Kildare Student’s Veterinary Dream In Doubt As School Struggles Without Basic Facilities

Thursday, 18 December 2025 10:58

By Martin Osborne - Head Of News

Sophie Evans is one of around 300 students at Curragh Community College - a school built for just 140 pupils.

A third-year student who dreams of becoming a vet may be forced to leave her school because it does not have the facilities to support her studies.

Sophie Evans is one of around 300 students at Curragh Community College - a school built for just 140 pupils.

The school has no specialist rooms for subjects like science, limiting subject choice and progression for students.

Teachers and public representatives warn overcrowding and the condition of the building are undermining education at the school, as delays continue to a long-promised new campus now unlikely to open in 2026.

The pressure stems from a 2018 decision to expand the school to absorb overflow from Kildare town and Newbridge, on the understanding that a new school would be delivered at the former Magee Barracks site.

The project remains at tender stage, with the Department of Education originally stating that a contractor would be appointed late this year.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education told Kfm News that tender returns have recently been received and a review of the tender returns is currently ongoing by the Design Team to formulate a tender report for the department’s review and comments.

They said a site visit was carried out by a members of the Department's technical unit last week to "assist the school with guidance on how to address some of the accommodation issues the school faces".

Sophie Evans said the teachers and students at the school "are great" and she really does not want to leave.