Campaign reignited for new Headford secondary school

The completion of safety works in Headford could pave the way for a new secondary school in the town.

That's the view of Galway County Council Cathaoirleach Andrew Reddington, who is pushing the Department of Education to move forward with their previous plans for a major upgrade of Presentation College Headford.

Back in January 2020, the then Minister for Education Joe McHugh approved Presentation College Headford (PCH) for a major redevelopment. It would have provided for 1,000 students and required significant refurbishing and repurposing of the existing buildings and a major new extension.

However, the project has made little progress in the intervening six years, with the designs yet to be approved by the Department of Education.

An active travel scheme on Church Road (L-2103), which houses the entrance to PCH, was recently completed. Additions such as wider footpaths and raised bollards to prevent illegal parking along the road, will make it easier for students to get to and leave school safety.

Cllr Reddington believes this is the perfect time to reignite interest in the extension project and is calling on the Department of Education to put forward a timeline for its completion.

“I spoke to the Minister of Education Hildegarde Naughton, and she assured me she will be working with her colleagues to try and get this project moving again,” Cllr Reddington told The Tuam Herald.

“There are rooms at the school already out of use for some time now. The staff at PCH need new facilities urgently and it is unacceptable that the department have spent so long sitting on these plans.

“The council have done our bit; the roads are safe. This is important as from experience of other planning applications, safety concerns can cause delays to planning. It is up to the Department of Education now to move this project forward, approve the designs and get construction going.”

PCH currently caters for 856 students. They come from a large catchment area which stretches from Annaghdown to parts of Belclare, alongside places such as Caherlistrane and Claran. The school also sees students coming from South Mayo such as Shrule, the Neale and Cong.

With more housing developments on the way, Cllr Reddington believes the Department of Education needs to act fast to make sure the school can cater for future demand.

“There are 200 live planning applications for houses in the area, spread across the Claran Road, the Cong Road and Ellagh Road, while there are proposed housing developments in the works for Bridge Street Headford and the Claran Road too,” added the Fine Gael councillor.

“Any families who end up in these homes will be sending their children to this school, so demand is only going to increase for what is already a large catchment area. A new school building is badly needed to cater for the future.

“I left that school 25 years ago, but nothing has really changed since. That is not the fault of the school’s management, they just haven’t seen enough engagement with the department to get this project moving. It’s time to get the campaign for a new school building going again,” he concluded.