Parents views urged on school patronage
By Mary Dennehy
THE parents and guardians of children due to enrol in post primary between 2020 and 2024 are invited to give their views on the patronage of a new secondary school planned for the Citywest/Saggart area.
A site for the 1,000 pupil secondary school has been secured on Fortunestown Lane, subject to planning permission.
The secondary is expected to be established at the ETB site at Fortunestown Lane
The Department of Education has confirmed that five patron bodies have applied for patronage of the new school in Citywest/Saggart - which falls into the Tallaght and Newcastle/Rathcoole school planning areas.
These bodies include An Foras Pátrunachta, Catholic Education An Irish Schools Trust (Ceist), Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB), Educate Together and Scoil Sinead Limited.
Citywest is one of six new post-primary schools being established next year.
This week, the Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD urged parents and guardians to give their views on the patronage the school through an online survey.
The Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) will also provide information to parents in the hope of helping them ‘make an informed choice in expressing a preference for their preferred model of patronage’.
The OPPS is open to parents and guardians of children due to enrol in post-primary school between 2020 and 2024 and who live in one of the school planning areas.
Parents and guardians will need their child’s Eircode and PPSN in order to complete the online survey.
According to Minister McHugh: “We are fortunate to have a growing population and a Government that is investing heavily in new schools.
“But we need parents’ support to ensure we reflect the views of families in the areas where we have younger and growing populations.
“It is a great opportunity for mothers and fathers and guardians to help to shape the education of the future.
“The wishes of parents and guardians, together with the extent of diversity already available in these areas, will be key to deciding the type of schools we will have in the future.
“I urge as many people as possible who live the areas and have children going to post-primary school in the next few years to make their voices heard.”
The survey site includes a detailed map of the school planning area for Citywest/Saggart and information on each of the five patron bodies.
The survey will remain open until October 4. Visit https://patronage. education.gov.ie/.
TAGS Tallaght
