Pupils write letters to Minister demanding a secondary school
By Mary Dennehy
THE MINISTER for Education will this week receive 350 individually handwritten letters from the young students of Citywest Educate Together National School, who are campaigning for a secondary school to be built in their community.
In recent years, three new primary schools have opened in the area, Citywest Educate Together National School (ETNS), the Citywest and Saggart Community National School (formerly Scoil Niamh) and Scoil Aoife Community National School.
The schools were introduced into the area due to a population explosion and a growing demand for school places, with the three new schools joining St Mary’s National School in Saggart in catering to the diverse and vibrant population now based in the Citywest and Saggart community.
However, while families welcomed the new national schools they have raised concerns over the absence of a secondary school – despite 1,900 children expected to be attending the area’s four schools by 2019.
Citywest ETNS was the first new national school built in the area in 2012 and will have sixth class students preparing to move on to secondary school in 2019.
Caitriona Hand, Principal of Citywest ETNS, told The Echo: “Having a secondary school in the community is vital.
“We were the first school in Citywest and took our responsibility to the community very seriously… and the children have helped to build this vibrant community.
“Next year, the sixth class students will have gone through eight years together.
However, with no secondary school they will be spreading out of the area and hopping on buses, the Luas and into cars.
“It is very disappointing.”
She added: “We can’t just farm out our teenagers and then expect them to come back and be part of their community.
“When a person feels ownership of their community they put so much more in, if they don’t feel part of it, they won’t feel ownership.”
Ms Hand added that the school is “very supportive” of the parents campaign and that teachers share the concerns of local families.
The Echo understands that the feeder school for Citywest schools is the new secondary school in Kingswood, which, currently under construction, is around 4.5km away.
Leona McMahon, who is part of the parent-led campaign for a secondary school in the Citywest and Saggart area, told The Echo: “We will be hand delivering the children’s letters to the Minister [of Education and Skills, Richard Bruton] this week.
“The first graduates of Citywest ETNA will be in 2019, so the need for a secondary school is quite imminent.
“There is currently no secondary school provision for the children of Citywest ETNS or any of the primary school students attending local schools.
“There should be a provision there. Land has been allocated by South Dublin County Council but there is no movement by the Department of Education.”
Ms McMahon stressed that the priority of the campaign is securing a secondary school for the area, after which the various educational bodies can apply for patronage.
In November, South Dublin County Council also wrote to the Minister for Education to convey the ‘urgent need’ for a secondary school for the Citywest and Saggart areas.
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