Expansion at school to ease space pressures

Plans are well advanced to head off a looming crisis which could occur in a Cork City suburb if a major expansion is not carried out at a community college.

Cork County VEC announced it is hoping to have a €4.5m extension to Glanmire Community College completed by Sept 2014.

In recent years space at the college has been at a premium due to its popularity and a major increase in the young population of its catchment area.

Cork County VEC chief executive Joan Russell confirmed yesterday that the Department of Education has given it the green light to complete the design of the extension which will increase the college’s size by 3,252sq m.

Once completed it will allow Glanmire Community College to increase its student intake from the current 873 to 1,100. This would make it the second biggest VEC-run school in the county behind Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, which has more than 1,200 pupils.

Ms Russell said the plan has been designed to accommodate general and specialist classrooms with associated administrative and social areas. The extension will also include a special needs unit for children on the autistic spectrum.

“Cork County VEC is delighted to be in a position to support the people of Glanmire in the provision of a state-of-the-art education facility that will assist in meeting the growing needs locally,” Ms Russell said, adding that “we believe that this will further enhance that provision”.

The community college draws pupils not just from Glanmire but from Mayfield, Watergrasshill, Glounthaune, and Little Island. There has been a significant population boom in these areas since the college opened in 1997.

“There has been a population explosion. The department know there is a shortage of accommodation and that it is a priority to ensure there are enough spaces for pupils in the years ahead,” Ms Russell said.