“There was no consultative process with parents of students or teachers in Notre Dame Junior School before the decision was taken to close the school in 2017. The current situation is obviously not to the satisfaction of the parents and has been compounded by the way it was communicated. Following a meeting on November 10th, 2016 with the Minster for Education with parent representatives from Notre Dame which local T.D.s, including myself attended, I wrote to the Minister for Education for an update on the situation in relation to finding school places for these children but to date regrettably he has not replied to either myself or the parents.
Parents in Notre Dame should not have been advised that they could find places for their children in Ballinteer Educate Together National School as that school has a large waiting list and although they welcome anyone who wishes to pre-enrol a child on their website, they simply wouldn’t be able to accommodate all the children who have been displaced due to the closure Notre Dame Junior School in 2017 and BETNS were never formally approached to do this.
Ballinteer Educate Together National School learned of their temporary relocation to the Notre Dame site through social media and this is simply not good enough. The parents in both schools have been treated with scant respect. They shouldn’t have to learn about the fate of their children’s school on social media or print media.
Needless to say, parents of Notre Dame students remain focused and firm in their resolve and all other avenues are being exhausted for the betterment of their children. I will continue doing all I can to bring about a fair solution for these children.”
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