€2.7 million investment boost for Breaffy National School
CONFIRMATION that funding to the value of €2.7 million for Breaffy National School, Castlebar, has been approved has been welcomed by Deputy Alan Dillon.
This is the fourth major capital extension to Breaffy school in recent years with the last €1.2 million extension completed in 2020. These extensions have included 11 classrooms, eight resource rooms, sensory and OT rooms, new offices, staffroom, floodlit astroturf facility, sports hall, two extra playgrounds and improvements to parking.
The school was added to the list of approvals for the Additional Accommodation Grant, paving the way for a substantial development, with application made for an extra classroom and two special classes for better accommodation for its current cohort of pupils.
Said Deputy Dillon: “The aim of this significant application is to provide an all-in grant for the provision of two special education classrooms that are already in operation, a mainstream classroom, and the return of its library/ICT facilities room with the aim of having a technology room as the library resource room beside their PE hall has been used as a classroom for a number of years.
“These facilities will help build on their recent national successes in robotics and coding competitions. The extra classroom requirement is a direct result of the reduction in the pupil teacher ratio by the current government which is very welcome.”
He added: “This busy, friendly, progressive school accommodates in the region of 450 students and a staff of 40, and these additional classrooms will see better accommodation space and facilities for the school community.
“I wish Principal Mr. Seoirse O’Morain, the board of management, staff and students every continued success for the future and I look forward to seeing this project appoint a design team and proceed to tender in the near future.”
Mr. O'Morain confirmed that the staff and board are delighted with the news and added: “De réir a chéile a thógtar na caisleáin mhóra mhaithe.”