James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me the time to discuss this very important issue in regard to an application by Lanesboro community college, Lanesboro, County Longford, for additional temporary school accommodation, namely, a general purpose classroom, a science laboratory, an office and a sports hall. The extended accommodation is necessary in light of the considerable increase in enrolment over the past number of years and, in particular, September 2012.

I am delighted to say that since I first raised the issue with the Department and since I spoke on the Education and Training Boards Bill 2012 some weeks ago, the Department of Education and Skills has made an allocation for two new classrooms at Lanesboro community college. This funding will allow for the replacement of an existing prefab and the building of an additional classroom. I welcome this news and thank the Minister for ensuring this dynamic and highly progressive school is to get a long-needed extension to its built environment.

Following the closure of the local convent in Lanesboro, which was amalgamated with the VEC, the school is bursting at the seams. The number of students is way beyond the capacity of the current building provision. In fact, for the past number of years, enrolment has been rising steadily. There has been an increase of 89 students in the past six years alone. Current accommodation is totally unacceptable to accommodate such numbers.

There is a severe shortage of classroom space to accommodate classes and to allow for subject options. Leaving certification physics, biology, chemistry, agricultural science and junior certificate science are all forced to share the same room. This is unacceptable in 2012, and I pointed this out on several occasions.

On a visit to the school in March of this year, I was shocked to see teachers having to conduct meetings with parents in corridors and hallways. As I am sure the Department took into consideration my many submissions, I do not need to stress that the current situation at the school is a health and safety concern. Classroom space is necessary to cope physically with the increased volume of students. It is also essential to facilitate teaching and learning within the school.

Apart from the overcrowding of the science room, the computer room is also a general purpose classroom. The school music room is small and very close to other classrooms leading to unacceptable levels of noise. There is no general room available for study during the day. The school office is too small with no privacy for the school secretary, parents or inspectors and is an unhealthy environment.

While I believe there are no current plans to fund a sports hall, the provision of physical education for the students is extremely difficult given the limitations of space and the complete lack of an area for indoor sports. I am sure the Minister is conscious of the urgent need to get all students involved in sporting activity in the interests of long-term health and well-being. We had reasonable success in the midlands earlier this year with our Olympians. For a second level school to be unable to provide for indoor sports for its students is an indictment of the Irish education system and a lack of awareness of the part physical activity plays in academic success and overall student development. I hope that in the not too distant future, I will be welcoming funding for a sports hall at Lanesboro community college.

The amalgamation of schools across rural Ireland was promoted not only as a cost-cutting exercise but as a positive benefit for students with resources to be centralised and improved. Certainly, the students of Lanesboro community college have not had such an experience until now. For them overcrowding has been a difficult and ongoing problem. This is despite the wonderful work carried out by the principal, Jimmy Flanagan, and his excellent staff with the generous assistance and support of the board of management, and in this regard I mention my party colleague, the mayor of Longford, Sean Farrell, Adie Farrell, who is synonymous with education in Lanesboro, Willie Dinnegan and the parents. With the backing of Department funding, their professionalism and goodwill can be matched by a more realistic school built environment.

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