PURE CLASS!
Wednesday was a historic day for the staff and pupils of St Aidan’s National School as the new school was finally opened.
The first phase of the ambitious school project saw 615 children from junior infants to fourth class take their seats in the new school. The fifth and sixth class students are expected to join them in March when the second phase is complete.
School principal Peter Creedon said the €7.8 million project is a great asset to the town.
‘We were extremely excited here on Wednesday to open the doors for the students. It was a historic moment and I think that parents and children alike were very impressed with the new building.
‘ Throughout the construction phase it was hard to see the scale of the building from the road because much of the work was to the rear of the site but on Wednesday they got to experience the size of the school.
‘We have, at the moment, 21 new classrooms, a parents room, a double PE hall which can facilitate two separate PE classes at the same time and playgrounds. The second phase and third phase will involve the refurbishment of the existing building.’
Once complete, the revamped school will have 44 classrooms, 15 special education rooms, three play courtyards and four basketball courts in addition to a car park and set down area, staff rooms and bathrooms.
‘We now have a 21st century state of the art school. All the classrooms have ensuite bathrooms. This is a school that’s fit for purpose. When the old school was built in 1959 it was state of the art for back then and now it is being replaced by something suitable for the changing times.’
With a total staff of about 80 people St Aidan’s is one of the biggest primary schools in the country. The school will host an open evening tomorrow night ( Wednesday) between 7pm and 8.30pm and everyone from the local community is invited in to view the state of the art school.