Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2022
450. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a shortfall of accommodation capacity at a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; if her attention has further been drawn to the situation in which an early learning service provider must vacate school buildings; and if she will assist the school in retaining the early learning service provider. [6743/22]
View answerI wish to advise that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for capital funding from the school in question.
It is open to the school authorities to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation' (ASA) scheme if they wish to do so. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled in a primary or post primary school each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
In general, the onus is on the Board of Management and the Patron to ensure that there is sufficient accommodation to meet the school’s projected enrolment. Where additional accommodation is required, the school authority should first satisfy itself that all existing accommodation is being used for the purpose for which it is designed for. The use of school accommodation for purposes other than enrolled school pupils would require consideration in this context.
