for several years, parents have said.

“I went through the same thing three years ago with my son and nothing has changed; it has gotten worse,” said Nicole Reardon, a parent from Midleton.

“He was placed 25th on a waitlist and he got a place 10 days before school started. I took a section 29 appeal and it didn’t help.

“Now I have the same problem with my daughter but it is much worse. She is on three different waitlists. She is number 187 on one, number 60 on another and 48th on the third.

“Nothing has been done in the three years since, and something needs to happen now. Many families are in similar situations here. The catchment area is too big, and there has been so much development. We urgently need a new school.”

There have been longstanding issues when it comes to school places in Carrigtwohill, which is one of the fastest-growing towns in the East Cork region.

Plans to build a new community college in the town suffered a number of setbacks since they were first put forward seven years ago.

Cork Education and Training Board (ETB), the body responsible for the project, said it is working with the Department of Education and other schools to make every effort to ensure each student gets a place.

A spokesman for the ETB said: “While Cork ETB’s three schools in the East Cork area continue to operate waiting lists until the enrolment process has completed, we are aware that a significant number of students on those waiting lists have also secured places in other schools but choose to remain on the lists for all schools where they have been offered a place.”

Cork ETB is committed to seeking additional temporary accommodation for Carrigtwohill Community College, a spokesman said. Additional accommodation has been sanctioned by the department, he added.