Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit freisin. Tá mé an-bhuíoch di as ucht teacht anseo chun labhairt linn ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. Tá a fhios agam go gcuirfidh sí an t-eolas os comhair an Aire Oideachais freisin. As the Minister of State will be aware, Gaelscoil Laighean, the only non-denominational Gaelscoil in the Dún Laoghaire area, opened in September 2019. It was the result of a plebiscite that took place in the Blackrock-Booterstown area on foot of a decision by the Department to establish a primary school in that area. There was a substantial plebiscite. I was a councillor in the area at the time and was quite involved in the matter so I know how much there was behind the decision of parents in the area to say they wanted a Gaelscoil specifically in that area. That is what succeeded, and An Foras Pátrúnachta was given patronage of the school. The school opened in September 2019 in temporary accommodation in Deansgrange, or Kill of the Grange, in a former restaurant on Kill Lane and has been there since. It is a small area, and the reality is that the space provided for Gaelscoil Laighean prevents it from growing beyond its present size.

The Minister of State will be aware that in recent weeks it has come out from the Department of Education that accommodation is now being provided for the school in the former senior college in Dún Laoghaire, on Eblana Avenue. This is problematic for a whole number of reasons. It is something I initially welcomed because I understood that parents were happy with it, having spoken to a wide variety of people who are part of the school community of Gaelscoil Laighean: parents, teachers and the principal. I know now that that is not the case and I can identify very clearly the reasons why it does not work. I was surprised in the first instance because the site is outside the catchment area originally envisaged for this school. This is a school for the Blackrock-Booterstown area. A move to Dún Laoghaire makes no sense. In addition, the building that is proposed, the former senior college, is in quite a dilapidated state, so I had initially thought the school would have the benefit of a fully renovated building. In fact, it will have only the ground floor, which is not very much bigger than where the school is now. It will not have the benefit of the full building.

The building itself is in very poor condition and is directly opposite what is now a building site on Eblana Avenue, so the level of disruption to the students, teachers and parents of the school will be huge. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, there are no play facilities, there is no yard and there is no area where the kids can train or get involved in sports. At least where they are in Deansgrange is next to Clonkeen Park and a hall at the Church of Ireland Church in Kill of the Grange, so there are facilities available to them.

The move to Dún Laoghaire will massively encumber parents. People who have put their lives on hold, changed jobs and changed address to be within the catchment area of this school will now have to drive to Dún Laoghaire, where previously they walked their children to school. When they get to Dún Laoghaire, there will be no point to drop off children. They will be on a busy narrow lane in Dún Laoghaire town where there is lots of traffic, including lots of construction traffic. All things considered, the decision by the Department of Education to move the school to this location, even on a temporary basis, is nonsensical. It has caused enormous upset among the school community and will cause massive disruption for the parents and families, and for the grandparents who are often involved in bringing children to or from school,and looking after them after school.

I raise this issue because it seems there has been an extraordinary level of misinformation about it. There are rumours about a site at the former council depot in Mount Anville. There are also rumours about a site elsewhere. Parents do not know what is happening. We were told initially that this was a permanent move and now we are told it is interim accommodation. Parents are entitled to certainty and clarity about what is happening here. They are entitled to a school in the Blackrock-Booterstown area, where they were told it would be. They were initially given the impression that they would get a site at the top of Newtownpark Avenue, which would appear to be perfect in all the circumstances, and now it seems that might be going to another school.

My ask to the Minister of State, which I know she will pass on directly to the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, is to please give us some clarity and certainty and take on board all of the reasonable objections of the parents and members of this school community to the location currently proposed for just a few months hence.