Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department has received an application, under the Additional Schools Accommodation Scheme, from the school authority in question.

The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing.

There are significant demand pressures on the school system at present, arising from demographic growth, the need to align school place provision with housing developments, increased demand for special educational needs provision and the accommodation of children from Ukraine.

Under Project Ireland 2040, over €5 billion is being invested in the school sector over the period 2021-2025 which will add additional capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day. This is demonstrative of the strong support from Government for investment in education.

The application in question was assessed by my officials and a provisional offer was issued to the school authority for the following accommodation:

Phase one to be delivered through modular accommodation :

• 2 x science labs with associated facilities
• 4 x general classrooms
• Reconfiguration of old 2 old science labs to provide 2 x Special Education classrooms

My department is currently considering the second phase delivery of accommodation for the school in terms of a traditional build.

The main focus of my department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

In the interim, my department will continue to engage with the authorities of the school in question with respect to its accommodation needs and having regard to the educational requirements of the area more broadly