For years, our school community has been waiting for progress on an approved new school building. In the meantime, hundreds of children continue to learn in an ageing main building that no longer meets the needs of a modern primary school. Several classes are housed in portacabins due to overcrowding. Recent severe weather has exposed just how serious this situation has become. • One portacabin classroom suffered a floor collapse. • Two additional classrooms and the reception office are dealing with active leaks. While school staff handle these situations with professionalism and calm, the reality is stark: young children are being educated in infrastructure that is visibly failing. This is no longer an inconvenience. It is an urgent issue affecting the safety, wellbeing, and educational experience of hundreds of local children. At the same time, Dunboyne is expanding rapidly. A major housing development is already underway, and an influx of young families is inevitable. It is deeply concerning that while residential construction accelerates, critical educational infrastructure remains stalled. Parents have shown patience and good faith for many years. But children only experience primary school once. They should not spend those formative years in deteriorating facilities while the wider area grows around them. We are calling on our local representatives and the Department of Education to: • Treat the new Dunboyne school building as a priority project • Provide a clear and binding timeline for commencement and completion • Confirm the current stage of the project and the immediate next steps Our children deserve safe, modern learning environments. Our growing community deserves infrastructure that matches its expansion. We are asking for action, clarity, and momentum — not further delay. Dunboyne Junior & Senior Primary Schools - Parent Association

Aughrim Street has high traffic levels during school hours. There are large groups of pupils crossing at the same times. A new bus route now passes along Aughrim Street, increasing traffic volume and making the crossing busier and more dangerous. The School Warden on Oxmantown Road needs their hours extended to cover the 1:30 p.m. collection, as many younger children finish at that time and require safe crossing support.

Right now, over 18,000 children across the country are overdue for an Assessment of Needs, 1,953 of them here in Kildare alone. Families are exhausted, stressed, and fighting a system that has failed them at every turn. From endless waits for primary care psychology, to 11,000 children stuck in limbo waiting for a first contact from CDNTs, to the scramble for school places and supports that simply aren’t there parents are being pushed to breaking point. Many families are trying to ensure there is early intervention for their child but are being left without vital supports. We have actually seen a reduction in the number of Speech and Language Therapists qualifying. It has gone from 370 in the academic year before the pandemic to 355 last year.  The number of therapists qualifying each year is reducing and on the other hand the government are scratching their heads wondering why they can’t fill the vacant therapist posts in CDNTs.  Children in schools are being let down too. Despite asserting that children don't need an assessment of needs to qualify for supports Parents, Teachers and school Principals know that resources are limited and children with an AON are prioritised. The Minister for Disability has announced a streamlining process for AON but hasn't detailed how this will be acomplished or set a timeline for compliance with the obligation for a 6 month assessment period for children.  We also want to see school expansions fast tracked. We hear announcements of funding but it then takes years between design stages, the tendering process, construction and the actual delivery of new classrooms. Many schools have had to convert classrooms to accommodate children with additional needs.  Please sign the petition so we can put pressure on the Government to deliver for the children in Kildare and across the country.  Melissa Byrne 

In Stapolin ETNS, we are having to campaign for 2 additional autism classes to meet the needs of children within our school and local community because the NCSE have informed us that our school is not considered a priority, despite us showing a clear need for these classes.  We currently have 2 autism classes which arre full. We have 8 children with eligibility letters in our mainstream waiting on an autism class space. On top of that we have 50 children on our waiting list, 20 of whom are in our immediate catchment area.  2 more classes is 12 spaces. That would ensure that the 8 children in our mainstream have access to the supports the need to access their education, as well as offering remaining places to some of those on our waiting list.  While we appreciate it’s important that schools without autism classes are encouraged and supported to open them, the need in our own school is urgent and undeniable, and we don't understand why both can't happen at the same time - allow us to open additional classes to support the children currently in our school and in our local catchment area, while also encouraging schools without autism classes to open them aswell.  Every child should have the chance to continue their education in the community where they’ve already built friendships, feel safe, and have strong relationships with staff who know and understand them. Please support our campaign for two additional autism classes in Stapolin and to support the rights of children to an appropriate education that meets their needs. 

Cost of living 

Many of those items were taken from various sites in Ireland by Mr Cooke while he was living in Birr at the time. When he died he donated his collection to the British Museum. 

It makes little sense to remove a teacher now when the school will meet the required pupil numbers in just a few weeks, with at least two confirmed new enrolments in December and January. The loss of this post means larger class sizes, disrupted learning, and increased pressure on already stretched staff. In Cloughduv village 2 years ago, we had approx. 200 houses. Now there are over 450, being occupied by new families. Our school enrolment has grown each year as  new families received keys for new homes. Pupil enrolment in Sept ’23 was 141 and is expected to be 182+ next Sept. Our Special Educational Needs (SEN) team is already operating under significant strain to support a growing number of children who need additional help. This decision will further impact the quality of teaching, inclusion, and pupil well-being across the school. While understanding that the Department must follow clear criteria, we believe there is a strong case for flexibility, understanding, and compassion in this situation. Allowing Cloughduv N.S. to retain this developing post temporarily until the end of the school year would provide stability for pupils and staff and allow time for the Department to see the school’s continued enrolment growth first-hand

Some students don’t need more motivation. They just need a meal. Right now across Ireland, too many students are studying hungry, skipping meals to pay rent or travel to class. Hunger isn’t just physical. It drains focus, energy, and hope. When we feed students, we’re not just helping them survive college. We’re helping them show up fully, to learn, lead, and become who they’re meant to be. This is why we’re building Crave Christi Student Sponsorship, to make sure no student is left behind because of an empty plate. Join us in turning compassion into action. Together, we can make student hunger impossible to ignore. Because hunger shouldn’t be part of the college experience. Not here. Not now.

This heartfelt appeal from parents, educators, and SNAs across Ireland highlights the urgent need to reconsider new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) guidelines. The proposed changes—rigid staffing limits, narrow definitions of need, and rushed implementation—risk dismantling inclusive education and jeopardizing the well-being of children with Autism and complex needs. Without adequate SNA support, vulnerable children face emotional distress, medical risks, and exclusion from mainstream classrooms. Families are pushed to crisis, teachers are overwhelmed, and the entire school community suffers. The call is clear: listen to lived experiences, and build a fair, responsive, and properly funded system that protects every child’s right to feel safe, supported, and included.

Why This Matters — To Everyone Huntington’s disease families in Ireland have been promised and then denied basic care and support. We are a small, relatively rich country and our healthcare system is failing those who need it as well as those who work in it.  Sign this petition to support families : • Proper Huntingtons Disease care through specialist multi-disciplinary teams (like Scotland has - same population but a specialist team in all 7 major cities) • A health system ready for advanced therapies like the Uniqure trial making the news • Leadership that keeps its promises Because a health service that fails us today will fail our tomorrows.

The Green Schools Committee held a survey last year that found not one student currently walks or cycles to school from off-campus. Not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t do it safely. This needs to change. Footpaths from one or both directions would create healthier and safer route to school, as well as meaning less traffic on the roads. If you agree it’s time for change, please sign the petition. For safety, choice and a more sustainable school community. Image - https://www.droghedagrammarschool.ie/Welcome/How-our-school-is-run/

Isidora has fought hard for her education, but now she risks losing everything if she cannot resolve this issue by November.