Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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6. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the additional school accommodation application by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8152/25]

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I want to make a big push in support of the additional school accommodation application that has been made to the Department by Scoil Seanáin Naofa, better known in my locality as Clonlara National School. Last September I brought the principal, Donnchadh Kelleher, and the chairman of the board of management to meet with the then Minister, Deputy Foley. Subsequent to that, there has been correspondence over and back with the building unit in the Department. Now is the time to approve it. The school is in a decrepit state. It is desperately in need of new accommodation. I hope the Minister can try to progress it.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Crowe very much for the question on Clonlara. I can confirm to him that the Department is in receipt of an application for funding for major capital works from the school in question. The application has been assessed under the Department's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme.

For background, since 2020, the Department has invested more than €5.7 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 1,150 school building projects, with construction currently under way on approximately 300 other projects, which includes 40 new school buildings, some of which are being delivered in phases. The 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of more than €1.3 billion.

Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education are adding more than 550,000 sq. m of new and modernised capacity to the school estate. This is a record level of investment in school buildings and is testament to the priority the Government has and is placing on educational investment. It will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education, and upgrade and modernise school infrastructure. The impact of this will be felt in communities the length and breadth of the country.

Following a site visit by the Department of Education, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the accommodation brief for a significant extension at the school has been approved by the Department. The accommodation brief will include replacing some existing accommodation to provide new modern facilities and increased capacity for the school. The school authority notified my Department last week that it welcomes and accepts this project brief. The next steps will involve finalising the formal project brief, which will then enable the school authority to be approved to commence the procurement process for the design team.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister State for that. That is indeed a very positive update. The school has applied for the replacement of its old prefab classrooms. In total, there are five classrooms in an older block of the school that was built in 1968. The school has applied to the Department to replace these and provide a new staffroom and entrance area. The classrooms are small, draughty, cold and damp. The walls are decaying on the roof has perished. I have first-hand experience of some of these classrooms because, as the Minister of State knows, I taught for 16 years prior to my election to the Dáil. During the Covid pandemic, when there were staff shortages due to illness, I did a couple of unpaid subbing days in the school. I was in one of the old classrooms. The wind howls around it and the walls are actually buckled because they are so old. Some of the windows have dislodged from where they were first fixed. The classrooms need to be replaced. What we are hearing today is really positive but there needs to be an acceleration because, when I think of the beautiful new schools I see around the country, I note Clonlara school is not one of them. Its classrooms are not fit for teaching in and the staffroom is not fit for the staff. It does not fit the modern curriculum. While there is good news, acceleration is needed.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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There is no doubt that when lived experiences of being and working in the classrooms is brought to the floor of the Chamber, it brings the matter very much to life in the political forum.

Clonlara school applied for major capital works. An application is assessed following the site visit by the Department’s technical team. A brief of accommodation was issued to the board of management. This brief included the proposal for the demolition of the 1968 school building, which was poorly insulated and lacks direct internal connections to the old facilities, and for removing all prefabs currently on site once the additional accommodation is delivered. The proposed brief of additional accommodation consists of seven mainstream classrooms, three special education tuition rooms and two education classes. Currently, no SEN class is open. The proposed brief was issued by the Department and the board of management very recently accepted this proposed brief of accommodation. The next steps will involve finalising the formal project brief, which will allow the school authority to be approved to commence the procurement process for the design team.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. This is really good news. I am aware that representatives of Clonlara school are watching this morning. This amounts to a new school, but, for all the reasons I have outlined, it is desperately needed.

There is also an inaccessibility issue because, as one notes if coming in the main doors of the school or going down the corridor, the school is built on two levels. It is a split-level building and there is a very precarious ramp. In the past, there were children who had to use wheelchairs to get up and down it. That is not the case within the current enrolment but the ramp is precarious and nowhere near compliant with building regulations. It needs to be addressed.

There are other issues also, including accessibility to the PE curriculum. We cannot eat up all the school’s open space when we eventually build the new building. Overall, however, the development is positive. I thank the Minister of State and the Minister, but I thank the previous Minister, Deputy Foley, in particular. On 13 September last, she met me and two representatives of the school in Mungret, County Limerick. Subsequent to that, there were visits by the Department. It is going well. The school will be delighted to accept the brief but acceleration the project is key.

I thank the Minister of State and Minister and wish them the best of luck in their new positions.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I accept the point. In the departmental documents, it is clearly stated there is no direct internal connection to other facilities. The Department clearly understands the challenges in Clonlara. What we have to do now is ensure the project proceeds through the various stages so the building can be got up and running. I commit to working with the Deputy to ensure this happens in a timely fashion.