Local TD highlights lack of school places in Co Cavan
There are a number of children who will have to be home schooled
A local TD is claiming this week that an unpublished school capacity survey has found that three out of four parents are unable to secure places for their children at oversubscribed secondary schools.
Sinn Fein’s Deputy Pauline Tully is also calling on the Government to “address” delays in school capital projects in Co Cavan immediately.
“Shortages of school places in this area are a result of poor planning and delays in providing school buildings by the Government,” she continued. “They are also a direct failure of a broken modelling system that focuses on capacity in existing schools while failing to take demographic changes or decades of long under-resourcing of schools into account.
“In Cavan both Breifne College and the Royal School are oversubscribed and as a result, students are being forced to travel far and wide to find an available school.”
Deputy Tully went on to say that there are other students who have been “left with no other option” but to avail of home tutoring because of school enrolment pressures. She also pointed to the “many parents and their children”, who in some cases live within a short distance of their school and are still not able to secure a place for the next school year.
“It is placing avoidable stress and pressure on families and these families and students in Co Cavan deserve better,” continued the local TD. “Oversubscription of schools naturally equates to increased class sizes and we all know the detrimental impacts large class sizes can have on a child’s education, particularly those with special educational needs.
“They create barriers to effective learning and hinder students’ academic and personal development. Sinn Féin believes that smaller class sizes in Cavan are vital to facilitating greater student participation and engagement.
“Smaller class size will help increase individual attention and make it harder for students, particularly those with SEN to get left behind. This in turn will lead to enhanced academic performance.The Government must address this crisis immediately. Every child should have a school place come September.”