Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lombard. I offer him this response on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton. It provides me with an opportunity to clarify the position of the Department of Education and Skills in regard to the accommodation needs of Scoil Eoin in Innishannon, County Cork.

The Senator is aware of the demographic challenge facing the education system in the coming years, including in the Cork area. In that regard, the six-year construction programme aims to prioritise new building projects and major extensions, including special schools in areas where demographic need has been established. In addition, the capital programme provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms in schools, including special schools, where an immediate accommodation requirement has been identified or an additional teacher has been appointed. It is open to schools to apply for funding for additional classroom accommodation where required.

The Senator will be aware that Scoil Eoin is a co-educational Catholic ethos primary school catering for boys and girls from junior infants to sixth class. The staffing at the school for 2017 will be one principal, 11 mainstream class teachers and four special education posts. The enrolment in Scoil Eoin is 295 pupils, reflecting a 6% increase in enrolment over the past five years.

Scoil Eoin submitted an application to the Department of Education and Skills in December 2015, seeking two additional mainstream classes, as the Senator has pointed out. Approval was granted for the provision of one mainstream classroom. This approval was to address the mainstream classroom accommodation deficit that would prevail with the appointment of an additional mainstream teacher from September 2016.

The school subsequently submitted a further application to the Department in March 2017 for the provision of an additional mainstream classroom. The application was assessed by the Department of Education and Skills and it was determined there was no deficit of mainstream classroom accommodation at the school. The Department determined, however, that in light of the special education teaching hours at the school there was a deficit of special education teaching accommodation.

It is in that context that the Department of Education and Skills approved an additional special education teaching room for the school in addition to the mainstream classroom previously approved. The decision was recently conveyed to the school. I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I can confirm the Department's commitment to progressing the devolved building project in the case of Scoil Eoin.