Seanad Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Apr 2007

Vol. 186 No. 20

School Accommodation.

Mr. U. Burke

This matter concerns the need for the Minister for Education and Science to indicate when funding will be approved for Craughwell national school in County Galway. The school has applied for additional accommodation for a number of years. This is a classic example of the failure of the planning section of the Department of Education and Science to plan to respond to the needs of an area, particularly growth centres such as Craughwell. In 2002-03, some 156 students were enrolled in the school. Since then intake has grown constantly, which is unusual for a rural school. The normal intake of 20 to 25 has increased to 35 to 40 for each of the past few years. The response of the Department of Education and Science has been to provide prefabricated accommodation as needed. This is a waste of money, despite the sanction and approval of a school extension of six to eight classrooms. There is an increase of some 25 students annually because the outflow from the school at sixth class will be approximately 25 and the intake will be more than 40. It will probably increase because this area is one of great development, with new waterworks and a new sewerage scheme. It is a target area for growth.

The local community, including parents, the board of management and staff, has raised considerable funds to keep the school up to a reasonable standard of accommodation for children in the area. They had to do so in order to provide reasonable facilities in the school. The level of overcrowding is beyond belief. The children with special needs share overcrowded, poor accommodation. A general purpose room is used as a classroom and is totally inadequate for its current purpose. An extension of six or seven classrooms is required, as well as a general purpose room.

I hope the Minister of State can indicate hope for this area by providing adequate facilities as is the entitlement of these children. Many schools have been upgraded and have been provided with additional accommodation but Craughwell has been provided with only prefabricated rooms on an annual basis, after a long struggle. This is totally inadequate and unsuitable. The Government's response to education in the west is poor if Craughwell must make do with prefabricated buildings while other schools are provided with proper structures. This is a poor response to the efforts of the community, the parents, and the board of management, who have provided funds on every occasion they have been asked to make up the Government shortfall.

The Minister of State should indicate the situation with regard to funding for this school.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Mr. B. Lenihan)

I thank the Senator for raising the matter because it affords me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin.

Modernising facilities in our 3,200 primary and 750 post primary schools is not an easy task given the legacy of decades of under-investment in this area and the need to respond to emerging needs in areas of rapid population growth. As evidence of this commitment, more than €540 million will be spent in the coming year on building and modernisation projects in primary and post-primary schools. Since 1997, a total of €3 billion has been invested in school buildings and this has delivered more than 7,800 school building projects. This further investment of more than €540 million will build on these achievements and will focus in particular on the provision of school accommodation in areas where the population is growing at a rapid rate.

National development plan funding of €4.5 billion will be invested in schools over the coming years. This is a testament to the high priority the Government attaches to ensuring that school accommodation is of the highest standard possible. On top of this, to reduce red tape and allow projects to move more quickly, responsibility for smaller projects has been devolved to school level. Standard designs have also been developed for eight and 16 classroom schools to facilitate speedier delivery of projects and save on design fees. The design and build method is also used to expedite delivery where the use of standard designs is not possible. Taken with the unprecedented level of funding available, these initiatives ensure building projects are delivered in the quickest timeframe possible.

Craughwell national school is a co-educational primary school and enrolments at the school have increased from 171 in 2002 to 248 currently. Officials in the Department of Education and Science have completed their assessment of projected enrolments and have determined that the long-term projected staffing for Craughwell national school will be for a principal plus 12 mainstream teachers, and this has been notified to the school authorities. Officials are in the process of drawing up a detailed accommodation brief for this school. A site visit is required to inform the final brief for the project and officials will be in contact with the school authority to arrange such a visit. On completion of the brief, the project will be considered in the context of the multi-annual school building and modernisation programme.

I thank the Senator for raising the matter and allowing me to outline the progress being made under the school building and modernisation programme and the position of Craughwell national school.

Mr. U. Burke

Assessments have been carried out continuously since 2003, when the temporary accommodation was provided. We get this routine reply repeatedly. Everyone gets the same answer about site visits and so on. That site has been visited so often that new tarmac is needed to mend the wear and tear caused by Department officials visiting. It is a clear indication of the confusion in the Department's building unit that it cannot do things on a once-off basis.

Mr. B. Lenihan

The officials have completed their assessment of the projected enrolments.

Mr. U. Burke

They have done that every year for the past five years.

Mr. B. Lenihan

We are no longer at the assessment stage, it is complete. A school visit is required to finalise the brief for the project and officials will be in contact with the school authority to arrange that.

Ms Tuffy

My question relates to the need for additional secondary school places for the Lucan area. Can the Minister of State provide the current numbers for students in sixth class in primary school in Lucan and the corresponding figures for first year in secondary school in Lucan to establish if there is a shortfall of secondary school places in the area? What is being done to secure additional accommodation for secondary school students in the Lucan area, including Adamstown?

Mr. B. Lenihan

I thank the Senator for raising the demand for post-primary places in the Lucan area and how this demand is being met. There are 12 primary schools in the Lucan area with a current combined sixth class enrolment of 501 pupils. In 2006, the four post-primary providers in the area had a combined first year enrolment of 481 pupils. Therefore, the demand for pupil places will only increase by 20 pupils in the new school year if all opt to attend schools in their immediate vicinity.

One of the post-primary schools, Coláiste Cois Life, only enrolled 68 first year students in 2006. This brought its total enrolment to 278 pupils. A new building was recently provided for this school and this building has an overall capacity for 600 pupils, so there are ample places available in this school. The Department will also shortly appoint a design team for an extension project for Lucan Community College. This project will generate another 200 pupil places.

Apart from this, the Senator will probably be aware that there is considerable vacant capacity at post-primary level in areas adjacent to Lucan. Given that it is practice, especially in Dublin, for post-primary students to travel some distance to attend a post-primary school, it is not unreasonable that the Department should seek to optimise the use of existing surplus capacity at post-primary schools in the general vicinity of Lucan as part of its strategy to address any shortfall for post-primary places that may emerge.

Therefore, taking the demand for post-primary pupil places in Lucan against the places available and the interventions recently made or planned, the Department is satisfied that current and future needs can be adequately met. The Department will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that any newly emerging needs are met as expeditiously as possible.

Adamstown is the subject of a strategic development zone. The planning scheme for the zone, which is endorsed by An Bord Pleanála, requires that housing and supporting infrastructure, including schools, be provided in a phased manner. It is a condition of the SDZ that at completion of phase 2, a maximum of 1,800 housing units, a primary school of eight classrooms or a post-primary school of 12 classrooms be in place. Subsequent phases require the provision of further school accommodation.

In compliance with the requirements of the SDZ, the development of a multi-school campus is well under way. When completed, this will comprise two 16-classroom primary schools and a 1,000 pupil post-primary school. The first of the primary schools is due to open in September 2007, with the second primary school opening shortly thereafter. I had the honour of turning the sod for both schools and their completion will take place expeditiously. The timing and extent of this development means that primary provision for the area is ahead of demand. Once the primary school provision is in place, the emphasis will shift to the delivery of the post-primary school to comply further with the SDZ phasing arrangements.

Throughout the planning for these schools, the Department has worked closely with South Dublin County Council and the developers to produce an integrated solution to education and community facilities that matches the delivery of new housing. The approach under the SDZ requiring schools to be in position ahead of or in line with demand is one which the Department thinks should be adopted by other planning authorities in major new housing schemes, and this is being brought to their attention by the Department in its regular contacts with them.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and I assure her that top priority is given by the Department to needs in rapidly developing areas. In the lifetime of the national development plan, almost €4.5 billion will be invested in schools. This is an unprecedented level of capital investment which reflects the commitment of the Government to continue its programme of sustained investment in primary and post-primary schools. Through both increased investment under the NDP and the improved planning and delivery processes that we have put in place in recent years, the Government will ensure the need for extra school places is met.

The Seanad adjourned at 7.20 p.m. until11.15 a.m. on Thursday, 5 April 2007.