Mayo all-girls secondary school to go co-ed

An all-girls school in west Mayo has announced that it will become a co-educational school and will open its doors to boys and girls from next September.

The Sacred Heart Secondary School in Westport which celebrates its 100th birthday this year has announced that it will embrace ‘a new era of co-education'.

“From next September 2026, we will be opening our doors to local girls and boys for the very first time. Indeed, we will be inviting new entrants into all year groups – from 1st Year through to 6th,” the Sacred Heart School announced in a statement.

The Westport school which is located on Castlebar Street will follow in the doorsteps of its neighbours, Rice College, which was formerly an all-boys school but made a decision to become a co-educational school.

The decision by Rice College to go co-educational was broadly welcomed by the local community with up to 60 female students starting 1st Year for the first time a few weeks ago.

Celebrations

As part of the 100th anniversary celebrations, the school will be hosting an anniversary Mass at 2.15pm in St Mary’s Church on Mercy Day, Wednesday, September 24.

“A very important day in our school calendar, that celebrates the establishment of our founding order, the Sisters of Mercy. This mass will be attended by our current staff and students and we will also be joined by a significant number of former colleagues. Parents of students are also welcome to attend. We are looking forward to many happy memories being shared and of course we are anticipating the talk turning to the exciting future plans for the SHS.”

The Sacred Heart School also announced that they will hold an open evening in the school on Wednesday, October 8.

“We would like to invite all interested families to join us here in the school at 5pm for a tour of the school, an opportunity to meet our staff and the chance to learn about all of the opportunities and support we can offer your child(ren).

“Our one hundred year old legacy is one rooted in kindness, compassion and support. We always aim to ensure our pupils can reach their full potential. Our school has established a strong reputation for academic, and sporting excellence, a commitment to charity work and connection to our community.

“This milestone marks a new chapter in our history and the decision to go co-ed reflects our aim to provide a richer, more diverse learning environment that will ultimately offer a broader subject choice to our student body.

“The future is bright for the SHS,” the statement from the Sacred Heart read.

New subjects

The school also announced that they have added Graphics and Applied Technology to its junior subject offerings and these subjects will lead to DCG (Design and Communication Graphics), Computer Science and Engineering as future senior cycle subjects.

In addition to this at senior cycle, they have also added Applied Maths to its current curricular offerings and 'anticipate offering PE and Drama and Film Studies at the earliest opportunity'.

The school is also planning to build a new school building on the current school site which will include 40 classrooms including a full suite of practical rooms for subjects such as Construction, Engineering, Technology, Music, Home Economics, Art, and several laboratories.

“In addition there will be a large gym, a fitness suite, a school library, a canteen, social areas, along with external play areas and the reinstatement of the school pitch,” the schools stated.

There are plans to temporarily move to the old Scoil Phádraig National School on Altamont Street which the Department of Education intends to refurbish while the new school is being developed.