Protest at merger plans for Cork City schools 

Parents, staff and students at St Vincent’s girls secondary school have protested over a potential amalgamation with the North Monastery and the North Presentation

Parents, staff and students standing in unity while socially distanced outside the grounds of St Vincent's Girls Secondary School in Cork, to protect the all-girls status and the first all-girls Autism Spectrum Disorder unit in Ireland. Photo: Denis Minihane

Parents of students at a girls school on the northside of Cork City fear a proposed amalgamation will jeopardize its inclusive environment and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) centre.

Parents, staff and students at St Vincent’s girls secondary school have protested outside the school gates over a potential amalgamation of the school with the North Monastery and the North Presentation.

In April, the patron of the three schools announced it was to begin a process of consultation to "explore together current and future Catholic educational provision in North Cork city".

Three of the students Katie Coleman, Éilish Hickey and Laila Abdelnapy holding letters they wrote at the socially distanced protest outside the grounds of St Vincent's Girls Secondary School. Photo: Denis Minihane

St Vincent’s is known for its ASD centre, the Lir Hub, and it was the first school to offer support to students in a single-sex setting.

Mairead Hickey, a spokeswoman for the ‘Save St Vincent’s Secondary School’ which organised the public display of unity outside the school, described the autism unit as a sanctuary for her daughter.

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Her daughter Eilish has just finished third year and attends the Lir Hub, while her older daughter Saoirse is due to begin her Leaving Cert at the school next week. 

"Lir is Eilish's sanctuary," Ms Hickey said. 

“I am very grateful to have Eilish in St Vincent’s. 

It has the best ASD class for girls in Cork, and there is inclusivity throughout the school. It’s a rare thing.

Many parents now fear this will be jeopardised with the amalgamation, and were “floored” to hear of any potential merger that would see the school become much bigger and mixed. 

Mixed schools do not work for every student, particularly girls who attend ASD centres, she believes. 

“Some girls cannot learn in a mixed environment and parents have the right to chose an all-girls school.”

Many parents who have their daughters attending St Vincent's want to preserve it. 

Some of the staff who joined parents and students at the protest outside the school. Photo: Denis Minihane

"An amalgamation changes a school, it would completely change the environment of St Vincent's." 

In April a spokesman for the patrons of the three schools — Religious Sisters of Charity, Catholic Education an Irish Schools Trust (CEIST), and the Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) — said the consultation process would gather the perspectives of boards of management, staff, students, and parents. 

"We hope to capture the joys, concerns, hopes, and anxieties of all which will inform a vision for Catholic secondary education in North Cork city and serve the community for decades to come.”

Local TD Thomas Gould has called on CEIST to rule out an amalgamation, given the concerns from parents.