Construction work on Project Nore is set to begin.

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD announced a bundle of seven large-scale school building projects that are being delivered by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for the Department of Education across schools in Tipperary, Kilkenny, Westmeath and Kildare.

The school building projects are flagship developments in their area and will provide new and modernised facilities catering for over 4,000 students. This will transform the education infrastructure for these school communities both now and in the decades ahead.

The projects include special class facilities to support the integration and inclusion of students with special educational needs in their local communities. An important aspect of this bundle of projects is the relocation of St. Mary’s Special School to a new school building on the St. Finian’s campus in Mullingar. This co-location of a special school with a post-primary school will provide new opportunities for integration and inclusion in the years ahead.

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The new school buildings will incorporate renewable systems that include heat pump technologies for heating and solar panels as part of future proofing the schools from a climate perspective.

Project Nore is the first of six bundles of large school building projects that are being delivered by the NDFA, with the full programme catering for over 24,000 students across 10 different counties.

The construction of this bundle of seven school projects has been awarded to a joint venture partnership between JJ Rhatigan and Co. and ABM Design and Build Ltd.

Minister Foley said: "It gives me great pleasure to announce the move to construction of this bundle of seven schools which have been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA).

"Under Project Ireland 2040, over €5 billion is being invested in the school sector over the period 2021-2025, which will add additional capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day. This is demonstrative of the strong support from Government for investment in education.

"The school building programme has approximately 300 projects at construction in 2023 which includes over 40 new school buildings at a total State investment of over €1 billion. There are a further 72 projects currently at the tender process including 27 new school buildings. All of these new school buildings are flagship projects in their area and transform the education infrastructure for those school communities.

"These seven school building projects will provide new and modernised facilities for our school communities and are an important aspect of the Department's overall delivery under the Government’s National Development Plan."