Fine Gael Kildare South TD Martin Heydon has today (Thursday) said that he was pleased to be able to bring members of a campaign group fighting for a new secondary school for South Kildare to Leinster House this week to meet with Education Minister Richard Bruton.
“Members of South Kildare Educate Together (“SKET”) came to Dublin on Tuesday to meet the Education Minister and set out in detail to him their case for a new school in South Kildare. The Department of Education had confirmed last year that South Kildare was one of a small number of areas that required ongoing demographic review for the provision of additional school places post 2018.
“This ongoing demographic review was discussed in detail at the meetting, with the SKET group, myself and my Oireachtas colleagues Sean O’Fearaghail and Fiona O’Loughlin briefing the Minister on relevant local updates that should feed into their ongoing review.
“The campaign for a new secondary school has been ongoing for almost two years now and is gathering momentum as parents look ahead to where their children will attend secondary school. Approved extensions for Patrician Boys in Newbridge, CPC Kilcullen and Athy Community College will help to alleviate demand in the coming years but given the continued population growth in Kildare confirmed in the recent census figures the need for a new school must be considered.
“The shortage of ASD unit places at secondary school level in the Newbridge/Kildare/Kilcullen area is also a serious cause for concern and was emphasised to the Minister. He undertook to take our information back and analyse it with his officials.
“We also got an opportunity for a short briefing with the Taoiseach on the issue with him taking on board the concerns of parents in the area and undertaking to speak to the Education Minister Richard Bruton on the case.”