Progress for the long-awaited St Mary’s Special School as builder shortlist drafted

Progress in advancing the long promised St Mary’s Special School in Johnstown, Navan took a small step forward last week as the Department of Education authorised the drawing up a shortlist of contractors for the construction of the new school.

The proposed 3,746 sq m school will have 11 classrooms and associated ancillary accommodation to cater for pupils with a range of learning disabilities.

The building project had been sanctioned as far back as 2011 as part of the Johnstown Educational Campus and has been in temporary accommodation for all of its 43 year history.

Information on the development was provided to local Senator Shane Cassells who raised the issue in the Senate last Friday under a special debate.

St Mary's Special School is the fifth largest school of its type in the country and caters for nearly 100 children aged from four to 18 from across Meath who travel to the school in 26 buses each day.

Senator Cassells had sought an update on the progress of the new school and was informed by Minister for Mental Health, Mary Butler TD, that in order to expedite the progression of this major building project the Department of Education authorised the school and its design team to commence the pre-qualification process to select a shortlist of contractors.

The Meath West Senator had stated angrily that he had been on his feet in the Dail in March 2019 seeking progress on the school and that nothing had been done by the Department in the intervening time.

“Parents have been listening to this for nine years. Yet, two years on from a visit to the school by former Minister for Education Richard Bruton there is still no movement on this particular project.

“I hope the Department will not toy with the emotions of the people involved anymore. They have had enough of that.“

Responding to Senator Cassells the Minister informed him that earlier this year the Department of Education had “reviewed and approved a brief change request relating to traffic management and this has now been incorporated by the design team into the tender construction.”

Minister Butler said a shortlist of contractors had now been given and that “the design team submitted a draft pre-qualification report to the Department last week.”