Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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346. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 189 of 23 May and 152 of 27 June 2024, if she is aware that parents are reporting that the rented space waiting to be connected is not sufficient to allow for classrooms or for PE to take place; the reason her Department has not sourced a space sufficient to actually resolve the space issues faced; and the way her Department plans to resolve the issue in relation to lack of space if the rented accommodation sourced will not do so. [29654/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question was approved as a single-stream, eight class primary school and accommodated in a property leased by the Department. The agreement from the outset was that the GP hall was to be shared by the school in question and the other school which shares the building, until their new school building project has been completed.

Although sanctioned as an eight classroom school the school grew its enrolments to nine mainstream classes. The Department approved the provision of modular accommodation on the school site to meet this additional need as well as to support the establishment of a special class at the school, which the school authorities sought. At the request of the school to which the Deputy refers, the Board of Management of the other school agreed to forgo full use of the school hall as an interim solution pending installation of this modular accommodation. The school to which the Deputy refers confirmed that full access to half of the hall would be restored to the special school upon installation of that modular accommodation. As the Deputy will be aware, that modular accommodation in question has since been installed.

The Department has requested Educate Together, as patron of the school in question, to work with the school to fulfil the agreement made with the special school. The Department-supported Educate Together Buildings Officer has been asked to work through an appropriate solution in this respect. Engagement between the Department and patron is ongoing.

The Department is also continuing to work to ensure the completion of the new building for the school sharing the Greenhills building as soon as possible. This project is currently at construction with an expected completion timeframe of Quarter 3 2025.