Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, I thank the Senator for raising this matter because it provides the opportunity to outline the current position on accommodation for Scoil Mhuire in Creeslough, County Donegal. The Senator will be aware that Scoil Mhuire is a co-educational national school that caters for pupils from junior infants to sixth class. The school has a current enrolment of 111 and a staffing complement of principal plus three main school teachers. In addition, the school has one special education support post. As the Senator may also be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Education and Skills divides the country into 314 school planning areas. The Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post-primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.

Scoil Mhuire is located in the Falcarragh school planning area, in which there are 13 primary schools in total. The demographic data for the Falcarragh school planning area, as with other school planning areas nationwide, is being kept under ongoing review by the Department, taking account of updated child benefit and enrolment data. In May 2017, the Department received an additional school accommodation application to provide a new mainstream classroom, a general purpose room, a library-computer room and ancillary accommodation. When assessing the application, it was noted that the existing school accommodation comprises four mainstream classrooms, two special education teaching rooms, a library-computer room, staff room and a general office. With a staffing complement of four mainstream teachers and one special education teacher, it was determined that there is currently no deficit of mainstream class accommodation. The Department acknowledges the request by the school for the provision of a GP room and other ancillary accommodation. The position, however, is that due to competing demands on the Department’s capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential school classroom accommodation in areas of demographic growth or in cases where an additional teaching post is being approved, the school’s request cannot be prioritised at this time.

I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline the current position regarding accommodation at Scoil Mhuire.