29/09/15

Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn   …ár Scoil nua.

Following a number of conversations with various personnel working in the Department of Education, having spoken with architects, various Cork City Council officials and representatives of Brian Dillions GAA club, The Board of Management of Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn are writing this note to our parents to highlight some of the issues we are currently faced with.

We have enrolled 59 junior infant children this year. We currently have 334 children on our roll book. As things stand and in our current environment we are operating almost at full capacity. Our needs are no longer being adequately met in our current school building

As progress towards the building of our new school is very slow, we have asked our architect/engineer to begin the process of designing 3 new additional rooms for our “temporary” school. Two new prefabricated classrooms and one new prefabricated resource room. One of those classrooms and the resource room will be needed for September 2016 and the second classroom will be needed in September 2017.

We are extremely disappointed that we once again find ourselves in this position. We do not want to be wasting more taxpayers’ money on costly temporary structures, but unfortunately the situation and timeframe involved dictate that we are left with no option but to pursue this route as a back-up plan that we can avail off in the event of further delays.

Our school has full planning permission since December 2011(which is valid for 5 years) and all involved with our school fully expected that our new school project would have started in late 2013. All planning issues relating to the building of our new school have now been dealt with. In spite of this however it’s looking likely that School management will have 3 planning issues to deal with this coming year;

1. To extend the planning date for our new school.
2. To apply to extend the planning permission for the retention of the school premises we currently occupy (Planning expires in Jan 2017)
3. To apply for planning permission for 3 new prefabricated classrooms to facilitate the growing number of children attending our school.

It is getting more and more difficult to explain and justify these actions. Matters can only be finished after Brian Dillions and Cork City Council finalised arrangements re the signing over of the land to the Department of Education so that they can build us our new school.

The board of Management of Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn are looking forward to all parties involved in our new school project coming together, finalising items that need to be finalised and building us our new school without further delay.

Our school’s Board of Management is in constant contact with the three groups relevant to the finalising of arrangements for our new school. The process is slow but we will hopefully have a more positive updated on events very soon.

Le gach dea ghuí.

Bord Bainistíochta Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn

Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn   …ár Scoil nua.

1. Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn was founded in 1993 and has been located in prefabricated buildings beside the Tank Field since 1998.

2. In 2011 Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn was granted full planning permission to build a school on the site as marked out below.

3. Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn is a multi-denominational Gaelscoil under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta and also affiliated to Educate Together. The ethos of Educate Together schools is that their schools should be multi-denominational, co-educational, child-centred and democratically run. The ethos of Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn is aligned with national policy to support inclusion and diversity in the way our school is run.

4. Due to its unique status as both a Gaelscoil and a multi-denominational school, Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn attracts increasing numbers of students from the area. Currently, 334 students are enrolled, 79% of whom come from within 1.5 miles of the school. Over the years, over 1000 students have received their primary education in our school, representing over 500 families.
5. Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn has received permission from An Bord Pleanála to build a new school on the adjacent Tank Field. This site has been identified as the best site for our new school since 2002. The Department of Education has identified this site alone as the site for our school and listed our school for development in its 2013 school building programme. The site comprises of 2 acres of an 11 acre site. The Bord Pleanála report stated:

‘……having regard to the existing uses of the overall land, to the need for improved educational facilities, the need to replace temporary schoolroom accommodation and noting that the proposed development does not involve loss of any playing pitches….the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or of the property in the vicinity….’.

6. Cork City Council voted unanimously in March 2005 to sell this site to the Department of Education and later to allow Brian Dillon’s pitches to move eastwards to facilitate the construction of the school. In 2007, a majority of the council voted to permit the building of a new school on the site. As the necessary 2/3 majority was not achieved, planning permission was granted after an appeal by the Department of Education to An Bord Pleanála. 

7. Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn is located in unsuitable temporary premises. The classrooms are small, the facilities are cramped and the car park of the adjacent Brian Dillon’s GAA club doubles up as the schoolyard.

8. An action brought by some residents seeking a declaration of a public right of way over parts of the Tank Field, which, had it been successful, may have blocked the development of the school, failed at Cork Circuit Court after a lengthy hearing in 2012. Judge Ó Donnabháin’s decision removed any legal impediment to the development of the school on the Tank Field.

9. The development of our much-needed school is GOVERNMENT POLICY, has PLANNING APPROVAL at the highest level by AN BORD PLEANÁLA and attempts at the Circuit Court to hinder its development through establishment of a right of way FAILED.

10. The new school will bring enormous benefits to students and their families, not just now, but for future generations. As an educational facility providing Irish- medium education within a multi-denominational ethos, it is already an asset to the local community.

Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn

22 Bliain ag fás ach fós gan foirgneamh buan.

Bord Bainistíochta Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Álainn