St. Patrick’s N.S., Cornanool, Islandeady, Co. Mayo, F23W820, 14497n

About Us

Welcome to St Patrick’s N.S. Cornanool, Islandeady, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. Our school is a Catholic co-educational primary school, with three mainstream classes and one special educational teacher room. We are situated on the outskirts of Castlebar, on the Newport road, approximately a ten minute  drive from the Castlebar town centre.  We provide our pupils with a caring, safe, and happy environment in which they can reach their full potential.

The original school building was developed in 1896, and until 2006 it served as the whole school building. During that time period the classroom on right-hand side was the junior room and the classroom on the left-hand side was the senior room. Each classroom catered for over twenty pupils and heating was provided by an open fireplace at the top of each classroom. In 2006, the school built two new mainstream classrooms, shown in the yellow painted extension in the pictures above. These classrooms were opened by past pupil An Taoiseach Enda Kenny. The original school building was preserved and it was turned into a staff room, a store room, and a learning support room. The two new classrooms provided the school with some much needed space and modernity and facilitated the school’s transition into the 21st century.

The school has continued to grow. In 2019, the school grew from a two mainstream class teacher school to a three mainstream class teacher school. This growth has enabled us to develop our curriculum even further and to enable our teachers and students to specialise in the class bands they are teaching. For example, Mrs. Cawley’s junior room has become an Aistear-centric room, where children’s learning is built upon child-centered constructionist themes. Ms. McLoughlin’s constructivist approaches have enabled her students to experience challenging problem-solving activities. Mr. Walsh’s senior room are embarking on 21st century socio-cultural learning experiences with a keen emphasis on digital educational practice. And finally, Mrs. Campbell, who recently completed a post-graduate certificate in S.E.T., is our resident expert in all things S.E.N. Students are also assisted by Mrs. Kay Harrington. Kay is our resident S.N.A. who provides support for our students’ care needs and much more beyond. Our resident cleaner, Mrs. Helen McGowan, ensures that the indoor environment is prepared for the students arrival each day.

At the front of the school there is a fully enclosed all-weather pitch. Students enjoy practicing GAA, soccer, and a range of other play activities here during their free-time. The pitch also provides the teachers with a valuable space to develop their students P.E. skills, thereby encouraging the students to adopt a fit, healthy, and physically active lifestyle. The pitch also plays home to regular visits from coaches from the local Islandeady GAA club. The students at St. Patrick’s N.S., Cornanool, represent the club with distinction, from Under 6’s all the way up to Under 13’s. Continuing the local community spirit, two members of the teaching staff, Mrs. Cawley and Ms. McLoughlin, dedicate their free time on Saturday mornings coaching and training young footballers.

The school has recently committed to building two new 80m squared mainstream classrooms and a new S.E.T. room. The new buildings will almost double the existing footprint of the school. It is likely that these new classrooms will double up as a school hall. The school’s design team involved in the building process has been looking at some innovative and creative designs so as to develop multi-functional facilities. The design team is currently considering how to build classrooms to facilitate 21st century teaching and learning that can also double up as an indoor school hall. These additions will enable us to extend the innovative and creative teaching and learning that Mrs. Cawley, Ms. McLoughlin, Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Walsh are already implementing, as well as, providing an indoor facility where students will be able to play games and extend their physical education curriculum experiences. The design will also double up as a place where we will be able to open up events to the wider school community, including: School plays, Grandparents day, November mass, Sports day, Junior Infants introduction day, Sixth class graduation, and much more. As part of these developments, Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Cawley are also exploring how to develop outdoor learning environments around the school, integrating teaching and learning with the surrounding environment.

School enrolment officially opens in October. We encourage parents and guardians of students who are interested in joining the Cornanool N.S., community to contact us throughout the year where we will be available to answer any questions you may have. Parents and guardians will be able to officially apply for enrolment during the dates outlined in the school’s official enrolment notification. Potential enrollees are ratified at board of management level and are required to sign up to a number of school policies. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter feeds and our school website – www.cornanoolns.ie – for these notifications.

For enquiries about enrolment for the upcoming school year, please contact: eolas@cornanoolns.ie

Warm regards from everyone here at St. Patrick’s N.S., Cornanool,

Principal, Mr. Dermot Walsh

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