Agreement on site for new St Teresa's Special School in Ballinasloe

The Department of Education has reached an agreement in principle with the HSE on a four-acre site to facilitate a new school development for St Teresa's Special School in Ballinasloe.

The school has 36 pupils enrolled for next September and caters to a wide catchment area across Galway, Roscommon, Offaly and Westmeath.

Local Fine Gael Senator Aisling Dolan this week welcomed the agreement on a site for the new school development at Parkmore, Creagh.

"This is fantastic news for St Teresa's Special School," said Senator Dolan.

"Confirmation was provided from the Department of Education of agreement on a site with the HSE in Parkmore, Creagh, which will be close to their existing school at Ballinasloe Area Community Development in Parkmore.

"This is phenomenal news, especially after a 10-year wait, and is a tribute to the commitment and vision of Principal Anita O'Reilly, Vice Principal Geraldine Clarke, the board of management, staff and parents."

She said the agreement on the site was an important first step toward the development of a permanent special school in the coming years.

"I raised the topic of capacity in Ballinasloe for children with special needs on a number of occasions in the Seanad," she said, adding that Minister Josepha Madigan had paid a visit to St Teresa's last week.

"Additional accommodation of two classrooms was recently approved... The school is at capacity and really was in dire need of more space for children.

"We are so fortunate to have St Teresa’s Special school here in Ballinasloe for children with complex needs, as there are only 126 such schools in the country," commented Senator Dolan.

Principal Anita O'Reilly also expressed delight at the progress on a new site, saying St Teresa's had been growing steadily over the years.

"We need a new school to give our students the education they deserve. Our board of management, staff, parents and friends who have supported us every step of the way will be so pleased with the announcement. We all need to press on now and make this school a reality," she said.

Pictured above: Senator Aisling Dolan, Principal Anita O'Reilly, and Minister of State Josepha Madigan at St Teresa's Special Needs School in Creagh, Ballinasloe.