Parnell Square school should not reopen on safety grounds, say inspectors

Students attending a secondary school in Dublin's city centre will have to wait another week before finding out if they have a premises to return to in the New Year.

Building inspectors have advised that Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square should not reopen after Christmas due to safety concerns over the state of the listed Georgian buildings.

The Christian Brothers school, which has about 250 pupils, has received approval from the Department of Education and Science for temporary accommodation in Cabra to try to ensure continuity of teaching.

However, a spokesman for the school said yesterday this would not be available until next March, thus resulting in a need for "bridging accommodation", over which it was now in negotiations. He declined to identify the location being considered, saying "negotiations are at a very sensitive stage. All we can say is that if everything goes as we hope, we will have a very acceptable solution."

He said the school should be in a position to announce next Friday if the bridging accommodation had been secured.

The deteriorating condition of the school buildings has been a matter of concern for several years, reaching the point in February 2001 when an independent report recommended they be vacated at the earliest possible opportunity.

An application for the funding of renovations has been made by the school, and, according to the Department, architectural plans are at mid-stage of drafting. The school authorities, however, may be asked to relocate instead if costs are deemed to be too high.

"The big problem is they are period buildings," said the school spokesman. "So any refurbishment would have to meet fairly stringent criteria and that puts costs in a different league."

A spokeswoman for the Department said it was working to ensure the Cabra site, located on the grounds of St Joseph's School for the Deaf, would be ready for accommodation "at the earliest possible opportunity. The Department will fund the entire cost of the temporary accommodation," she said.

Negotiations between the Department and the school's board of management on the restoration of the Parnell Square buildings are due to resume in late-January. These will take place against the background of cut-backs in the national school building programme, including the freezing of building work on almost 400 primary schools.

The school spokesman said it was "particularly concerned" that examination students would not be unduly disrupted by the relocations. "If everything goes according to plan, there won't be any significant delay in restarting classes. There may be one or two extra days holidays."

Parents, who were warned of the crisis before Christmas, are to receive further information before the start of the new term on January 7th.

One of the first gaelscoileanna in the State, Coláiste Mhuire's past-pupils include the broadcaster Mr Brian Farrell and former Fine Gael leader Mr Alan Dukes.