Tag Archives: Orla Conway

The 2023/2024 school year will forever be remembered as a truly momentous one in the history of education in North Clare. Last September, after a combined total of some 360 years of education, staff and students from the Ennistymon CBS, Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon and the Ennistymon Vocational School finally came together to form the long awaited Ennistymon Community School. This new school, decades in the making, now boasts some 700 students, state of the art classrooms, a fully-sized PE Hall and an amphitheater, and with more than 90 teachers and staff it is also one of the single biggest employers in North Clare. While it took until Easter to get all staff and students together in the same building, the spirit of the Ennistymon Community School has been building for years. “It is a bit surreal to have us all under the same roof. It is incredible, after so many years, that now we have outstanding facilities and the newest …

Additional psychological services will need to be provided for Ukrainian students in Clare schools when the trauma of the illegal invasion of their country really sets in. That’s the view of new Ennistymon Community School principal, Orla Conway, who believes more back-up services will have to be made available to help schools cope with the devastating impact of the war. “It is like a bereavement for them at the moment. They are numb. When reality sets in autumn and we start heading in to winter the trauma will come then. “That is when we will really need to be ready for this in schools in September, October and November. That is why having strong pastoral care systems in schools is so important. “We are all traumatised from the war. Children in schools already have a level of trauma post Covid-19, they may have lost loved ones and the fear it may happen again. The Ennistymon Electoral Division has the highest …

ENSURING students are placed at the centre of all aspects of the new €23 million Ennistymon Community School will be a key priority for newly-appointed principal, Orla Conway. Working as a teacher for 19 years, Ms Conway previously held an Assistant Principal position and is currently Acting Principal of Ennistymon Vocational School. In an extensive interview with the Clare Champion, she confirmed work is on track to ensure staff and pupils from the three Ennistymon second level schools will move to the new state-of-the-art facility in September 2023 following a 35-year wait. “My vision is that Ennistymon Community School will be student-centred in all aspects and will have a very happy inclusive culture,” she stated. Catering for 750 pupils, the new school will have 70 teachers in total including two deputy principals. With construction work almost reaching the third floor, it is expected the main metal part of the overall structure is due to be finished by next spring. Facilities …