Nolan questions delay of building works for Offaly school

INDEPENDENT TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan has said that it is “almost incomprehensible” that additional accommodation and glazing works that are urgently required for St. Brendan’s Community School in Birr, have still not commenced despite the fact that the school is now entering its fifth year since an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) unit was initially approved.

Deputy Nolan has repeatedly raised the matter with Minister for Education Norma Foley and with the Department of Education Planning & Building Unit during sessions of the Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, of which she is a member.

Following further engagement prior to the Dáil’s Christmas recess, Minister Foley informed the Independent TD that although the school was approved funding under the Department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for a two classroom ASD base, the Department’s design team are continuing to work closely to progress this project to the next stage.

Deputy Nolan said she now understands that the school has been offered a temporary modular ASD class, which she has described as “totally unacceptable in light of the clear fact that the school urgently requires substantial additional accommodation space and not a modular unit that merely ticks the boxes for the Department’s building unit.”

“St Brendan’s and indeed the entire community that it serves deserve much better than this,” said Deputy Nolan.

“As I understand it, from the school’s point of view, there are huge challenges related to the proposed modular unit, not the least of which is that it will still take anything up to 18-24 months for this temporary ASD class to be delivered based on national roll out times of such projects.

“There are also significant concerns that the unit may not be connected or even in close proximity to the existing school structure and this would raise huge challenges when and if the new extension ever proceeds to build status,” she said.

“I have to say I am deeply alarmed at the offer of a modular unit when it has been absolutely clear that what St Brendan’s needs is a new extension to the existing school structure and urgently required glazing and toilet works to bring the school up to the standard it deserves.

“The school should not be forced into accepting the bare minimum when it has persuasively and meticulously presented a case for substantial building and renovation works that should by right, have been completed by now,” said Deputy Nolan.