Pupils from St Pat's primary school in Co Galway have been staging a number of Christmas performances in the city centre to provide some festive cheer and help raise money for a sensory room in their school.
For the first time, pupils are using drums, electric guitars and piano to accompany their choir and guitar and ukulele group.
A sensory room offers a therapeutic space for pupils, giving them some quiet downtime and has been shown to be of particular benefit to children with autism and other special needs. Choices of equipment can be used to improve a variety of physical and cognitive skills.
St Pat's is an award-winning school for mental health initiatives and Jarlath Conboy is one of the teachers overseeing the Christmas appeal.
"We have an action plan in St Pat's which focuses on mental health and wellbeing in our school," he said.
"We don't have a lot of green space in the city centre, but we have created a riverside garden at the back of our school, we have a music shelter for kids to sit and chat and sing when it's raining, and we host kindness awards in the school.
"Mental health is everything growing up and this sensory room is our latest initiative," Mr Conboy said.
The calm environment of a sensory room has been shown to help students in need of some quiet downtime and is of particular benefit to children with behavioural difficulties.
Studies show that loud music, fluorescent lights and strong smells can be an "assault" on the senses for some children, especially for children with autism.
Mr Conboy says sensory play helps children to develop their senses and encourages problem-solving.
"This is the great benefit of a sensory room as it engages different areas of the brain, helping children absorb and retain more information," he said.
St Pat's has already begun work on the sensory room which will be up and running early in 2024.
