Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

My request is very basic and relates to the need for the Minister for education to make a statement on the status of Scoil Mhuire's application for a new school building in Carrick-on-Shannon.

I will give a bit of background information. Scoil Mhuire is the largest primary school in Carrick-on-Shannon, which is a very big and ever-growing town in County Leitrim. The school is located right in the middle of Carrick-on-Shannon and was one of the earliest proponents of the amalgamation of the two schools. The schools that were amalgamated were an old boys' school built in 1963 and a girls' school that was built in 1953. The schools were amalgamated in 2013.

In 2016, the school put in an application for a much-needed school building. The most glaringly obvious issue there is that there are two different campuses and they are across the road from each other. Not only is it dangerous for children crossing the road, but it also affects school identity and drop-offs. Parents drop children off in the morning to both campuses. We know the Department is aware, because a technical report several years ago from the then Department of Education stated that the school building was substandard. It is very easy to see why. The PE hall is tiny for the number of children who attend the school. The building is really cold and hard to heat.

As the school is very inclusive, the principal and the school's entire staff have welcomed children from a lot of different cultures and backgrounds, who often have additional learning and language needs. These students have needs for which small spaces would be conducive to best accommodate them. Like every school across the country, there are more children with additional needs in the school education system. Again, these children would benefit from having smaller classrooms and environments. To deal with the lack of space, the school is using converted corridors and eating into the PE hall. The PE space was small enough and it now has to be divided. It is real challenge. A promise has been made to build two modular classrooms this summer but the project will have an impact on the play space available and we all know that play is an important holistic need for children. Leitrim County Council has identified a suitable greenfield site, with which the school is very happy. The four local Deputies are all very supportive of the site and have publicly expressed their support. We now need the Department to indicate the status of the application for the new school building. The application was submitted in 2016 and people want to know when the project will progress to the next stage.