Rathcoole Educate Together National School has welcomed the news the Department of Education has finally published details of the design for their permanent school campus in Rathcoole Village. The Department have now submitted a planning application to the county council for a 20-classroom primary school in Rathcoole Village. The school board and parents’ representatives has called for all local councillors and TDs to give their full support to the school and ensure there are no further delays to this school building project.
Austin O’Sullivan, Chair of the Rathcoole ETNS Board of Management said “Rathcoole ETNS has been open since September 2020. We have 100 pupils and as a new school we are continuing to grow year on year. Our present temporary accommodation will be unable to accommodate the school from autumn 2025 and hence the urgency of our need to relocate the school to the permanent site in Rathcoole Village.
Rathcoole ETNS uniquely among local schools provide 2 autism classes, which are the only classes that cater for autistic primary school children in Rathcoole Village. The new school campus will allow us to increase this to 4 autism classes. The planning application by the Department of Education is not a moment too soon. The Board of Management look forward to working with all stakeholders to provide this much needed school for the children of Rathcoole”.
Mariana Rovenco, parent of a second-class pupil said “Our children are already playing an active role in Rathcoole Village life with our litter picking, biodiversity and sustainability projects. The permanent school campus is ideally located adjacent to the Rathcoole Woodlands. Recently we held our Halloween Treasure Hunt in Rathcoole Park and Woodlands to bring awareness to the children of the natural beauty of the area. In fact, the children are at present caring for the trees, soil and plant pots donated by Rathcoole Tidy Towns and the school has completed an application for our first green flag.
We have been teaching Rathcoole children the importance of ‘thinking globally and acting locally’ with our biodiversity and tidy towns projects. The need for our pupils to commute from Rathcoole to Citywest every morning flies in the face of this. The moving of the school campus to its permanent site in Rathcoole Village not only benefits the school community with a modern up to date campus, but also eases local traffic congestion ending the crazy situation of Rathcoole families commuting to Citywest by car to attend a Rathcoole school.”
The permanent primary school complex will be located on an undeveloped site owned by the Department of Education in Rathcoole Village for 40 years. The permanent school campus will include 20 classrooms, 4 autism classes, PE Hall, basketball courts and vegetable gardens.
Brian Hennigan, parent of a junior infants pupil said “We have waited a long time for the Department of Education to produce these plans for our permanent school campus. It is now essential that as representatives of the local community our politicians get behind this project to ensure there are no further delays, so our children can have the school accommodation they deserve. Let the politicians be on notice that if they come knocking on our door for votes, young families in Rathcoole expect them to support the facilities we urgently need.”
Rathcoole ETNS Principal Gemma Maher said “The school has already been through a long and winding process to get to this point. As members of the community in Rathcoole, our parents will be asking all our politicians, residents and community groups to support our school project. This school is not only for the current generation of pupils attending Rathcoole ETNS but will be an important amenity and facility for all the community in Rathcoole for decades to come”.
As part of Rathcoole ETNS’ community engagement, the school will be hosting an information evening for parents, local representatives and community organisations in the school’s existing temporary accommodation in Citywest on the evening of Wednesday January 17th at 6pm.
Further information on Rathcoole ETNS is available at rathcooleetns.ie
Pictured:
‘Rathcoole ETNS pupils Finn Maher (Second Class) and Cuán Maher (Senior Infants) next to the site for the new Rathcoole Primary School Campus. Finn was the first pupil in Rathcoole ETNS and hopes that his school will move to its new home before he finishes primary school’.
