Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising the important issue of Enable Ireland Sandymount School. I am responding here on behalf of the Minister for Education.

Enable Ireland Sandymount School is a co-educational, special school providing a primary and second-level education to students aged from four to 18 with physical and other complex needs. The school property is not in the ownership of the Minister for Education. I can confirm to the Deputies that the Department of Education is not in receipt of a current application from the school for the additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. The purpose of the Department’s ASA scheme is to ensure essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation. At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by the teacher allocation section or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.

Provision for children with special educational needs is a priority for the Department of Education and in that context it works very closely with the NCSE on forward planning for increased special education provision in the form of additional special classes and special school places. The main focus of resources over the past decade and for the coming period is on the provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. As a result, the current priority under the ASA scheme is the provision of essential classroom accommodation to meet demographic demand or where an additional post is being appointed.

Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €3.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 840 school building projects, with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects. School building projects at construction involve an overall State investment of more than €1.2 billion. We also have in excess of 210 modular accommodation projects that are very well advanced for delivery or at construction stage. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.

Enable Ireland Sandymount School applied to the emergency works scheme for funding under category 2 for roof works on 22 December 2023. Defects in the roof membrane and the degradation of silicone sealants has led to rainwater ingress which caused deterioration to the building fabric and finishes. This roof membrane was initially put in place in 1998. In addition to this, the roof lights are degrading and brittle and will require replacement. These issues have led to the school closing four areas of the building, namely, the PE hall, one classroom, a soft play room and toilets. These rooms have been out of use since September 2023. The school noticed the initial water ingress in the winter of 2022 and since that time has carried out remedial works to the problem areas. However, additional remedial works are now required.

Once the Department received the application it was reviewed by the emergency works scheme's technical team who found the area of roof covered by the application to be larger than required to address the immediate issues. Under circular 0068/2020, the emergency works scheme cannot provide funding for full roof works. The circular provides for an urgent remedy to prevent the immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment and to prevent the school, or part thereof, from closure. In this regard, the Department has advised the school to carry out a dry test which will indicate any damaged areas of the roof that are in need of repair. Remedial works may then be carried out on these specific areas as an interim measure. A longer term solution such as a roof replacement, where appropriate, may be facilitated under the summer works scheme. At this time the Department is awaiting the results of the dry test.

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