Two independent reports completed last year and seen by Kfm News warned the school’s long-standing modular building shows widespread deterioration, including structural issues and fire safety concerns.
A senior Department of Education official has defended the need for a peer review into serious safety concerns at St Patrick’s National School in Celbridge - as political pressure intensifies.
Two independent reports completed last year and seen by Kfm News warned the school’s long-standing modular building shows widespread deterioration, including structural issues and fire safety concerns.
During a committee hearing on Education and Youth today, Kildare North Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly challenged the head of the department's Planning and Building Unit Hubert Loftus.
Deputy Farrelly asked why children remain in the building, after one report described the conditions as posing an immediate threat to occupants.
Mr Loftus said the Department first became aware of the most acute concerns in the final quarter of last year and confirmed a senior departmental architect visited the school around November.
He told Deputy Farrelly that the Department needed to carry out its own peer review of the architect’s findings before deciding on next steps.
But Deputy Farrelly said families need action, not further process - pointing to what he described as rotting floors and fire safety failures.
The Department has told Kfm News it is aware of the issues and has engaged project managers and contractors to deal with what it calls immediate concerns.
However, it has not provided detail on the outcome of a recent ministerial visit to the school.
On the ground, frustration among parents continues to build.
Áine Tóibín, whose child attends St Patrick’s, says families are angry and under significant stress as uncertainty drags on.
This is the moment Mr Loftus was asked when the Department first became aware of issues at the school.
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