Building work begins at Kilkenny national school

Long-awaited building work has begun at St Brendan’s National School in Newmarket.

The Department of Education and Skills approved the construction of one mainstream classroom, one special education needs room and a wheelchair accessible toilet. The Board of Management, principal, staff, students and parents at the school are delighted to see the work under way, which will be very beneficial for the students. 

"The start of the new extension is wonderful day for all of the children who will benefit greatly from the additional classroom space. We know that the extra classroom space can have a real positive impact on the students, this support enables student learning," said Claire Cahill, Secretary of the Parents Association.

"It’s an exciting time for St Brendan’s and this development will ensure, going forward, that our school can continue to provide excellent school facilities for all of the children who attend.”

A proud principal Margo Brennan agreed: "Staff and pupils in St Brendan’s, Newmarket are excited to see our building project begin. The new classroom and SEN room will be a wonderful learning environment for our pupils.”

She also confirmed that there will be three mainstream teachers - one full-time and two shared special education teachers, with three SNA’s. The school is looking at the possibility of installing an outdoor classroom when the new building is completed.”

On Monday, Deputy John Paul Phelan was on site for the momentous turning of the first sod.

"Brendan’s National School really needed this extension and now that the Department have finally agreed to come on board, we are ready to start," said Deputy Phelan.

"For a small rural community like this, Newmarket is the school. The better facilities that a school has, the better chance they have of keeping small rural schools alive and you need top of the range facilities to do that.”

Larry Comerford, Construction Ltd also commenced on site on Monday. On completion of the building, it is planned to commence an after-school club to facilitate parents and students.

Teresa Broderick, Chairperson, Board of Management said the following few words on Monday.

"On behalf of the Board of Management, I would like to say how pleased we are to see this development commence today. It has been a long road and we wish to thank everyone who helped us to reach this point. We look forward to a speedy completion of the project which will be very beneficial for students and staff.”