Secondary – Principal's update on recent activities

Hurling - now 7 staff members involved in GAA teams in the school, and teams entered in both 1st year and Junior competitions. A large contingent of students played in a Junior match on Monday gone in their first match in the group for this year’s competition. 1st years will begin competitive matches after the Halloween break but will be introduced to hurling programme here as part of their PE/games. It is hoped in coming years to also begin camogie as an option. Equipment and gear provided in recent years is key and a huge foundation on which to facilitate players accessing hurling.

Infrastructure - 1888 building project is now complete. Building is now a very different one to 3 years ago, certainly in terms of safety and warmth of windows, but also in terms of environment and ‘feeling’ for students. Key in students feeling their learning and place in education is valued and important.

A reminder this project included:

- Complete electrical refit and wiring, including lighting and fire safety systems

- All steel frame windows replaced with high grade fire rated glass and quality frames

- All sash windows either refurbished/replaced and painted

- All internal doors replaced in fire rated standards (and colours to enhance environment

- All walls and ceilings upgraded to fire safe specifications

- Some minor internal alterations of walls to create new fire exits.

There are a number of other projects and buildings enhancements underway/coming, but this does complete the project started 3 years ago from Donal Friel report.

PTech review - a potentially massive part here! But current 6th years were the initial cohort of students to begin PTech and these will graduate at the end of this academic year. 2 more schools have joined the project in the Dublin area, now bringing the ‘PTech schools’ number to 5.