Enfield Community College moves to permanent home...but in temporary accommodation until school is completed

Enfield Community College is to move into a modular building on the permanent school site from next September as an interim measure until the new school building is completed.

The current temporary accommodation located at the rear of the former ESB premises in the town is now at capacity and principal Shane Foley outlined that they have a plan in place where the school will move into a modular building on the permanent site next September until the new school is ready.

He expects that the tender to provide the modular accommodation will go out before Christmas and said it can be delivered quite quickly.

Meanwhile plans for the new permanent school to cater for up to 1,000 pupils are still with the Department of Education and are also expected to go out to tender by the end of the year as part of a bundle of projects being delivered under the Department’s Design and Build Programme which uses a professional external project management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction.

"The accommodation we have is adequate for the students and provides them with every opportunity for optional subjects. It is high quality," said Mr Foley.

He added that the new accommodation will be two-storey and as a modular building will include corridors.

Student numbers at the school, which first opened in September 2020, are expected to be at over 400 next year and the first cohort of 49 students are due to sit their Junior Cert next June. There are 98 students in second year and 113 in first year.

"The Department is very pleased with our enrolment numbers which are meeting the target. We have had significant increases in applicants despite being in temporary accommodation and this is very encouraging and we expect to have 140 for next year.

"We currently have 260 students and this will bring is up to just over 400 from September 2023."

Once the permanent school building goes to tender and the contractor is appointed, it will be a rapid build project. The aim is that it will be ready for occupation by September 2024.

Meanwhile, parents representatives are seeking to meet with local councillors and officials to make sure that all infrastructure is in place before the school moves to the new site on the Kilcock Road. The footpath currently doesn't go as far as the site and needs to be extended and parents also want to see a pedestrian crossing put in to allow children to cross the road safely.