Principal appointed to tuam educate together national school

A PRINCIPAL has been appointed for the new Educate Together National School opening in Tuam this September.
Mayo native Nuala Bourke is coming to Tuam from Scoil Mhuire gan Smal, a 24-teacher DEIS school in Inchicore in Dublin.
Nuala is a native of Breaffy outside Castlebar and says she is looking forward to bringing her extensive experience to the West and to be leading such an exciting project.
The Tuam Educate Together School will be located in the old St Patrick's Secondary School on Dublin Road. Significant renovation works are taking place at the old school building ahead of the new primary school opening in September.
There has been some disappointment and frustration that parents can only enrol junior infants at the new school at this stage despite considerable interest expressed in older children attending.
The school principal specialises in literacy and she also has a passion for Irish culture, being a world champion Irish dancer and GAA enthusiast.
However, it is Nuala’s experience as the Home School Community Liaison teacher (HSCL) that she feels will be of most benefit to her in her new role as principal.
“Working as the HSCL in the heart of a disadvantaged community has broadened my experience and impacted on my educational philosophy. Throughout my teaching career, and particularly from working in the area of Home School Community Liaison, I have witnessed the enormous rewards from including parents and the family in their child’s education, and I have always had an open door policy in my classroom. I believe that parents are the primary educator of the child, and the role of a child-centred curriculum is to help facilitate the learning through an inclusive approach. Educate Together actively seeks to involve the family and empower the parents, and having meaningful parental involvement is always something I have prioritised, she said.”