Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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373. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to indicate the progress to date in the completion of allocated additional classrooms and subsequent appointment of additional teachers in the case of a special school (details supplied), given that the recent start date for students has now been pushed to November, meaning they have been unable to start school in the interim period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40556/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, my Department issued approval to the school authority in question for the provision of three special classrooms and ancillary accommodation.

The project is being delivered under the Department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme. This programme provides project management supports to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and helps to ease the administrative workload for individual schools in relation to the management and delivery of the project.

The overall construction sector environment is challenging and the Department and the Project Management company are doing everything possible to ensure that the project is delivered as quickly as possible. My Department is fully aware of the urgency in respect of this accommodation and will be working with the school to keep it updated on overall project delivery and timelines. While the project is expected to reach practical completion in the next two months, it is a matter for the school authority to recruit sufficient teachers to fill the teaching posts approved by my Department and this should not be impacted by the capital project. A senior technical official from my Department and the project manager visited the school recently in order to identify and advise the school on appropriate contingency arrangements to accommodate the additional enrolments pending the completion of the building project.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is currently planning the delivery of a major campus project on the current site of the school referred to by the Deputy.

The project will deliver two new 1,000 pupil post - primary schools and 1 new primary school ( 8 classrooms) on this site.

My Department is currently developing the accommodation brief for this significant campus development and is engaging with the school patrons as part of this process.

The brief for the school is currently being finalised by my Department with a view to progressing the project into architectural planning. This process is now at a very advanced stage.