Tyrrelstown primary schools may reopen this week

Two primary schools in the Dublin suburb of Tyrrelstown may reopen this week following the resolution of structural issues, according to the Department of Education.

All parties are “working towards the reopening later in the week” of Tyrrelstown Educate Together national school and St Luke’s national school, the department said, “taking account of the time also necessary to address operational issues” such as traffic management before then.

The department said that following meetings with the two schools, further work is being undertaken to facilitate their reopening.

The detail of the reopening would be communicated by the school authorities to parents, it said, and initially only the ground floor level will be occupied. Other classes will be temporarily housed off-site.

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Stabilised

In an update for parents, Tyrrelstown Educate Together school said that while the structural integrity of the ground floor had been stabilised, the board of management was not satisfied that the internal work had left the interior in a fit state for children to return to school.

The school had outlined a list of concerns to the department, which was working on completing these requests within the next day or two. Once this was completed, it would make a decision on whether to reopen.

“We appreciate this is an uncertain time for parents and is causing a lot of issues. However, the board of management’s priority is child safety and until we are fully satisfied in this regard, the school will remain closed.”

St Luke’s school said it had concerns that work to make the school safe had not been finished to a high enough standard. It said there were sharp edges, unfinished woodwork and exposed surfaces that could be a hazard.

The school said it would examine the building again on Tuesday with a view to reopening on Wednesday.