Educate Together has always been aware that there is a huge demand locally for an Educate Together school in Carpenterstown, which has been comprehensively demonstrated twice, once in 2008 and by our successful application in this current process, and we are seeking an urgent meeting with the Department of Education to clarify the opening date.

A big thank you to all the parents who have campaigned for this school, some of who have been involved since 2008.

You can read the report by the New Schools Advisory Committee.

Educate Together will be applying for patronage of this school and if you wish to be kept informed of developments or join the start-up group of parents please get in touch by emailing carpenterstownet@gmail.com or call (01)429-2500.

You can also download a pre-enrolment form.

Educate Together has been offering multi-denominational education since 1978 when its first school, the Dalkey School Project opened. Further information about Educate Together schools can be found on www.educatetogether.ie

The web site that you are viewing (http://www.carpenterstown-et.com) will be wound down over the coming weeks.
UPDATE: We are applying to the Department of Education to establish an Educate Together school in Carpenterstown in 2013. Read more about this and get in contact.

Fergal is really enthusiastic about leading the new Educate Together learning community in Blanchardstown West and especially hopes “to inculcate a strong sense of active and responsible citizenship in pupils, parents and staff alike.”

An information meeting about the school is taking place on Tuesday June 21st @ 7pm, in Castaheany Educate Together NS.
(Directions: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4408966)

Educate Together are in the process of recruiting the principal for West Blanchardstown Educate Together.

On Monday 11 April 2011
In Castaheany ETNS
(Directions: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4408966)
At 8:30pm

Jarlath Munnelly, Regional Development Officer of Educate Together, will have a full update on his recent meeting with the Department of Education and Skills in Tullamore.

Hope to see you there!
If you have any questions, please contact Jarlath Munnelly, details below.
Phone: (01) 429-2500 or Mobile: (087) 980-5820

Hansfield SDZ map (click for large view)

The biggest question has been where will the school be located. The Department of Education have decided that it will be in the Hansfield area.

The next question is: Where is Hansfield?

You can see from the map it is between Ongar and Clonsilla, with the Ongar Road to the north, the new Dunboyne rail line to the south.

The map is from a document on the Fingal County Council web site.

In Westmanstown Sports and Conference Centre
On Tuesday March 29th
At 8pm

Hope to see you there!
If you have any questions, please contact Jarlath Munnelly, Regional Development Officer of Educate Together, details below.
Phone: (01) 429-2500 or Mobile: (087) 980-5820

Three new primary schools for Dublin 15 have just been announced by the Department of Education. The three schools – two for the Mulhuddart / Tyrrelstown area and one for Hansfield / Clonsilla – follow a growth in potential pupil numbers projected for the next few years.

Speaking to Community Voice, a spokesperson for the department said they had “identified a probable need for new primary schools to commence operation to meet increased demographics.

Having considered the needs and capacity of existing schools in each identified area, and following consideration of the applications from and discussions with the patron bodies, the minister has now given approval for new schools to commence operation in September 2011 and 2012 and has also made decisions in relation to the patronage of the new schools. “Tyrrelstown ETNS temporary building – soon to be home to two new schools

The department statement has only identified the school locations as “Dublin Fingal Mulhuddart” and “Dublin Fingal Blanchardstown West” but Community Voice has learned that initially the new Mulhuddart schools are likely to be based in Tyrrelstown while the “Blanchardstown West” school is likely to be sited in the Ongar / Littlepace / Hansfield area.

The first Mulhuddart school and the Blanchardstown West one will both open in September 2011 under the patronage of Educate Together while the second Mulhuddart school will open in September 2012 under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta.

According to the department spokesperson, “it is not planned to open any other new primary schools in 2011. However the question of the need for additional new primary schools in 2012 and in subsequent years is being examined further having regard to school enrolments and changing demographics across areas of population growth.”

Welcoming the announcement, Paul Rowe said “it marks another step on the road to an education system that meets the needs of parents and children in Ireland. I am heartened by the Department’s decision to award these schools to our patronage.

“Educate Together will immediately start work to ensure that these schools make a great contribution to their communities. We actively encourage parental involvement in school life and we will be liaising closely with our schools, start-up groups and parents of prospective pupils in Blanchardstown and Mulhuddart over the coming months.”

While no official information was available on the location of the new schools, Community Voice understands that the Mulhuddart Educate Together school will initially be housed in the present Tyrrelstown Educate Together building with effect from September. This premises will be available at that stage when its present occupants move to their new school building which is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in August.

The Gaelscoil will similarly be housed temporarily on the same site starting the following year – either in a second Tyrrelstown ETNS building or in the nearby temporary Mulhuddart national school premises which will also be vacated when the new building for that school is completed. It is understood that eventually both schools may be permanently located on the new school site between Tyrrelstown and Hollystown which is included in the new county development plan.

The location of the “Blanchardstown West” Educate Together school is less clear. A group of parents who organised a campaign three years ago to build a Carpenterstown Educate Together school welcomed the news.

According to Riverwood resident Maggie Hyland who chaired the start up committee for that project, “we have received a good deal of feedback from local parents expressing their hope that the school will be located in Carpenterstown / Clonsilla. Obviously as a group of parents who worked so hard to get a local ET off the ground in 2008 / 2009 we would be very excited that this might finally be the school we campaigned for.”

Community Voice understands that the location of the new school is more likely to be at the Ongar / Hansfield side of Dublin 15. Provision was made for school sites as part of the proposed Hansfield Strategic Development Zone and while this development is totally stalled – and possibly heading for NAMA – sites were earmarked there for a number of schools.

The new Castaheany ETNS and St Benedict’s schools are already reaching their quota of pupils and additional school places will be required in that area to meet projected growth in the next few years.

The new Gaelscoil – opening next year – will be greatly welcomed by many local parents seeking places for an Irish language education for their children.

Speaking to Community Voice Gráinne Uí Chaomhánaigh, principal of Scoil Oilibhéir in Coolmine said “chuirim fáilte Uí Cheallaigh roimh an scoil nua. I am really delighted. Our school has been under great pressure and this announcement will certainly help relieve some of that pressure.

I was very disappointed that a previous attempt to set up this school a few years ago was unsuccessful so this is really great news.”

We realise that is not be the news that many people from the Carpenterstown area were looking for. Educate Together would like to organise a meeting for parents on the Carpenterstown ET list – we will be in contact with details on this soon. This will be an opportunity for people to ask questions.