The Galway Educate Together Second-Level Startup group has been campaigning for a school in the city for many years. We need to show politicians that this is an issue which voters take seriously. You can help by writing to them and explaining why the establishment of an Educate Together second-level school in Galway is something that matters to you. Their contact details are listed below.

There are several reasons why Galway needs an Educate Together second-level school. We suggest that you pick two or three from the list below and use those in your letter. Feel free to add your own. Please use your own words as much as possible; letters that do not follow a template will have more impact. More information is available on our about us page.

• Commuting distance: Limerick (approximately 110 km) is the nearest Educate Together second-level school.
• Lack of choice: By September 2018, there will be 13 Educate Together second-level schools, including ones in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick; Galway has none.
• Lack of capacity: Galway second-level schools are likely to be full from September 2019.
• Lack of co-educational options: Only six of the 11 second-level schools in Galway are co-educational.
• Continuation of ethos: There are five Educate Together primary-level schools in Galway (Newcastle, Claregalway, Kilcolgan, Knocknacarra, and Tuam).
• Impact on investment: The lack of a equality-based second-level school makes Galway less attractive for businesses, particularly large multi-nationals. See this Irish Times article for more on this.
• Learner-centred schools: Educate Together strives to develop students beyond a rote learning approach and to provide flexible thinking skills for a changing world.
• Democratic governance: Educate Together involves students as well as parents in decision-making.

Your letter will have more impact if you can share it with us. If you are happy for us to share it publicly, please either take a photograph of the printed letter and share it on social media with @get2ls on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and the hashtag #GET2ndLevel or copy it to . We will remove any personal information before sharing it further.