An additional classroom will now be built at Kilkishen National School in conjunction with the construction of three new Special Education Teaching (SET) rooms which were announced as a separate development last December.
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market & Data Protection Pat Breen said it became very clear that it would be economically prudent and help to avoid future disruption for the school community to build an extra classroom in conjunction with the planned construction of the SET rooms development.
Minster Breen said, “I was happy therefore to make representations to my party colleague the Minister for Education Joe McHugh for an additional classroom to be included in the planned work at Kilkishen National School. That new mainstream classroom was approved this week.
“Last December the east Clare school was granted approval by the Department for the construction of three 15 square metre SET rooms, a new entrance, office and connection hall, which was indeed welcome. However, Kilkishen National School continues to grow and the projected pupil numbers strongly indicated the need for another main stream teacher and new classroom within the next 18 months.”
“The school had made a Major Capital Works application for the construction of a classroom in the future, but it seemed prudent to combine this project with the project approved in December,” he said.
“I am delighted that the school will now receive the extra classroom in a manner that will avoid any further disruption for the pupils, teachers and parents and avoid unnecessary additional costs in the future,” added the Minister of State from Clare.
“Junior Infants have already moved into a new extension at the school in the past number of weeks and work on this next phase of developments at the school (SET rooms and new classroom) are expected to begin during the summer. The newly reconfigured and extended school building will be further complimented by the new astro turf playing pitch and ball wall supported which was supported by the Sport Capital Programme.
“I want to thank the school authority and the principal for having the foresight to bring the possibility of combining the SET rooms and classroom projects to my attention and that of the Department, and congratulate them on their work in bringing these projects to an advance stage,” said Minister Breen.