Press release
Minister Byrne encourages schools to help inform review of the Guidelines on the Use of School Buildings outside of School Hours
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Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education Thomas Byrne today (24 April) called on primary and post-primary schools to share their views and experiences and help inform a review of the current Guidelines on the Use of School Buildings outside of School Hours.
Surveys have been issued to patron bodies of a sample of selected primary and post-primary schools for distribution, as part of a review process being undertaken by the Department of Education with a view to updating the existing guidelines which were previously issued to schools in 2017.
The surveys invite schools to share their views on topics including: whether and how their school facilities are currently used by organisations other than the school, future plans for the use of school buildings and any current barriers encountered regarding the use of school buildings after hours.
Minister Byrne said:
"Our primary and post-primary school buildings across Ireland play a vital role in our communities and, in many cases, are used for a range of purposes outside of school hours, including by sporting organisations and others.
"With the department currently reviewing the existing 2017 Guidelines for the Use of School Buildings outside of School Hours, it is imperative that we hear the views of schools in both urban and rural areas with regards to their experience of the current guidelines and what they would like to see encompassed in the updated version.
"A survey has issued to the patrons of a number of primary and post-primary schools and I now invite all schools that received the survey to use this opportunity to share their views and help to inform and shape this review.”
It is anticipated that replies to the survey will be returned by schools over the coming weeks. The responses submitted will help inform the review process.