2026-07-07

I raise the very serious accommodation difficulties that Coachford National School is experiencing. The school has done everything asked of it. The board, principal, staff and parents have all worked together to accommodate significant growth in pupil numbers, but they are now at a point where there is simply nowhere left to go. The numbers tell the story. The school had approximately 109 students in 2020, and it is expected that there will be 171 pupils in September. That is an increase of more than 57% in just seven years. Two additional teaching posts have been sanctioned by the Department. That is an acknowledgement that the growth is real and substantial. The difficulty is that although the teachers have been sanctioned, the accommodation has not followed. The school has used every available space. An SEN room is being used as a classroom, a staff room has become an SEN room, a general-purpose room is being used for multiple purposes and there is no spare capacity left in the building. The school sought approval for temporary prefab classrooms onsite and that request was refused. The appeal was also unsuccessful, yet the underlying problem still exists. The children are still there, the teachers are still needed and September is still coming. Coachford is a growing village and community. Its catchment area has a population of approximately 2,500 people and we have seen significant housing developments in recent years. The Cnoic Eoin development has brought new families into the area and the Vicars Glebe development has already been occupied, with further phases progressing. There will be up to 70 homes in that. At the same time, Ceann Scríbe is nearing completion. That is 26 homes that will shortly be occupied, with further phases prepared afterwards. Those families are going to become part of the community and will also be looking for school places. An important piece of the puzzle is the new wastewater treatment plant in Coachford. For so many places, capacity is a limiting factor, but in Coachford that plant has been put in place and it allows spare capacity for housing and future development growth. If we want villages like Coachford to grow, families to settle there and rural communities to thrive, the public infrastructure has to grow with them. School accommodation cannot be an afterthought. What is concerning me is that the solution proposed by the Department is the conversion of the school's general purpose room into a classroom. The school has made it abundantly clear that that room is a central hub in the building. It serves as the school's only indoor PE area and assembly space. The school has raised concerns about circulation, accessibility and suitability of the room as a classroom. The Department has indicated that rented accommodation could be considered where suitable premises were available. The difficulty is there are no suitable premises nearby. The practical and commonsensical solution is about getting temporary accommodation on the site. We are not looking for anything exceptional or extravagant. It is about providing a safe and suitable classroom for children already attending the school. I ask that the Department revisit the case, work with the school and find a solution that reflects the reality on the ground. The Department has sanctioned the teachers. It now needs to provide the classrooms.

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious issue. While a lot of work is being done in the Department, information is needed. That will be vital when I speak to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, tomorrow and bring back these issues. I am taking this matter on her behalf. The school building project for Coachford primary school was approved to enter the Department of Education and Youth’s pipeline under the additional school accommodation scheme. The project will provide a two-class special educational needs unit, one mainstream classroom and one special education teaching room. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. The school received approval to progress the project to stage 2b, detailed design. It is currently with the planning authority for approval as additional information was required by the planning authority. Departmental officials are awaiting the planning outcome and the submission of the stage 2b report for approval. Although this project is not included in the first tranche of school building projects to proceed to tender and construction under the NDP sectoral investment plan, it remains part of the Department’s overall pipeline. The plan emphasises maximising existing capacity and prioritising projects that address the most urgent needs, with a strong focus on special education provision. That is important for the Department. The Department will continue to progress projects on a prioritised basis to meet demand for additional capacity and the modernisation of existing facilities. The next tranche of projects to proceed to tender will be announced in 2027 and planning for this and future tranches will continue throughout 2026 and 2027, with projects assessed based on their progress through the design pipeline, capacity needs and overall prioritisation. This process will involve engagement with stakeholders and schools and will be supported by the findings of the energy and condition survey, due for completion later in 2026. As prioritisation continues, additional projects will be progressed where justified by urgency and readiness to proceed and subject to feasibility within available funding parameters. Opportunities for advance enabling works will be considered for the most urgent and complex projects to support delivery from 2028 onwards. Interim accommodation needs will continue to be assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine appropriate solutions. The Department will continue to engage with the school regarding accommodation. I welcome this because it is important that everybody get information. At least there is some clarification there for the Deputy. I know we need to get more. The school has the teachers but needs to know what is going forward. I will go back to the Minister with this one.

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact that the permanent building project is progressing. There is quite a bit of work to do on that. The difficulty remains in the here and now. The fundamental question is where these children will be accommodated while everybody is waiting for that building to be put in place. The school has already stretched every available space in the existing building and nobody could reasonably say the board has not done everything possible to make things work. Enrolment in the school is not levelling off; it is continuing to increase. We have seen substantial growth in recent years, new homes occupied in Cnoc Eoin and Vicar's Glebe, a further 26 under construction and nearing completion in Ceann Scríbe, and additional homes planned. The infrastructure is there, with the wastewater treatment plant, to support further growth. Everything is pointing in the direction of further population growth and demand for school places. An off-site solution would be really difficult. The area around the school in Coachford already faces challenges around traffic, parking and pedestrian access. Splitting classes across locations would create additional difficulties for families, pupils and staff. A prefab classroom on the school grounds is a practical, sensible and proven solution. It keeps the school community together, provides safe accommodation and bridges the gap until the permanent extension is developed. The Department has already recognised the need for additional teachers. I ask that it recognise the need for accommodation of those teachers and the children. I urge the Minister of State to engage with the school and seek a workable interim solution before it becomes a bigger problem for the community. The children are enrolled and the teachers are approved, but the accommodation still is not there.

The Department is committed to ensuring that appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure that each school project on the school building programme is subject to the due diligence required under the Government’s infrastructure guidelines. Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has provided €796.5 million in capital funding for Cork schools. Over this period, a total of 168 schools have been upgraded through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or modular accommodation. Twelve school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP implementation plan. There are currently 18 school projects in Cork under construction. The status of all projects continues to be set out under item 10 on the Department’s website under building works for the construction, extension and refurbishment of schools. This is updated regularly to reflect projects' progress through capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction stages. The accommodation requirements at Coachford school will be considered as part of the ongoing overall Department prioritisation process, in consultation with the school’s patron and school authorities. I will bring this matter back to the Minister. I see the Deputy's concerns. The school is growing and getting extra teachers. It is important. The Deputy has been speaking to the school and wants to see if we can get a modular build in the interim. I will contact the Minister's office tomorrow and highlight the issues that the Deputy has highlighted this evening.