[ACNS, by Gavin Drake] The Irish Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, will tomorrow (Friday) open the country’s first Anglican voluntary secondary school to be founded in Ireland since the creation of the state in 1922. Prime Minister Enda Kenny will perform the opening ceremony at Temple Carrig School in Greystones at 11am. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson, will dedicate the building.

The COI has established other schools in the state, but these have been under the comprehensive model.

“This is the first Church of Ireland secondary school in the voluntary model to be established since the foundation of the State,” a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Dublin & Glendalough said. “While it is under Church of Ireland management, Temple Carrig School provides education for the whole community in the Greystones and Delgany area.”

In Ireland, around 60 per cent of secondary school pupils are served by voluntary schools. These are owned and managed by religious communities; but part-funded by the state. The government provides 90 per cent of teachers’ salaries and 95 per cent of other costs. In contrast, comprehensive schools are fully-funded by the state and run by local management boards.

The school is unique in an Irish context in that while it is run by a minority faith, just 20 per cent of the students are from a Church of Ireland background. The majority of the students – some 60 per cent – come from a Roman Catholic background.

Temple Carrig was established in 2012 following the awarding of a grant of patronage by Ireland’s education ministry. The first intake of pupils arrived in September 2014, and were housed n temporary accommodation on the current school site.

The new school building was completed in December 2015 and now has first, second and third year students in place. This academic year will see the first students at the school sit state exams.

The School has proved to be popular, and has been oversubscribed for admissions since it opened in 2012. It embraces new technological approaches to education and learning, with students and teachers using iPads in their daily work .

In addition to the main curriculum, it offers “a full range of innovative subject choices” in areas including philosophy, creative writing, sports science, drama studies, horticulture and life skills.

Temple Carrig School is in Greystones, County Wicklow on Ireland’s eastern coast, just south of the capital Dublin.