Ballyfad National School to close

Ballyfad National School in North Wexford is to close at the end of this academic year.

The current School Principal is due to retire at the end of this academic year. The current 6th class student will be moving to second level education which will leave one student in the school. This remaining student has secured a place in an another school for 6th class next year. While the parishioners of the curacy of Ballyfad have endeavoured over the last number of years to increase pupil numbers, it has been to no avail. There are currently no students enrolled for the 2025/2026 academic year. It is therefore not feasible that the school remain open. The decision to close the school will be notified to The Department of Education this week and consultation with the department will take place regarding future use of the school building. Bishop Ger Nash gave the below statement regarding the closure. "I offer my sincere thanks to many people for their tremendous efforts on behalf of this school over the years. Many people will feel great sadness and regret because of this closure and indeed it is a very significant event in the life of the curacy. However, this does not take away from the great work done by so many people in the school over the years, or from the achievements and successes in the school or from the very happy memories that many people have of their time spent in Ballyfad N.S. I thank Fr Denis for his efforts on behalf of the school as well as previous board members and staff members and in particular I wish to thank the current staff members and wish them well in the future."