Meeting to progress Westport Educate Together school

THE campaign to open an Educate Together national school in Westport will hold a public meeting on Friday, February 9, in Hotel Westport at 8 p.m. The meeting will be facilitated by Educate Together’s Jennifer Buttner, and Sarah Calvey, Castlebar Educate Together National School principal, will be on hand to answer any queries interested parents and carers may have. All are welcome.

The campaign, coordinated by Educate Together regional development officer Jennifer Buttner, and run by parents, is seeking to establish a school to serve the Westport area.

Educate Together is the only equality-based school model in Ireland and is an increasingly popular one in Mayo. Educate Together national schools are co-educational, do not require uniforms and faith formation is carried out outside school hours.

Westport ETNS would be the third Educate Together school in Mayo, joining Castlebar ETNS and Newtownwhite ETNS.

The campaign comes as a result of a government commitment made in 2011 to provide an Educate Together school to the families of Westport. This was the year that the government established the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector, with the stated aim to create more diversity and inclusiveness in the primary school system through ‘reconfiguration’ of Church buildings and schools.

Parents in 43 areas were consulted on their school patron of choice and the parents of Westport chose Educate Together.

Said Jennifer Buttner: “The campaign for an Educate Together national school is going from strength to strength in Westport and the enthusiasm and commitment of our supporters in the town is amazing. So far, progress on ‘reconfiguration’ has been slow and difficult and it’s high time that the government followed through on its commitment to provide an equality-based education to the families of Westport.”

Said Mary Horan, a parent living in Westport: “I’m very supportive of Educate Together’s equality-based model of education and think it will be beneficial to families in Westport that want choice in their children’s education.”

All are welcome to attend the public meeting to discuss the campaign on February 9.

More information on Educate Together’s campaign in Westport can be found at: www.educatetogether.ie/westport or on Facebook at Westport Educate Together.