Concern as Ballincollig schools not on department's list of Cork construction works

A Cork city councillor has raised concerns about the lack of progress on the delivery of a new school campus to accommodate Le Chéile secondary school and Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin in Ballincollig.

Both schools have been operating out of temporary premises since they opened in 2021 and 2017 respectively.

The new site premises, at Lisheens in Ballincollig, plans to accommodate 1,000 pupils for Le Chéile Secondary School and 500 pupils for Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin.

The plans include general classrooms, specialist rooms, a library, dining facilities, a PE hall and dedicated special education needs (SEN) units.

This year and next year will see 12 Cork schools progress to tender and/or construction for new school buildings or extensions, under new funding announced by the government this week. But when the list was published on Wednesday, the Ballincollig school project wasn't included.

Cork Sinn Féin councillor Joe Lynch told The Echo that the lack of a timeline by the Department of Education for the delivery of the project is a matter which requires urgent intervention from the Minister for Education.

"I am extremely concerned that there is no mention of Ballincollig whatsoever in the Department of Education's sectoral investment plan out to 2030.

"Parents with children in Le Chéile secondary school and Gaelscoil an Chaisleáin, as well as the wider community in Ballincollig, have anticipated substantial progress being made on the project to provide them with proper school buildings for years now, and the failure to set out any sort of timeline for delivery is scandalous.

"It is a dereliction of duty on the part of the department of education. Schools in the village are at capacity as is,” he said.

Sinn Féin Cork North central TD Thomas Gould added: “The minister must engage with the council and come to a solution to get this land sorted and these schools built."