Mercy girls unhappy with proposed amalgamation
Unrest is growing over the move to the Presentation Secondary School site following an amalgamation with the Mercy School in the absence of concrete assurances that adequate facilities will be funded by the Education Department.
Students of the Mercy School in Newtownsmyth in the heart of the city have added their voices to the debate over the amalgamation, claiming the move made no sense financially or practically.
In a letter from the Mercy Transition Year students, the girls questioned where the money would come from to build facilities such as a gym, technology room and a kitchen for hot food, which the Presentation site does not contain.
“We believe with the spacious area of our school grounds, it is obvious when looking at both sites by the areas of both buildings that the Mercy stands out to be the most capable of facilitating a medium sized school of 500 students.”
A 2009 report by consultants investigating a possible merger recommended that the school should be located on the Mercy site. In anticipation of this, the school undertook a range of work including rewiring of the whole school, installation of improved fire alarm, exterior insulation, facade replastering, a resurfaced car park, new showers, upgraded catering facilities, new technology room and refurbished computer rooms – all paid for by the State.
The patron of the schools, CEIST (Catholic Education, an Irish Schools Trust) insists, however, that only one survey of the two schools ever took place and that was the independent study that was commissioned by CEIST in 2014. That study identified the Presentation site as the most suitable for the amalgamated school.
The survey found that two-thirds of the Mercy’s teaching spaces were 9% smaller than recommended in Department of Education guidelines, the gym was too small for 500 students and there was a 12% deficit in toilet facilities, compared to a 60% surplus in the Presentation.
While there was no gym or adequate technology rooms, the report found the Presentation site had adequate space for an expansion, while the Mercy site is restricted due to its size.
The Presentation site was recommended as it "requires the least amount of re-modelling of the existing structure and has the potential for expansion to accommodate a combined curriculum and additional teaching spaces".
Dr Marie Griffin, CEO of Ceist, said students could be assured that facilities would be provided in the Presentation site to ensure they can access the full curriculum.
“CEIST, as patron, will engage with the Department of Education and Skills in relation to the provision of any identified deficits in the site. Any changes that are taking place now are for the long-term benefit of girls' education in the Galway City area and will ensure a strong, Catholic voluntary secondary school in the combined Mercy and Presentation traditions,” she wrote to the Galway City Tribune.
However in response to a question tabled in the Dáil, Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan would not give a commitment on funding any extension of the facilities.
The reason for the amalgamation is due to a downturn in enrolments and is scheduled to be fully completed by September 2016.