‘Fantastic’ extension now in use at Tubberclair school

The new school year has gotten off to a bright start at St Clare's National School in Tubberclair, where a visually striking four-classroom extension has opened for use after being completed during the summer.

The new facilities have replaced four prefabs at the school, and principal Oliver Keating said this meant that, "for the first time in many, many years," none of the mainstream classes at the school were being taught in a prefab.

Children from third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes are now based in the four new classrooms that have been added on the Glasson side of the original school building.

Mr Keating said there had been a very positive reaction to the new facilities from parents, pupils, staff and members of the local community.

"It's another big milestone in the history of the school," he said on Monday. "We had been waiting a few years for this, but when we saw the finished product we were delighted.

"When you see the plans you try to visualise how it will turn out, but it's only when it's finished, and you are in it, that you can really appreciate how fantastic it is."

Mullingar-based architects Coughlan Associates designed the extension, while the building work was carried out by Doyle Construction from Kenagh. The construction process began in the summer of 2021 and took just over a year to complete.

"Considering it was a building site alongside the existing school building, there wasn't too much disruption," said Mr Keating. "It has been a hectic twelve months, but it's worth it."

In addition to the new classrooms, a new reception area was added and some renovation work was carried out to the old school building. New parking for parents was also put in place as part of the extension project, and Mr Keating said this has helped to "ease the congestion at the back of the school."

The new facilities were developed as a permanent replacement for prefabs, rather than to add capacity, as pupil numbers at the school have been relatively consistent in recent times. Thirty-four junior infants started their educational journey in Tubberclair on Thursday, and the current enrolment is 288 pupils.

"We decided to allocate the new classrooms to the older children because they had been waiting for a few years for (this development) to happen, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to experience it," said Mr Keating.

An official opening of the new building will be held at some stage, but a date for it has not been decided as of yet.