Primary school built in just four months

THE first 80 pupils at a new Louth primary school will enter their gleaming classrooms on Monday — just four months after building work began.

Construction on Aston Village Educate Together National School in Drogheda started on April 28 and the keys were handed over to principal John Kelleher two days ago.

It is one of 26 start-up primary schools in rapidly developing areas of the country that were prioritised for funding by the Department of Education earlier this year and which will open their doors in the coming days.

The buildings were assembled in large panels off-site and brought to the location of the new schools to be put together in time to be built and fitted out, ready for pupils and staff.

Mr Kelleher said there was a great satisfaction taking over a modern building with its large classrooms, wide play areas and disability-friendly design.

“I’ve come from a school where we were waiting years for refurbishment, so it’s a welcome relief, although I do sympathise with other schools still in need of work. We’re looking forward to the children coming in on Monday for the first time, and maybe even extending in a few years,” he said.

The eight-classroom multidenominational school will cater for a mix of Irish children and pupils from the town’s growing international community.

It is in the middle of a new housing estate and is near a site recently the subject of permission for another large residential development.

The 26 schools opening this September cost almost €180 million and will create places for almost 7,000 children when operating at full capacity.

“This is an unprecedented number of new school places in any year and is a key achievement in the current financial climate,” said Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe.

His department will provide the schools with almost €700,000 in the coming weeks to help meet their start-up and operating costs. Another four schools in expanding areas are still at planning stages but the department is working to progress the projects soon.

The 30 new schools include 11 in Dublin city and county and six in the capital’s commuter belt in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow. The others are in rapidly developing areas of Carlow, Cork, Laois, Louth, Offaly, Westmeath and Wexford, while the total number includes two Dublin and two Kildare schools being relocated from temporary buildings.

Fast-tracked schools

THE locations of 30 new fast-tracked schools were announced by former education minister Mary Hanafin in February.

They were aimed at avoiding situations similar to that in Dublin a year ago when hundreds of children could not find a school with room to accept them.

Although they were accommodated by the opening of two schools at short notice, by Educate Together and the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin, Department of Education officials were anxious to avoid a repeat.

However, while they have focused on these projects as a priority to cater for growing young populations in developing areas, it has meant that funding for other refurbishment and new building projects for existing schools around the country has been delayed.

The Irish Examiner revealed in June that two-thirds of the 54 schools promised building works 18 months earlier were still awaiting clearance, and they have still not received approval as they prepare to reopen.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has insisted his priority is to build schools in areas where there is not enough capacity in existing schools.

He has delayed further building announcements pending the outcome of a review of his department’s 2008 schools capital budget of €580m.

But the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said it is unacceptable that essential work on other projects was being put on the long finger and said extra capital funding should be injected into school building.

“The only proper solution is to inject extra capital funding into the school building programme,” said INTO general secretary John Carr.