Track for special needs school to be ‘life-changing’

Students of a special needs school in Cork are set to benefit from a “life-changing” new running track, according to school principal Siobhan Allen.

The long-awaited amenity is to become a reality for Our Lady of Good Counsel School in Ballincollig after the Hospital Saturday Fund (HSF) made a donation of €12,500 to the charity, Balance, in support of the school.

The co-educational school caters for pupils from age four upwards with a moderate learning disability, including those with autism, Down syndrome and some wheelchair-bound students.

The school, under the patronage of the Brothers of Charity, has 64 students. Planning for a new running/cycling track has been under way since last year.

The cost is €62,000, of which the Irish Lottery donated €30,000, along with €20,000 raised by parents. The €12,500 grant from HSF ensures works can begin. Ms Allen said it would greatly improve the physical and mental health of pupils.

“We recognised in the school we needed to provide more opportunities for exercise for the children to help with their well-being, to help with their mental health and also to improve their concentration,” she said.

The developments, she said, will significantly help the school which is hoping to secure an active school flag. The school has recently developed a new exercise programme for students requiring two 15-minute intervals of exercise daily.

“Already we can show evidence that an increase in exercise has improved concentration, reduced challenging behaviour and, most importantly, increased the fun level in school,” Ms Allen said.

To successfully obtain lottery funding the school was required to produce a plan for the use of the facility outside school hours.

The charity Balance along with Down Syndrome Cork, Ballincollig AC and local resident groups have all expressed an interest in using the track facilities.

“We would be very interested in organisations that are going to welcome people with special needs into their groups. The whole idea is to get mainstream groups and clubs to think about including persons with disabilities and giving special needs children a social outlet outside of school,” she said.