Brendan Smith: Calls for Full Replacement of School Prefab
Brendan Smith raised the case of Curravagh National School, Glangevlin, County Cavan, asking the Minister to revisit a departmental approval that would replace a 25-year-old prefab with a smaller building. He urged officials to grant accommodation equal to the existing 25 square metre prefab rather than the 19 square metre unit offered.
Request from the deputy: Brendan Smith detailed how the small two-teacher school, with an enrolment of 20 pupils, relies on a 25-year-old prefab that was partitioned to provide shared SET, EAL and staff space. He asked the Minister to ask officials to review the decision and to approve replacement accommodation equal to the current prefab.
Department response: The Minister confirmed the department has received an application under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme. Officials noted the school is a two-teacher school with limited ancillary accommodation and said they consider a special education tuition room to be the priority for approval at this time.
Assessment and priorities: The department explained the application concerns replacement of a prefab used as a special education tuition room and ancillary accommodation. While the department offered a smaller permanent special education tuition room, it said it will continue to engage with the school authority on further accommodation needs.
Next steps and implications: Brendan Smith asked for officials to revisit the approval issued by the department. The Minister offered to come back to the deputy with further information and indicated continued engagement between the department and the school authority.
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Thank you very much Ciann Comhairle. Minister, as you know my question refers to Coravanne Ashland School, Glangeveld and County Cavan. It's a small school, they have a 25 year old prefab that needs to be replaced. It's 25 square metres what the department have offered. It's a 19 square metre replacement permanent building. The school, on the advice of the department, partitioned that prefab some years ago so that they would have some accommodation for shared SET, EAL, teacher secretary and principal space. What the school are requesting is that the additional accommodation that would be provided would equal the size of their existing prefab. I think it's a very basic ask and I ask you Minister to ask your officials to revisit the approval that has been issued by your department. Thank you again Ciann Comhairle. I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application for accommodation under the additional school accommodation scheme for the school referred to by the deputy. The application relates to the replacement of a prefab which is used as a special education tuition room and ancillary accommodation. The department's assessment of this application needs to reflect the fact that this is a two teacher school with current enrolment of 20 pupils. While the school has two classrooms it is very limited ancillary accommodation and my department has previously indicated to the school authority that it is prepared to approve a small special education tuition room for the school and while a special education tuition room does not reflect the full scale of additional ancillary accommodation sought by the school authority, my department considers that it is the most important aspect to be prioritised at this time. My department will continue however to engage with the school authority on the matter. I can come back to the deputy Ciann Comhairle if that's okay. Thank you.
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