New educate together secondary school for Malahide and Portmarnock

​ To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the announced new educate together secondary school for Malahide and Portmarnock will open for students in September 2017 as previously announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
  
REPLY.
The Patron of the new Malahide/Portmarnock post-primary school (Educate Together) has decided for operational reasons that it is in the best interests of the school to postpone its opening to September 2018.  My Department has been working in close co-operation with Educate Together to facilitate the opening of the school and will continue to do so with a view to its opening in suitable interim accommodation in September 2018. 
Where a requirement for additional post-primary schools has been identified, details including proposed timelines related to the opening of the schools are made known by a Ministerial announcement. However, patrons may decide for different operational reasons in a particular year that it is in the best interests of a new post-primary school to defer its opening.