Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I can fully understand the dismay caused by the decision of any school to close. I will clarify the Department’s position on the closure by Notre Dame Schools Trust of the fee-paying primary and post-primary schools which it operates on Churchtown Road Upper in Dublin. I understand the concerns that have been raised by staff, parents and students regarding the recent announcement of this closure.

Last week, the Notre Dame Schools Trust made a formal announcement regarding its decision to begin winding down the Notre Dame junior and secondary schools. The parents of pupils have been informed that the decision to close the school was made by the trustees on the basis that there was insufficient income to support the schools' financial commitments and operating costs and the need for significant investment in the infrastructure.

Officials from the Department of Education and Skills had been in contact with the school trustees prior to the closure to provide the required supports to assist them in facilitating an orderly wind-down and phased closure of the schools. Notre Dame Schools Trust has at all times indicated its commitment to ensure appropriate arrangements are put in place to facilitate the current cohort of students during the schools' phased closure. The Notre Dame junior school will continue operating until the end of the current academic year in June 2017 and will then close. The Notre Dame secondary school will continue to operate until June 2019 to ensure that all pupils currently attending the school can complete their current junior and senior cycles uninterrupted.

As part of its liaison with Notre Dame Schools Trust, my Department agreed the acquisition of the school property and grounds, with a view to using them for school purposes in the future. This acquisition was finalised recently. While the proposed school to be accommodated has not been determined at this point, there are several school needs in the area and the future use of the property is being considered in that context. My Department is awaiting clarification pertaining to the feasibility of development of alternative sites and the timelines for acquisition, planning permission and development, which will inform the decision with regard to the future use of the Notre Dame site. The Department will not take over the current schools. As part of the discussions on the acquisition, it was agreed the current schools will remain in situuntil the wind-down period has been completed.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline the position regarding the closure of two schools in Dublin 14.

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