Speaking at the meeting, which was organised by local parent campaigners, Laura Dooley of Educate Together outlined the inclusive, student-centred, and democratic approach to learning offered by the organisation’s schools at second level.

Tools such as phenomenon-based learning, Dr Dooley explained, are employed to foster active learning, drawing teachers together to work in teams, ensuring that students gain not only subject knowledge but a holistic understanding of topics that span subject areas.

The meeting was also addressed by Brendan Fogarty, a founding member of the Galway Educate Together Second Level Startup group (GET2LS) as well as students currently at Galway primary-level Educate Together schools, with one student hoping “that people will vote for Educate Together so I, and my friends, can have as good a time at second level as primary.”

This meeting was the latest in a series organised by GET2LS to inform parents about the opportunities offered by the Educate Together model. The group plans more meetings across the city as the campaign enters its closing stages.

“This competition offers an opportunity for us to diversify the options available to Galway families, and to open the first second-level Educate Together in the west of Ireland,” says GET2LS chair Roisin McManus. “With parental preference a key element in deciding which organisation is granted patronage, it is vital that parents take the time to register their support for Educate Together.”

With the current survey of parents so important in deciding patronage, several public representative have urged parents, whatever their plans for their own children’s schooling, to vote for Educate Together in the current competition, to broaden the diversity of schools available in Galway, and ensure that the option is available to those parents who desire it.

The new school, due to open in 2019, is a ‘regional solution’ aimed primarily at the Galway city and Oranmore school planning areas, and is intended to meet the increasing demand for second-level education in Galway, with an anticipated enrolment of 1,000. Educate Together is committed to including an Aonad (Irish-language stream) in the school if there is sufficient parental demand. The location of the school will be decided at a later date by the Department.

“Students need a breadth of skills and attributes to succeed in today’s diverse world and changing workplace,” notes Educate Together CEO Paul Rowe. “They need to be able to learn, unlearn and relearn throughout their lives. Our second level schools aim to provide an education that will enable all students to contribute meaningfully to their communities, embrace the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society and develop the knowledge and skills necessary to live their lives and to build their careers in the 21st century.”

GET2LS has been campaigning for an Educate Together second level school for six years, with over 1600 parents already expressing their support for this model over the course of the campaign. Galway has no multi denominational voluntary secondary school, and this bid offers the only opportunity to fill that gap and diversify school patronage in Galway.

“This final stage of the patronage process will only take account of expressions of interest (EOIs) registered through the Department’s own web service,” notes GET2LS secretary Marguerite Hughes. “We are reaching out to our existing supporters to remind them to register their support online. However, it is also important for us to reach out to all parents within the region, so that they understand the Educate Together model, and register an informed preference online.”

The deadline for parents to vote in the online survey is 31st July. Further information, including a direct link to the survey, is available from GET2LS.org/VOTE.

Voting in the DES survey is open to parents of pupils who have recently completed 1st through 5th class (anticipated second-level entry of 2019 to 2023), who live in the Galway city and Oranmore areas.

1. The Department of Education and Skills (DES) announced plans to approve a new Second-Level School for Galway on 13 April, 2018. The proposed school is a ‘regional’ solution for Galway and Oranmore. Further details were released on 7 June, when prospective patrons were invited to submit applications.
2. The target catchment area for the proposed school has been announced, but the location of the new school will not be decided until a later date.
3. There are five Educate Together primary schools in Galway: in Tuam, Kilcolgan, Claregalway, Newcastle (Galway city), and Knocknacarra (Galway city). Four (all but Tuam) fall within the catchment area of the new school.
4. Educate Together already operates 13 second level schools nationwide, and will be opening an additional four in 2018. The organisation has applied to be patron of each of the four second level schools due to open in 2019. Further information about Educate Together second level schools is available online.
5. GET2LS can make available a range of interviewees for print and broadcast interviews.
6. In addition to the photographs included here, which are cleared for media use, other graphic materials are available directly from GET2LS.

ONLINE LINKS:

1. Educate Together national website: http://www.educatetogether.ie
2. GET2LS site: http://get2ls.org/
3. GET2LS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/get2ls/
4. GET2LS Twitter: https://twitter.com/get2ls