Sitting Here In Limbo

The next generation…

ith the allocation of an extra classroom at Greystones Community College on May 10th, it seemed as though the shortfall in secondary school places here had finally been sorted.

Sure there were still hurdles ahead – such as the long delays on the new GCC build and the Temple Carrig School extension – but the 70 students with no particular place to go after primary school were now thrown a lifeline.

Only, given the complexity of waiting lists, somewhere between 10 and 12 Greystones kids are still without a secondary school place. And it’s getting late.

Which is why a group of local parents have put together the following statement…

Needless to say we as parents are all exhausted from this nightmare and feel like it will never be over. We are all stressed, burnt out and have nowhere and no one to turn to.

Our children are feeling excluded, isolated and incredibly anxious.

All of their friends have school places, have had their school tours and picked their first year subjects whilst our children have not had the chance to be part of this exciting time in their lives. Instead they come home each day, rushing through the door asking if we have any news. As a parent, can you imagine how this feels?

Utterly helpless.

Says one mother, “Our daughter is the only one in her school without a place. Last week, the two sixth classes and other classes from our community went on a meet and greet with students from their prospective secondary schools, and we had to keep our child at home. She could not face being the only one without a place, and begged and cried for me to keep her home.

“Our daughter has said things like, ‘Why am I not wanted?’ and ‘Why am I the only one?’, and it makes us wonder, why did the Department of Education make a promise they are not keeping?”

Another parent states, “Our son walks past the school we applied to; he feels so sad when he sees them all playing sports and wants so much to go to that school and be part of it. His self-esteem has become so low. Every parent tries so hard to build their child up, to help them be confident, but when they and the others without a school place are being called The Misfits in school, it is very difficult to help them be resilient.”

We as parents are constantly calling and writing to the Department Of Education, and we are emailing Simon Harris’ office daily. We don’t get any information or replies. Simon’s office phone number goes to voicemail. Yet he was in The Wicklow times saying what a relief it was that the school places crisis is over for Greystones.

Well, it’s far from over.

The waiting lists for the schools are not being managed by anyone other than the schools. How can one child be 194 on St Davids waiting list? How can Greystones Community College add a further 20 places and yet we are still 10 places short? The numbers simply do not add up.

Parents have accepted a place in two schools or have accepted one place but are ‘bed blocking’ on other waiting lists; it is simply not good enough that no one steps in and sorts this out.

Policy is only policy, it is not a law – therefore can be changed by Simon’s or the DOE’S office now to allow these children to move on with their lives.

It is against the law however for us as parents to not have our child in school this September.

This is a community issue and we are asking parents to please make a decision; be happy with one place and take their child’s names off the waiting lists so we can give our children a chance.

Remember the It Takes A Village initiative we were all asked to sign up for?

How about we start acting like we care about the children in our community.