New St Paul’s Secondary School for Monasterevin

The current school is not fit for purpose. We feel that our children are being treated as second class citizens because of the conditions they endure on a daily basis. The following list are some of the issues students and staff are facing each and every day;
Heating: The heating breaks down on a regular basis, the boiler is over 20 years old and we can't get parts for it anymore. There are currently 14 classrooms in prefabs, most of which are almost 20 years old. They leak when it rains heavily and are freezing cold in winter and like saunas in summer.
Room Availability: We regularly have to use 2 rooms in the Community Centre as we don’t have room for guest speakers/workshops. We also use the scouts den for workshops and sometimes for PE.
We use a room in the local convent for recorded interviews for LCVP and also the State Oral Irish and French exams.
Toilets: We currently have 227 boys attending. They have one toilet which has 2 cubicles and 3 urinals between them. The drains are constantly getting blocked in both the boys and girls toilets.
Privacy Issues: Students receive first aid treatment in reception. We don't have anywhere for students with medical issues to administer medication or make adjustments to medical equipment. This is done on the corridor or in the female staff bathrooms.
Staff Workroom: There is nowhere for teachers to do corrections/prepare for class. When they are not using their room another teacher is in it. Some teachers don’t have a room, as there aren’t enough and so they are carrying books, copies, laptops etc to and from classes at every change of class. They are currently using their cars to do corrections as it is the only quiet space available to them.
There is also nowhere for teachers to have a private telephone conversation with a parent or sometimes a face to face meeting.
Subject Options: Some students are left disappointed as they are not getting their first or second choices because there simply aren’t enough practical rooms – we have 1 Art Room, 1 MTW, 1 Home Ec, 1 Science Lab, 1 DCG room. Max per class is 24 students.
Outside Space: The yard space for students at break times is rapidly diminishing as we install more prefabs. It is unsafe in some areas and when the gym is in use for TY show or exams the yard is used for PE. It can be slippy and dangerous. We do not have any green space or playing fields which means that students have to walk to the local GAA pitch or soccer pitch for training and games.
Parking: The main road where parents collect their children is a hazard as parents double park on both sides of the road and children walk across the road without looking. There is one designated wheelchair space and no bus space.
On 12/03/12 the then Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn announced that St Paul's Secondary School Monasterevin was to be one of 219 new schools to be built over 5 years as part of a €2 billion capital investment programme. Our school was due to go to construction in 2015/2016.
The project has been plagued with delays over waste water, drainage issues, traffic lights etc etc.
We have recently been informed that construction is due to begin in quarter 3 of 2019 a full 4 years from the original construction date.
The project is currently running almost 3 years behind schedule and we need the Minister to exercise his ministerial function and direct the Department of Education to progress this vital school project without further delay.