Laois village steps in to boost primary school with falling numbers

A forward thinking rural Laois committee has the green light for an idea to save their school and village from decline.

No junior infants enrolled for mainstream class in September 2023 at Scoil Fionntáin Naofa NS in Shanahoe, near Abbeyleix.

It spurred the community into action to stop falling numbers in the 65 pupil school.

Shanahoe Community Hall committee went and applied for planning permission to Laois County Council last August, to convert part of the community centre, to use for preschool and afterschool care.

They have been granted approval this March to go ahead with the plan, which will have space for 22 children and create four jobs.

The committee had said parents had no choice but to send their children elsewhere, in a letter with the application.

"Having consulted with the local families, childcare providers and the national school it has been highlighted for some time that there is a need in Shanahoe for an after school and preschool childcare facility.

"We are aware that a lack of childcare in Shanahoe was prohibitive to a number of parents enrolling their children and they were forced to look to bigger towns for education for their children with parallel after school provision.

"This trend is putting pressure on the already overcrowded schools in the bigger towns and villages and is creating extra commute times for children and parents.

"Our intention is to provide a dual use space where a preschool and afterschool service is provided in our existing community hub.

"This is the next stage of our vision to ensure the continued existence of our village with increasing school enrolment and creating employment opportunities. This will reduce stress on parents and the bigger schools locally and will create employment in a village where we have very few employment opportunities.

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"It will also create the opportunity for parents to return to the workplace knowing their children are safe and well taken care of in their own community. This in turn will help to increase the attendance numbers in Scoil Fionntáin Naofa, our local national school," the committee said.

They will fence off an outdoor play space alongside the childcare provision, repurposing an area of the church car park next 
to the hall, gifted to the trustees of the hall by Parish Priest Fr Paddy Byrne.

The childcare service will run from 1.30 – 6 pm daily during term time.

It will be registered with TUSLA to have 22 pupils, with a maximum of 24 registered. The centre will create four jobs, for people with childcare qualifications. 

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"The interest in the area is very positive and the local families are excited to have such a service available to them," the hall committee said.

The development site of 0.122ha is next door to the primary school. It includes a community centre which is not in full use and St. Brigid’s Church. The site already has a car park, accessed off the L16523 local road. 

They have been granted permission for a change of use of part of community hall to a playschool with preschool and after school services, the new external fenced play area; and all associated site works.

The small school is well known in Laois for its red caped all-school band, which had the honour of playing for the President of Ireland Micael D Higgins at the 2024 National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska. See that story here.