Education

‘We have buckets under the windows but we get soaked’: Meath school gets green light for new building

O’Carolan College in Nobber, Co Meath one of 58 schools set to get green light for new buildings following ‘review’ by department

Students say they are getting soaked from leaking windows, have to walk in the rain from prefab to prefab, and wear coats as some of the window and door seals are broken. Photograph: Barry Cronin

Louise Walsh
Tue Apr 11 2023 - 03:00

Students at a school where buckets are used to catch rainfall through rotting Velux windows are “over the moon” that stalled plans for a new building have received the go-ahead.

The long-awaited new build at O’Carolan College in Nobber, Co Meath was delayed along with 58 other school projects during a recent review by the Department of Education on available funding.

The review led to a campaign by 14-year-old students Tom Carry, Josh Carolan and Mia Cluskey to highlight the need for construction to begin before planning permission expired in January.

The friends say they are studying in classrooms where buckets are used to catch rainfall through overhead Velux windows.

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“We are working in deplorable conditions. There are only 12 classrooms in the main building and 28 classrooms in prefabs to school over 600 students here,” they said.

“If you walked into the building you would think it was derelict because you are met with damp and mould in the main hall. In Maths class, the window seals are broken and the door doesn’t close so even though the heating is on, it’s freezing.

“We have buckets under the windows but we get soaked by the rain and have to wear coats all the time because of the cold. It’s very hard to concentrate when you are wet and your teeth are chattering.

“We don’t have any facilities and have to travel to community centres in Mullagh and Kingscourt to take part in a lot of sports. We don’t even really have a yard to hang out at breaks because the space has been taken up by prefabs.”

The students said they are delighted the Department of Education has confirmed their 7,000sq ft new school, which received planning permission in 2018, is going ahead.

“We felt we had to speak out as the school has been promised new extensions and new buildings since 2004.”

Tom Carry, pictured with principal Brian Goggins, fronted a media campaign for a new school. Photograph: Barry Cronin

The Department of Education said it is currently contacting each of the 58 schools to update them on the projects.

News of the new school was broken by local Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne, who wrote to Tom Carry to confirm funding was in place.

[ Schools to be allowed to share teachers to help alleviate shortages ]

“I want to commend the pupils, staff, parents, Principal and Board of Management for their commitment to the delivery of this new school for O’Carolan College. I was very impressed by the way the entire school community mobilised and fought your corner,” the TD said. “You all should be very proud. Your hard work and determination has paid off.”

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