John Cummins (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking this Commencement matter. I am disappointed the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, is not here to take this Commencement matter but, that being said, I am sure the Minister of State has a response from the Department. If I require further information, I hope it will be forthcoming.

St. Paul's Community College is the only second level co-educational and multi-denominational school in Waterford city. In the past three years, it has seen strong growth. The number of students attending the school has increased by 33% in that period. Two years ago, it had 475 pupils. This figure increased to 575 last year and stands at 626 this year. The strong growth speaks to the need and demand for this type of school in Waterford city. I should declare an interest at this point. Prior to my election to Seanad Éireann, I was a physical education teacher at St. Paul's Community College for approximately eight years.

The school is located in close proximity to Waterford Institute of Technology. It is in a built-up residential area and on a public transport route. Geographically, it is well placed to support the growing Kilbarry and north-west suburbs of the city.Given all this, and the projected demand for secondary school places in Waterford city, I understand the Department of Education approached Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, ETB, about expanding St. Paul's Community College to a 1,000-pupil school to facilitate the lack of post-primary places. I would like to get an update on this today.

Progress needs to be made urgently on these plans because they have, or potentially could have, an impact on the immediate interim accommodation requirements for the school, given its current enrolment figures. If I take the interim needs first, which are required independently of the 1,000 pupil school requirement and specifications, St. Paul's Community College needs four general classrooms, a home economics room, a science lab and a fully-equipped woodwork room to Department specifications, and it needs these immediately. However, the school is expected to reach 850 pupils within the next five years, so in terms of the bigger picture, there is a conundrum here for the Department. A decision needs to be crystalised urgently because some of the interim accommodation needs may impact on the ability of the school to be modified to facilitate that further growth demand.

The reality is that we both know it can take a considerable amount of time to get projects from concept through to completion within the Department of Education. Therefore, I am concerned that any of the interim accommodation needs which are required may impact the ability to be able to complete a bigger project, which is required.

I would ask that an urgent meeting is arranged and that there is a visit to the school by the Department's building unit to scope out the works that are required now and in the short term in terms of the bigger project. I know from my knowledge of the school that it is a difficult site. While there is much space, the roof on the existing school is not standard in nature. Therefore, desktop exercise in an office in Dublin will not cut it. It needs to be done on the ground and with management to ascertain the full facts. That needs to be done as a matter of urgency.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will bring these comments to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Foley. The Senator has made a strong case for the school.

St. Paul's Community College is a multidenominational, co-educational post-primary school under the patronage of Waterford and Wexford ETB. The enrolment for this school for the 2020-21 academic year was 572 and pending validation of all enrolment returns, it is understood to be well above 600 in the current school year. There have been consistently strong enrolments in this school and this is expected to continue.

St. Paul's Community College submitted an application under the Department of Education's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme. The purpose the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special educational needs, SEN, accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year where the need cannot be met by the school's existing accommodation.

Officials from the Department assessed the application and identified a deficit in the school's current accommodation, based on projected future enrolment. In order to address this deficit, the Department wrote to the patron seeking agreement to an extensive range of additional new and replacement accommodation. This includes three mainstream classrooms - design and communication graphics, DCG, home economics, art, graphics and engineering rooms; two multimedia rooms; three science laboratories; an enlarged staff room; a new special education unit; and two special education teaching, SET, rooms, as well as a range of associated reconfiguration work to the accommodation currently in place at St. Paul's Community College.

While the Department has already been in touch with the patron regarding the permanent accommodation proposal for the school, the patron recently submitted an additional request for interim accommodation at the school. This request is also being assessed by the Department of Education. Officials are engaging with the patron to finalise and agree the level of interim accommodation to be put in place pending the delivery of the permanent accommodation.

Following receipt of the patron's agreement to the full range of accommodation offered, officials from the Department's professional and technical section will prepare the project brief for the devolved delivery of the project by Waterford and Wexford ETB.The Department of Education will continue to work with Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, as school patron, to identify and advance the optimum solution to meet the long-term needs of St. Paul's Community College.

John Cummins (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for the reply, which references the permanent accommodation and outlines what is required going forward to facilitate the 1,000 enrolments projected. However, there is also an immediate need and so both needs require to be met in knowledge of the other. Putting in place the interim accommodation I outlined in my initial contribution may have an impact on the wider project outlined by the Minister of State in terms of the reply from the Department. The immediate need requires to be finalised in the context of the wider development. The site appraisal and a person on site to look at the overall project is required, but not subsequent to the desktop exercise that clearly has happened within the Department and the ETB. The is a need to be met in the immediate term, but that must be done in the context of the wider project and that requires boots on the ground to see what exactly what can be done long-term in terms of the future needs of the school.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I again thank Senator Cummins for the strong and robust case he has put forward for St. Paul's Community College. I will bring the case in regard to the community college in the context of the overall long-term plan to the attention of the Minister for Education. I agree that it is important staff of the Department of Education liaise with the patron and the community to find the best possible solution for the school. We appreciate all of the school's efforts in terms of increased enrolments. I have no doubt it is providing a significant service to the community. I again acknowledge Senator Cummins's role in progressing this case. I will do my best to bring the case to the Minister for Education.