Scoil Pádraig Naofa, Cregmore is the heartbeat of a thriving rural community. A co-educational, Catholic primary school, it’s situated eight miles east of the city of Galway in western Ireland and is one of the fastest-developing schools in the area. This rapid growth reflects the movement of families away from the towns and cities to the surrounding countryside: 10 years ago there were 70 pupils and a staff of just four; today the school roll numbers 240 children aged 4-12, with 13 full-time teachers and four auxiliary staff. The school’s mission, however, remains the same: “It is our wish that every boy and girl who comes to school here will receive the best education possible,” says Principal Joe Kennelly, “and our use of SMART Board interactive whiteboards is starting to make a huge difference to the lives of both our children and our teachers.”

Urbleshanny National School – which translates as “the fox’s tail” – is a small mixed school on the outskirts of Scotstown village, around eight kilometres from Monaghan Town in north County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. Having occupied the site since 1932, the school was completely rebuilt in 1999 and today houses around 270 children aged from four to 12 in eight permanent and two temporary classrooms. Yet despite its attractive rural setting, the school is highly advanced in its use of state-ofthe- art interactive learning technology.

“Since we invested in SMART Board interactive whiteboards we haven’t looked back! Technology tools will play a major role in engaging and stimulating pupils in this new type of learning environment, and to be truly effective schools need to take ownership of their SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards and continue to develop their use.”

Jim Casey, Principal, Willow Park Junior School