Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey has confirmed that a meeting between a senior official from the Department of Education and the principals of all secondary schools in the Ennis area is to take place this week with a view to ensuring that all children completing their primary education can access secondary school places in September.

The meeting will be held on this Tuesday when secondary school enrolment lists will be shared in an effort to address the divisive issue of parents enrolling their children at more than one school for the coming school year.

Deputy Carey said it was important that the issue was resolved as quickly as possible as it was causing serious concern and anxiety for both the young students and their parents.

“In terms of providing more capacity, construction on an extension to provide an additional 200 school places at Ennis Community College will get under way in the coming weeks, while an additional eight classrooms and a general purpose hall will be made available to Rice College from this Summer.

“Even more significantly, the Department has stated that it will approve a further extension to provide additional secondary school places if necessary,” he explained.

Deputy Carey was acting in response to parents who have contacted him directly and following a request from the principals of twelve primary schools in the Ennis area who told him that they have a large number of children still without secondary school places in Ennis.

He said that pupils, parents and primary school principals needed a quick and equitable solution so that the children without places can attend a secondary school in Ennis.

The principals involved in the campaign are John Burns (Barefield NS); Hugh Connolly (Holy Family Senior NS); Sharon Dilger (Holy Family Junior NS); Jim Curran (Knockanea NS); Dara Glynn (Ennis CBS Primary); Trina Golden (Ennis Educate Together NS); Fergal Lynch (Scoil Na Mainistreach, Quin); Martin Moloney (Clarecastle NS) DĂłnal Ó hAinifĂ©in (Gaelscoil MhĂ­chĂ­l CĂ­osĂłg, Inis); GearĂłid Roughan (Scoil ChrĂ­ost RĂ­); Mary Rockett (Scoil Na Maighdine Mhuire, Newmarket-on-Fergus) and Brian Troy (Ennis National School).

 

DEPUTY JOE CAREY AT ENNIS NATIONAL SCHOOL. (PHOTO: YVONNE VAUGHAN).