New school urgent for Milford kids taught in cramped rooms, divided by election booths

Children at a Milford primary school being taught in cramped rooms and with poor sanitary facilities are in urgent need of a new premises.

Over 200 pupils at Scoil Mhuire, Milford are receiving education in a building that has been branded unfit for purpose.

In a bid to accelerate a move to a site nearby that was recently given to the school, representatives from the school met with Minister Charlie McConalogue on Friday and they hope to advance their plans over the coming weeks.

The school’s 33 staff share one toilet and the facilities for the 219 pupils are little better. None of the toilet facilities have running warm water and a cramped staffroom has holes in its floor.

“The place is nowhere near fit for purpose, for either the kids or the staff,” says Louise McLarnon, a spokesperson for the Scoil Mhuire Parents’ Association.

Children are being taught in overcrowded areas, such as a storeroom and a small hall. A modern, new-build classroom would be around 80 square metres, but Scoil Mhuire have a classroom that measures little over half that size.

What was once a resource room has been turned into a makeshift classroom, with four teachers working in it, divided into four and partitioned off with election booths.

“How can a child get proper learning support in there?” she wonders. “And it’s not a big room either.”

Modular classrooms on their current two-acre site have eaten into what should be outdoor recreation areas.

Break times and lunches have to be staggered.

“We just don’t have the room,” Ms McLarnon says.

Last year, a digger driver carrying out works uncovered a suspected explosive device. The Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit was called in and materials were safely removed.

“Thankfully that digger driver was familiar with what he was dealing with at the time or God knows what could have happened,” she says. “We have asked that the ground be scanned if there were any more works, but that equipment isn’t readily available in Ireland or the UK. We have a new site now and it’s all systems go to try and make that happen.”

Milford has grown in population in recent years. Covid-19 brought with it the return of many who had begun to live life elsewhere. The town’s proximity to Letterkenny, its affordability and the presence of two secondary schools make it an attractive town.

“Even when this school was first built in 1952, people are saying that it was too small,” she says. “There are even stories that children back then were taken to the parochial hall at times.”

An inspection of a proposed site for the development of a new school, which was recently gifted to the school, will take place in November. The news was confirmed to representatives on Friday evening at a meeting with Minister for Agriculture and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue.

The Minister for Education, Norma Foley, has already been to see the school’s conditions.

“They understand our position,” Ms McLarnon says. “Charlie had been in contact with the Department of Education before he met with us. We have always been looking for a site. When Joe McHugh was the Minister for Education, he tried to help us but we were never able to identify a site. This one came on the site and the man who bought it has portioned off four acres to give to us.

“They will be out to see the site now in the next three weeks. I can’t see there being any red flags; we don’t foresee any problems anyway.”

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The school hope to get included on the School Capital Plan before their project can move onto design and planning stages.

“We need to get onto this list,” Ms McLarnon says. “A government minister has said now that we are an urgent case and that we will be prioritised. With an election coming up now maybe this is a good time for us to get moving.

“We have great staff and a great Board of Management here. Hopefully this will happen now in the next 18 months.”