Tag Archives: Clooney National School

THE provision of a pre-school at Clooney National School has been given the green light by the Department of Education. Consent has been granted for the operation of the service by a third-party childcare provider in an empty classroom in the school. The move has been welcomed by Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara who said, “I was delighted to be able to assist in securing go ahead for this preschool service, which will help the school to retain its three-teacher status and increase enrolment numbers. “Clooney NS, like many other rural schools across Clare, faces the ongoing challenge of consolidating and growing the number of students enrolled there,” he commented. Deputy McNamara continued, “I want to acknowledge the Principal and Board of Management for their efforts in seeking out a third-party childcare provider to operate a preschool at Clooney NS.  “Up to a dozen children are already provisionally enrolled in the new service, which bodes well for future enrolment numbers …

THE SEANAD has heard claims of potential health and safety concerns at an East Clare school, if it loses a teacher and has to reduce the number of classroom available to its pupils. The plight of Clooney National School, where pupil numbers are at 73, six short of the 79 needed to retain four teachers, was raised by Senator Timmy Dooley. The Fianna Fáil member made an appeal on behalf of the school on the basis that removing a teacher would mean 73 children would have to be taught in three classrooms instead of four, making the application of pandemic health guidelines more difficult. Senator Dooley added that small schools deserved greater protections in order to support the rejuvenation of rural Ireland. “At a time when we are trying to keep children apart we are cramming them into three rooms as opposed to four, which does not make sense,” Senator Dooley told Minister of State Josepha Madigan, who addressed the …