Frank O’Rourke TD has called on the Department of Education again in recent days to prioritise the provision of permanent school accommodation for a number of schools in Celbridge.
Deputy O’Rourke has pressed the Department of Education and Kildare County Council to provide suitable sites for permanent accommodation for schools in Celbridge. Earlier this year, he received a commitment that permanent accommodation would be provided for Celbridge Community Secondary School. However, St Raphael’s and St Patrick’s also need permanent accommodation.He commented, “St Raphael’s Special School in Celbridge, who cater for pupils aged 5 to 18 years with Intellectual Disability, St Patrick’s National School and Celbridge Community Secondary School all need permanent school accommodation.”
“In recent years, we are seeing the requirement for school accommodation grow in Celbridge. At the moment, we have temporary school accommodation for Celbridge Community School and St Patrick’s National School, while St Raphael’s current accommodation is not fit for purpose.”
“As the demand for school places increases, we need to put in place a plan to provide permanent school accommodation for these schools. As I have said in the Dail, we must learn from the mistakes of the past and put infrastructure, such as schools, roads and public transport, in place in tandem with the increased requirement,” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.