George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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CBS Secondary School in New Ross currently has an enrolment of 413 students. It is a coeducational DEIS school and remains the only secondary school in County Wexford without a sports hall. This is a significant disparity which leaves the students and teachers at the school at a significant disadvantage. It is my understanding that the Department of education has already approved, in principle, the construction of a full-sized sports hall internally to comprise of 594 sq. m with an overall scale of 1,048 sq. m if you include all the storage and ancillary services.

An action plan is now urgently needed for the funding to turn the approval into reality. The absence of such a facility in this school not only impacts on the ability to deliver a comprehensive physical education curriculum but also contradicts previous Government strategies for encouraging youth participation in sports and physical activity. We all know these are crucial for student well-being. Investing in a sports hall aligns with national priorities to promote health, fitness and inclusion in education.

The current PE facilities in the school are grossly inadequate and present numerous challenges, particularly in terms of health and safety. There are only two outdoor basketball courts, which are covered in tarmac. This surface is deteriorating, with large cracks appearing in several areas. The outdoor grass area is very uneven and sloped and unsuitable for safe sporting activities. While the school does have an indoor sports area, it is essentially a large classroom. I was in it for the Darkness Into Light event a couple of weeks ago and it really is just a large classroom. The school is expected to carry on its PE activities there. All ball sports or energetic activities are ruled out due to the size of the room. The equipment for PE is stored in a cargo container with no electricity. This creates its own safety risks, particularly during the winter months when light is poor.

The inadequacies in the current set-up extend to health and safety concerns. The outdoor yard is hazardous, especially during wet conditions. The school is also unable to offer students proper changing and shower facilities after their PE classes. Beyond the immediate concerns of health and safety and practicalities, the ability to deliver a comprehensive and varied PE curriculum is significantly hampered. Unfortunately, planning is often dictated by weather and facility limitations, rather than the students' needs. This should not be the case for students in a DEIS school.

Believe it or not, the school celebrates its 175th anniversary this year, yet the sports and PE facilities in the school have seen little progress since 1849. A sports hall would also serve a broader purpose in the school community. It would provide essential space for whole-school events such as assemblies and celebrations. At present the only option for gathering the entire student body together is the local parish church in New Ross. The school has had to hire outdoor stages for school awards and other events. Obviously, these pose logistical challenges when weather conditions are unfavourable.

A sports hall would also provide suitable space for hosting exams, which the school currently struggles with, given the limited indoor facilities. The school is a central part of New Ross town. It offers facilities, albeit limited, to the New Ross Musical Society, St. Michael's Theatre Musical Society, New Ross Drama Workshop and the Polish school. The school also offers its limited outdoor facilities to New Ross Town FC and to United Striders AC. They make use of the off-site fields, which are approximately 1 km from the school. Given the constraints, the school really does need this facility. It should be an urgent addition to this school after 175 years.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to clarify the position in relation to the Department of Education and Youth’s plans for upgrading school buildings, including CBS, New Ross, County Wexford. As the Deputy is aware, he school had an enrolment in 2024 of 413 pupils. This represents an increase of 4% in the past five years. The Department approved significant capital funding for the school under the additional school accommodation scheme in 2019. The approved project was for the provision of four general classrooms, one special education tuition room, one DCG room and one home economics room. This project was devolved to the school authorities for delivery and the project is currently at tender stage.

The Department’s planning and building unit also received an application, in June 2017, from the school seeking capital funding for the provision of a PE hall. The school authority was informed in writing that it was not possible to consider the application at that time. However, approval was given to the school authorities in 2022 to include funding for master-planning the future build of a PE hall in conjunction with the 2019 project.

Since 2020, the Department has invested more than €6 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 1,375 school building projects. Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in the coming months, investments by the Department of Education and Youth are adding more than 610,000 sq. m of new and modernised capacity to our school estate. This is a record level of investment in school buildings. It will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education and upgrade and modernise our school infrastructure. The impact of this will be felt in communities across the country.

The programme for Government recognises the importance of strong capital investment in the school building programme and supporting this with enhanced allocations through the NDP process. A future strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock will have different strands and will include a PE build and modernisation programme which will enable students in post-primary schools to have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision, particularly in the context of the roll-out of PE as a leaving certificate subject. Enhanced and modernised PE facilities will also provide important amenities for local communities. However, the main focus of the Department’s capital funding over the past decade and for the coming period is on the provision of critical additional capacity to cater for changing demographics and children with special educational needs. The Department manages the overall school building programme, ensuring that areas under the greatest pressure for additional school places are prioritised. This reflects the Department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. However it is quite disappointing to discover that in this day and age, considering issues of mental health, well-being and the importance of physical activity, a PE hall does not appear to be on the agenda for this school. This is the only secondary school in County Wexford that does not have a PE hall or a gymnasium. The school is expected to operate with below substandard facilities, yet the response is that it is not a priority. We hear talk day in, day out that the provision of facilities for physical activity to improve the well-being and mental health of people is to the forefront. Here we have a situation where a DEIS school which has an enrolment of 413 students is expected to operate in what is, in effect, a large classroom. It is expected to operate in substandard conditions at a time when we are talking about making PE a central component of the leaving certificate. It makes no sense whatsoever.

I appreciate that the Minister of State is here today on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. I ask him to bring this back to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and emphasise the importance of this issue for the students, parents and teachers of this school. They are battling and running up a hill trying to provide facilities that are available tenfold in other schools in the immediate area. This school deserves recognition and support from the Government and the Department of Education and Youth. The Department is not known for being hasty, as the Minister of State well knows, when it comes to the provision of facilities. This is an urgent request from the pupils, teachers and families of those who attend CBS New Ross. I ask that this be brought to the Minister for her urgent attention.

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I take the Deputy's remarks on board and will bring the issue to the attention of the Minister. As I outlined in my earlier contribution, a range of projects are being delivered across the school area. The priority is for the Department to ensure that there are places available for every student for the next school year. In the context of that and the points the Deputy has made, I will bring his views back to the Minister and make sure she is aware of them.