Greystones Community College To Allocate Extra Places For Students In North Wicklow

Wicklow TD for the Social Democrats, Jennifer Whitmore has welcomed the news that Greystones students without a 1st Year secondary school place have been allocated places in Greystones Community College.

“I’m very thankful to Greystones Community College (GCC) and their Principal Ruairí Farrell for accommodating these children and ensuring that they will be able to start school next week. GCC has consistently been at the forefront of providing solutions to the Department of Education throughout this school places crisis and this is another example of that approach by the school.”

“However, the Department should have never let this crisis go on this long. The Department of Education were made aware of a significant shortfall of school places in October of last year, when local schools rang alarm bells about accommodation needs. I have been working with the schools and local parents to try to resolve this issue since it was first brought to my attention.

But despite assurances from both the Minister for Education and the Department that all children would get a school place in Greystones several families were left in limbo and suffered a huge amount of stress over the last few months.

It is completely unacceptable that these children have only finally been offered a secondary school place one week before schools start back.” added Deputy Whitmore, who is also the Social Democrats Spokesperson for Children.

“Every year there are issues with a lack of school places in Greystones and I believe that next year will also be problematic as the long-awaited new school builds, such as the GCC permanent school building, will not be ready for the 2025/26 school year.

The Department needs to start planning ahead and have solutions in place so that children and families aren’t put through this traumatic experience again.”

“Every child deserves to go to school and the most basic thing that a government should do is provide a classroom space for each child. This government has failed to do this time and time again in Wicklow and across the country,” concluded Ms Whitmore.