Cork primary school to proceed to tender for new building

A CORK primary school has received confirmation that it can proceed to tender for a new school building following official correspondence from the Department of Education.

Scoil An Athar, a mixed primary school which is located in Carrignavar, presently caters for 330 students. The new building will be 37,000sq ft and will have 14 mainstream classrooms, a specialist five-class ASD unit, a hall and a library, as well as parking for 67 cars.

“[The news] is warmly welcomed after a long-running campaign by the school community. It is very positive news for Carrignavar and the surrounding areas. We have a very vibrant community. We are looking forward to this new chapter,” school principal Marc Sheehan said.

Their new building will be situated in the village and it will boast modern features which will meet the needs of the growing student population.

“It will be a complete new build on a new four-acre greenfield site. We will be moving from our small existing site in the middle of the village to a site a few hundred metres away adjacent to the GAA pitches. It will have every modern facility.

“It will be great for the pupils, their parents and the teachers. We have a wide catchment area,” Mr Sheehan said.

The build is anticipated to take between 15 and 18 months.

Mr Sheehan is looking forward to a new era for the Scoil An Athar students: “There is a great buzz in the area. It is welcome news. We are looking forward to a successful tendering process and commencement hopefully at the earliest possible opportunity.”