Archbishop asked to defer school merger plan

THE Archbishop of Dublin has been asked to defer plans to merge three Southside primary schools.

According to the Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Cllr Dermot Looney, principals in St Peter’s Boys NS, St Paul’s Junior Girls NS and St Paul’s Senior Girls NS were informed by phone that the Archdiocese would be closing all three schools and reopening two new schools on the site of St Paul’s in September.

“I understand that the principals and staff had no say in the nature of the amalgamation and were informed by phone that the Archdiocese intends pressing ahead with the new schools this September,

? Cllr Looney said.

“Parents were informed of this on the following Monday and there has been considerable anxiety with regard to the speed of the proposed changes and the lack of consultation.

“This runs counter to the inclusive approach which is championed in all three schools and has resulted in significant anger locally.

“People in Greenhills and nearby areas have a long and proud history with these three schools and such a rushed approach would be disrespectful to the community as a whole.

?

Cllr Looney, a past pupil of St Peter’s, in which he also trained to be a teacher, explained that he and his family have a long involvement in the schools.

“My three brothers and two sisters also attended St Peter’s and St Paul’s, while my mother served on both Boards of Management and Parents’ Associations in the schools,

? he stated.

“I chair the Board of Management of Greenhills College where many of the boys from St Peter’s go to. As a teacher myself, as well as a local resident, I am deeply familiar with the issues faced by the schools in terms of demographic shifts, changes in parental choice and relationships with other schools locally.

“No-one who is aware of the history and current status of primary education in the Greenhills area will be particularly surprised with proposals to merge the schools,

? he added.

“I am a supporter of co-education and would welcome the long-term security given to children and their parents in Greenhills from a combined approach.

“However, having spoken with staff and parents from all three schools, I am deeply concerned with the nature of the announcement and with the intention to proceed with a merger in a few months’ time.

“There are a variety of crucial issues on which parents and staff – and in some cases the community at large – should have their say.

“In the circumstances, I believe it would be prudent to delay the proposed changes until the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year, giving the relevant Boards of Management and the Archdiocese itself the time and space to engage in genuine, binding consultation and planning with parents, staff and the wider community.

?

Cllr Looney said he had written to the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, to the Director of the Diocesan Education Secretariat, Anne McDonagh, and to Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, to call for the deferral of the amalgamation plans.

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Dublin said the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle were leaving St Peter’s senior school this month and the congregation is transferring the trusteeship of the senior school to the Archdiocese.

“There is a need to re-organise the schools as a result of the handover,

? the spokesperson said.

“It has been the policy of the Department of Education and Skills that all new primary schools are co-educational.

“This then is an opportune time to examine the Catholic schools in the Greenhills parish and to explore ways or restructuring to best meet the needs of the children, both now and into the future.

?

The spokesperson added:

“It is proposed to reorganise the three schools into two co-educational schools, a junior and a senior on the St Paul’s site.

“Any proposed changes will be on a phased basis. The current single sex classes will remain unchanged for the next number of years to allow a phased transition to take place. There are on-going discussions at local level

?.