Extended Erasmus+ accreditation for Ballymahon school

Ballymahon Vocational School has been awarded Erasmus+ accreditation up to December 2027.

Already a leading school in European affairs and Erasmus in the Midlands region this additional accreditation for the school will lead to more European opportunities becoming available for the students of Ballymahon Vocational School. The sanctioning will secure for the school additional funding on an annual basis to allow for the hosting of international students and teachers as well as allowing European mobilities, travel and education for the school, students and teachers.

These activities are part of the European Quality Framework for Schools Education and include opportunities for staff and student’s placement on short or long term in other European schools, agencies and partner organisations.

Speaking about the recent Accreditation designation Principal Mr Mick O’Rourke noted: “We are delighted and excited to lead out for County Longford, our school community and patrons LWETB as the first school locally to be included in the Erasmus+ Schools Accreditation. This sanctioning comes on the back of extensive work these past few years by our Management Team and Modern Foreign Language (MFL) Department. We have engaged in previous schools projects, professional development through Leargas our national agency and through Erasmus+ with the support of our patrons Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board, CE Liz Lavery and our Director of Schools and Youth Brian Higgins.

“Our most recent project under stewardship of Ms Irene McGoey brought students on adventures to Denmark, Belgium and Spain on fully funded Erasmus+ backed school studies.

“This sanctioning will provide huge opportunities to our staff and students to engage in European projects and to bring back their enhanced learning to our BVS community. For this cycle of Erasmus+ and accreditation the school will be focusing on projects and training that improves the embedding of ICT across the school learning, long term mobilities of BVS students in European schools for language support and also improving our Irish understanding of wellbeing from work with our European partner schools”

“This is one of the many exciting new initiatives happening at Ballymahon Vocational School this year and is a testament to our brand of vocational education with our students at the very centre of what we do and what we are about. We are also looking forward to another increase in our student numbers this year as incoming pupils and their families put their faith in our school, teachers and facilities here at Ballymahon Vocational School.”