Speaking in Dáil Éireann this week, Laois Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley raised the need for more school spaces in Portlaoise.
“Coláiste Dhún Másc in Portlaoise, which was opened in 2017 to cater for the growing population of the town and the general area, has had to limit enrolment,” Deputy Stanley said.
“The school got approval for a 1,000-pupil new building four years ago. It has 570 very enthusiastic pupils at the moment and excellent staff but the school is very limited.
“It operates on three different campuses: the old vocational school in Railway Street, the old CBS in Tower Hill and the old primary school in Church Avenue.
“It is not that pupils attend one of those units in the morning for the entire day; they have to move regularly. It is logistically difficult but it works with the co-operation of the parents, the school board, staff and pupils.
“I know from the local education and training board and from the school authorities that it could take hundreds of more pupils – hundreds of parents are willing to send their children there – but they cannot get into the school.
“Enrolment opened in some of the second-level schools in October. Parents come to us in August and say they have just applied but they cannot get their child into a school in the area.
“We have a problem with capacity. The census figures and all of the indicators such as planning permission, the baptism rate, birth rates and demographics for Portlaoise are moving in the direction of an increased population.
“Coláiste Dhún Másc has two streams, Gaeilge agus Béarla. That has worked out very well. It started off very small in the beginning but it has literally mushroomed, and both sides of the school are thriving.
“We must get to a situation where they are on the one campus.
“The good news is that a site has been secured in Summerhill. It is more good news that funding has been approved.
“Stage 2A has been submitted to the Department. Stage 2B has also gone to the Department. That is what we need as it would give the green light to go to planning permission, which is what is needed at the moment.”
Ossian Smyth TD, speaking on behalf of Minister for Education, Deputy Foley said of the aforementioned Stage 2B:
“The design team will obtain the planning approvals, prepare a set of fully detailed tender documents, and an accurate pre-tender cost plan to reflect the full implications of the statutory approvals.
“The Department will then be in a position to review the project from a technical and cost perspective.
“This analysis is in accordance with the due diligence required under the public spending code to ensure the proposed project is fully assessed from a value for money perspective before the State proceeds to tender and construction.
“As the project is currently at an early stage, it is not possible to project an exact date for completion.
“To cater for the school’s immediate enrolment requirements, the Department is providing six mainstream classrooms under the modular accommodation framework, and the installation of these units will be practically completed in the coming months.”
){kind=link}