Rockboro school in Cork pauses enrolments and appeals for financial help

Pupil numbers at the co-educational and non-denominational primary school have fallen steadily in recent years

Founded in 1969, Rockboro, an independent and fee-paying primary school, is seeking support in the wake of covid and 'associated challenges and vulnerabilities'. File picture

The owners of one of Ireland’s only independent fee-paying primary schools have asked the Department of Education to take it over amid concerns for its future due to falling student numbers.

Rockboro NS in Cork City, founded in 1969, has provided education at a cost of around €5,000 per child per year. A charitable trust, it is owned by the Rockboro School Association, and is entirely independent of the State or any religious organisation, relying entirely on its school fees and donations to survive.

However, its pupil numbers have fallen steadily in recent years. It is understood there are less than 20 pupils on the roll today.

Media reports emerged on Wednesday that the school is set to close but a spokesperson for the school told the Irish Examineron Thursday that those reports were inaccurate.

In a statement, the Rockboro School Association said: “Much has changed in the Irish education and social landscape and Rockboro is changing in line with these, and its community needs, including a current pause as it restructures and remodels, but it will continue as a children’s educational provider within its community.”

School requests support

It described the school as “one of the pioneers and advocates for providing a co-educational, non-denominational, school option for children and families”.

“Across 50 years, Rockboro has provided both primary and pre-school facilities on site to provide practical support to working mums and dads, as a way to help and lead on inclusivity and equity in the workplace.

“Rockboro provides education in line with the Irish national curriculum, but it also provides a broader scope of academic and non-academic subjects, for the purpose of actively supporting children's diverse needs and interests.

“As an 'independent school' it funded its own cost, mostly through fees.

Rockboro requests and appreciates the community support and assistance as it restructures so that it can meet the local children's needs, and once Rockboro's overall plan is determined, Rockboro will be able and happy to provide details of what this will look like.

It is understood the school is no longer accepting enrolments pending decisions on its future, and it is still not clear if the school will reopen in August in its current form.

The school posted a surplus of just over €27,000 in 2018, with income of almost €565,000, and a surplus of just over €9,600 in 2019, with income of just over €491,000. But it lost almost €33,000 in the year ending August 2020, according to the most recently available documents it lodged with the Charities Regulator.

Last month, the school issued a letter to parents of former Rockboro pupils seeking financial support.

It said as a result of covid-19 and a “few associated challenges and vulnerabilities”, its student numbers had dropped significantly, and that unless the low numbers were addressed, it would affect the school’s ability to operate the current independent model.

Rockboro boasted class sizes of 10 and below, and offered a curriculum focused on STEM subjects, with dedicated teachers for certain subjects, as well as weekly tennis and swimming lessons, music, drama and debating.

Altada connection

The school came to national attention earlier this year when it emerged that the tech company Altada, was reported to have made a series of payments to staff at the school, totalling €27,000, between August and September 2022.

A payment of €18,000 from Rockboro to Altada was also shown in bank statements, The Business Post reported.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said Rockboro is not a recognised school of the Department of Education.

"With regard to school places generally, the department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.

"In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.

"Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary."