Frequently Asked Questions
When will the school open?
The Department of Education and Skills has announced that it will open two new schools in September 2012, one in Stepaside and one in Ballinteer. The Department of Education and Skills will now accept applications from potential patrons including Eduate Together for these schools. These applications will address a number of criteria, such as parental demand for each school type. The applications will be considered by the Department and by the New Schools Establishment Group, who will advise the Minister. If you believe in the Educate Together ethos, pre-enrol your child and spread the word by telling all the Mums, Dads and Guardians that you know with small kids and babies about our campaign.
What is Educate Together?
Educate Together is the representative organisation of the Educate Together schools and associations throughout the Republic of Ireland. It owes its origins to the movement to establish new multi-denominational primary schools, which emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 1984, when Educate Together was established, there were three schools and the organisation acted as their co-ordinating body. Since then the movement has grown considerably.
Today there are 58 schools and Educate Together is advanced in its plans to open its first second-level school. The organisation became a company limited by guarantee in 1998 and has charitable status. It has a National Office which provides representative and support services to existing schools and Start-up groups. The Directors and members of the company work in a voluntary capacity.
How can I get a place for my child in the Sandyford/Ballinteer Educate Together school?
We have opened a pre-enrolment list. This list will become the actual enrolment list once we get permission from the Department of Education to open the school. The school operates a First Come, First Serve policy so pre-enroling is important if you want to ensure a place in the school for your child.
How are Educate Together Schools different?
Boards of Management in Irish national schools manage the school on behalf of the Patron. For example, in Catholic schools the Patron is the local bishop. The Patron determines the ethos, or characteristic spirit of the school, so in Catholic schools there would be a Catholic ethos. In Educate Together schools, the Patron is a company obliged to operate schools that guarantee equality of access and esteem to children “irrespective of their social, cultural or religious backgrounds”.
Why are they called Educate Together schools?
Educate Together was carefully chosen as the name of our organisation to reflect the coming together of children of different social, cultural, ethnic, religious and non-religious backgrounds. The term was first used in the 1970s together with the concept of “No Child an Outsider”. It also reflects a commitment to co-education, with girls and boys being educated together. We hope that the name reflects our commitment to inclusion and equality in the running of our schools.
Are Educate Together schools anti-religious?
No, they are multi-denominational. The schools provide an environment in which the spiritual background of each child is equally respected whatever their family’s viewpoint. Our Ethical Education Curriculum, called Learn Together, has four strands. One specific strand aims to develop in children a critical knowledge, understanding and awareness of the teachings of religious and non-theistic belief systems and how these systems relate to our shared human experience. The Learn Together curriculum aims to inform rather than instruct. It teaches children about religions rather than teaching that one is “the right way to think”.
What does ‘child-centred’ mean? In education, “Child-centred” means that teaching is carried out according to the developmental interests of the child. The curriculum in Irish National Schools has been formally child-centred since 1971. This means that the teacher in the class is committed to addressing as far as possible the individual needs of each child.
In terms of the Educate Together Charter, our commitment to the Child-centred principle means that the Board of the school must take the educational interests of the children as its fundamental priority. In a school context, it is important to understand that the Board’s commitment is to all the children in the school, whose interests must be considered equally.
Why are all Educate Together schools co-educational?Although most primary schools in Ireland are now co-educational, that was not the case when Educate Together started in the 1970s. In today’s terms, our commitment to co-education means that Educate Together is committed to encouraging children to explore their full range of opportunities irrespective of gender. We have learnt that this means much more than simply putting girls and boys in the same classroom and teaching them the same programme. We have developed programmes to counter gender stereotyping and inequity in all aspects of school life. We think that encouraging an ability amongst children to have respectful relationships between girls and boys is a vital part of preparing them for their a future in a society where hopefully there will be increasing equality between genders.