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Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science Simon Harris have this evening (24 March 2022) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Education and City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) which delivers significant strategic benefits across the schools and further education and training (FET) sectors across North Dublin City. This agreement is also important in the context of the strategic development of the North Inner City.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, permanent accommodation for circa. 2,500 students across four schools (each with associated provision for students with special educational needs) are planned for the CDETB Whitehall and Killester College of Further Education sites while the Cathal Brugha Street/Marlborough Street property which is in the ownership of the Minister for Education will be developed as a flagship FET College of the Future presence for CDETB.
Minister Foley said:
"This Memorandum of Understanding, in partnership with CDETB, represents a strategic response to education provision in North Dublin city by optimising the use of existing properties to support the delivery of permanent accommodation for four schools as part of my department’s rollout of the NDP. These schools will make valuable enhanced and expanded provision to meet the needs of their communities, including pupils with special educational needs. I would like to acknowledge the extensive engagement between the Department of Education, Minister Harris and his officials in the Department of Further and Higher Education and indeed the city of Dublin ETB to ensure that this ambitious project could be delivered."
Speaking today, Minister Harris said:
"I really want to thank Minister Foley, her department and the City of Dublin ETB for this important agreement.
"The establishment of the Further Education college in the heart of Dublin’s inner city will be transformational. This is such a prominent and historic location at the heart of our capital city and it is a really important step in turning the ambitions of the ‘Future FET’ strategy into reality.
"This college will also include the establishment of a centralised Admissions Office, a career guidance and learner information hub, an Apprenticeship, Traineeship and Employer Engagement Unit and a bespoke literacy and numeracy support unit."
The Cathal Brugha Street/Marlborough Street property, formerly owned by TU Dublin, will be leased on a long-term basis by the Department of Education to CDETB. The development of the property, which has a long and proud tradition of tertiary education, as a prominent hub for FET provision will act as a catalyst for the transformation of FET provision in Dublin city and will be a very positive development for the North Inner City.
In an initial phase, the lease of this property by CDETB will facilitate the relocation and consolidation of FET facilities currently in Marino College of Further Education and Killester College of Further Education, commencing in September 2022. It is also envisaged that a centralised admissions office, career guidance and information hub, and a bespoke literacy and numeracy support unit will be included. Further development will be informed by a strategic review by CDETB of its FET provision.
Speaking about the Cathal Brugha Street/Marlborough Street property, the Chief Executive of CDETB Dr. Christy Duffy said:
"CDETB welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science in this highly innovative project of transformation. It offers the opportunity for CDETB to have a flagship City of Dublin FET College presence in the city centre which will enhance the extensive FET provision which already exist across Dublin city. It will also significantly develop the provision of second level schools by CDETB and other providers over the North Dublin City area."
In reciprocation, CDETB will lease properties at Whitehall and Killester to the Department of Education, also on a long-term basis. This will facilitate the department’s delivery of two new 1,000 pupil post-primary school buildings and permanent accommodation for two eight-classroom primary schools as well as generous accommodation provision for pupils with special educational needs at all four schools. The schools in question are:
The Department of Education is working closely with CDETB with a view to facilitating Gaelscoil Áine and Killester Raheny Clontarf ETNS on an interim basis on their proposed permanent sites in advance of the delivery of their permanent accommodation.
The planned expansions of Clonturk Community College and Margaret Aylward Community College are in lieu of the previously announced new post-primary school to serve the Drumcondra_Marino_D1 school planning area. The expanded post-primary schools will provide circa 1,200 additional co-educational, multi-denominational post-primary school places in North Dublin City. Additionally, these new school buildings will provide eight classrooms for pupils with special educational needs.
In the context of Project Ireland 2040, the Memorandum of Understanding also delivers a solution to future-proof school accommodation requirements in North Dublin City. Under the proposed agreement, CDETB will make the vacated Margaret Aylward Community College property available to the Department of Education to address future short-or long-term school accommodation requirements. Additionally, CDETB will continue to liaise with the Department of Education to maximise the opportunities at its other existing properties to facilitate any necessary expansion or new provision to cater for demographic requirements and, in particular, to make required provision for pupils with special educational needs.
Ultimately, the Memorandum of Understanding will facilitate strategic investment by the Departments of Education and Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in schools and FET infrastructure, and deliver real benefits to communities and learners across North Dublin City.
A copy of the agreed Memorandum of Understanding can be accessed here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a580d-memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-department-of-education-and-city-of-dublin-education-and-training-board/
The Cathal Brugha Street/Marlborough Street property was acquired by the Department of Education to meet the need for 1,000 additional post-primary school places in North Dublin City, per the 2018 announcement of a new school to serve Drumcondra_Marino_D1 school planning area.
The acquisition of the Cathal Brugha Street/Marlborough Street property from then DIT (now TU Dublin) by the department completed in 2018, for €24.06m. It was advanced under the Protocols for the Intra State Transfer of State Property Assets (DPER Circulars 11/15 and 17/16) and the consideration was set by the Valuation Office.
As part of the acquisition arrangements from TU Dublin they remained in the buildings until May 2021 when they relocated to Grangegorman.
The Cathal Brugha Street building is currently licensed to a third-party on a short-term basis.
The two planned new 1,000 pupil schools (for Clonturk CC and Margaret Aylward CC) will provide additional capacity well in excess of the new 1,000 pupil school announced in 2018. Relative to the 2018 enrolments, the expanded Clonturk CC and Margaret Aylward CC will provide over 1,600 additional co-educational, multi-denominational post primary school places in North Dublin City. Additionally, these new school buildings will facilitate 8 SEN classes.
Furthermore, the location of this provision at Whitehall is preferable to its provision at Cathal Brugha Street/Marlborough Street as it has advantages in terms of external areas, scope for expansion and in facilitating optimised layouts for school accommodation including provision for pupils with special education needs.