Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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22. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has received a request from the board of management and management team of a school (details supplied) to initiate a full rebuild of the school, considering it is over 50 years old; the status of this request; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59676/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I wish to confirm to the Deputy that my department has been engaging with the school in question about its accommodation needs following on from an application from the school for additional accommodation for Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision.

In response to that application, and in cognisance of requirements for special classes in the area, my department is progressing a modular project to deliver 2 Special Educational Needs classrooms for the school.

The school has also queried the opportunity for capital investment to upgrade or replace its existing accommodation and my officials are engaging with the school regarding two applications under the Emergency Works Scheme. The school has also made an application under the recent Climate Action Summer Works Scheme. With respect to large-scale refurbishment or replacement works, the priority of my department from available NDP funding is the provision of additional capacity to meet school place needs, particularly for children with special education needs. The focus will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.

My department will continue to engage with the school regarding its applications for capital funding.