Irish School of Excellence

New Campus Opens

The Irish School of Excellence Opened its new Campus in Ennis on Friday 12th February 2010 for students - see pictures opposite..... more to follow!

Toyota Ireland Press Release:

Toyota Extends Support of Driver Education

Toyota Ireland is delighted to announce the renewal of its sponsorship of the Irish School of Excellence which delivers the Secondary Schools Driver Education Programme nationwide.

The Irish School of Excellence is focused on educating young people to adopt a common sense and safety led approach to driving, enabling them to learn about road safety and gain a driving license.

The classroom based programme was initially offered in schools around Clare, but has now been successfully expanded nationwide with over 140 secondary schools enrolled for the course for the coming academic year.

Year one of the course consists of a 10 week classroom module taught by the Transition year teachers in the school - the focus of which is to prepare the students for the Driver Theory Lesson. Working in cooperation with the Gardai this course educates young people about the consequences of dangerous and irresponsible driving. Practical modules form the basis of year 2 with students taking 10 driving lessons - all of which provided by qualified local driving instructors.

With the support of Toyota, including the provision of two vehicles, the Irish School of Excellence aims to further develop the programme, including plans to open a Driving Campus in Ennis where young drivers can improve their driving skills in a safe environment.

During the 2009/10 academic year the Irish School of Excellence will also benefit from the support of the Toyota Fund for Europe, a pan European organization which provides funds for grass-root community activities focusing on the areas of environment, road safety and technical education.

With this support the school aims to offer students a discount when undertaking the Secondary Schools Driver Education Programme during the 2009/10 academic year.

If you would like more information regarding the Irish School of Excellence or to register your interest in the Secondary Schools Driver Education Programme please contact us.

Toyota Fund for Europe pledges another €1 million to community projects in 2009

The Toyota Fund for Europe (TFfE) has today announced 15 grants totalling more than €1 million to support “grass-root” community activities focusing on the environment, road safety and technical education. Starting in 2009, the grants will set in motion four new initiatives – ranging from tree planting to new driver education – and ensure the continuation of 11 others. Projects will be coordinated by partner NGOs and Toyota companies in 24 European countries.

‘The quality of the proposals exceeded all expectations,’ said Graham Smith, Chairman of the Toyota Fund for Europe, and Senior Vice-President of External Affairs and Environmental Affairs at TME. ‘Each year that we develop this programme, we are seeing how small ideas can have a terrific impact on everyday lives with the right level of financial backing and practical support,’ he added.

The fund welcomes four new partners in 2009, including the Irish School of Excellence, which will establish a 10-week training programme on safe driver practices in 200 secondary schools nation-wide.

They are joined by the Ekopolis Foundation in Slovakia – a local NGO that provides funding to community groups to help keep the country’s many national parks clean and green.

Toyota will also continue its collaboration with global conservation group, WWF, supporting its Climate Roadshow across Eastern Europe. A specially-fitted Toyota Dyna truck has already toured six countries, showing communities how they can reduce their carbon footprint via smarter habits and more energy-efficient appliances. The campaign aims to reduce electricity consumption in households by 2%, and has already collected some 10,000 eco-friendly commitments from road-show participants.

TME established the Toyota Fund for Europe in 2002 to lead and partner with non-profit organisations on community activities that support the environment, technical education and road safety. Since its establishment, the fund has approved 119 grants across 60 projects, representing a total of €7 million in financial support. In 2008, 77% of grants were allocated to environmental projects, 20% to road safety projects and 3% to education projects. Eligible organisations are invited to submit project proposals to the Toyota Fund for Europe via their website: www.toyotafund.eu.