New special school for Nenagh and hot meals for all primary schools in Tipp

Significant plans in the education sector in County Tipperary that involve the creation of  a new school in Nenagh to cater for children with special needs, and the introduction of hot meals for pupils in all primary schools, have been announced by Fianna Fáil TD, Ryan O’Meara.

Deputy O’Meara has confirmed that an additional 29 primary schools in Tipperary are now being  included in the latest expansion of the Hot School Meals Programme - meaning all primary schools in the county are covered by the Hot Meals Programme.

Meanwhile, the new Nenagh Special School is to be located on Church Road in the town.

The Fianna Fáil TD revealed that Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB) is to repurpose an existing building to create the new school.

He made the announcement after making contact with his party colleague and Minister for Special Education, Michael Moynihan, who provided him with details of the plan.

Deputy O’Meara said the special school is due to open in September.

The announcement follows confirmation by the Fianna Fáil TD four months ago that Nenagh had been selected by the then Education Minister, Norma Foley, as the location for the new special school for Tipperary.

Deputy O’Meara also clarified that the school would fall under the patronage of Tipperary ETB, which also has patronage of the nearby Nenagh Community National School - formerly Saint Mary's Boys National School - on O’Rahilly Street.

The ETB says such schools give equal opportunities to all children in the communities they serve, and strive to provide high quality education through respectful, positive, supportive and responsive learning environments. Deputy O’Meara indicated that many parents were looking forward to the creation of a special school in the town: “There is much anticipation locally for this school, and I am sure it will come as positive news that delivery of this school is progressing, thanks to the hard work of Tipperary ETB, the Department of Education, and Minister Michael Moynihan.”

The local Fianna Fáil TD made his comments after Minister Moynihan informed him that the ETB was now “progressing the recruitment of a school principal”.

NEW PRINCIPAL

The minister added: “The school’s admissions process is expected to commence shortly, and the school will initially enrol 12 students.

“This is in line with the level of need estimated by the NCSE at local level given the availability of places across other special schools in the region”.

Deputy O’Meara continued: “The existing Tipperary ETB owned property on Church Road will be re-purposed to facilitate the opening of the new special school.

“As I stated previously, it became very clear during the General Election campaign that access to services and education for children with additional needs is a major issue in our society and an issue that this Government must seriously address. I raised my concerns publicly at the time and remain committed to securing the services required to build an Ireland for All, and in my view that means an Ireland for all children, regardless of their ability or additional requirements.

“I would like to thank Minister Moynihan and his team for their work on this to date and for working closely with me on this project. The Minister visited Nenagh recently with me to visit the CBS primary and secondary schools, which will also be opening special classes next September. We will continue to work to deliver in the area of education and special education.”

HOT SCHOOL MEALS

Deputy O’Meara has also confirmed that an additional 29 primary schools in Tipperary have been included in the latest expansion of the Hot School Meals Programme. The Tipp schools, several of which are in the Nenagh area, were included in a national list of 713 additional primary schools nationally set to benefit from this expansion, announced by the Fianna Fáil Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary.

TACKLING SUGAR AND FAT

The minister also announced a review of the nutritional standards and the removal of the optional food that is high in saturated fat, sugar, and salt from the school meal menus.

Reacting to the development, Deputy O’Meara said that from an initial pilot scheme of just 30 primary schools, the Hot School Meals Programme has now expanded to cover every primary school in the country.

“I am delighted to confirm that 29 primary schools in Tipperary have been included in this latest expansion of the programme by Minister Calleary and I would like to thank him for his work on this and the attention he has paid to Tipperary.

“It is vital that nutritional standards remain a priority for the programme and that the Government ensures that good quality, nutritious foods are being provided to young children in their places of education.”

Deputy O’Meara said it had been confirmed that the review of nutritional standards in school meals will be conducted by a dietician based in the Department of Health.

Concluding, Deputy O’Meara said: “I am deeply passionate about every single child in this country having access to the best possible education and the best quality education. Every child deserves that chance in life, regardless of their background of socio-economic status. The Hot School Meals Programme is impacting positively on students nationally, ensuring that students can learn, play and focus in school, without having to worry about hunger during the day.”