Mayo secondary school delay controversial move to temporary site until March 2026

The controversial proposed temporary move by a Westport secondary school into the old Scoil Phadraig building has been pushed back until the spring of 2026.

The staff and pupils of Sacred Heart Secondary School in Westport had been due to move into the old Scoil Phadraig National School building on Altamont Street for the start of the new school year in September but that date has been pushed back.

An update on the new school building was sent to parents and guardians of school students on Thursday by Kevin Malone, Acting Principal of the all girls secondary school.

In the letter, Mr Malone outlined that the temporary move to the 'refurbished Scoil Phadraig site' will now take place in March/April 2026 instead of the previously indicated date of September 2025.

“This change is due to the size and scope of the overall project and the future proofing design currently underway to ensure a smooth transition to Holy Trinity School,” the letter wrote.

“Sacred Heart School will vacate the Altamont St site when the 1st phase of our new school is complete on our current site.”

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Sacred Heart School is an all-girls school that is currently using modular accommodation on its grounds due to insufficient capacity in the school building, which dates back to the 1920s.

The old Scoil Phadraig building was earmarked as the location of the new Holy Trinity National School but those plans were controversially put on hold when the Department of Education outlined their intention to use the building as 'urgent temporary accommodation' for the Sacred Heart Secondary School in Westport.

This angered many people associated with Holy Trinity NS whose current schoolhouse is located on the Newport Road but is over 200 years old and is not fit for modern teaching. The site of the old Scoil Phádraig NS on Altamont Street was identified as a prospective location and the site was eventually purchased from the Sisters of Mercy with the hope of starting work on a new school in 2018.

Plans were further delayed in 2020 following a proposal by the Department of Education to move the proposed new Westport Educate Together NS alongside the new Holy Trinity NS on the Altamont Street site.

These proposals were rejected but the latest developments puts further uncertainty on when the Church of Ireland school will move into the Scoil Phadraig site.

In the letter to parents and guardians, Mr Malone stated that the appointment of the Integrated Project Team who will be responsible for the design of the new building is 'expected shortly and we await it with anticipation'.

“While timelines are always subject to review, the project remains on track and the Department has advised that completion is currently targeted for 2030,” he concluded.

The front of the old Scoil Phadraig National School building is currently boarded up with hoardings up to ten feet high and a new vehicular entrance made close to the pedestrian crossing.

Last month, Mayo County Council issued a 'warning letter' to the Department of Education regarding this work stating that the 'alleged unauthorised development' consists of 'unauthorised widening of entrance and ancillary works' and 'unauthorised erection of hoarding fence'.