The patrons for 14 new secondary school were announced by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn this morning, including one in West Dublin under the responsibility of Educate Together.
It is the first time the multi-denominational patron has been given responsibility for a post-primary school. The school will be based in Blanchardstown. Educate Together will also share the patronage of another school in Drogheda Co Louth with the County Louth Vocational Education Committee (VECs).
A second post-primary school will also come under the patronage of the same VEC and four other VECs in Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Meath and Cork will act as patrons to eight schools.
A Church of Ireland patronage post-primary will be opened in Greystones, Co Wicklow and Le Chéile Schools Trust, a Catholic organisation, will have responsibility for a school in Mulhuddart, Dublin 15. Two new schools in Balbriggan and Dundrum in Dublin will be under the patronage of Gaelscoileanna patronage body An Foras Pátrúnachta.
Four of the new schools, all VEC, will open in September 2013 and 10 will open the following September.
Making the announcement, Mr Quinn said in deciding on patronage he “was particularly conscious of taking into account the clear parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage”.
“I am particularly pleased that Educate Together will be patron in one school and co-patron in a second school, given that Educate Together was officially recognised by me as a second level patron just one year ago,” he said.
“I am also pleased that for the first time in a generation a new Catholic and a new Church of Ireland voluntary secondary school are to open. This demonstrates clearly that I and the Department are committed to diversity of ethos and respect for parental choice.”
