TD's appeal to parents over Navan school places crisis

Navan parents who have been unable to secure a second-level school place for their child for next September are being urged to contact a local TD who is hoping to put forward a strong case for a new school to open in the town next September. Dine Gael's Damien English said he already knows of at least five cases of children who have no school to go to next September and he says he now wants to be able to make the case to the Department of Education for a new second-level school for Navan. "There are moves afoot to provide a new school in September 2011, but there are now strong indications now that there should be a new second-level school this September in temporary accommodation," he said. "If we can tell the Department there are a certain number of students who are not being accommodated this September, we can make the case for a new school to be provided for the next school year," he added. Deputy English has been putting the case forward to the Department of Education that Navan needs a new school this year. "The Government seemed to be in denial on this issue despite the booming population figures in Meath. In recent days, I have received numerous calls from concerned parents who have not secured a place for their children in second-level education. "To add to this developing problem, there are many students from Navan now enrolled in schools outside the town due to a shortage of school places here," he said. "There has been some movement in recent months to have a new school open by September 2011, but I'm afraid that this will be too late for many pupils in Navan." He said he needed to urgently find out the number of pupils in Navan that have not succeeded in securing a second-level school place for this September. "The VEC here in Meath have a rough idea of the numbers left looking for places, but we need to know exact numbers. There are only a few remaining places left in one school in Navan and we must put forward the argument for action on a new school now," he said. Deputy English asked affected parents to contact him on (086) 814 3495 because the greater the numbers, the stronger the case can be put to the Department for Education for the new school to start this September. "Although there are a few places remaining, they will be gone in no time, leaving pupils with no place to go. This cannot be let happen," he said. Deputy English said he had spoken to landowners with the view to securing a site for temporary accommodation and a permanent site in Johnstown for a secondary school. "I will be asking the Tánaiste in Dáil Éireann if the IDA will make available a site in the Navan Business Park campus. They have spare land which would be ideal for a temporary school during the planning and construction of the permanent new school building, which now must be made top priority," Deputy English added. Cllr Jim Holloway said schools in surrounding areas have already taking students from Navan for the past few years and they are also now at full capacity. "It is not an ideal situation for students from Navan having to leave the town to go to school in Nobber, Kells, Athboy, Trim and Dunshaughlin. They should be accommodated in the town to save unnecessary journeys. Why should extra temporary accommodation be built in these schools for pupils who live in Navan? It makes no sense for this to be happening," he said. Cllr Holloway pointed out that 40 of those applying for places in Dunshaughlin Community College this September are from Navan. "This is crazy and unsustainable. Even so, neither Dunshaughlin nor O'Carolan College in Nobber is in a position to accommodate all the students applying to them," he said.