Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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74. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on a project for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30012/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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A school building project at the school to which the Deputy refers has recently been completed. The project was delivered as part of my Department’s Modular Accommodation Programme and involved reconfiguration of existing classrooms to facilitate the establishment of 2 special classes and the provision of modular accommodation for the displaced mainstream classroom accommodation.

The project brief was the reconfiguration of 2 existing classrooms into 2 Special Educational Needs classroom bases, 100m2 soft play area & associated works and the two 80m2 displaced mainstream classrooms to be provided in modular accommodation.

The building works were completed in December 2023 and I am pleased to be able to support the school in the establishment of the two special classes.

The school also applied to my Department under the Additional Accommodation Scheme (ASA) for the provision of a school hall.

The purpose of the ASA 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 accommodation or by available accommodation at other schools in the area. A request for a school hall does not come within the remit of the ASA scheme and the school authorities were notified of the decision directly.

Investment and expenditure on PE Halls is an element of the overall School Building Programme. The provision of General Purpose rooms and PE Halls, at primary and post primary level respectively, and outdoor hard play areas, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings. This is also the case where a large-scale school building project is being delivered for an existing school.

Progress will continue to be made on PE Hall and General Purpose Room provision as part of roll-out of new schools and large-scale projects in the existing pipeline.

Since 2020, my department has invested in the region of €4.9 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 900 school building projects and with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 30 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2bn.

This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.A future strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock will have different strands and will include a PE Hall build and modernisation programme at post-primary level and a similar type programme at primary level for General Purpose rooms.

However, the main focus of the Department’s capital funding over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics and children with special education needs.

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 the Department’s fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

The overall position with regard to potential modernisation and replacement of existing school infrastructure will be kept under review as capital funding allocations for future years are clarified.