Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The situation is unsatisfactory, not least because the school is based across two sites. Approximately 100 children between the ages of four and six are on one site. They cannot avail of many of the facilities on the second site because they cannot safely walk to that site. The school has opened a new ASD unit, which is on the site with the junior and senior infants. It is not ideal from the point of view of integrating those children into mainstream education. The most urgent aspect of this matter is the report the school has submitted to the Department raising serious health and safety concerns. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of euro have been spent doing patch work. The school has not drawn down the additional money for replacing prefabs because that is not a proper solution. The amalgamation is now off the table. The school authorities want the school to be on a single site. That should be the desired outcome from the Department's point of view. The Government is spending a great deal of money on a major education campus in Carrigaline involving a new Educate Together school and so forth. That is to be welcomed, but this school needs attention because the current situation is dangerous and is not the optimum situation for parents, staff and pupils.

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