Over the course of yesterday and into today we have been in regular discussion with the Department of Education and their Consultants regarding the options for an interim accommodation solution for Tyrrelstown Educate Together NS. As I’m sure you can appreciate, this is a fast-moving situation but we want to keep you as informed as we can, as things progress.
We are all in agreement that the preferred solution would involve staying on-site in alternative accommodation, keeping our pupils, teachers, staff and community together as much as possible. Investigations on establishing whether this is a viable option will be carried out over the next few days as well as establishing other possibilities as a contingency.
We will endeavour to keep you updated as things develop and in the meantime, please find below a statement received from the Department last night.
Kind regards
Tim Stapleton[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”orange” border_width=”5″ css=”.vc_custom_1540550761781{padding-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1540550769628{padding-top: 20px !important;}”]Thursday October 25th 2018
Update on WBS Building Issues
The Department of Education and Skills has today been in contact with all schools constructed by Western Building Systems, and which are due to undergo a structural assessment, to confirm the arrangements for that assessment. The assessments are proceeding over the weekend and mid-term break in order to minimise disruption to schools and ensure that they can be completed as quickly as possible.
The Department’s interim accommodation team has been working intensively over the course of today, in consultation with the school principals, to secure an interim accommodation solution for Tyrrelstown Educate Together National School and St Luke’s National School.
Minister McHugh added, “Good progress has been made today in ensuring that the students and staff of the affected schools in Tyrrelstown will have an interim accommodation solution by the end of the mid-term break. While we await the outcome of further structural assessments, we would wish to be clear that school buildings will only be closed where it is deemed necessary to do so, and every effort will be made to minimise disruption to students, staff and families.”
Site visits at Ardgillan Community College and the schools in Tyrrelstown also took place today, involving Department of Education and Skills officials, structural engineers and representatives of Western Building Systems. This provided Western Building Systems with the opportunity to view the structural issues identified at the three schools. The Department is awaiting a response from Western Building Systems.
The overriding priority of the Department remains the health and safety of the school pupils and staff. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]