Temporary classrooms confirmed for Kildare school – waiting list cleared

All 30 children who were on the waiting list for St Farnan’s Post Primary School in Prosperous, Kildare have been offered a place as of yesterday evening, Tuesday, April 8.

The move follows confirmation that extra temporary accommodation, coming from a school in Monasterevin, will be on site and available for the start-up of the next academic year.

The news comes just days after a local councillor expressed concern that time was running out to get the additional accommodation in time for the start of the new school year in September.

Cllr Paula Mulroe of the Social Democrats had warned that additional bureaucracy and red tape threatened the delivery of the temporary accommodation and could prevent the children on the waiting list from getting a school place.

But last evening, the school principal Andrew Purcell wrote to parents of the children on the list confirming that the additional accommodation had been confirmed and he was therefore offering a place to prospective students.

“After months of hard work by many at the Department of Education, Kildare and Wicklow ETB, our Project Managers (Rogers & Reddan), Architects (MCOH) and ourselves in St. Farnan's Post Primary School and with huge support from yourselves, parents and guardians of our incoming 6th class students, I can confirm that extra temporary accommodation will be on site and available for the start-up of the next academic year,” he said.

Cllr Mulroe described it as “really good news, great news, and really good work by the principal at the school community and all the public representatives.”

Cllr Mulroe thanked her Social Democrat colleagues in the board of KWETB, Cllr Nuala Killeen and Cllr Claire O’Rourke for bringing the matter to the board’s attention, as well as Aidan Farrelly, TD, who brought it to the attention of Minister Helen McEntee and the Department of Education.

“There was a lot of intensive and behind-the-scenes activity to get this over the line,” Deputy Farrelly said.

“I welcome this breakthrough because the school was facing an ever-decreasing window of opportunity to get the classrooms approved, on-site and built, given that we are now into April.”

“The school is currently operating at 98.5% capacity and will reach 700 pupils in September.

“The situation in St Farnan’s is a good example of what many services across Kildare, and in particular, north Kildare, are up against trying to operate in the face of a rapidly rising population with public services struggling to keep up.”

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