No plans for new secondary school in county town
There are no plans for a new secondary school in Cavan town, despite past discussions on setting up a new post-primary gaelscoil.
The issue was raised at the recent board meeting of CMETB, where independent member Seán Fegan said schools in the town are “bursting at the seams”.
“You’ve got our own in CMETB, the diocesan schools and the Royal School. Most of those schools are at capacity. I wonder are there any feasibility studies or plans afoot to build an additional second level school?”
He highlighted previous discussions around the setting up of a secondary gaelscoil at the former army barracks site on the Dublin road.
The Department of Education had written to CMETB in 2020 to discuss the possibility of opening a second level gaelscoil on the site but it’s understood little progress was made in discussions.
The plan would mirror that of the former barracks site in Monaghan Town, which now houses a primary gaelscoil and a second level gaelscoil, as well as Monaghan Institute.
However, Director of Schools Paddy Flood said there are no plans for a new school in Cavan Town.
“The answer at the moment is no. I think there’s probably a recognition that while we are at peak numbers in second level, nationally too they are approaching peak. It is a good observation.”
He said the only provision for extra capacity in Cavan Town that had been discussed was a further extension at Breifne College. That project was approved by the Education Minister, Norma Foley, and includes classroom space for special education and art and science classes.
A major new extension was opened on the site in 2018 but the school quickly found itself again at capacity. The board last year approved an increase in the school’s enrolment capacity from 800 to 1,200 students.
However, Seán Fegan questioned increasing the size of a school that is already the largest in the county.
“You can’t build schools on top of schools. There is a healthy number [of students] past which it does not function terribly well.”
The design of the new extension is ongoing, with temporary classroom accommodation already on site.