GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER SECONDARY SCHOOL

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                       SECONDARY SCHOOL

Please bear with us while we are designing our new school website. In the
meantime, we have put together this document, providing you with as much of
the information that we think you might like to know about our school.
If you cannot find the information you are looking for, or would just like to
speak with a member of the team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at
office@gsetss.ie and someone can give you a call back as soon as they can.

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
We promote equality of access and parity of esteem for all learners. We promote a
participative and democratically run school. We are a co-educational and child-centred
school. Our school opened in August 2020 and we are one of 19 Educate Together
secondary schools in Ireland.

OUR ETHOS:
Equality Based
All children within the catchment area have rights of access to the school. If the number of
applicants exceeds the number of students, then random selection operates. Children from
all social, ethnic, cultural groups and of all religions and of non-religious backgrounds, are
welcome, equally respected and celebrated in the school.
Child Centred
The school offers a child-centred education in which the teacher facilitates and guides the
child’s learning through both formal and informal methods while encouraging the child to
be an active participant in own their learning. Each child is encouraged to learn at their own
pace and individual learning needs are met in so far as class size allows. Interaction between
the teacher, child and parent is actively encouraged.
Democratically Run
The school is run by the Board of Management and parents are encouraged to participate
on the Board, Parent Teacher Association, and in other voluntary activities in the
school. Members of the school community are invited to participate in consultation and
feedback processes. Uniquely for schools in Ireland, students are associate members of the
Board of Management.

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                       SECONDARY SCHOOL

Educate Together Curriculum
The Spiritual, Ethical curriculum supports and implements the guiding principles and ethos
of the school by covering a wide range of religious, moral, social and ethical issues, with no
specific emphasis on any one religion.

SCHOOL PREMISES:
We are currently based in the beautiful old Notre Dame Building on Upper Churchtown
Road, while we wait to move to our new state of the art school at the Irish Glass Bottle
Recreation Site in Goatstown. Whilst we will be sharing the building with the Ballinteer
Education Together Primary School for a short while, we are tucked away in a different
section of the building, with a separate entrance, giving us the independence as a separate
school.
The school is in a great location and is served by a wide range of excellent transport links
and is therefore extremely accessible.

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                       SECONDARY SCHOOL

ADMISSIONS 2020
Applications are still being accepted for entry to 1st Year September.

To apply for a place in 1st Year, September 2020, please contact us at office@gsetss.ie

ADMISSIONS 2021

Please see below important dates for applications for entry into 1st Year, 2021:

Opening date for applications:       9am, 5th October 2020.

Closing date for applications:       5pm, 6th November 2020.

The application form will be available on our website www.goatstownetss.ie

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                        SECONDARY SCHOOL

You will also find a copy of our Admissions Policy and the School’s Code of Behaviour; please
review before submitting your application.
You will need to submit your application before the closing date noted above. Any
applications received, after the closing time and date, will be classified as late and will be
added to our waiting list.
If we can offer your child a place, we will contact you by email with the student enrolment
form.
Please ensure that your email and postal address are correct and clearly noted and do let us
know if any of the information changes.

REGISTRATION FEES:

The school administration charge is €150 and covers 24-hour injury insurance for your child,
a Microsoft Office 365 license and account, a locker and tamper-proof lock, a school journal
and some transport costs during the year.

Please be advised that if there is an issue with payment of these fees, we would encourage
you to contact our office, in complete confidence, to discuss payment options.

DRESS CODE:

There is no formal uniform, but we would request that clothes worn are smart casual and
clean and well-maintained, with no rips. We would also ask students not to wear clothing
that displays offensive slogans. We require that underwear is not on show and that hoods
on hoodies are kept down in class and on the corridor. False nails are not allowed and any
student with long hair may need to tie it up for some classes for health and safety reasons.
Comfort and practicality should be the main considerations for clothing decisions.

OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
We appreciate that the information available to you online is currently limited and as such
we have put together a list of frequently asked questions, that we do hope you will find
helpful.
Where is the school?
Our temporary premises is located in the Old Notre Dame Building on the Upper
Churchtown Road, Churchtown.

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                        SECONDARY SCHOOL

Our full address is as follows:
Goatstown Educate Together Secondary School
Old Notre Dame Building
Upper Churchtown Road
Dublin 14
D14 Y563
We hope to have our new school sign up very soon, but until we do, please look out for the
Ballinteer Educate Primary School sign, which is located at the entrance to the school
grounds and is clearly visible from the road.

What facilities has the school?
Outdoor:
At our current temporary premises, we are delighted to have use of all-weather tennis
courts, an astro turf pitch and an indoor hall.
Indoor:
At our current temporary premises, we have lovely large, bright and airy classrooms, a
wonderful science lab and home economics room.

What are the school hours?
School start time:     Classes start promptly at 8.40am
                       Students are requested to be in school no later than 8.35am, so that
                       they have time to organise themselves before classes start.
Break-time:            10.36am – 10.50am
Lunch-time:            12.46pm – 1.20pm

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                       SECONDARY SCHOOL

                       It is extremely important that your child brings their lunch with them
                       to school each day, because we are unable to facilitate parents
                       entering the school during school hours, to drop off forgotten items;
                       this is due to COVID-19 restrictions.
School finish time:    Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: Classes finish at 3.16pm
                       Wednesday: Classes finish at 1.20pm (No lunch)

What are the school drop-off arrangements in morning?
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and to accommodate social distancing, we have to restrict
entry to our school grounds and as such, cars are not permitted to enter the front yard.
Parents are requested to drop their children off at a safe location close to the school.
For the first week our Principal, Jonathan and our Deputy Principal, Matt will be at the front
gate ready to welcome your child to the school. This will allow your children to get to know
Jonathan and Matt and will also help them familiarise themselves with their way in to
school.
What are the school collection arrangements?
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and to accommodate social distancing, we have to restrict
entry to the school grounds and as such cars are not permitted to enter the front yard.
Please arrange to collect your child in a safe location nearby.
For the first week of school a member of staff will supervise students as they leave school.

At what time can I drop my child off?
There is supervision of Goatstown Educate Together Secondary School students from
8.20am in the morning.
For the first two weeks students are requested to make their way straight to their base
classroom, something that will be explained to them during induction week.

Who do I contact if I am worried about my child?

In general, please use the following lines of communication:

· If you are concerned about a particular subject, then contact the subject teacher.

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                        SECONDARY SCHOOL

· If you are concerned that your child is anxious or worried about something, then please
contact their Clan Tutor or Year Coordinator.

Who do I contact if my child will be absent from school?

We will introduce a school app during the first year. For now, you should communicate with
your child’s Clan Tutor via email about this.

Covid-19

We appreciate how concerned you will be about your children returning to school during
this pandemic and we want to assure you that that we are working extremely hard to
implement the most robust and effective COVID-19 Response Plan, in line with both Public
Health and Department of Education and Skills guidelines. The health and wellbeing of our
Students and Staff are of paramount importance to us and we will do everything we can to
ensure we are all as safe as possible in our school environment.

No teacher, parent or child should attend an educational setting if unwell, or if any member
of their household is unwell or displaying symptoms consistent with Covid-19. Please note,
in order to help limit the amount of people entering the school premises, it will not be
possible for parents to drop off forgotten lunches, or equipment.

Enrolled Students in the school, will receive a COVID-19 return to school plan and will
receive training on the first day of term.

Do I need to call if my child will be late for school?

No - please just ensure that your child comes to the office to sign in upon arrival. Failure to
do so will result in your child being marked absent. We ask that parents, guardians and
carers ensure their child arrives at school before 8.40am.

What do I do if my child needs to leave early?

When the school opens, this will be managed by staff so email the relevant clan tutor. The
school app will provide a facility for this as the school grows in size.

What happens if my child is frequently absent from school?

We are obliged to inform Túsla, the Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family
Agency, in the case of any student who is absent from school on twenty or more days during
the school year. This is a legal requirement that we must fulfil regardless of the reason for
absences. You will be informed in writing in advance if Túsla has to be contacted. You will
receive a letter from the school to highlight absences of 15 days.

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                       SECONDARY SCHOOL

What is the school policy on mobile phones?

Mobile phones should be switched off and placed in a locked locker before registration each
morning. They should not be used during break, at lunchtime or during the school day.
Failure to do so will lead to it being confiscated by a member of staff. For a first offence, the
phone will be confiscated. The student will be required to collect the phone from the Year
Coordinator at the end of the school day. We appreciate your support in this. Students are
not permitted to enter the Wi-Fi code for the school into any personal device apart from
their iPad.

What areas of the school are out of bounds?

As part of the induction process for students, we will talk to students about areas on the site
which are out of bounds due to health & safety issues, or which we cannot supervise.

What can I do to help my child settle into school?

By helping them to come to school on time and with everything they need. Encourage
involvement in extracurricular activities. Follow HSE guidelines on Covid-19 symptoms. By
encouraging good habits around sleep, screen time, eating, exercise, social distancing, good
hand hygiene, use of face masks and homework. By reading app notifications (when it is
launched) and checking the school calendar. By contacting us if you are concerned or if you
notice anything that worries you.

What equipment/books will we need to buy?

Each student will need to purchase an iPad and these will be used as the main learning
resource. You will therefore not have the additional expense for books.

What costs are associated with the iPad?

There is a payment plan for the iPad, case, servicing, textbooks and optional insurance, or
the total cost can be paid up front through Wriggle. Full details will be provided on
enrolment.

What IT access is useful at home?

Your child’s iPad will have all the functionality required but will need access to Wi-Fi to
access Office365.

What kind of behaviour do we expect?

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                       SECONDARY SCHOOL

We expect that students will be kind, open-minded, polite and that they will always give of
their best. We expect that they will take pride in their school community and that they will
look out for each other. Students should note that we will not tolerate bullying or
disrespectful behaviour. We expect that all members of the school community will engage
with each other with courtesy and consideration.

How can parents become involved in school life?

We welcome offers of help from parents/guardians/carers. If you have a skill which you can
share, then please contact the school office (office@gsetss.ie). Please note that two key
tasks for year one will be to set up a Board of Management and a Parent/ Staff Association.

How are lockers managed?

Lockers will be managed by a company called LockerFix. Each student will be allocated a
locker for the school year and each locker will have the ability to be locked.

Where will the permanent location of the school be?

Our permanent site is the Glass Bottle Recreation site in Goatstown.

Do you have an ASD class (a class for children with an Autistic Spectrum Diagnosis)?

We hope to open classes subject to the accommodation provided by the DES. This may not
happen until the permanent building is completed. It is a priority for us nonetheless.

School Policies:

Mandatory school policies for the school will be in place by the start of the school year.
Other policies will be open for consultation and review once the Board of Management is
setup.

TECHNOLOGY
Technology and the availability of good IT access in schools in recognised as being an
important element in the 21st Century learning and teaching.
Below is a list of the software/technologies that our school uses that are designed to aid
parents and students with communication, collaboration, teaching and learning.

Vsware:

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                         SECONDARY SCHOOL

This is our school administration system. You can view your child’s timetable and school
reports in Vsware. You can access Vsware via a link that will be provided on our new website
– coming soon!

Login details are sent to new parents before publication of the first school reports.

Office 365:    Online version of MS Office, which will give each student access to a variety
of Microsoft applications in school and at home.

Wriggle: iPad supplier

VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

In an ideal world, our schools would be funded at a level which would allow them to flourish
and plan for the future, but unfortunately, the money that we receive from the state covers
the bare minimum required to keep the school open, to maintain it, to insure it, to light it
and to heat it.

Voluntary contributions go some way in enabling us to provide our students with the best
educational tools. We are requesting a contribution of €250.00, but any contribution, no
matter how small, will help contribute to our efforts to provide the best teaching and
learning experiences possible.

Contributions are gratefully received via the following methods of payment, whichever
works best for you and your family circumstances:

   •   Electronic Funds Transfer (IBAN Details below)
   •   Cheque
   •   Monthly Standing Order/Direct Debit:

By donating €250.00 we can claim €127.00 tax back from Revenue, so your very generous
donation of 250.00 is actually worth €377.00 to the school. In order for us to claim this tax
you will be asked to complete a CHY3 – Enduring Certificate,
Although this information is not a format that is as easily navigated as our website will be,
we do hope that it gives you access to the most important information you might need, but
if you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at office@gsetss.ie
and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

GOATSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER
                      SECONDARY SCHOOL

We hope this information helps for now, but please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you
have any further queries, or would like to touch base with a member of our Team.

From all the Team at Goatstown Educate Together Secondary School!