Foundation
The Darley National School was founded in 1859, dedicated to the memory of Canon Darley, Cootehill. The school, originally situated at the Fair Green, was a fine cut-stone building with a teachers’ residence. Over the years many one-teacher schools in the surrounding area have closed and the pupils were transported to the Darley school. Presently the school serves a large catchment area — eight schools have been amalgamated into Darley National School since the 1950s.
Move to Current Site
In 1983 the old Vocational school in the town was renovated and the school moved to its present site in April 1983. The original school was demolished in 1992 and a Health Centre — which also bears the name “Darley” — was later built on the site.
Six teachers are employed in the school today: four mainstream teachers, a teacher of the Hearing Impaired, and a full-time learning support teacher, along with a part-time caretaker and secretary. In 2002 a Special Unit for hearing-impaired pupils joined the mainstream school.
Presently there are 128 pupils enrolled, 123 in mainstream education and 5 in the Hearing Impaired Unit. Darley N.S. is a Protestant school with the majority of children from Church of Ireland or Presbyterian families, alongside children from Catholic, Jewish, Baptist, Brethren, and other backgrounds, or none. All children are treated equally irrespective of religious or social background.
Renovation & Expansion
In 1992 much-needed work was completed on the play areas. In 1995 the General-Purpose room was rewired and completely renovated. In December 1999 an application was made to the Department of Education & Science to upgrade the ancillary accommodation, including new cloakrooms, a staffroom, office, and a Learning Support classroom. In 2004/2005 the school was completely renovated, and in 2013 a further extension and renovation took place.
In January 2020, an all-weather playing facility was added to the school. In conjunction with the active Parents’ Association, many projects have been undertaken — including a supply of networked laptops and iPads, and a resurfaced, refenced, and relined play area.
A fifth mainstream teacher was sanctioned for September 2023, and in September 2024 a new class for ASD & Autistic pupils opened at the school.