Press release
Taoiseach and Minister Foley announce approval of large-scale school building projects in Galway
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Education Norma Foley today visited Galway to announce the approval of new school buildings at Scoil Chaitríona Junior and Senior Schools, Renmore and St Teresa’s Special School, Ballinasloe. These projects are included in the Department of Education’s School Building Programme to be delivered under the National Development Plan.
Scoil Chaitríona Junior School caters for boys and girls from Junior Infants to Second Class while Scoil Chaitríona Senior School caters for boys and girls from Third Class to Sixth Class. The total enrolment across the two schools is over 760 pupils.
The proposed development for Scoil Chaitríona on the school site will include construction of two 24 classroom schools in addition to special classes.
The Taoiseach and Minister also visited St Teresa’s Special School in Ballinasloe to announce the approval of a new 8 classroom building for the school. St Teresa’s Special School provides for learners aged from 4 to 18 years of age, with a primary assessment of a severe to profound general learning difficulty. The school caters for learners with a multiple difficulty arising from a moderate general learning difficulty and an additional disability such as a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or emotional behavioural difficulty/disorder (EBD). The school also has an early intervention class for children with an ASD.
The project for St Teresa’s Special School will be delivered under the department’s ADAPT programme (Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning & Tendering).
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:
“I am delighted to be able to announce the approval of these major projects to meet the needs of the students at Scoil Chaitríona and St Teresa’s Special School. These are significant projects for the Galway region.
“Each of these projects place a focus on providing for children with special educational needs which is a crucial element of the government’s focus on education. These state-of-the-art facilities will support every student to reach their full potential.”
Minister Foley said:
“We are committed to providing modern, purpose-built facilities across all of our new school buildings included in the National Development Plan.
“I would like to commend the hard work of the principals in each of these schools who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the needs of their students are met while working through the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Commenting on the investment at St Teresa’s Special School, Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan said:
“I welcome this vital investment for a new school campus which will meet the complexity of needs of all the learners attending the school. Our special schools play a vital role in our education system and as Minister of State for Special Education, I want to ensure they are supported as much as possible.
“I have had the opportunity to visit St Teresa’s Special School in recent months to meet the staff and students and experience the wonderful and supportive environment that is there. A brand-new building for the school will make a huge difference and ensure that the school can continue to grow and meet the needs in the area. I am pleased that this has been secured. I want to congratulate all the staff, students, and families involved in the school community.
“As a government, we are determined to support students and families in securing school places where they are needed. The continued growth of St Teresa’s since it was established in 2008 shows there is clearly a demand for special school places locally. Today’s investment will ensure they can continue to be available to those who need them.”
The National Development Plan 2021-2030 provides capital funding of over €4.4bn for investment in school infrastructure during the period 2021 to 2025.
This funding will facilitate the continued building of a modern and sustainable school infrastructure across the country.
Approximately 1,200 school building projects are currently in progress around the country across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction – most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period 2021 to 2025.