New school plans revealed for Edenderry

Oaklands Community College in Edenderry reached another important milestone on their journey to a new school over the past week with the launch of detailed plans for the new 1,000 pupil school and campus.

The school is currently in the process of finalising technical details for the project with the Department of Education and will submit a planning application to Offaly County Council “over the coming months”, according to Principal, Brian Kehoe.

Oaklands Community College has experienced a steady increase in pupil numbers over recent years, and currently has 820 pupils.

The drive for a new school to accommodate expanding pupil numbers has been ongoing for a number of years, with a substantial amount of work taking place behind the scenes.

Speaking at the launch of the plans for the new school, Oaklands Principal, Brian Kehoe, said the new facility will be “a state-of-the-art campus” which will be “a huge boost” to everyone in the school community and also to the town of Edenderry and the surrounding hinterland. “We are delighted with the plans and look forward to one of the finest secondary schools in the country being built in Edenderry,” he added.

The new school will include open and spacious classrooms along with six science Labs, four technology rooms, computer rooms, and will also provide specialist facilities for music, art and Home Economics.

“The building has a generous, open design with large circulation and assembly areas, and students will also be able to avail of state -of-the-art facilities including sports hall, gym, hard courts and a full-size GAA pitch,” he said.

The Oaklands Community College Principal attributes the huge growth in pupil numbers at the Edenderry secondary school over the past ten years to the “outstanding work” taking place on a daily basis within the school community.

“We have a fantastic teaching staff, we are very proud of our pupils, and no student is left behind in Oaklands,” he pointed out.

Referring to “recent engagements” with past pupils of the school, Brian Kehoe told the launch that it has been “very rewarding” to see past pupils of the school excelling in their chosen fields such as medicine, science, engineering and business.

He thanked the Chief Executive of Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board, Joe Cunningham, and his staff for all their hard work on the new school project, and also the various members of the Design Team behind the plans. “We have an excellent Design Team in place who will continue to work with us to drive this project forward,” he said. The principal also paid tribute to Margaret Brennan and the team at the Department of Education Buildings Unit for their assistance with the project.

Speaking at the launch, the Chairperson of the Oaklands Community College Board of Management, Cllr Robert McDermott, said the Edenderry secondary school has “a long history in educational excellence” and the new school “will further enhance that reputation.”

Cllr McDermott added that the Board is “really looking forward” to the new school which will be “a catalyst for development and growth” in Edenderry.