Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 July 2017
262. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the detail of his Department's forward planning section's contact with a school (details supplied) regarding the need for extra space in September 2017. [35017/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has been liaising with the patron body of the school referred to by the Deputy with regard to additional accommodation required for September 2017.
As the Deputy may be aware, this is a developing school located in rented temporary accommodation in Dublin 15 which will require two additional classrooms for September 2017. Work is ongoing to provide additional prefab accommodation at this location as soon as possible.
A number of options were explored with the patron body of the school. Following a Board of Management meeting in May 2017 the preferred option of the school, supported by the patron body, was to temporarily accommodate two of the classes in a nearby school which has available accommodation (and is in my ownership) as a short-term arrangement, pending delivery of the additional accommodation at the current site. The nearby school is a new 16-classroom school which opened in its permanent accommodation only last year with most of its purpose-built rooms available for use.
Once the additional accommodation is installed, the classes temporarily located at the nearby school will move back to the existing rented accommodation.
