Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking the time to be with us. The Minister for Education will be very aware of this issue as I have raised it with her on a number of occasions. Indeed, it is almost one year to the day since she met with Members of the Oireachtas from south Kildare to discuss this issue, following a meeting arranged by the Ceann Comhairle. In fairness, in the following weeks places were found for children, with the addition of extra classes and schools working across applications to ensure nobody was left without a school place or left behind.

Unfortunately, we are here again in another December. For the past two months or so, I and other Oireachtas colleagues in south Kildare have received growing calls from parents who are worried sick that their children will not have a secondary school place this coming September. It is an issue we discussed at a Kildare County Council Oireachtas meeting last week and it is one I have brought up every year for the three years I have been in the Seanad. Parents ask me time and again why, when all these houses were granted planning permission, did nobody think the families coming to live in them would need a secondary school. Did nobody think these families would need facilities?

Of course, there is good news on the horizon, and I acknowledge that, but the new Curragh post-primary school promised and planned for the former Magee Barracks in Kildare town is still at design and planning stage and will not be ready before September 2023. I am hearing that additional prefabricated classrooms will be provided at the Curragh post-primary school. I ask the Minister of State to confirm that in his reply. Many people in Newbridge ask me how their children are expected to access a new school located in Kildare town. Many in the Curragh and its surrounds are asking why it was not the chosen location for their secondary school. I am sure the Minister for Education is still getting questions, both through her Department and directly, about whether she is planning a new further secondary school for the town of Newbridge itself.

Of course, this is all about the children, who see their friends getting places and who are being told they are multiple numbers away from a similar school place. It is about parents who are sick with worry that those same children are upset, are not talking or are asking them why this is. As always, I will bring to the Minister of State the examples of a small number of those parents, who represent so many others who are still worried and still waiting. The first writes:

For continuity on this issue and visibility for all, I wanted to share the latest update regarding the lack of a school place for our 12 year old son in Kildare Town Community School.

12 Places were offered to Pupils in the Town today. Unfortunately, our son was not one of these. My wife called the school earlier who confirmed he is now number 14 on the list.

She thought it's better than being number 30 as he was previously, and asked when round 3 was being sent out, to which the school representative said there may not be any 3rd round and to try and get a place elsewhere!

That goes back to the earlier point about the foresight from the Government to nip this stressful situation in the bud. Another parent in Newbridge writes:

In the Patrician Secondary School he was initially 60 on the list and the last time we rang we were told he’s 42 on the list. That is quite high [we are told] for that school ...

In St Conleths Community College he initially was 72 on the list and we have not been updated as to where he is now on the list as [we were told] the school [is not in a position to tell us what the current position is].

As I previously said we are extremely anxious, upset and worried about this. My son has lived in Newbridge since he was born. He was baptised in Newbridge, received his first holy communion in Newbridge and will make his confirmation in Newbridge. He went to Playschool / Montessori in Newbridge, is in Primary School in Newbridge and all he and we want is for him to attend Secondary school in Newbridge.

It goes on and on. This is a crisis time for so many parents. I hope the Minister of State has some answers today.