Work is progressing on the construction of Cootehil Comprehensive School in Cavan.
Work is well under way at the site of the new Comprehensive School at Cootehill, County Cavan. The completed two storey building with 54 rooms is due to open in September 1966. The school will accommodate over 300 pupils and will be coeducational and non-denominational.
The curricula will incorporate secondary and vocational education.
The comprehensive school in Cavan is one of the first of its kind in Ireland. The new school has managed to overcome some local difficulties in Cootehill where there was already a secondary school and a vocational school.
The existing secondary school St Michaels will close, and its 70 pupils will be integrated into the new comprehensive school. The 200 vocational school pupils will also transfer to the new school. The old vocational school building might be maintained for adult night classes.
Pupils attending the school will come from a 10 mile radius of Cootehill in Cavan and Monaghan. There will be special school transport to bring pupils to and from Cootehil Comprehensive School.
The new school will cater for children of 12 years of age or over and reduce the number of older pupils at local primary schools. It may also mean that two and three teacher schools will become one and two teacher schools.
Other comprehensive schools are planned for Shannon in County Clare and Carraroe in County Galway.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 12 February 1966. The reporter is Mike Burns.
