Parents feel ‘abandoned and disrespected’ as afterschool service to close in Drumcondra

Parents in Drumcondra say they feel “abandoned and disrespected” after being told their children will no longer be able to attend afterschool care following a decision by their school’s board of management.

From September this year, roughly 76 children and their families will be without afterschool care provided in Grace Park Educate Together National School in DCU All Hallows Campus.

Families were notified of this decision in March, which parents say has left them “very little time to find alternative arrangements”.

Grace Park Educate Together National School opened its doors for the first time in 2016 and has been providing the space for a commercial afterschool provider to rent.

However, the school is now at capacity which is putting added pressure on space.

Sinead Langford is one of the parents behind the petition aiming to save the service. She told the Irish Independent that her daughter is in the afterschool four days a week.

“The news came in March having been told a month prior to that the service was successfully retendered,” she said.

“Essentially, we feel the board of management are trying to tell us that the afterschool care will have a negative impact on the education of the other children in the school.”

Ms Langford said parents who rely on the service are feeling “quite stressed” by the situation.

“There’s no guaranteed alternative option for September and at this point, we have exhausted all options for a change of location,” she said.

“Many parents are now looking to cut back their working hours and we are really frustrated with the inability of being able to engage with the board of management.

“The ethos of the school means that it is to be democratically run, it’s very disheartening.”

The parents looking to save the afterschool service say the petition has more than 1,000 signatures and are planning to continue their protest into next week.

Parent Kate Mooney said the afterschool service has been in operation without issue since the school was established.

“No problems at all, everybody is hugely happy with the service. They’re absolutely brilliant. My little fella’s best friends are from afterschool.

“There’s never been an issue. They have a lovely little community and everyone’s delighted with the service. There’s been no reason given to us that makes sense.”

Ms Mooney said the school’s board of management has refused several requests from parents to discuss the withdrawal of afterschool services.

In a document released to parents, the school said: “We know some of you may need to make alternative arrangements”.

“There’s no ‘may’ about it. We’re all working families and now we have no childcare. If there’s no afterschool we have no care for 70 families,” Ms Mooney said.

“We’re looking at my other half maybe going part-time or maybe leaving his job. A lot of families are looking at that.

“At the bottom of the communication they had a list of local providers, as if we hadn’t contacted them individually and as if they’re not all chocka-block to the gills. There isn’t a hope of getting a place in a local childcare facility.”

Ms Mooney feels the decision to close the service goes against the community ethos of Educate Together schools.

“It was always envisaged by the people who set up the school that there’d be on-site afterschool, that people would be able to cycle or scoot there and it’s on these beautiful grounds in All Hallows with loads of space,” she said.

“It just doesn’t make sense. We just feel so abandoned, and kind of disrespected by the board.”

Green Party councillor Donna Cooney was at a demonstration with parents this week and said the issue had been coming up a lot during her canvassing in the run-up to the local elections on June 7.

“Children flourish with consistency, and they love their afterschool and friends. Their parents understandably want to keep this excellent service,” she said.

“I understand the school is at capacity, but surely an arrangement can be made to retain the afterschool.

“There are very few afterschool places available in the area and the children would also be separated from their friends and carers.”

A statement from the Board of Management of Grace Park Educate Together National School said it “fully understands and acknowledges the importance of care services to parents and families”.

“Our role as a board is to balance that need with our primary charge – to ensure the viability of educational provision for all the pupils under our care.

“In that context the overarching consideration and conditions that led to the decision in relation to afterschool provision is the Board’s core responsibility of educational provision and how any use of school space must be considered in this context.

“In the school’s early years, there was sufficient space available to rent to a commercial afterschool service provider, and the board has been happy to accommodate the afterschool needs of families in our school community up to the end of this school year.

“As our school developed and grew to accommodate more families in the community, the availability of that space diminished significantly.

“The school is now at capacity this year for the first time, with fully occupied classrooms now accommodating pupils from Junior Infants up to Sixth Class.

“The board has communicated to the school community that the property is unfortunately no longer suitable for afterschool use, and that the continuation of this service would adversely impact on the education of the entire student population of the school.”

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