The school community of Scoil an Chroí Naofa, a DEIS Band 1 primary school in the centre of Ballinasloe town has launched an online petition as well as a social media campaign in a bid to get their new school building project to the tender stage with the Department of Education and Youth after 24 years.
The Design Team for the new school building was appointed in 2001 following the amalgamation of St. Grellan’s boys school and St. Joseph’s girls school in 1996 when the promise of the new school building was first made.
The school with 300 pupils is full with a waiting list. The new school building will allow an increase in capacity of mainstream classes as well as an additional class for children with autism which will bring their special classes to four – 2 for children with autism and 2 for children with developmental language delay. These special classes provide a vital service for children from a broad catchment area covering Galway, Roscommon and Westmeath.
In March of this year, the Design Team submitted the stage 2B package to the Department of Education and Youth for the third time since 2001. This package is the detailed design and costings for the new building and the Board of Management are now anxiously awaiting confirmation from the Department of Education and Youth to move to the tender stage as a matter of urgency.
Currently the school is housed in two buildings on opposite sides of a busy main road in the town of Ballinasloe. This poses a daily threat to safety as children and staff regularly have to cross the road throughout the school day. One building dates back to 1937 and the other was constructed as a temporary structure in 1972.
With the promise of a new building for almost thirty years, the school has been limited to essential remedial work resulting in a school campus that is not fit for purpose in order to meet the demands of a primary school in 2025.
It is hoped that the campaign will result in the new school building being prioritised by the Department of Education and Youth and deliver the long overdue school for the children of Ballinasloe.
The online petition is available at: https://www.change.org/p/build-our-school-scoil-an-chro%C3%AD-naofa
Online campaign
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BL7hXLwyJ/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildourschool_sacn?igsh=MTB2azhlN21kbWJkOQ==
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@build_our_school_sacn?_t=ZN-90uSwa5OMwY&_r=1
