Around 100 pupils and parents are protesting the delay in opening a new €2.7 million school in Kildare, 18 months after its completion.
Parents and pupils of St Anne’s National School in Ardclough, Kildare took part in an hour-long protest yesterday (Monday) morning outside the new school.
School children held up miniature whiteboards stating why they want to move into the new school, which was fully-constructed in December 2011. Some of the 384 reasons include not wanting to share a classroom with mice and puddles developing inside when it rains.
The new school failed a health and safety inspection, which was carried out in January 2012. Problems were identified by the Department of Education, which was to appoint a builder to amend the problems.
At present, 240 students and 18 staff members are based mainly in prefabs and a building built in 1949. The new school has been in development since 2001, when parents were shown plans for the building.
Principal Patricia King said parents have been very patient with the delays and this has been the first protest in relation to the new school.
“Parents have been very good and very patient and have taken quite a lot of delays without putting pressure on people,” she said.
Parent Leean Matthews said it is appalling that the school remains vacant more than a year after construction was completed.
“If a builder doesn’t commence work on the new school within weeks it will not be ready for the new school term in September 2013.”
Parent Ruth O’Reilly said many children were very excited about moving into the new school and have been left disappointed that they will not get the chance to move in before moving to secondary school.
“There really is a lot of disappointment amongst the older children who wanted to be in the new school. That’s not going to happen,” she said.
“We haven’t been given a lot of information into why the new school isn’t open yet, but we’re told it’s a minor alteration.”
Independent TD Catherine Murphy said the pupils, teachers and parents have shown great patience in waiting to move schools, but patience is now at breaking point.