co. wexford vec...co. wexford vec is the largest provider of night classes in co. wexford and...

Co. Wexford VEC

Submission to the DES with regard to

the patronage of the proposed new Post

Primary School in Gorey

Gorey Community College Working Group, September 2010 1

Contents Introduction 3 Gorey Community College Working Group 4 A Prospectus for Gorey’s new school 5 Response to Selection Criteria 9 Public Information Leaflet 17


Introduction This document has been prepared by the Co. Wexford VEC Gorey Community

College Working Group in response to the Department of Education and Skills

process for the selection of a patron for the new Post Primary School scheduled to

open in Gorey in September 2011.

The document includes a draft prospectus outlining our organisation’s vision for the

new school, our responses to each of the DES’s selection criteria, and a copy of a

public information leaflet we have distributed.

It should be noted that important school policies relating to such matters as enrolment

policy, code of behaviour and the curriculum are a matter for the new school principal

and the Board of Management to devise in discussion with the education partners.

With this in mind Co. Wexford VEC, if appointed as patron for the new school will

immediately move to appoint an interim Board of Management and will also

immediately set in train the process of recruiting the school’s principal.

However, given the timescale involved, we believe the devising of an Interim

Enrolment Policy for the academic year 2011/12 to be of immediate concern and our

organisation has already initiated preliminary discussions with the principal of Gorey

Community School in this regard. If appointed as patron, our working group’s top

priority will be to finalise an Interim Enrolment Policy that will facilitate a smooth

transition to a two-school centre in Gorey.


Membership of Gorey Community College Working Group Jim Moore, Chairperson, Co. Wexford VEC

Seamus Murphy, Acting CEO, Co. Wexford VEC

Eilis Leddy, Education Officer, Co. Wexford VEC

Pat O’Connor, CEO (Retired), Co. Dublin VEC

Paul Glynn, Member of Co. Wexford VEC


Response to Selection Criteria Whether the school is willing to accommodate pupils of all faiths and none and cater for their requirements.

Our ‘non-designated’ community college model is multi-denominational. The

Department’s Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Religious Education Syllabus

will be offered as a subject in our curriculum. While this syllabus acknowledges the

central importance of Christianity in an Irish cultural and historical context, it focuses

on and encourages students “to appreciate the richness of religious traditions and to

acknowledge the non-religious interpretation of life”.

Gorey Community College will be open to the provision of denomination-specific

religious education during and/or outside the normal school opening hours. The

representation of both of the major Christian denominations on the college’s Board of

Management will facilitate discussions on any such provision. The Board of

Management will also be prepared to enter into discussions with representatives of

other faith groups in the area with a view to catering for the needs of their members in

the college. Such provision will of necessity take cognisance of issues such as teacher

allocation and impact on students’ mainstream academic study. All parties to any such

arrangement and all members of staff in Gorey Community College will be required

to acknowledge the college’s multi-denominational status and to show and encourage

respect for those who do not share their religious beliefs.

Gorey Community College’s uniform policy will be devised in keeping with

recommendations issued by the then Minister in 2008, notably “no school uniform

policy should act in such a way that it, in effect, excludes students of a particular

religious background from seeking enrolment or continuing their enrolment in a

school”.

All students in Gorey Community College will follow the Department’s syllabi in

both Social Personal and Health Education and Civic Social and Political Education.

These syllabi are complementary and provide opportunities to foster tolerant and


respectful attitudes towards all members of the school community. All members of

staff will be expected to model and promote such attitudes at all times.

Whether the school is willing to establish an Aonad for pupils desiring tuition through the Irish language.

Article 8 of the Irish Constitution states that:

“The Irish language as the national language is the first official language.”

Government policy with regard to the Irish language as expressed in December 2006

includes the following objective:

“A high standard of all-Irish education will be provided to school students whose parents/guardians so wish. Gaelscoileanna will continue to be supported at primary level and all-Irish provision at post-primary level will be developed to meet follow-on demand.”

Gaelscoil Mhoshíológ in Gorey has an enrolment of almost 200 students. Co.

Wexford VEC believes that every effort should be made to provide all-Irish tuition at

post-primary level to meet the follow-on demand from students progressing from this

gaelscoil (and students from other primary schools with the necessary competence in

Irish who wish to avail of the option).

The Community College model includes representation on the Board of Management

from An Foras Pátrúnachta which will facilitate the input of that organisation and the

local Gaelscoil in implementing the ultimate objective of providing a comprehensive

all-Irish second-level education in Gorey.

In making arrangements for the establishment of an Aonad, Co. Wexford VEC and

the Board of Management of our community college would consult with other VECs

and community colleges with a proven track record in this regard such as Coláiste

Choilm/Gaelcholáiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co. Cork and the Central Technical


Institute (comprising Coláiste Chluain Meala and Gaelcholáiste Chéitinn), Clonmel

Co. Tipperary. Any such proposal is not to undermine existing gaelcholáistí in

Arklow and Enniscorthy, but to complement their provision with an alternative option

for parents who do not want their sons and daughters to travel long distances from the

Gorey area to access all-Irish post primary education.

Whether the school offers the broadest comprehensive curriculum possible on a co-educational basis.

Students of Gorey Community College will be prepared for the Junior Certificate and

Leaving Certificate examinations. VEC-run community college’s have a proven track

record in offering a broad range of subjects to students up to Leaving Cert Higher

Level. VEC colleges have also been to the forefront in embracing innovative

approaches to both the Leaving Certificate (LCVP, LCAP) and the Junior Certificate

(JCSP).

Within a few years Gorey Community College will grow to be a large Community

College and will offer a broad range of subjects to incoming students, incorporating

technologies, the arts, humanities, languages and sciences. It is imperative and in the

interests of both schools that the range of subjects available in the new college should

be comparable to that offered by Gorey Community School. Co. Wexford VEC, as

joint patron of Gorey Community School, will be prepared to enter into exploratory

partnership discussions with that school with a view to sharing staff and resources in

minority and specialist subject areas in such a manner as to offer the broadest possible

curriculum in both schools. As a College under the patronage of Co. Wexford VEC

the new school will be able to tap into the VEC’s existing mechanism for the sharing

of staff between VEC colleges.

The precise structure of the college’s curriculum will be a matter for the principal and

the Board of Management to devise in response to the needs of the school community.

Matters to be considered will include the issue of curricular-overload, the provision of

an all-Irish stream, the provision of the JCSP, the school’s policy on streaming/mixed

ability, availability of suitably qualified staff, the desirability of providing continuity

of study from Junior to Senior Cycle and the provision of as varied as possible a range


of subjects to best cater for the disparate interests and talents of the student body. As a

multi-denominational college, Gorey Community College is committed to offering the

DES’s Religious Education syllabus at Junior and Senior Cycle.

Co. Wexford VEC schools have embraced the LCVP and LCAP programmes at

Senior Cycle and Gorey Community College will also offer these programmes as well

as a Transition Year programme.

Gorey Community College will be mindful of the need to avoid subject-specific

gender stereo-typing and it will be school policy that all class groups/subject choices

will be open to both genders. Subject choice structures will be designed in a manner

that empowers male and female students to freely choose their optional subjects in

keeping with their own individual interests and talents.

Whether the school is willing to expand/operate in the size range of 800 to 1,000 pupils.

The Community College model of post primary school, both designated and non-

designated, has a proven track record throughout the country in managing large post

primary schools. Examples of such schools from Ballincollig in Cork to Castletroy in

Limerick to Castleknock in Dublin and many more operate post primary schools in

excess of 1000 pupils.

VECs over the years have established proven in-school management systems to deal

with a range of management functions in schools. Clearly defined duties and

functions covering the pastoral and administrative needs of students have been

developed and honed into efficient systems of school management. These systems

have widespread acceptance by students, parents and teachers.

County Wexford VEC currently operates seven post primary schools. Two of these

are large schools. Enniscorthy Vocational College has over 850 pupils and

Bridgetown Vocational College has in excess of 600 pupils.


VECs have always been mindful of their duty to cater for all pupils and have always

been willing to deploy whatever measures are necessary to address surges in student

numbers. Co. Wexford VEC and VECs generally have proven their capacity to accept

and cater for students where demand for places exceeds the capacity of existing

buildings.

Whether the school is willing to enable flexible use of the school buildings and facilities to allow for community use in the form of evening classes or use of PE halls and sporting facilities (evening classes may be provided by the school itself or another service provider).

The provision of the new school in Gorey represents a significant multi-million euro

infrastructural investment by the state. Second level schools typically operate from

9am to 4pm and are closed for extensive holiday periods. In order to maximise the

benefit of such a significant investment to not only the school itself but to the wider

community, it is imperative that the facilities are available for utilisation for

educational/recreational purposes outside of normal school opening hours and outside

of term time.

The forging of links with community groups, sports organisations and local business

interests can be of great benefit to the school itself, for example, when seeking

placements for work experience or when accessing local services and expertise, and

can greatly increase the range and quality of co- and extra- curricular activities

available within the school.

Co. Wexford VEC is the largest provider of night classes in Co. Wexford and operates

a range of community, adult literacy and adult education programmes. VEC patronage

of the new school will enable these services to be readily expanded and enhanced in

the Gorey area by utilisation of the new school’s state-of-the-art facilities.

In making school facilities available to community groups Gorey Community College

and Co. Wexford VEC will be mindful of their responsibility in the first instance to

protect the interests of the school and its principal users, and to implement best

practice in this regard as outlined in circular M18/05.


Whether the school model is willing to protect the State’s investment by guaranteeing the future educational use of school buildings for changing circumstances and demographics.

As a statutory body Co.Wexford VEC is a democratically appointed body grounded in

legislation. This model provides an absolute guarantee of the State’s investment as the

school remains at all times in state ownership. There is a longstanding tradition of

VECs protecting state investment in education by developing school facilities to be

adaptable to changing circumstances as demographics and the educational needs of an

area change.

There is no other model of patronage that provides this absolute security of buildings

and facilities. Full ownership and change of use of buildings and land are reserved

functions of the Vocational Education Committee.

The capacity of the school to make the most efficient use of teaching resources in times of changing circumstances such as through the availability of a teacher redeployment scheme.

VECs have always employed staff on a scheme basis as opposed to on an individual

school basis. County Wexford VEC has operated such redeployment since its

inception in 1930. In addition to operating their own internal redeployment scheme,

VECs are also affiliated to the new cross-sectoral redeployment scheme. County

Wexford VEC has always operated within its approved staffing allocations and has

never been in a position of having supernumerary teachers. County Wexford VEC’s

track record and the VEC sector’s track record in this area far exceeds that of any

other sector. In fact, for years both the Voluntary Secondary, and ACCS sectors have

had considerable difficulties in operating such schemes.

Co. Wexford VEC’s scheme-based employment contract readily facilitates the sharing

of teaching staff between its constituent colleges.


Whether the establishment of the school would not result in a surplus of pupils that would necessitate the establishment of a very small school to cater for them.

The establishment of a ‘non-designated’ community college in Gorey will provide the

town with the most inclusive school model in the state and this will complement the

existing Community School. The town will then have a post primary school provision

of circa 2,200 student places

The existing Community School was established in 1993 following the amalgamation

of the Loreto Girls’ Convent School, the Christian Brothers Boys’ Secondary School

and the Vocational School. The traditions of these schools are reflected in the

ethos/characteristic spirit of the Community School. The establishment of the

proposed Non-Designated Community College as the second post primary school in

the town will ensure that all traditions in the town will be catered for.

This County Wexford VEC proposal will include representatives of the patrons of all

the existing primary schools in the area on the College’s Board of Management and

this will ensure that no group will be left outside the post primary school provision in

the town.

Recently, Co. Wexford VEC has played a key role in addressing short-term issues of

excess demand for second level places in Gorey Community School. Co. Wexford

VEC has a history of providing for the educational needs of students where a surge in

student numbers creates difficulties and has always been willing to engage with the

Department in addressing any short-term problems. We note that there will be land

adjacent to the site of the new school that is suitable for the placing of temporary

accommodation should the need arise in the future to do so.

Whether the establishment of the school would result in greater diversity of school provision in the area where there is a demand for such diversity.

As outlined above, Gorey Community School was founded in 1993 as an

amalgamation of two existing Catholic Voluntary Secondary Schools and a


Vocational School. As such, Gorey Community School espouses a Roman Catholic

ethos. While the vast majority of primary school students in the Gorey catchment area

are attending Catholic Primary schools there are a significant number of students

attending non-Catholic primary schools in the area. Approximately 200 students

attend the Church of Ireland’s Central School in Gorey, another 200 students attend

Educate Together’s multi-denominational Primary School in the town and there are

just under 200 students attending Gaelscoil Mhoshíológ. These non-Catholic schools

combined account for approximately 20% of the primary school population in the

Gorey Catchment Area.

Co. Wexford VEC’s proposed Community College will be multi-denominational.

Members of all of the Gorey area’s primary school patrons will sit on the college’s

Board of Management and this will facilitate the college in ensuring that the

educational needs of all of the main faith groups in the area and the needs of those of

no faith can be met in Gorey Community College. The Board of Management will

also be willing to enter into discussions with representatives of other faith groups in

the area or which may emerge in the future with a view to meeting the needs of

members of their community in our college.


Public Information Leaflet


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