'Immediate emergency works' called for Curragh Community College in Kildare

Fianna Fáil Senator for Kildare South, Fiona O’Loughlin has called on the Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton to urgently visit Curragh Community College to see first-hand the condition of the school and to implement immediate emergency works to ensure the “building is safe and fit for purpose.”

Senator O’Loughlin raised the issue in the Seanad and received confirmation that the long-awaited new school building is currently at tender stage.

While welcoming that progress she stressed that urgent interim action is now required given the severe pressures facing the existing accommodation.

Speaking in the Seanad Senator O’Loughlin outlined the scale of the challenge facing the school.

“Curragh Community College was built to accommodate 140 students and it is now catering for over 300 students, more than double what it was designed for,” she said.

“The school is no longer fit for purpose and its current condition is having a real and negative impact on students and staff. Teachers and management can no longer reasonably describe the building as safe or inclusive. Immediate action is required in the interim.”

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The new school project is included in the Department of Education’s construction programme under the National Development Plan.

The project will be delivered in two phases, with phase one providing accommodation for 425 students and phase two delivering the remaining accommodation to support a long-term projected enrolment of 1,000 students at the Magee Barracks site.

In response Minister of State Marian Harkin confirmed that the project is currently at tender stage and that a review of tender returns is ongoing. This review will inform a tender report for the Department’s consideration and once completed a letter of intent is expected to issue to the successful tenderer.

While welcoming this update Senator O’Loughlin said it does not remove the need for urgent action now.

“I welcome that the project is progressing, but we cannot ignore the reality on the ground. Immediate emergency works are needed to make the existing building fit for purpose while the new school moves towards construction,” she said.

“I am calling on Minister Naughton to visit the school herself to see the current conditions first hand. The principal, the staff and the management are second to none. They give everything they have to the students they deserve, and they deserve school accommodation that matches that commitment.”