Early in the year, NewsFour was able to share the announcement that an Educate Together school for Dublin 4 was to be launched later this year.
Now, the new school year is weeks away (sorry kids!) and we thought it was time for an update.
The new school, for the Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount area, is named Shellybanks Educate Together National School; quite a mouthful, but Shellybanks will do for the casual mention. The name was selected for the school’s relative proximity to Sandymount Strand.
We spoke with Amy Swearingen, Educate Together’s Communications Officer. Educate Together is a volunteer-run organisation, an NGO dedicated to running schools that seek to guarantee equality of access to education and resources for children from all social, cultural or religious backgrounds.
Swearingen explains that the school is due to open on September 1st this year, and will be accepting admissions until the 30th of that month. The approach of Educate Together schools is to build from the beginning of the school career. Shellybanks National School will begin with at least two classes of junior infants, with approval having been granted for up to three such classes. Their first senior infants will be those who pass into the second year.
“Parents who are interested should go to our website www.shellybanksetns.ie for information on how to enrol their child and if they’re curious about us. We have room for one more class as things are right now.”
The initial plan for this school, formerly called simply Dublin 4 Educate Together, was for it to be sited on the Strand Road, by Sean Moore Park, Sandymount. The current site is instead just off Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge. This will be a temporary location, pending planning permission on the permanent site.
For more information, consult the website or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ShellybanksEducateTogether
By Rúairí Conneely
