Waterford Scoil Gharbháin gets major extension boost

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Scoil Gharbháin have been given approval for four new mainstream classrooms, two new special educational classrooms and an additional three special education tuition rooms, Waterford Minister John Cummins has announced.

The agreement between the Department of Education and the school follows a meeting with Minister Cummins, Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton and members of Scoil Gharbháin, including principal Sinéad Uí Ruairc earlier this year.

Speaking today, Minister Cummins said: “This is excellent news, not just for the Scoil Gharbháin school itself, but for the wider Dungarvan and West Waterford area.

“Following a series of meetings earlier this year, all parties agreed to proactively work together to progress this project for the benefit of students and staff at Scoil Gharbháin and I am delighted that we have now reached this point.

“These new facilities will provide Scoil Gharbháin with the modern high-quality learning environment that they deserve, whilst also ensuring that the school is well-equipped to meet the needs of a growing community.

“I would like to thank my Fine Gael colleague, Minister for Education, Hildegarde Naughton TD, who has engaged extensively with me in respect of Scoil Gharbháin’s accommodation requirements.

“And importantly, I want to pay tribute to the School Principal, Sinéad Uí Ruairc, staff, Board of Management and parents for theirwork in bringing this forward, and I look forward to seeing these works progress in the time ahead,” Minister Cummins concluded.

The Department of Education has recently concluded its review of Scoil Gharbháin’s confirmed enrolment for September 2026 as well as enrolment projections. Further engagement took place in the context of the National Development Plan, including the provision of Irish-medium education in the area.

Following on from this engagement, an agreement was reached on a project brief comprising of:

• 4x Mainstream Classrooms (MCRs)

• 2x Special Education Needs (SEN) Classrooms

• 3x Special Education Tuition (SET) Rooms

The project brief has been formally accepted by Scoil Gharbháin’sBoard of Management.

The project will now be transferred to the modular delivery unit in the Department of Education and will progress to full design and construction, pending planning permission.