Richard Boyd Barrett urges use of empty buildings for schools
Richard Boyd Barrett spoke about school infrastructure and the urgent need to repurpose empty buildings to create capacity for physical distancing and refurbishments. He argued that already-overcrowded classes are now "completely intolerable" and called for an ambitious, aggressive plan to locate additional space for primary, secondary and some university students.
Physical distancing and overcrowding
He said extra physical space is necessary to allow physical distancing and to avoid using libraries and sports areas as makeshift classrooms. Boyd Barrett stressed that classes were already the most overcrowded in Western Europe before COVID-19 and that the situation is now incompatible with human health.
Empty buildings identified
He pointed to specific vacant properties in Dun Laoghaire, including a former Further Education College sitting empty for six or seven years and the C-Mark Building beside St Vincent's Hospital, which he estimated is the size of 10 to 15 large school halls and has been empty for about a decade. He described these long-term vacancies as a scandal and outrageous given the current pressures on school space.
Prefabs and long-term shortages
Boyd Barrett highlighted that many students remain in prefabs — naming Gale School, Forrick and Ballybrac as examples — and questioned how those schools would expand. He urged urgent action over the summer to identify and bring empty properties into use to provide extra capacity for primary and secondary pupils.
Leaving Certificate and curriculum flexibility
In reply, a speaker noted the roadmap addresses how to assess last year’s fifth-year students for the Leaving Certificate and that recommendations on curriculum will be provided to schools. The Chief Inspector, Harold Hislap, was mentioned as engaged on assessment and the proposals include widening question choices and taking account of months out of school to give greater flexibility to students. It was proposed the Leaving Certificate be held physically next year with ongoing engagement to ease student anxieties.
Official response on local solutions
The response also stated there is facility for schools to use other community buildings and that decisions on using available local spaces will largely be for individual schools. Officials said there will be local autonomy, support for schools seeking local solutions, and follow-up where specific vacant buildings were identified.
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Teachta, the physical infrastructure necessary to allow for physical distancing as well as refurbs, we need extra physical space. Now this was true prior to COVID-19 where we had the most overcrowded classes in Western Europe. They were unacceptably overcrowded. Now that is completely intolerable and incompatible with human health. Refurbs using libraries and sports areas is not ideal. I mean I understand we have to do it. It's not ideal because at some point we'll need those spaces again. So what we need is additional physical capacity. And there needs to be an ambitious and aggressive plan of locating physical additional space. So if you take my area, and I'm sure other TDs could point to this, it's a little bit like the point I was making about empty properties. In Dun Laoghaire, in the middle of Dun Laoghaire, there is a former Further Education College that is sitting empty for six, seven years now. Just sitting there, empty. Right? It's a scandal. It was a scandal before COVID, but now it should be used to provide additional space for schools. On the Merion Road, beside St Vincent's Hospital, there is a building called the C-Mark Building. It has been empty for, I would say, a decade. It is about, I'd say it's about the equivalent of about 10 or 15 big school halls. That's how big it is. Right? And it's just sitting there empty. It's outrageous. Right? I think Dun Laoghaire Rattown, but I'm not sure about this, has significant empty space up in Cherrywood. Now that's just one administrative area, Dun Laoghaire Rattown County Council, that I'm familiar with. Right? And this is against a background where many of our school students are in prefabs. You know, Gale School, Forrick and Ballybrac in prefabs for decades. How are they going to expand? Right? We need to physically get out urgently over the summer and get these empty spaces that are sitting empty that could be used to provide extra capacity for our primary and secondary school students and indeed for some of our universities. In terms of Deputy Boyd Barrett's points, you know, there is facility here. If they can utilise other buildings, community buildings or whatever is available, that's a decision for the school. There will be a lot of local autonomy here and we will be supportive of the schools in using local solutions to solve their problems. And, you know, I'm not aware of the specific buildings there, but we can follow up on those. Deputy Barry's point, the roadmap does provide for the issue of how do we assess last year's fifth year students in the Leaving Certificate next year. And there will be recommendations to the schools in terms of curriculum. So I think they can change the curriculum, Deputy Barry. I spoke to the Chief Inspector on this last Friday, Harold Hislap, who's a, I think, a very solid individual who's very strong on assessment generally. And he's, so there will not be in a position to change the curriculum. So, but they are taking, they are conscious of the fact that different cohorts of students could be at different stages of the curriculum. So some might have a certain aspect of English covered, geography covered. What they propose to do is widen the choices in questions that students would have to face next year in the Leaving Certificate and to take cognizance of the fact that there were a number of months out of school this year. And that, that means, therefore, they may not have all of the curriculum covered by the end of the year. So they're trying to create some flexibility there and to give greater choice. But that's work in progress. And there would be constant engagement with the schools and particularly the Leaving Certificate cohort of 2021 to ease any worries or concerns or anxieties the students may have in respect of the Leaving Certificate. But it is proposed to have the Leaving Certificate physically next year. And by the purposes and their families, they are putting them together in some way. So when you came in, of course, you can take some too many figures. Have a great day. The Wheel of the terminology is the way to explain the value. And of course, you can take the value of the Moreover, the Share Certificate and the Business Certificate.
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