Sudbury School buys former Clonavly NS

The former Clonalvy National School which was the subject of a campaign by the local community this summer has been sold.

The building, which closed as a national school in June 2019 has been bought for use as a True Nature 'Sudbury' School (TNSS), which will provide an alternative form of democratic education where the students make the rules and which doesn't follow the national curriculum.

Local residents who had backed by a bid by the LMETB to open a community national school (CNS) in the building said it was a matter of profound regret that the Minister for Education had not supported this bid.

Local residents had campaigned for the school to be used for local community facilities and later got behind efforts by the LMETB to set up a CNS in the premises.

The True Nature group has indicated that apart from their school they will provide a number of services for children and families from the surrounding area

These will include childcare services for preschool children and after school care for children attending local national schools and making the building available for community groups/evening classes.

A spokesperson for Meath Diocesan Trust who sold the building said that "Clonalvy National School is a parish asset and proceeds from the sale will remain in the parish". Oscail/Open the group that campaigned for an LMETB school said they look forward to working with True Nature on "our collective mission to continue to develop and promote Clonalvy as an attractive place to live, work and raise a family and protecting the immense historical and environmental amenity of the district."

"As a community group we had judged that the common good in community terms would be best served by the school being retained in use and operated by the local Education and Training Board (LMETB) which would have operated the school as being free to enroll, multi-denominational and co-educational as well as affording opportunities for adult and community education.

As a public body, the LMETB are accountable to the public and are not private bodies and must conduct their business in a transparent manner," according to a statement issued by the group.

"We wish to thank the local community – the parents of the 50 or so children who voted confidence in our proposal and who wished to have their children educated locally and maintaining a 200 year old tradition of primary education in the parish of Clonalvy, as well as each and every local group (sporting, recreation and otherwise) who supported our campaign, and in many ways, as a community we will grow stronger from this experience.

"It is a matter of profound regret the Minister for Education chose not to exercise her statutory power to agree to opening the school under the auspices of LMETB, this was despite the fact that her immediate predecessors sanctioned such schools in other parts of the country which had closed in similar circumstances which had pertained in Clonalvy."

"Irrespective of the fate of the former school buildings, the constitutional rights of the parents and children of the area to have real and meaningful access to multi-denominational education in their locality remains to be vindicated."

Oscail/Open thanked Bishop Thomas Deenihan for his courtesy during the summer months and maintaining an open line of communications to enable a decision be made by the Minister, were she to support the LMETB taking over the school and also thanked the officials and elected members of the LMETB.

True Nature has said its preschool will provide ECCE free playschool scheme, part-time and full day care for children aged two years and eight months to five years six months as well as after school care. In a statement, True Nature said their 'Sudbury' school will be based on the democratic model of education.

"Students can learn through play and hands on experience, at their own pace, and in their own way. Free from the pressures of exams, our students will not follow the National Curriculum but instead learn what is meaningful and of interest to them.

"Students learn to make decisions, voting on real matters that affect them and the school community. "Students will take responsibility for developing the school rules, community agreements and dealing with infractions. TNSS will have a student led justice system that instils respect and is empowering for all."