Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for giving me an opportunity to provide the House with an update on this issue. I understand that the Minister met with parents' representatives on a number of occasions and also met Deputies Stagg and Durkan regarding this issue. I am glad to be able to provide an update as a result of those ongoing discussions. The Department's plan for Maynooth at post-primary level is that there will be two separate fully vertical post-primary schools on one campus, namely, a new replacement building for the existing Maynooth post-primary school and a new school, Maynooth Community College, which is being established in 2014.

Representatives of the parents' associations from Maynooth initially put forward the view that the two schools should be configured as a junior school-senior school rather than as two separate fully vertical schools. This proposal presented difficulties, not least of which is the considerable stress that would be caused for parents and students with the introduction of a third transfer point between primary and third level and the lack of continuity of teaching for students between the junior and senior cycle. The Minister has communicated this view to local representatives directly and I understand that a more recent proposal has been put forward which moves away from the junior-senior configuration. This is a very welcome development in the ongoing discussion.

The Minister is more than aware of the desire locally to avoid issues of duplication or intra-community rivalry in the establishment of a second school and this has resulted in a new proposal from the parents' group to amalgamate the two schools, either temporarily or permanently. The Minister believes, however, that there are a number of practical operational policy measures that can be taken, with the agreement of parents and school leadership, to foster a stronger sense of common identity and to benefit from the advantages of shared resources while maintaining two separate school entities.

My Department will now be engaging with the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, ETB, to consider this and I expect that it will, in turn, be engaging further with the school leadership, parents and the community as a whole in this regard.

As part of an earlier effort to address this issue, the Kildare and Wicklow ETB, which will be patron of both schools, has developed a specific management structure for the new educational campus. Each school will have, as usual, a board of management that will carry out the normal functions of such boards, including those relating to the delivery of a quality education for students. A single governing authority has been established to guarantee to parents and students a fair and equitable enrolment policy for both schools and to ensure that the overall management of the campus will be as cohesive and effective as possible. The governing authority will comprise an independent chairperson, the principals of the schools, a teacher and parent-guardian nominated by the board of management of each school and members of the ETB. The CEO of the ETB or a nominee will also attend meetings.

The Minister is satisfied that the arrangements made by the ETB to date and the further engagement on school operational policies that will now take place will ensure that the educational needs of all students, including those with disabilities or special educational needs, are identified and provided for in the curricular programmes planned and delivered at the schools and that a quality teaching and learning environment for all students will result.

As the Deputy knows full well from having taught there, the existing post-primary school in Maynooth is highly regarded locally. The intention of the ETB is to build on that wonderful tradition of high standards and success and to provide a new community education campus comprising two fully vertical new schools. There is significant and worthwhile thinking behind their establishment. I suggest to the Deputy that this will have a positive outcome for the community as a whole.

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