Parents’ frustration that school’s temporary accommodation is now in its fourth year

A PLANNING application for additional temporary accommodation for Dunshaughlin Community National School at the local GAA grounds is expected to be lodged shortly, the Dáil was told last week.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke was also told the proposed permanent accommodation at the school campus on the Dublin road was now progressing through design development stages.

Deputy O'Rourke raised the issue in the Dáil last Tuesday, pointing out that the school community had received notification in January 2023 that this project would go to tender in quarter three or quarter four of 2023.

"We are now in quarter two of 2024 and we have been told the project will happen later this year. What is the delay?" he asked.

Joleyn O'Grady, chair of the Parents Association points out that the school, which opened in 2020 is located in interim accommodation on the Dunshaughlin GAA site.

"There are currently over 80 children in the school with 30 more due to start in junior infants in September. This year, the school received more than 40 applications for junior infants but could only accept 30.

"We never imagined when the school opened that we would still be in temporary accommodation four years later. Planning permission was granted for the permanent building four years ago and that planning permission will run out next year, what happens if work hasn't started by then?"

She pointed out that with every prefab put on their current temporary site, it leaves them with less play space for the children.

"As a parent body we are mobilising and will be contacting all the TDs and councillors to try and get some movement on this. We feel the can has been kicked down the road too often on this."

Planning permission is in place for a new eight-classroom school which will be built on the same campus as Colaiste Ríoga on a site beside the Willows Development on the Dublin Road. At present Dunshaughlin CNS is accommodated in prefabs located at Dunshaughlin GAA, which is at the opposite end of the village.

The school building project involves the construction of eight new classrooms including two classrooms for children with special educational needs and ancillary accommodation.

Deputy O'Rourke told the Dáil there is enormous demand for school places. "This is a multi-denominational school, the only one in the vicinity, and there is significant demand for places. There are real space constraints on the existing site. The school is on the grounds of Dunshaughlin GAA and there is no space to move out within the footprint."

On behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Sean Fleming said the Department was working on providing additional interim accommodation to meet the demand for September 2024 and expects to lodge an application for an extension to the planning permission for that location shortly. The Department will continue to keep the schools updated through their patron body.

"The Dunshaughlin school campus building project currently has planning permission and will, along with a number of other projects with planning permission, be brought to the level of employer-led design, with a design team assigned to do so under the supervision of the Department's project manager.

“The process of appointing the design team from the Department's frameworks of consultants was completed in September 2023 and the project is now progressing through design development stages.

"Projects are subject to relevant due diligence by the Department of Education at each stage in the process within the context of overall programme and budgetary parameters. In late March, following a review of the national development plan allocations, the Government approved medium-term capital allocations for the Department of Education for the period to 2026.

“The Department's planning and building unit is now reviewing its programme plans in the context of those recently confirmed allocations.

"I assure the Deputy the Dunshaughlin school campus project is a significant priority for the Department of Education, which will continue to liaise with the school and its patron body on interim accommodation requirements and will provide any updates about the progress of the school building project we have been discussing.

"In the event that an extension to the current planning permission is required, the Department will prepare the necessary documentation. The school will require one additional classroom to meet the requirements for September 2024 and the Department has accommodation available that could be relocated onto the site during the summer months, subject to the granting of planning permission," he said.