21 hours ago
Mayo school set for major development following multi-million euro investment
The transformative upgrade of the 150-year-old school will also include the demolition of existing buildings on the site.
The announcement was made today by Minister Dara Calleary who confirmed that the project has progressed to stage four of architectural planning and will move into the construction phase over the coming weeks.
Minister Calleary worked closely with former Minister for Education Norma Foley, and the current Minister Helen McEntee, to advance the building works.
He was delighted to confirm the news and said: 'It is a very substantial investment in education in Ballina, a 13 classroom new build school plus accommodation for pupils with special educational needs and the demolition of the existing buildings at the current school site at an estimated cost of over €10 million,
'Scoil Íosa is a wonderful school, blessed with fantastic staff, very dedicated boards of management and vibrant school communities over the years. The physical core of the current building dates back over 150 years - this new build will ensure a proper match of the physical building to the amazing school ethos.'
Scoil Íosa is a Catholic school committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and nurturing environment rooted in Christian values. The school prides itself on supporting children with special educational needs, embracing diversity, and delivering a wide range of teaching strategies and techniques to meet the varied learning styles of all students.
Michael Tunny the Principle of Scoil Íosa expressed his gratitude: 'Our school has received €10m in funding and we are extremely happy with the news. This is a very much deserved facility for the wonderful children in the Parkside area of Ballina.'
Mr Tunny said that in addition to the 13 new classrooms, two specialised classrooms will be created specifically for children with autism.
He continued: 'We wish to express our thanks to Minister Dara Calleary, he was our main supporter in terms of achieving this funding.'
Minster Calleary added: 'I have worked closely with the school principal Michael Tunney, the Deputy Principal Monica Duffy, board of management chair Christy McDonagh and the staff to progress this and I congratulate them on their work to date. I look forward to works now commencing and completing within the expected timeframe.'
The building and demolition works are expected to take 19 months to complete.
