Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 68: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by staff and pupils at a school (details supplied) in County Donegal regarding the shortage of space; if her attention has further been drawn to the fact that a child with special needs is being taught in the staff toilets; and if she will report on the number of other schools across the State which have similar arrangements due to gross overcrowding in their schools. [19780/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department is considering an extension project at the school to which the Deputy refers in the context of the overall school building and modernisation programme 2005-2009. The project has been assessed and will be prioritised using the published prioritisation criteria. The project will provide a general purposes room and ancillary accommodation.

In 2002, following a specific approach from the school authorities regarding the need to provide facilities for a special needs pupil, the Office of Public Works acting on my Department's behalf discussed two options with the school authorities — one was to provide a prefab or alternatively to convert existing toilet facilities to meet the need identified by the school. The Office of Public Works subsequently reported to my Department that the school authority rejected the option of using the prefabricated accommodation and opted instead to convert an adjoining boys and girls toilet by removing sanitary ware but leaving the original divisional wall in order to provide separate accommodation for the full-time and part-time support teacher. At the time a grant in the amount of €5,385 was sanctioned by my Department to cover the full cost of the conversion project.

In relation to the position of schools generally clearly the rapid expansion in the number of teachers allocated to schools by this Government to respond to children with special needs has placed pressure on existing accommodation, particularly in smaller schools. We have been making significant inroads in dealing with the needs of such schools through the significant expansion of the school building programme in recent years and through measures like the devolved initiatives.

My Department is not aware of any school where a directly comparable conversion of existing building space was carried out by a school.