Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if in the context of the provision of two new second level school buildings in Maynooth, County Kildare, it is expected that his Department and the Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board will have full regard for the clearly expressed wishes in a democratic plebiscite of the parents of students attending Maynooth Post Primary School and the parents of the children attending the primary feeder schools in the area, regarding the format and ethos of the proposed new school structures in the form of a junior and senior cycle, multi-denominational post-primary school in two separate buildings on the site purchased by Kildare Vocational Education Committee at Moyglare, Maynooth, under the control of Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board, governed by a principal and board of management thereby continuing a seamless educational process for the area as already established; if cognisance is to be taken of the many well-attended public meetings attended by representatives of Maynooth Post Primary School, the chief executive of the Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board and large numbers of local parents at which this structure was agreed, a fact overlooked during a recent local radio interview by the chief executive of the Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board; if it is recognised that the plebiscite result showed a majority of 75% in favour of the agreed proposal and that this remains the express wishes of the people of Maynooth and surrounding areas, as illustrated in the report by Dr. Gerry Jeffers of NUI Maynooth (details supplied); if he will use his good offices in view of this compelling evidence of the choice of the parents and educationalists of the area with a view to accepting the local preference in the interest of transparency and fairness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55027/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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There are fundamental educational reasons for not allowing a junior/senior post-post primary school configuration in Maynooth. These include:

- The introduction of a third major transfer point for students between primary level and third level.

- The question of which school the Transition Year should be placed in.

- The undermining of Department policy to maintain as common a curriculum as possible for as long as possible to avoid the risk of specialisation too early and school drop out.

- The potential danger that the senior school will come to be seen as the 'specialist' Leaving Certificate centre into which transfers are sought at senior cycle.

- The loss of the advantages to be gained when teachers regularly teach students from first year to sixth year.

- The possibility of students from other schools seeking entry to the senior school with the attendant repercussions for other schools.

Apart for these compelling educational reasons, patronage of the new school, was awarded to the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) on the basis that the new school would deliver the prescribed curriculum at both Junior and Senior Cycle. Any change to this stated intention could lead to a challenge or to calls for the patronage determination process to be commenced afresh. This could have the effects of both delaying the establishment of the new school and, of course, re-opening the patronage of the new school to other applicant patrons.

I have met with a parents' deputation and, in accordance with normal protocol following such meetings, I communicated the outcome of my subsequent consideration of this matter to the Deputies who had requested the meeting. I also recently wrote directly to the Chairperson of the Maynooth Schools Group fully outlining the reasons for my decision to provide Maynooth with two fully-vertical post-primary schools and confirming that I am adhering to this decision.

I am satisfied that the enrolment procedures put in place by the management structure developed by the KTWEB for the new campus will ensure a fair and equitable enrolment policy for both schools.