Brendan Smith seeks clarity on Middletown split-level school plans
Brendan Smith pressed the minister for clarity on whether the Department of Education would accept a split-level design for the Middletown National School extension in County Cavan, to avoid costly redesigns and speed delivery for pupils with additional needs. He urged a prompt written response confirming whether an elevated 1.2 metre extension with steps and an enclosed lift would meet department specifications.
Parliamentary exchange
The speaker raised a parliamentary question about the Middletown National School building project, which was approved in 2022 and devolved to the school authority. The approved project comprises two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and one special education needs base, and the department is awaiting a revised stage one report from the school.
Design dispute and cost-saving proposal
The school’s design team has proposed elevating the new extension by 1.2 metres to reduce excavation, earth disposal, retaining walls and access ramp costs. The revised drawings include split levels with steps and an enclosed lift; the board and design team want confirmation from the department that a split-level solution would be acceptable before spending on a further redesign and repricing by the quantity surveyor.
Department response and funding context
The minister confirmed the project was in the department’s pipeline and that the department has engaged with the school through stage one of the architectural process, providing advice and awaiting the revised report. The minister said technical design confirmation should come via direct engagement between the school’s design team and the Department of Education and offered to facilitate that communication. The minister also outlined wider investment: over €6 billion invested in the school building programme since 2020, €92.61 million provided for Cavan schools, four projects under construction locally and 24 schools upgraded, and referenced the National Development Plan’s €7.55 billion sectoral investment for education to 2030.
Local impact and stakeholder concern
Local stakeholders including the board of management, the principal (Mr. Keith Conniffy) and the parents association pressed for a clear departmental response to avoid further delays and additional costs. The speaker emphasised the need to ensure best value for money and to speed up provision of appropriate accommodation for children with special education needs.
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Minister, this is the first opportunity I have had in this chamber to wish you every success in your new role, which is always demanding and challenging in a department which impacts on so many people. As you know, I have been in regular contact with you through representation, through parliamentary questions on the need to advance as quickly as possible in a number of building projects throughout Cavan and Monaghan. This particular parliamentary question refers to the proposed building project at Middletown National School, County Cavan, which needs to be advanced to the next stage as soon as possible, particularly to cater for the needs of children with additional needs. Thank you Deputy for raising the question, I am pleased to inform the Deputy, a project comprising of two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and one special education needs base has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. This project was approved in 2022 and my department has been engaging with the school to support them through stage one of the architectural design process in advancing a design solution that is consistent with the approved project brief and in line with the Department of Technical Standards. My department has recently issued advice to the school and is currently awaiting a submission on a revised stage one report. My department has a strong track record on delivering the government's school building programme with over €6 billion invested since 2020. In that period my department has provided €92.61 million in capital funding for Cavan schools. There are currently four school projects under construction across the county and a total of 24 schools have been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. As the Deputy will be aware, I recently published the National Development Plan, a sectoral investment plan for education and youth worth €7.55 billion out to 2030. This sets out my department's approach to prioritised investment in school infrastructure and there is a strong focus in the plan on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs, particularly to support special education needs provision. The project at the school in question forms part of this overall pipeline of school building projects that will continue to be managed in line with the funding parameters that I have to work within through the NDP. Thank you Minister for your response. Minister, I strongly welcome the major investment there has been in school buildings in my own constituency since 2020 and indeed nationally. Minister, you stated in your response there that currently the department are awaiting a submission of a revised stage one report from the school. I have been in contact with the department as the school. This would mean that the school will be submitting plans to the department for the third time. The department have requested that the design team not even cut down on the cost of the project. In order to reduce the cost of the project, the architect is proposing that the new extension is elevated by 1.2 metres. This will reduce costs of the excavation, earth disposal, retaining walls and access ramps. The proposed new drawings have both steps and an enclosed lift on the main corridor. In an effort to speed up the process and before the school would send the drawings to be repriced by the quantity surveyor, the board of management of the school have asked, your department have also asked me, if they could get clarification, if they could get clarification in one respect, would the building unit in your department accept a building with split levels when there are special education needs pupils in the school who will be accessing those corridors? I appreciate, Minister, if that details not with you in your briefing notes, but if you could get me a note very quickly or if the department would write directly to the board of management, to the principal, stating that if they revise the plans with split level, that that would be acceptable for your department specification. They do not want to waste money in doing that if the plans were to be rejected. Thank you, Deputy. As you can appreciate, the technical details of any school across the country I cannot comment on, but what I would advise, and I can certainly assist, I am sure there is a line of communication, as there always is, for these building projects where the design team of the school is engaging directly with the Department of Education, so to get clarity around that, we can certainly follow up with the Department to engage with the school directly around those particular concerns. But I cannot give any kind of confirmation or otherwise in relation to the technical and design of particular schools, but if there is a line of communication that is leading between the department and the school, I have no issue in facilitating that. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. I fully appreciate that you are not going to get involved in technical details, but both the board of management, the principal and myself have sought the clarification from the department and it has been forthcoming. Again, the board of management, Mr. Keith Conniffy, the principal and the parents association and all the staff, they do not want time wasted on getting a redesign, then submitting it to the department to lose more time and then be turned down again. We are talking about ensuring the best value for money here. So a note back to myself, Minister, or directly to the school from your department to give an answer would benefit everybody. It would benefit the department from an expenditure point of view and it would also help to speed up what is very much needed. Minister, you also referred that this accommodation is particularly focused on the needs of pupils with additional needs to ensure that there is proper accommodation there. We are talking about a school that has grown from an enrollment of 51 15 years ago to 175 today. So, Minister, there is a special emphasis in this school in providing for children with additional needs. This accommodation is needed and if this project could be progressed as soon as possible, it would be a good day's work for that community. Thank you Deputy, and I will certainly raise the matter with the department and make sure that they engage directly with the school. Thank you. Thank you.
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