A group of parents are campaigning for the provision of an Educate Together School in the Portobello area, based on the strong demand for multi-denominational school places in area.

While Ranelagh and Griffith Barracks Multi-denominational schools both provide outstanding service, they do not have the capacity to cope with the demand for places throughout Dublin South East and Dublin Central. (more…)

Lucinda Creighton, today (Thursday) welcomed the announcement by An Bord Pleanála that an oral hearing would be held to consider the application for the redevelopment of RTE’s Donnybrook campus at Montrose. She also repeated her call for RTE to work with St. Mary’s Primary School to provide space for expansion.

Lucinda stated: “This announcement is to be welcomed as it will allow the concerns of the local community to be heard. This is a major redevelopment which would have both local and national repercussions.

“I fully support RTE’s continued presence in Donnybrook as it adds significantly to the economic and cultural life of the area, and to our capital. RTE needs to change with the times, and it should be allowed to do so on its current site rather than being forced to move to a brownfield site outside the area. But any development must be with due consideration for its residential neighbours.

“At the same time as RTE is making this application for planning permission, St. Mary’s Primary School in Donnybrook does not have the capacity to deal with the demand for school places from local families. They do not have sufficient land to develop to meet the demand for places. I am therefore asking RTE to allocate a portion of its campus to the school as its contribution to community gain as part of this application.”

Dáil Statement by Lucinda on the Diversification of Primary School Provision

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak in this important and long overdue debate. There is no doubt that we live in changing times. Ireland’s demographics have changed dramatically in the past 15 years and we have many new cultures. The country has modernised and acquired a diverse outlook in a very short period. It is essential that we accept and reflect this diversity in our schooling and education systems.

At the same time, it is not necessary to throw out everything that is traditional or has stood the test of time. Much of our education system is of a high quality, particularly at primary level. Given that the system is not broken, we must be careful about initiating a process of fixing it.

What is certain is that we do not have sufficient school places. This is not a question of diversity but one of practical numbers. The problem is probably most acute in Dublin. (more…)

Both the recent and impending cuts in the education field are of concern to everybody on both sides of this House. What is unusual in this case it is that there is a potential solution on the horizon. I wanted to bring this matter to the House and put it on the record today, though I intend to speak to the Minister directly in the coming weeks.

There is a profound and severe lack of primary school places in the Donnybrook parish area. There is huge pressure on St. Mary’s National School, which is located on Belmont Avenue, for a number of reasons. (more…)

On Tuesday 3rd of February Lucinda hosted a public meeting to discuss the effects of Budget 2009 on the education sector, and in particular the effect on local schools. (more…)