Written answer
Schools Building Projects
The new 1,000-pupil post-primary school forms part of a four-school campus in Whitehall and remains at Stage 2A, with surveys and design work ongoing; the report is expected in late 2026, followed by stakeholder review in early 2027. An application for a temporary SEN classroom is in final assessment.
323. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a new school building (details supplied); and the reason Stage 2A is taking longer than expected. [67938/26]
Comment on this
The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently being delivered as part of my Departments Adapt 4 programme - Programme Innovate.
Programme Innovate will be delivered by Integrated Project Teams (IPT) consisting of highly skilled and experienced design professionals, architects, engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors and various other consultants to deliver the projects.
This development is for a new 1000 classroom post primary school including 6 classrooms for children with special educational needs. The project referred to by the Deputy will be part of an ambitious shared educational campus which will also provide a second new 1,000 pupil post primary schools with 6 classrooms for children with special education needs, a new 8 classroom primary school with accommodation and 2 classrooms for children with special education needs and a new 20 classroom special school at the Swords Road campus in Whitehall.
This significant educational campus development project is currently at Stage 2a of architectural planning (Developed Sketch Scheme) which includes the development of the preferred design options for the four schools and the overall campus strategy as agreed with the stakeholders, the preparation of an accurate cost plan and to have the project prepared to lodge for statutory approvals. The IPT continue to progress the overall campus design, including all essential surveys , with the ambition to complete their Stage 2(a) report late Q4 2026, and to submit to my department for review. Upon receipt and review, the Stage 2(a) stakeholder meeting will be arranged for early 2027.
Pending delivery of the major building project, the school have applied for repurposing works to create 1 SEN classroom in existing accommodation. That application is currently in the final stages of assessment with my Department’s Strategic Infrastructure & Appraisal Section. Officials have been engaging with the ETB in relation to the progress of this project.
A total capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth has been confirmed for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my 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.
As part of the NDP Implementation Plan for the education and youth sector, a first tranche of projects to progress to tender and/or construction during 2026 and 2027 was published in January 2026. Prioritisation will continue to identify further tranches of projects to proceed to tender and construction over the NDP period, with stakeholder consultation ongoing.
Our NDP Implementation Plan will optimise outputs from the 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.