Galway school offers €2,000 to new pupils to prevent loss of second teacher

Irish Times

10-06-2025

A small
Co Galway
national school
is offering a €2,000 bursary to families from outside the area in a bid to stop the loss of its second teacher.
Scoil Naomh Pádraig, An Chloch Bhreac, located in a scenic gaeltacht area between loughs Corrib and Mask in north
Connemara
, is set to lose three of its seven pupils next September and, consequently, its second teacher.
However, a fundraising initiative led by a parents' committee, with money also from the school, has raised €14,000 to share with seven families from outside the catchment area who choose to educate their children through Irish in a small school steeped in community and rural heritage.
Parent and committee member Paddy Curran said the school needed 11 pupils to retain the second teacher now, so seven more enrolments are needed in September.
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'The irony is that there are lots of babies and toddlers in the area – about 14 who will start in the school in the next few years,' he said. He questioned 'what is the point then in losing a teacher' because of the
Department of Education
's regulations only to have to apply for another one in a few years' time.
Mr Curran, who attended the school in 1989 when there were 36 pupils, stressed that there is much optimism for the local population profile. It is 5km from the Co Galway village of Clonbur and nine from the Co Mayo village of Cong.
'During Covid and even afterwards families moved back here, which definitely was very positive for the school and community,' he said.
He confirmed the campaign already has commitments from four families to send their children to the school but they urgently need three more. The €2,000 bursary will be paid to families in two instalments over two school years.
Acting principal Linda Ní Dhroighneáin is very supportive of the campaign. She said a second teacher was 'critically important' for educational, social and practical reasons.
'It isn't just a luxury, it's a necessity for delivering equitable, effective and sustainable education. It strengthens academic outcomes, supports teacher wellbeing and fosters a more inclusive and dynamic learning environment,' she said.
The school was established in an older building in the 1890s, with a new building opening in 1965.
Smaller class sizes afford more individual attention and tailored learning, with strong teacher-student relationships, Ms Ní Dhroighneáin said.
'We are now providing an after-school service and plan to start a breakfast club next September 2025 too,' she added.
Minister for Education
Helen McEntee
recently published an interim report on a research project, established in 2021, aimed at supporting small rural schools.
The Minister said this project continued to trial new initiatives that would benefit small schools and help address challenges they face.
One element of the project is 'to encourage small schools to cluster together in local groups, enabling them to collaborate and identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions'.
The interim report says the State has a 'high number' of small schools with four teachers or fewer. It says there are nine schools with just one teacher, 490 with two teachers, 363 with three and 409 with four.
These schools make up 39 per cent of all primary schools and educate just under 13 per cent of all students.