I thank the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Martin, for attending here this evening in order to respond to this issue which is a matter of serious concern to parents and teachers in the Curracloe school catchment area. St. Margaret's national school, Curracloe, opened in January 1986. It is a modern school. The school was built for 78 pupils and three teachers. The accommodation at the time was, I presume, considered sufficient for the projected numbers of pupils enrolling. Provision was made for three classrooms, one gym, one small kitchen, a staff room, a library-medical room and some small storage space. The library-medical room subsequently was changed to a lock-up for equipment such as TVs, videos, computers and photocopiers because of break-ins and security problems generally. In the past week or two the security at the school was updated. The gym is now a classroom, and the kitchen is the only place available for the shared remedial teacher. The kitchen is approximately 1.8 metres by 1.2 metres, barely big enough to accommodate two chairs.
The enrolment on 30 September 1997 was 121 pupils and they had four staff, even though the school was built for 78 pupils. They are very close to the number required for the appointment of a fourth assistant, that is a principal plus four teachers. They have a shared remedial teacher two days a week, a teacher for the deaf once a week and very shortly they expect a resource teacher. I have indicated that for all of those extra services, the kitchen, which barely fits two chairs, is the only space available.
The local inspector, Mr. Lawlor, and the divisional instructor, An tUasal Ó Loinsigh, visited the school lately and both said the accommodation is totally inadequate. Mr. Lawlor feels it is a developing school and will reach five teachers, that is, a principal plus four assistants. He underlines the point that the kitchen is a most unsuitable place to use as a classroom. During a recent visit Mr. Ó Loinsigh had to conduct his conversation with the chairperson of the board of management, Fr. Donal Berney, in the corridor. This is also the case when parents wish to speak to teachers. There are in excess of 300 parents involved in this case.
I think the Minister will accept that additional accommodation is needed urgently. There is a difficulty with the process of accrediting the different stages, which seems to take forever. It is my experience both in this House and in the other House, and as Minister of State, that with the best will in the world, by the time all the different stages are reached, the i's dotted and t's crossed, even in a time of electronic technology, it takes forever to get to the point of building. I urge the Minister to short-cut or fast track the procedures needed for an actual development this summer of the additional accommodation.
Curracloe is a small village but it is developing rapidly. It is a satellite village of Wexford town, the major urban area in County Wexford. There are a large number of houses under construction in the area at the moment, so at this point the enrolment for next September, which will increase, cannot be projected. The old schoolhouse is not available either as a temporary classroom because that was changed into a thriving community centre and houses a playschool and various other activities during the day. There are no halls available or suitable premises for rental available in the immediate area to extend even on a temporary basis the accommodation needed. I hope the Minister will accept that the urgency of additional accommodation cannot be overstressed. I thank the Minister for coming here this evening and I am delighted to be able to give him the details personally. I look forward to his response which I hope will outline how quickly we can get to the point of having suitable accommodation for the pupils and teachers of St. Margaret's national school, Curracloe.
