Educate Together: Difference between revisions

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'''Educate Together''' ({{Lang-ga|Ag Foghlaim Le Chéile}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vision-net.ie/Company-Info/Educate-Togetherag-Foghlaim-Le-Cheile-286202|title=Educate Together/Ag Foghlaim Le Cheile – Irish Company Info|website=vision-net.ie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maynoothet.ie/principals-welcome/|title=Principal's Welcome – Maynooth}}</ref> is an educational charity in the [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] which is the patron body to "equality-based, co-educational, child centred, and democratically run" schools.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.educatetogether.ie/about/core-principles | publisher = Educate Together | title = About Us -– Core Principles| accessdate = 8 December 2016 }}</ref> It was founded in 1984 to act as the patron body for the new multidenominational schools that opened after the establishment of the [[Dalkey School Project]].<ref name="dalkey1970s">{{cite webnews|url = http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/my-education-week-board-meetings-facetime-with-my-grandchildren-and-an-honorary-doctorate-1.2870110 | title = Áine Hyland -– Biography | publishernewspaper = The Irish Times | date = 21 November 2016 | quote = "''[the establishment of] one of the first multidenominational schools in Ireland, the Dalkey School Project, in the mid-1970s, [...] led to the creation of Educate Together''" }}</ref>

As of 20192024, Educate Together is the patron of 9096 [[National school (Ireland)|national school]]s in the Republic of Ireland.<ref name="schools">{{cite web|url = https://www.educatetogether.ie/aboutschools/overviewfind-a-school/ | titlewebsite = Educate Together Schoolseducatetogether.ie | publishertitle = Educate Together |- websiteFind =a educatetogether.ieSchool | archive-urlarchiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/2019111221583920240219050532/https://www.educatetogether.ie/aboutschools/overviewfind-a-school/ |archive-date archivedate = 1219 NovemberFebruary 20192024 | quote = Educate Together operates a national network of 92 primary117 schools in Ireland – 96 primary and 1721 second-level, catering to over 37,000 students. There are also four Educate Together primary schools in IrelandEngland }}</ref>

Educate Together has its roots in the Dalkey School Project founded in the 1970s.<ref name="dalkey1970s"/><ref>{{cite webnews|url = http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/lack-of-cross-cultural-education-depressing-says-president-1.2656553 | publishernewspaper = The Irish Times |date = 21 May 2016 | title = Lack of cross-cultural education 'depressing', says President }}</ref> Before multi-denominational education, some of those involved in education in Ireland, such as [[AineÁine Hyland]], Michael Johnston and Florrie Armstrong, questioned the denominational nature of the system and the need to have students of different faiths in different schools.<ref name="it-florrie-armstrong-obituary"/>

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''“To"To develop and support in Ireland the establishment of schools which are multi-denominational (i.e. with equal right of access for the children of Catholic, Protestant and other parents, and with the cultural and social background of each child held in equal respect), co-educational and managed under a system which is predominantly democratic in character, wherever and whenever there is viable local support for such a school".”''

As of 2016, the majority of primary schools in the [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] arewere owned by religious communities (or boards of governors).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/education/the-irish-education-system/overview-of-the-irish-education-system |title=Overview of the Irish education system |publisher=Citizensinformation.ie |accessdate=9 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203052154/http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/education/the-irish-education-system/overview-of-the-irish-education-system |archive-date=3 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Of the 3,200 primary schools in Ireland, only 2% are multidenominational.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

|title=Cultural politics and Irish education since the 1950s |author=Denis O'Sullivan |year=2005 |page=200 |publisher=[[Institute of Public Administration (Ireland)|Institute of Public Administration]]|isbn=9781904541264 }}</ref> The school opened at the start of the 1978–79 school year in temporary premises with [[Florence Armstrong|Florrie Armstrong]] as the school principal.<ref name="it-florrie-armstrong-obituary">{{cite news |url= http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/obituaries/2010/0109/1224261975401.html |title=Pioneer of Irish multi-denominational education |publishernewspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=9 January 2010}}</ref>

By 1984 two other multi-denominational schools had been started and Educate Together was established as a co-ordinating umbrella body.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.educatetogether.ie/about/history/ | title = A brief history of the organisation| publisher = Educate Together | accessdate = 9 December 2016}}</ref> The organisation became a company limited by guarantee in 1998,<ref name="ninenew">{{cite webnews|url = http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/nine-new-educate-together-schools-to-open-this-year-1.2768066 | publishernewspaper = The Irish Times | title = Nine new Educate Together schools to open this year | date = 25 August 2016 }}</ref> and from the year 2000, all new Educate Together schools operate with the patronage of the national company.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} Educate Together has charitable status in Ireland.<ref name="ninenew"/>

In 2016, Educate Together was awarded [[Secularist of the Year]] by the UK's [[National Secular Society]], for putting "secularist principles into action and [demonstrating] what a 21st century secular education system should look like – children and young people educated together, taught an ethical education curriculum in a school with an inclusive ethos without any imposition of religion".<ref>{{cite web|title=Educate Together awarded 'Secularist of the Year' prize|url=http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2016/03/educate-together-awarded-secularist-of-the-year-prize|website=National Secular Society|date=19 March 2016 |accessdate=19 March 2016}}</ref>

The number of schools run by the organisation has grown: in 2007 it was 40, in 2008 it was 44 and by 2018 this number had risen to over 100 including its second -level schools and its schools in the UK. In terms of pupil numbers, 2018 was the first year in which there were over 25,000 students attending an Educate Together school.{{factcitation needed|date=September 2018}} By 2009 Educate Together had become the fastest-growing patron of schools in the [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]].<ref name="it-regulation-of-school-patronage-urged">{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1204/1224260043014.html |title=Regulation of school patronage urged |publishernewspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=4 December 2009}}</ref> In 2015, three new schools opened in Tuam, Co.County Galway, Pelletstown, Dublin and New Ross, County Wexford and one in Kildare.<ref>{{Cite press release|url = https://www.educatetogether.ie/media/national-news/new-2015-schools|title = Educate Together Opens Four Schools in Dublin, Galway, Kildare and Wexford|date = 1 September 2015 |accessdate = 9 December 2016 |publisher = Educate Together }}</ref>

Educate Together schools teach the Irish Primary School Curriculum, which includes 30 minutes a day (2 hours 30 minutes per week) to be spent on faith formation.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.into.ie/ROI/InformationforMedia/InformationforJournalists/TimeSpentonEachSubject.pdf| publisher = INTO | title = How much time is spent teaching subjects in primary schools? (1999 Primary School Curriculum)| accessdate = 9 December 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite webnews| url = http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/major-changes-to-primary-school-day-proposed-1.2885659 | title = Major changes to primary school day proposed | publishernewspaper = The Irish Times | date = 29 November 2016 | quote = "''At present most primary schools typically spend up to 2½ hours teaching religion – or faith formation – each week''" }}</ref> In an Educate Together school this time is spent teaching their Learn Together Ethical Education Curriculum rather than the religious instructions programmes taught in denominational schools.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.educatetogether.ie/about/learn-together | publisher = Educate Together | title = What is Educate Together? -– Ethical Education | accessdate = 9 December 2016 }}</ref> There are four strands to this programme.

As of 20182024, there arewere 9596 Educate Together primary schools in Ireland, in 21 different counties.<ref name="dalkey1970sschools"/> In addition, the Educate Together Academy Trust in 18the differentUK countieshad several primary schools in England.<ref>{{cite web|url = httphttps://www.educatetogether.ieorg.uk/our-schools/primary| publisher = Educate Together | title = Our Network - Primary | accessdate = 91 December 20162022 }}</ref> In addition, the body is patron to four schools in the UK.<ref name="history"/>

As of 20192024, there arewere 1721 second-level schools operating with Educate Together involved as either patron, co-patron or partner.<ref name="schools"/> These second-level schools aim not to 'teach to the test' but to instead develop their students' skills in creative and critical thinking, communication, teamwork, research and leadership.<ref name="educatetogether.ie">{{cite web|url = http://www.educatetogether.ie/our-schools/second-level | publisher = Educate Together | title = Our Network -– Second-level schools | accessdate = 91 December 20162022 }}</ref>

Research published by [[Trinity College, Dublin|Trinity College]] in 2008 showed that 90 per cent of parents who sent their children to an Educate Together school would send their children to a secondary school based on the same model if it was available.

Educate Together’sTogether's first second-level school &ndash; Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School &ndash; welcomed its first group of first-year students in August 2014. Educate Together is also joint patron of KishogeKisshoe Community School in Lucan and Ballymakenny College in Drogheda. It opened Celbridge Community School in August 2015 with Kildare and Wicklow Educational Training Board.

In the Irish system, student teachers complete their initial teacher education in state-funded, religiously- run Colleges of Education,<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0822/811138-nursing-teacher-training/ | publisher = RTÉ | date = 24 August 2016 | title = Religion, nursing and teacher training -– what's the connection? }}</ref> where time is set aside for Religious Education and the study of either the Catholic or Church of Ireland religious instruction programmes.<ref>{{cite webnews|url = http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/merger-of-catholic-and-protestant-colleges-of-education-may-be-finalised-by-2016-1.1789561 | publishernewspaper = The Irish Times | date = 9 May 2014 | title = Merger of Catholic and Protestant Colleges of Education may be finalised by 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.gotocollege.ie/colleges_of_education/college_choices_colleges_of_education.html | publisher = Gotocollege.ie | title = College Choices: Colleges of Education | accessdate = 9 December 2016 }}</ref>

Educate Together offers a one -year, part-time postgraduate Certificate in Ethical and Multi-denominational Education in partnership with St Patrick’sPatrick's College of Education, Dublin.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.educatetogether.ie/colleges-of-education | publisher = Educate Together | title = Colleges of Education | date = 9 December 2016 }}</ref>

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