The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 16 classroom primary school and accommodation, including 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs.
The project currently has planning permission and is being brought to the level of employer-led design with a Design Team assigned to do so under the supervision of the department’s project manager.
The process of appointing the Design Team from the department’s Frameworks of Consultants was completed in September 2023 and following their due diligence review, the design team are currently completing Stage 2(b) of the architectural design process. Stage 2(b) involves detailed design and the preparation of tender documentation. The next stage, subject to relevant Stage 2(b) approvals, will be Stage 3 tender stage. The period of time it takes to progress through each of the stages varies from project to project depending on its size and complexity and can often take longer than indicated.
In July 2025, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation the department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
The Department's National Development Plan (NDP) Implementation Plan for the Education and Youth sector will be published shortly and the first tranche of projects to progress to construction will be published in January. This NDP sectoral investment plan will optimise outputs from the Department's NDP allocations, with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money, and meets functional needs.
The Department will continue to liaise with the school’s patron body in relation to the school’s interim accommodation needs pending delivery of the permanent school building and provide updates on progress and next steps.
