Minister to further review demand for New School in South Kildare
Martin Heydon Fine Gael TD for Kildare South this week welcomed confirmation from Minister Jan O’Sullivan of a number of school extensions in Kildare South as part of the School Building Programme announced today. The school building projects are included in a list of 310 individual major school building projects which will proceed to construction between 2016 and 2021.
“The projects listed today include CPC Kilcullen, Patrician Boys Primary School, Newbridge and Athy Community College at post primary level as well as St Conleth & Marys and St Conleths Infant Schools Newbridge, Scoil Nhicil Naofa Athy and Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha, Kildare town at primary level. Building projects at St Annes Special School Newbridge and St Marks Special School, Ballymany have also been approved.
“I raised the provision of Secondary School places recently in the Dail. The availability of school places at secondary level have been a cause of concern for parents in the Newbridge, and Kilcullen areas for some time and the situation is getting worse as enrolment numbers continue to increase.
“My Kildare South Oireachtas colleagues and I also met with Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan in early October to discuss future capacity requirements at primary and secondary school level in South Kildare. We highlighted the significant pressures that we as public representatives were seeing every day from parents struggling to find second level places of their choice for their children in South Kildare.
“The need for a new school in South Kildare was also discussed with the Minister who met a delegation from the Campaign Group for a new Educate Together Secondary School this week. The Minister has confirmed that South Kildare is included in a small list of areas where additional provision of a new school may be required and so which will be kept under ongoing review which is positive.
“The provision of second level ASD units in South Kildare is also a cause of concern with none in the Newbridge area and shortage of spaces in others. It is expected that these building projects will include provision for ASD units.
“The inclusions of St Conleth and Mary’s Primary School and St Conleths Infants School, Newbridge, Co. Kildare is long waited as these primary schools on a shared campus are using a number of very old pre-fabs which are in bad repair.”
The full list of school building projects approved for Kildare is below:
| Kildare | 16706G | St Joseph’s BNS, Kilcock | Primary | 2016 |
| Kildare | 18288B | Scoil Mhichil Naofa, Athy | Primary | 2016 |
| Kildare | 19796C | St Patrick’s BNS, Clane | Primary | 2016 |
| Kildare | 20428D | Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha, Kildare Town | Primary | 2016 |
| Kildare | 61720D | St Pauls’ Secondary School, Monasterevin | Post Primary | 2016 |
| Kildare | 15769C 16707I | Scoil Eimhinn Naofa & St Peter’s NS, Monasterevin | Primary | 2017 |
| Kildare | 17341U | Maynooth BNS | Primary | 2017 |
| Kildare | 17872F | St Conleth’s/ St Mary’s, Newbridge | Primary | 2017 |
| Kildare | 17873H | St Conleth’s Infant school | Primary | 2017 |
| Kildare | 19277B | St Anne’s Special Sch, Ballymany Cross, Curragh | Special School | 2017 |
| Kildare | 76194S | Naas Community College | Post Primary | 2017 |
| Kildare | 17254C | St. Corban’s NS, Naas | Primary | 2018 |
| Kildare | 18988G | St Raphael’s Special School | Special School | 2018 |
| Kildare | 19455W | St. Mark’s Special School, Newbridge | Special School | 2018 |
| Kildare | 20292E | Maynooth ETNS | Primary | 2018 |
| Kildare | 61690W | Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen | Post Primary | 2018 |
| Kildare | 70650L | Athy Community College | Post Primary | 2018 |
| Kildare | 70720G | St Farnan’s Post Primary, Prosperous | Post Primary | 2018 |
| Kildare | 13902O | Hewetson NS | Primary | 2019-2021 |
| Kildare | 61681V | Patrician Post Primary, Newbridge | Post Primary | 2019-2021 |
| Kildare | 61730I | St. Mary’s Girls Post Primary, Naas | Post Primary | 2019-2021 |