Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have raised issues affecting the primary school in Carrick-on-Shannon many times. The school campus was originally built in 1952. It was extended in 1983 and amalgamated in 2013. Scoil Mhuire in Carrick-on-Shannon is no longer fit for purpose. A technical report by the Department of Education has painted a damning picture of the school principal, staff and pupils having to cope in packed undersized classrooms with major defects and identified issues that need immediate attention.

Since the amalgamation with the boy’s national school in 2013 under one management, Scoil Mhuire has struggled to cope across two campuses and its pupil enrolment has doubled. As both campuses are located along major traffic thoroughfares, there is complete chaos at opening and closing times. What is required is a new school on a new site away from the hub of the town centre. I acknowledge the campaign by the board of management and the parents committee for a new school but, unfortunately, there is little or no progress to report on that ambition.

I urge the Minister of State to examine the details of the technical report by the Department of Education that bears out the justification for a campaign for a new school on a new site. The Department conducted a technical report on both existing sites and concluded that it would not be possible to provide an 18- or 24-classroom primary school on the existing site. Both sites were considered too small to cater for the entire school. Defects that need urgent attention were identified, some of which have been addressed under emergency works. Additional prefabs have been supplied and more are on the way to cater for increased enrolment. The report highlighted the principal’s concern about the size of existing teaching spaces in the building when compared with the Department standard room layouts and sizes of classrooms, offices and supporting teaching spaces, SET, rooms. The classrooms in question are 41 sq. m, approximately half the size of the standard 80 sq. m classroom.

Existing storage and corridor spaces have had to be converted into special education teaching rooms to cater for classes using one or two special education teachers, SETs, resulting in inner rooms having to be accessed through existing rooms. A number of other defects were identified, including in respect of ventilation, visible settlement cracks and cracking along the corridors, lack of airflow, water ingress under the floor and no staff or visitor parking evident at one site. The provision of prefabs as additional spaces, while welcome, continues to reduce already limited play and outdoor areas.

The report did not address the public road areas and congestion at arrival and departure times, traffic and other risks in those areas. The report did result in emergency works being completed, including a new roof on part of one site to address the evidence of roof leaks throughout the original 1952 and 1983 extensions.

We need a new school. The parents, teachers and students need a new school. Now is the time to deliver a new school for the people of Carrick-on-Shannon.

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