Greystones Community College will start its first year in the clubhouse at Greystones Tennis Club.
Written by Mary Fogarty - Bray People
Principal of the new school Ruairi Farrell said that there has been a great response from the community following their plight.
The school was supposed to use a section of the newly built Greystones Community National School. But due to a disagreement over safety testing between the Department of Education and Western Building Systems, the building is not yet ready for occupation.
'It will be tight on space but we will make it work,' said Mr Farrell.
70 pupils will be starting in first year in September.
'The transition from primary to post-primary is difficult enough without adding this uncertainty into the mix,' said the principal, who was formerly the deputy principal at Colaiste Craobh Abhann. The agreement with the tennis club was made last Wednesday. Up until then students and parents did not know where the school would be.
'It has been overwhelming to see the community response and support following the difficult news we received on July 29 that our interim accommodation at Greystones Community National School would unfortunately not be ready for handover,' said Mr Farrell.
'We are delighted to be temporarily accommodated in Greystones Lawn Tennis Club and we very much thank the Chairperson, Manager and Committee along with the club members for their willingness to go above and beyond to facilitate the opening of our new school.
'Throughout all of this, the students of Greystones Community College have always being the number one priority for us as we worked around the clock to secure suitable emergency premises for teaching and learning in the short term,' said Mr Farrell. 'It is important to also point out that we have also received an offer of support from Éire Og GAA club and we look forward to availing of their facilities as we grow and develop. 'Even withstanding this recent change to our location, the vision for Greystones Community College remains strong and we will ensure that all students receive top quality teaching, care and support in the weeks, months and years ahead.'
Negotiations on the matter of the national school building are ongoing between the Department of Education and Western Building Systems.
'We are awaiting information from the department,' said WBS this week. WBS were told on July 29, that a test showed that part of a system did not meet required standards. They rejected this and had called for a meeting with the department.
Link: https://www.independent.ie/regionals/braypeople/new-secondary-school-will-start-the-year-in-tennis-club-39459986.html