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A NUMBER OF school buildings inspected following concerns about potential structural problems will reopen after the midterm break.
The Department of Education and Skills confirmed that inspections of 10 further schools built by Western Building Systems (WBS) began yesterday (42 schools are being inspected in total).
Engineers on site gathered information which was referred back to their headquarters for further assessment. The assessment remains ongoing in relation to four of the 10 schools.
Yesterday the department confirmed that the ground floors of Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School and St Luke’s National School will be operational by 5 November.
Arrangements have also been put in place to ensure that Ardgillan Community College in Balbriggan will be able to accommodate all students when it reopens after the midterm break.
The outcome of the assessments carried out yesterday enable five of the 10 schools to reopen fully after the midterm break. These schools are as follows:
In the case of one of the above schools, Scoil Chaitlín Maude, external structural issues were identified and will require intervention in the form of a fence around the school building and some protective decking. This will be put in place during the course of the midterm break, the department spokesperson said.
‘Appropriate solution’
The structural assessment of Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada in Lucan identified structural issues which require both external and internal intervention. Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada is a 16-classroom primary school with a current enrolment of 454 pupils.
“An appropriate engineering solution, to be implemented during the midterm break, will allow the ground floor of this building to reopen after the break,” the spokesperson said.
The interim accommodation team in the Department of Education and Skills is “working with the school principal and patron to put in place an off-site interim accommodation solution for the remaining classes with a view to ensuring that all classes can be accommodated when the school reopens on 5 November”.
Further assessments are continuing today and a further update will be provided tomorrow.
WBS, the construction company which built the schools, yesterday said it has only been invited to visit four of the 42 schools identified as needing assessment, and called for a meeting with Education Minister Joe McHugh.
The company has questioned why the Department of Education previously gave the green light to the buildings in question.
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Between the smear scandal and now schools….
“Pay peanuts get monkeys” seems to be the government’s creed.
Still though, we can all rest easy in the knowledge that no bondholders or bankers were injured in making Ireland .
Disgrace, company’s from the north shouldn’t be getting government jobs like that, they can afford to undercut the company’s down in the south and then hire sub contractors from up there and they also undercut sub contractors down here, then all money’s payed gos into uk economy, disgraceful from the Irish government, still happening today, massive problem for the recovery of our country, it’s not like we have free healthcare, cheaper cars, car insurance, car tax, property, and everything else for that matter, disgrace
Any word on the remainder of the 10 inspected that aren’t on the list of those ok to open?
Disgrace about how our country is going
@Darren Farrell: They lowest bidder seems to be the norm..
Do the inspectors inspect or do they just pass of the plans, as we know has been done before, and the same has to asked of the fire department and their inspectors??
Barreeeeeee
I’m fairly sure to qualify for government work such as these schools, you need to be Irish registered company therefore paying tax’s to Irish economy. I’m not standing up for bad work here just clarifying a point
@Stephen Corroon: dont think so Stephen, Denis O Brien gets everything and pays no tax…Cheapest will do seems to be the government motto.
company’s from up there shouldn’t be getting government jobs like that, they can afford to undercut the company’s down in the south and then hire sub contractors from up there and they also undercut sub contractors down here, then all money’s payed gos into uk economy, disgraceful from the Irish government, still happening today, massive problem for the recovery of our country, it’s not like we have free healthcare, cheaper cars, car insurance, car tax, property, and everything else for that matter,
You don’t see the bigger picture, and also you don’t have a clue
company’s from the north shouldn’t be getting government jobs like that, they can afford to undercut the company’s down in the south and then hire sub contractors from up there and they also undercut sub contractors down here, then all money’s payed gos into uk economy, disgraceful from the Irish government, still happening today, massive problem for the recovery of our country, it’s not like we have free healthcare, cheaper cars, car insurance, car tax, property, and everything else for that matter,
have your say