Ballinamore Community School
School Details
Location
About
Ballinamore Community School is a co‑educational community school serving the town of Ballinamore and its surrounding rural area. It delivers a broad, relevant curriculum that blends academic and vocational pathways, aiming to develop students’ personal, academic, sporting, cultural and spiritual dimensions. The school’s ethos stresses the acquisition of learning and life‑skills that prepare pupils for adult and professional life, while fostering a Christian and civic sense of responsibility. The campus incorporates modern facilities built under the Public‑Private Partnership scheme, including a purpose‑built single‑site building completed in 2012, a well‑equipped science block, extensive playing fields, basketball courts and a sports complex opened by the Taoiseach in 2000. A wide range of extra‑curricular programmes complement classroom learning, offering students opportunities to engage in sport, arts, and community projects, thereby enriching the overall school experience.
History
The origins of education in Ballinamore date back to 1871 with the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy and the opening of a classical school. In 1941 a technical school was established, later moving to St Brigid’s Street. Meanscoil Fatima was founded in 1952 and St Felim’s College opened in 1962. A pioneering common‑enrolment system began in 1968, sharing resources among the three schools. In 1994 Meanscoil Fatima and St Felim’s College amalgamated to form Fatima & Felim’s Secondary School, and in 2001 the Minister for Education announced the creation of a community school through the merger of the vocational and secondary schools. The new single‑site Ballinamore Community School was included in a PPP building programme in 2008 and was completed in December 2012.