Brendan Smith
Ceist:73. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education when a school application will be approved (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52741/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 30 November 2023
Ceisteanna (73)
Freagraí ó Béal (7 píosaí cainte)
The boards of management of St. Mary's Boys' National School and the Convent of Mercy National School in Belturbet, County Cavan, submitted a well-researched and detailed proposal to the Minister's Department seeking approval to amalgamate the schools and have a new school provided on an identified suitable site owned by the parish within the town. Both aspects of this proposal need to be approved in order that the primary school-going population of Belturbet will have a modern and appropriate co-educational facility. I strongly support this application. The proposed new facility, as requested in the application, needs to be sanctioned and delivered.
I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his engagement with me on this issue. I can confirm my Department recently received a request from the patron of the schools under reference for the amalgamation of the two schools. The proposal also included a request for a new school building for the amalgamated school. As the Deputy will be aware, the decision-making authority for school amalgamations belongs to the patron or trustees of a school, and this is subject to the approval of the Minister for Education. Any proposed change involves extensive negotiations at local level and must be well planned and managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of students, parents, teachers and local communities and contributes to an inclusive education system.
My Department is reviewing the amalgamation proposal. This process is nearing completion and my officials will be in contact with the patron shortly. Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 690 school building projects and with construction currently under way on approximately 300 other projects.
School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of more than €1.2 billion. We also have 200 modular accommodation projects that are well advanced. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities. The main focus of my Department’s capital funding over the past decade and for the coming period is on the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics and children with special educational needs. The Department is required to manage the overall school building programme such that we target and prioritise areas that are under the greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.
The Deputy may be aware there are plans for capital investment in the primary schools in the Belturbet school planning area with a view to increasing the number of mainstream and special class pupil places. In total, three school building projects in schools in the Belturbet area are at various stages of planning and delivery. At primary level, this includes plans for additional mainstream and special class provision at Milltown National School and Scoil Naomh Bríd. The overall position-----
I thank the Minister.
I am glad the Minister has confirmed the Department is assessing the application. I do not want an amalgamation proposal to be approved for the schools to operate from the existing sites. That would defeat the purpose of the exercise. I compliment the Minister on the excellent school building programme she has had in place for the past three and a half years. My constituency, Cavan-Monaghan, is a major beneficiary, and in particular St. Bricin’s College in Belturbet through modern new buildings the Minister sanctioned and funded.
The two schools have totally outdated facilities that do not have room for expansion. They cannot provide for children with additional needs because they do not have the space to provide additional accommodation. To ensure the school-going population of Belturbet town and its immediate catchment area will have proper facilities, we need a commitment to a new school. The schools the Minister quite rightly mentioned that have major building projects approved or under way are some distance from Belturbet. I am speaking about the school-going population of Belturbet town, the population of which is growing, and its immediate catchment area.
As I said, the request has been received and is being assessed. The overall position with regard to potential modernisation and the replacement of existing school infrastructure will be kept under review as capital funding allocations are clarified. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform will engage with other Departments on national development plan, NDP, allocations for the period 2026 to 2028 over the coming months, with allocation decisions expected during the first half of 2024.
I assure the Deputy that the provision of required school places, including for children with special educational needs, is a priority for my Department. My officials will work to ensure there is sufficient provision to meet the school place needs in the schools referenced by the Deputy and in the wider school planning area. This will include a focus on any school accommodation provision that may be required in the short to medium term.
As I outlined, the application for amalgamation is being reviewed and contact will be made with the patron shortly in that regard.
I thank the Minister. As she will know from having visited Cavan and being familiar with the area, unfortunately Belturbet has suffered terribly over decades.
There were bombs there and people were killed. The town suffered immeasurably. Thankfully, we are now in a new era in areas like Cavan and Monaghan. I welcome that the population of Belturbet showed a substantial increase in the recent census. The county development plan of Cavan County Council plans for a substantial increase in the population of the town. The detailed proposal submitted by the Minister's Department itemises the projected enrolment in primary schools in the town in the future.
From dealing with the childcare facility in the town, I know that it does not have space to cater for the demand for childcare places. It is a welcome development in one way as it shows the growth in population and the demand for pre-school, primary and post-primary places in what is generally a rural area. We need the proposal to amalgamate the two schools approved, and also the proposal to provide a new school on a site that is already available, identified and owned by the parish. The proposal has the absolute, strong and unwavering support of the principals,staff, boards of management and the parents' associations of both schools and the wider community. The school-going population of Belturbet needs to have a commitment that they will have modern and up-to-date facilities catering for the needs of all children.
I appreciate the Deputy's passion, absolute determination and vision for this project. The amalgamation proposal will be assessed. Contact will be made with the patron.
We divide the country into 314 special school planning areas. We rely on a geographic information system, GIS, which gathers information from the Central Statistic Office, CSO, to determine future patterns of demographics. We engage with local authorities on their development plans and projections for the future, especially as regards housing developments. The information available to us says that enrolment in the Belturbet school planning area is due to peak in 2026 at 673 pupils. I understand there are seven primary schools and one post-primary school in the Belturbet school planning area. Notwithstanding that, I appreciate that both schools have come together and there is a vision locally, supported by the Deputy. Every consideration will be given to the proposal that has been made and contact will be made with the patron shortly.