Written Answers Nos. 281-291
281. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if she will report on the bringing live arts to students and teachers, BLAST, programme for primary and post-primary schools; the number of schools involved in the programme; if there are plans to increase the number of participating schools each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5030/23]
View answerThe BLAST (Bringing Live Art to Students and Teachers) initiative that I announced on 4 June 2021, provides additional opportunities for schools to collaborate with established trained artists, supporting our children and young people to collaborate and engage in creative and critical thinking - all crucial skills for their futures. The aim of BLAST is to give pupils in schools all over the country the opportunity to work with a professional artist on unique projects. These bespoke residency projects are originated and planned between the artist, teacher and the school under the co-ordination of the network of 21 full-time education centres.
At the start of the year, I announced the awarding of BLAST residencies to 629 schools in 2022-2023, the second year of the BLAST programme. This is a significant increase from the 489 primary and post-primary schools which took part in the programme in its first year and demonstrates the strong interest and engagement with schools in working with creative professionals through this programme.
BLAST is a core programme within Creative Youth, which is a core pillar of Creative Ireland. As we move through the coming years, my Department will work to ensure the continuing development of BLAST and other programmes within Creative Youth.
282. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Education if she or her Department will consider the case for a new primary school for Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, given the huge deficit of space and the ever-increasing demand for school places in a town that has grown significantly in recent years. [4037/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each local authority to obtain the up-to-date data on significant new residential development in each area. My Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity within the particular area and its ability to meet increased demand.
Following one such discussion, Leitrim County Council identified a projected growth of cc 1,000 persons between 2016 and 2029. Following our assessment of this information and potential school capacity in the future, it is anticipated that the level of additional potential requirements arising from the projected population increase can be met at the existing facilities. It is noted that both Leitrim and Roscommon County Council intend to prepare a joint Local Area Plan for Carrick-on-Shannon and Cortober (Roscommon). The Department will engage with the development of this plan.
The Department are awaiting the publication of the joint local area plan for Carrick-on-Shannon and Cortober, where the Department will engage further with the Council and re-assess our requirements at that point.
Where data indicates that additional provision is required at primary or post primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools
It is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area.
283. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the school build for a school (details supplied), including but not limited to a timetable for establishment of a design team, site purchase, submission of planning permission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5259/23]
View answer284. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will establish a design team for the new build of a school (details supplied) to operate in parallel with the finalisation of the purchase of the site in order to expedite the process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5260/23]
View answer285. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if the master plan has been completed for a site (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5261/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 283, 284 and 285 together.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department has reached agreement in principle, subject to contract, for the acquisition of a site at Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow as a permanent location for the school to which the Deputy refers.
The conveyancing stage of the acquisition process has commenced and Head of Terms have been agreed with the Vendor.
It is not possible at this early stage to provide a timeline for the appointment of a Design Team whose role will include master planning the site and preparation of planning permission application. My Department will continue to engage directly with the school patron to keep it informed of progress.
286. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will conduct a safety audit of the road crossing at the entrance of a school (details supplied) in view of the serious accident that happened to a student there; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5262/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the issue of road safety measures outside the vested site areas of schools on public roads, such as road crossings, road signage, traffic calming measures etc., is a matter , for the relevant Local Authority.
Local Authorities have the power to decide on road safety measures outside schools to ensure that measures are in place to protect the safety of local school children. My Department has no function in this matter.
In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care.
287. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will provide school bus transport for a school (details supplied) to enable students access the site used for PE, which is currently a 20 minute walk each way for the duration that the school remains in its temporary accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5263/23]
View answer295. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education if a decision has been taken on an application by a school (details supplied) to cover transportation costs to get students to and from a community centre for physical education due to no availability in their current temporary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5276/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 295 together.
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m.
School transport funded by my Department is intended to cater for children and young person’s attending schools at primary and post primary level.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. The request in the details supplied by the Deputy is outside of the terms of the School Transport Scheme. Funding is not provided to private contractors operating outside of the scheme.
288. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the security review conducted at a school (details supplied); when that review will be made available to the school and recommendations implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5264/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is aware of the matter to which she refers and will continue to engage with the school patron in this regard.
289. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will detail the consultation that has occurred between her Department and Wicklow County Council over the past year in relation to the new school build for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5265/23]
View answerOfficials in my Department have worked closely with officials from Wicklow County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable permanent location for North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School.
My Department officials also work closely with Wicklow County Council in relation to the designation of suitably zoned lands to meet future demand for school places.
It was through this engagement that a designated school site was identified at Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow. This site was assessed and deemed suitable to meet the requirements of the school, to which the Deputy refers, and an agreement in principle, subject to contract, has been reached with the landowner to acquire these lands.
Due to commercial sensitivities relating to site acquisitions generally I am not in a position to provide further details at this time.
290. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the spend by her Department in the provision of temporary school accommodation in County Wicklow for primary and secondary schools on an annual basis for the years 2010 to 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5266/23]
View answerTemporary accommodation in schools may be rented or purchased and funded by the Department or by the school authority itself, with or without Department sanction. For that reason it is not possible to provide the Deputy with a complete picture in respect of all temporary accommodation at schools as requested.
As the Deputy will appreciate, within the context of a rapidly increasing school population combined with arriving Ukrainian children, my Department's priority is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place. In this regard, it is sometimes necessary to make use of temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools.
The timing and duration of the accommodation need is also considered in determining the optimum accommodation solution – a short-term accommodation requirement does not require a long-term accommodation solution. For example, a school may require a temporary building in circumstances where a major school construction project is planned. Such temporary accommodation is removed when the major project concerned is completed. The length of time it is necessary to make use of temporary rented accommodation will vary from project to project.
My Department is taking an integrated approach with the Prefab Replacement Programme through the replacement of prefabricated units as part of large-scale and devolved projects and as part of new projects approved under the Additional School Accommodation scheme.
There are currently circa 300 school building projects at construction and a further circa 1,000 school building projects within the current pipeline across the various stages of planning and design. The progression and completion of these projects is and will make further inroads on the replacement of rented sites and buildings with knock-on savings on the rental budget. Good progress continues to be made with the rollout of projects, and the current status of projects being delivered is listed in tabular format, on a county by county basis, on the Department’s website at www.gov.ie and is updated regularly.
Many schools based in rented buildings and on rented sites are already part of the pipeline of projects under the school building programme and their longer-term accommodation will be addressed as part of these projects. Maximising the opportunities to achieve value for money involves matching, as best as possible, the accommodation requirement with the appropriate accommodation solution. This is relevant for all accommodation projects progressed by the Department.
The changing landscape in relation to enrolments including that of arriving Ukrainian children means that accommodation requirements can vary locally and regionally and between short, medium and long-term and this is a relevant factor considered by the Department in determining the type of accommodation solution to be put in place.
The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded as soon as possible.
291. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education the process to develop a school (details supplied) given that agreement has been reached in principle with the landowner of a 9.3 acre site; if a parallel process can commence for the design of the new school and the final purchase of the site by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5272/23]
View answer293. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education if the development of the new school (details supplied) will be bundled with any other schools; the process that will be used; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5274/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 291 and 293 together.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department has reached agreement in principle, subject to contract, for the acquisition of a site at Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow as a permanent location for the school in question.
The conveyancing stage of the acquisition process has commenced and Head of Terms have been agreed with the Vendor.
It is not possible at this early stage to provide a timeline for the delivery of the school development which will include the appointment of a Design Team. My Department will continue to engage directly with the school patron to keep it informed of progress.
