Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am aware of St. James's school in Basin Lane. Amalgamation has worked well in that instance. In other instances, amalgamations are often resisted on the basis that the logic behind the proposals are not explained to the community or parents. Sometimes, the resistance comes from parents and other times it is from the teachers. The amalgamation with which I am most familiar is the proposed amalgamation in September 2015 of four schools in Ballyfermot into one school. Ms McDonagh referred earlier to 15 schools possibly becoming nine schools following amalgamations. If one removes the four schools about which I am speaking then taking Ms McDonagh's figures 11 schools will become eight schools, which does not suggest an amalgamation in the case of many of the other schools. The figures do not add up in terms of amalgamations.
In Ballyfermot there are two campuses located back to back. The proposal appears to be illogical. Ms McDonagh referred to a falloff in the population in Ballyfermot. However, the census report suggests the opposite. The reason for the fall in pupil numbers in the De La Salle primary school was the opening in the same catchment area less than ten years ago of St. Ultan's primary school, which is operating at capacity.

The Gaelscoileanna in the vicinity, which also draw pupils from Ballyfermot, are run at capacity with large waiting lists. Next year there will potentially be an increase in numbers for Ballyfermot schools. That is not the core point, which is the logic behind the closing of the De La Salle campus, shifting pupils from one very large campus to a more restricted campus which already has prefabricated buildings on it. It defeats any logic.
There are several schools involved and they come under the patronage of the Archbishop and the proposals made by the delegation. What is the proposal for the De La Salle campus if this goes ahead? Much State money has been invested in a degree of modernisation of the De La Salle campus, and the Sonas autism unit was also operating well. What will happen to it and other centres in the De La Salle complex? What will happen to the playground in the Dominican campus if new buildings must be created for a physical education hall and facilitation of the autism centre's transfer? Extra classrooms will also be required if the schools are to be amalgamated, so are there plans to dispose of the De La Salle lands, including the playing fields and buildings? Will they be retained for other community or educational purposes that may add to the campus?
I am not opposed to the amalgamation per seif both campuses are retained and the existing capacity is used correctly. The more educational space available to a community which has suffered much disadvantage over the years, the better for that community in future. There have been problems with how the amalgamation has been presented to parents. The delegation has mentioned stakeholders, and the orders and patrons seem to have been able to communicate the matters among themselves, but that has not filtered out as accurately as it should have to stakeholders. They were originally told last November that the school was to close in September this year, but by raising the issue, it seems the process has been delayed for a year. Only yesterday the De La Salle brothers sent home with all the boys a note stating that primary education in Ballyfermot is being reorganised by the patron because of declining numbers of pupils in the school, with all Catholic primary schools being located on the former Dominican site after 31 August 2015. It stated that the De La Salle campus would no longer be used as a primary school and that the planned restructuring was designed to ensure continued high-quality education into the future for all the children in Ballyfermot. Nothing said by me or the delegation contradicts the statement, but it seems illogical.
There is another key point. Has the patron been in full consultation with one of the primary stakeholders - the Department of Education and Skills - about its plans, and how far back they were initiated?