Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the serious issue regarding Trim Educate Together National School in County Meath. The school opened in 2014 with 17 junior infant pupils. It initially operated from temporary accommodation in 2018.

It moved to another temporary building in Trim. Since 2021 enrolment has surged from 138 to a projected 201 pupils this September. They will have eight mainstream classes for the first time. A recent health and safety report by Cohort has highlighted urgent concerns due to the inadequacy of the current building. The temporary buildings are simply not fit for educational purposes. A decade since its establishment, the school is still operating from a temporary facility. This has led to overcrowded classrooms, insufficient storage areas, inadequate bathroom facilities and a lack of space for assemblies and extracurricular activities. The school serves a large catchment area in Meath West, including Summerhill, Ballivor, Longwood, Rathmolyon and Kildalkey. Will the Tánaiste or the Minister for Education provide a timeline for addressing the urgent safety concerns and for securing a permanent educational home for Trim Educate Together National School and definite deadlines in this regard?

See this speech in context