Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1725: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will seek the support of the boards of management of all the national schools in the Naas town area for the full opening of the new national school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2872/07]

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

As the Deputy may be aware the new school to which he refers opened in September 2005. The school was given approval to enrol two Junior Infant Classes per year and, when fully occupied, will operate as a two-stream 16-classroom school. This incremental development is common to all newly established schools to ensure that a shortage of accommodation at the school is avoided by an over enrolment in the early stages and crucially, to ensure that the enrolments and staffing levels in other schools in the area, where older pupils would inevitably be drawn, are not adversely affected.

Notwithstanding this position and as an exceptional matter, the school authority has been given approval to enrol three junior infant classes for the 2006/07 school year only, on the grounds that this will not impact negatively on the other schools in question.

Approval was also been given to enrol an additional 40 pupils up the classes that could not obtain places in other schools in the area. Pupils moving into the area in the course of the school year can also enrol in the school on the same basis. In this way all eligible pupils seeking places should be accommodated.

In the meantime, the Department has decided to make vacant accommodation in the building in question, which is State, owned available to another school for a period of two years.

The Department and the Patron have jointly appointed a facilitator to plan for and effect the move. The Department hopes that the Boards will work together to ensure the success of this short term measure in the best interests of the children concerned.