He emphasised that the school, built in the 1800s, has now “served its purpose and outlived its effectiveness” before warning that the outdoor toilets were making children vulnerable.

“This is a very worrying incident which is being investigated by the Garda Síochána and I hope there will be a successful outcome to the investigation. It is worrying in this day and age, from the point of view of health and of safety, that pupils must go outside the confines of the school building to use outside toilets.”

School vice-principal Marion O’Shaughnessy confirmed that parents and staff are concerned but reassured that gardaí are looking into the matter.

While plans for a new school have progressed through various stages of the planning process, he has called on the Minister for Education to ensure that it proceeds to tendering phase directly.

Local people have been fighting for the new school for over 10 years and the need for the building was first proposed in a 1999 feasibility study.

He referred to a deputation he led to Minister Hanafin in March 2005 to bring the issue to her attention and said the minister agreed that Kilfinane needed a new national school.

Both Deputy Cregan and Deputy Niall Collins have put questions to the minister about the fate of the school in the past.

“The various stages for the building of the new school have advanced through the years and it was hoped that this year the tendering phase would be reached.  Unfortunately, this has not happened. I accept the Minister’s word when she informed me recently that she has not yet agreed with the Minister for Finance her departmental estimate for next year’s building programme,” he said. 

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