Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2013
193. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills in respect of planned new primary schools and planned new post-primary schools, the minimum amount of outdoor sports and amenity facilities that must be provided; if this involves outdoor sports pitches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53818/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the provision of playspace, where site conditions and circumstances allow, is one of the issues considered in the architectural design of new schools and major extensions. The level of facilities, including playspace, that can be provided in schools will therefore vary depending on the extent of classroom accommodation needed for the school. A suite of technical guidance documents is available on my Department's website (www.education.ie) to assist design teams in best practice in the design and development of projects and to encourage them to take a complete design team approach from project conception. These documents cover all aspects of the development of a building project for both internal and external works. The Physical Education curriculum has been designed on the basis that facilities in schools may vary. Many primary schools have a general purpose room and practically all schools have outdoor play areas which are used for teaching different aspects of the P.E. programme. A similar situation with sports halls and outdoor facilities applies at second level. In addition, many schools use adjacent local facilities, including public parks, playing fields and swimming pools. My Department's design guidelines for schools include guidance in the provision of P.E. Halls, general purpose rooms and outdoor hard play areas such as basketball courts. Other P.E. facilities, e.g. pitches are provided, where appropriate, and in the context of available resources, as part of the Department's school building programme. The provision of playing pitches is not part of the specification for primary schools. However, in certain circumstances and where the site conditions allow, the project scope may include the levelling and grassing of an area which schools may decide to use for playing fields. At post primary level, an area may be developed as a practice playing field where site conditions and resources permit. In the context of my Department's co-operation with local authorities in identifying suitable sites for schools, the location of sporting facilities is one factor taken into account in locating schools. The Deputy may be aware of my Department's role in developing shared community facilities in the Fingal County Council area, which has made facilities available to the wider community on a shared basis with the school. Given the current financial constraints within which my Department is operating, priority is being given to applications from schools for essential mainstream classroom accommodation. In this regard, my Department is not in a position to consider applications from schools for funding towards pitches or sports facilities outside of the context of school projects on the building programme. My Department will however continue to provide general purpose rooms, PE Halls and outdoor play areas in schools where new schools are being provided within the context of available funding.
