With the new Educate Together school in Castlebar this week getting the initial approval to go ahead in Marsh House in the town for the next few years, the long term views for the school were aired by the members of the Castlebar Municipal District at their July meeting this week.
Fine Gael councillor Cyril Burke raised the possibility of the school moving to the recently closed Glenisland National School, which is located 10km away from its new temporary location. Cllr Burke told the meeting: "It has come to our attention that Glenisland National School has become vacant and available and is ready to go so to speak, that is something that should be given consideration as well. The fact is that it's vacant and in good condition."
Fianna Fáil councillor Blackie Gavin also asked whether it was considered: "I'd ask the Department did they look at Glenisland school, I know the Burren School [which was not proposed last year] wasn't appropriate." His party colleague Cllr Martin McLoughlin also asked about Glenisland school being a potential home, and said that he had visited it recently, and it was in great condition.
The councillors did concede that the distance from the town could be a problem with the Glenisland school. The principal of the Castlebar Educate Together school, Sarah Calvey addressed the meeting and laid the reasons why the school needs to be located in the town, telling the meeting: "A survey conducted in 2012 alluded to the fact it was going to be in the town. The parents from the town want to send their children to a school in the town. It's a school for the town, the Department of Education and Skills and Mayo County Council decided on Marsh House. My main concern is for the children starting in September, it's now July they don't know where they are starting school. I have 12 junior infants enrolled for this year, I have a huge amount of interest for the following year and we probably will outgrow it in five years time, we may even outgrow it before then there is such interest in the town for it. There is no other Educate Together school in the town, there is only one other co-educational school in the town in Scoil Rafatairi. This is about choice in the town. In 1977 the first Educate Together school was established, we are in 2016 and we only have one in Mayo, as a municipal district, I'm calling on you to move with the times and provide the the town with a choice of Educate Together."
