’Bridge school chooses long-term solution to space woes

Sixmilebridge National School has decided not to take up the offer of funding for five new mainstream classrooms as a short-term option instead of a modern new building.

The board of management felt it was better to progress a more sustainable long-term solution where a variety of inadequacies in the existing school infrastructure could be addressed.

 

Responding to a recent Clare Champion story about the high number of classrooms – eleven in total – operating out of pre-fabricated buildings at the school, the Department of Education acknowledged St Finnachta’s National School Major Capital Project was not included in the five-year plan announced in March.

The department has sought to identify areas where additional accommodation will be required and Sixmilebridge was not highlighted as an area of expansive demographic growth.

“The delivery of major school projects to meet the demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. The five-year programme announced earlier this year is focused on meeting those demographic needs. In that context, it was not possible to advance all applications for capital funding concurrently.

“Department officials met with St Finnachta’s National School in July and offered devolved funding to provide five mainstream classrooms as a potential first phase in addressing the accommodation needs of the school but the school decided to reject the offer.

“The current position, as outlined in the meeting, is that the department is not in a position, in the context of current financial constraints, to increase the amount of the devolved grant of €500,000,” a department spokesman explained.

School principal Garret Heagney told The Clare Champion the school has met and continues to liase with the Department of Education concerning the new school building project.

Mr Heagney admitted the entire school community didn’t understand why Sixmilebridge wasn’t regarded by the department as an area experiencing a growth in demographics, considering Census figures showed a population increase of about 50% since 2006.

In addition, enrolments are rising steadily at the school with 82 junior infants this year, which is expected to be surpassed next year. The key objective of the new board of management is securing adequate student facilities that teachers, pupils and staff require.

Commenting on the department’s offer, Mr Heagney said it was very welcome and acknowledged that something needs to be done to address the accommodation problems at the school.

However, after lengthy deliberations, he said the school felt the best way forward was to progress a better long-term solution where a variety of inadequacies in the existing school could be addressed.

Given some school projects, which were previously part of the department’s five-year capital plan have been withdrawn, he pledged the school would continue to work with the department and local political representatives to ensure the school can fill the vacancies in the plan.