Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, for coming in to take this very important Commencement matter. This relates to Ramsgrange Community School, a school in south Wexford. It is a very large provider of secondary-level education to people from as far south as the Hook Peninsula and as far north as Murntown on the outskirts of Wexford town. The school has a massive catchment area and currently has approximately 630 students enrolled and attending. I recently visited the school at the request of acting principal, Tracey Edwards, simply because of the overcapacity and the shortage of spaces there. To be honest, I was shocked by what I saw. So many of the common areas that were originally designed for students to play in, have access to, to socialise in and have their breaks in have been repurposed as teaching areas. It is a school that was designed back in the 1980s. It consists of prefabricated buildings and was designed for a maximum capacity of approximately 500 students. With 630 students attending at the moment, there simply is not enough space. The population in that area and the large catchment area that it serves is continuing to grow. More students are looking to be enrolled there than is possible to facilitate. The school is now starting to turn away students as it is at maximum capacity.

One of the main issues is that the school took on four additional special needs classes. They are housed in an ancillary building that is owned by the Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board, WWETB, and that building is simply not fit for purpose. The roof is in bits, and it is an ancient building. The WWETB is allowing the school to facilitate its special needs classes in that building in a gesture of kindness but it is just not suitable.

The school was put forward for extension building works over the past number of years. The process started back in 2020 with the appointment of the design team. It moved to stage 1 in 2021. It moved to stage 2a in 2023. Planning permission was applied for in July 2024. It was granted in May 2025 after a few back and forths regarding further information requests, an archaeological survey and different things that had to be complied with. The school will shortly lodge the application to move to the tender phase. I hope that the school's application to move to the tender phase will be treated as a priority by the Government and the Minister to reflect the reality on the ground. There are so many students. There is overcrowding and the school has classrooms that are not fit for purpose.

This application accordingly has to be treated a priority. It has to move through from the tender to build phases as soon as possible. I ask the Minister of State to take this Matter seriously and to bring it back to the Department and for it to really hear that points that have been put forward by the school community. We need to ensure that it is treated as the priority that it deserves to be as it serves such a large catchment area in south Wexford.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Cathal Byrne for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity the provide the current position regarding the planned school building project for Ramsgrange Community School, County Wexford.I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minster for Education, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton.

The school referred to by the Senator was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for school building projects under the additional school accommodation scheme to provide ten general classrooms, one science lab, one science prep area, two special education classrooms, one music room and ancillary accommodation. This project is devolved to the school authority for delivery.

In December 2023, as the Senator outlined, the project was granted approval to proceed to stage 2b, detailed design of the architectural design process. This stage includes obtaining all statutory approvals, preparing a set of fully detailed tender documents and preparing an accurate pre-tender cost plan. The Department currently awaits submission of the stage 2b report. On submission of the report, the Department will carry out a detailed review from a technical and cost perspective. All projects, including this one, are subject to the full due diligence requirements set out in the Department’s infrastructure guidelines. Managing timing, scope and cost is crucial to staying within the budgetary limits of the overall programme.

As the Senator will be aware, the Department recently published a €7.55 billion NDP sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors to 2030. This involves a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and the prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent need. There will be a strong special education dimension to project roll-out. The Department recognises that there are schools with important building projects that are not included in the first tranche of proposed projects. The list of projects prioritised to proceed to tender and construction are focused on projects at a more advanced stage than the project at Ramsgrange school. Nevertheless, as the Senator outlined, the school has since raised a number of accommodation issues with the Department. The Department continues to engage with the school and the school management body to examine any urgent or priority works required at the school. That engagement is ongoing.

As part of planning for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continued need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised needs. This process will involve engagement with key stakeholders and individual schools and will ultimately inform the next tranche of programme that will go to tender. The Department energy and condition survey of school estates will be finalised later in 2026 and will provide an additional evidence base for assessing priorities.

Based on the ongoing prioritisation process, some projects will be added to the list over the course of 2026 and 2027, having regard to their prioritisation and the urgency the Senator outlined, the need required and the ongoing ability to progress the school project to tender and construction within the parameters of overall funding. Where appropriate, the Department will assess opportunities to undertake advanced enabling works for the most urgent and complex projects to facilitate a smooth transition to construction in 2028 and beyond. The project at Ramsgrange Community School will form part of that overall consideration, in consultation with the school authority, management board and patrons.

Cathal Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. I very much welcome the fact that the Department will commit to engaging with the school. I cannot overemphasise the importance of the project. I know Ramsgrange Community School will engage with the energy and conditions survey the Department will open shortly. I know from my interactions with the school how keen it is to engage with the Department on that, in particular to ensure that the special classes, of which there are currently four, will be in a position to move to a purpose-built facility.

With 630 students attending a school built for 500 in prefab buildings from the 1980s, I encourage the Department to take the school's reflections on where things are at the moment and ensure that it is a priority. I would also like to invite the Minister for Education and Youth to come to the school and meet the students, school management and acting principal, Tracey Edwards. Perhaps the Minister of State might take that open invitation back to the Minister. The school is more than happy to facilitate the visit and show the Minister firsthand the real lived experience of the students in the school on a day-to-day basis.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I again thank the Senator for raising this important matter and raising his concerns around the need to accelerate this project. For the 630 students he represents, their parents, the board of management and the principal, Tracey Edwards, those concerns have been heard loud and clear. I will bring back to the Minister the need for the Department to examine the project and carry out ongoing engagement and consultation with the school. Through continued engagement with Ramsgrange and the school management body, I will ask that the Department examine any urgent priority works that are required and try to ensure the project continues to progress through stage 2b and to tender and construction. I again thank the Senator for raising the issue.