School Accommodation

Tuesday, 11 July 2023

Questions (266)

Michael Lowry

Question:

266. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her Department has received and reviewed urgent correspondence from a school (details supplied) regarding a critical situation it is facing in terms of providing adequate classroom and teaching accommodation for incoming first-year and their current students in September 2023; if, taking into account the urgency of the situation, she will provide the necessary assistance the school and outline what measures and support will be provided to the school to address its current accommodation crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33569/23]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Education

I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in recent receipt of correspondence from the school in question relating to the schools accommodation needs.

Officials from my Department are considering the issues raised in the correspondence and a decision will issue to the school authority directly as soon as possible.

I can assure the Deputy that my Department is working to ensure that there is appropriate school accommodation in place to meet the school place needs of all children.

The purpose of my Department's Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. Where there is a need for accelerated delivery of such accommodation my Department utilises Modern Methods of Construction, including my Department's Modular Accommodation Framework, to meet the accommodation need. My Department has additionally put Project Management provision in place to support schools in the expedited delivery of this accommodation.

Officials in my Department have been liaising with the school in question in relation their future accommodation needs.