A History of Development

Since the school opened its doors in 1957 the school has worked hard to constantly develop the facilities it offers. This approach ensures that Sutton Park School pupils benefit from a high standard of amenities that will enable them to reach their full potential. With initial pupil numbers in double figures, the school started with only the main building, a conservatory and the stable block. In the 60’s and 70’s we added three main buildings in the orchard area – the wooden Assembly Hall and two classroom blocks (which have become known as the ‘L’ block and the Science Block).

In the 80’s and 90’s we added a number of portacabins as temporary features, and in the late 90’s we commenced a major expansion to replace the stables. In early 2000, the new building was completed and gave us many new classrooms and a new library. Included in the classrooms were a purpose-built large music room, a technical drawing computer room and a large ‘atrium’ common area.

We also replaced the wooden assembly hall with a larger concrete gym hall and replaced the swimming pool with more portacabins to increase the number of classrooms – vital to provide facilities for the 500+ pupils that were then coming to Sutton Park. The wooden assembly hall continued in place and became our Art Room.

Our grass pitch, replaced already with a cinders pitch, was then upgraded to an astroturf pitch which today serves as the main hockey facility for our pupils and also the home of Suttonians Hockey Club.

A History of Giving

It was and is with the generous support of the whole Sutton Park community – parents, alumni and corporate partners – that we have been able to build and develop the school. The Board of Governors of Sutton Park School are constantly striving to improve and enhance the buildings and facilities that make the school a wonderful place to learn. This year the school has over 750 pupils between the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Schools.

We are midway through the replacement of the old gym hall and we are constructing a state-of-the-art multi-purpose hall which will be used for sports, drama, art and events – as well as having additional rooms for other school activities.

An Ambitious Programme to Come

The next step of our journey in the development of our campus will be the replacement of the ‘L’ Block, the Science Block and the Art Room. These buildings have served us well, but at this stage we need to replace them with more ‘fit for purpose’ buildings which will not only improve how our pupils can learn but will also meet our climate obligations by being much more energy efficient.

Plus Annual Commitments to Come

In addition to our major development programme, the school continues to fund many vital matters on an annual basis. The school strives to ensure that our pupils can be the best that they can be. To make sure we put our resources into this objective here is a selection of items into which we put significant resources every year:

• Funding the Sutton Park School Scholarship and Bursary programmes. These provide access to exceptional students deemed to benefit from an education at Sutton Park School but who would otherwise be prevented from access due to a lack of means. Social and cultural diversity continues to enrich the school community in a very positive way.
• Developing enhanced fit-for-purpose science, maths & technology (STEM) facilities which reflects the excellence of teaching and academic success in these areas.
• Upgrading facilities for the Arts which will include improved rehearsal spaces and facilities for music and drama students. Sutton Park School has a long history of high-level performance in the Arts and recognises the need to provide exceptional facilities for our talented students and their teachers.
• Transforming our Teaching & Learning areas, providing collaborative, multi-media spaces to stimulate students to grow in a challenging, open and innovative school environment. International educational best practice shows classroom-only experiences are evolving to more enriching and learning-friendly environments.
• Modernising our sports facilities to keep them at the cutting-edge. Our astro pitch is already at a professional level, but we have to work to keep it at the best level for the sports using it. Together with Suttonians Hockey Club, we will continue to upgrade our playing surfaces to ensure our sportspeople will play at the highest level.

The SPS Community Supports the School

We make every effort to encourage our Sutton Park School community to participate in the development of the school. We meet new parents in the first few months of their journey to share our plans in greater detail and to discuss our hopes for, and the prospect of, their involvement in line with our shared values.

From time to time we reach out to our network of alumni to share updates on our college development plans and to seek support where appropriate.

If you are considering a gift to Sutton Park School, please be aware that there are various efficient ways to do so depending on your residence and tax status.

• Please click here to download our Pledge Form, fill it out and send it back to Eoin Scott at the address given below.
• If you are an Irish tax resident, please also click here to download the CHY3 Certificate to give the school a further benefit of tax relief on your donation.

Development Office

The Sutton Park School Development Office is a division of the Finance Office, and the Development Manager is Eoin Scott. Eoin is responsible for the fundraising activities of the school and for the development of relations with our past-pupils and friends of Sutton Park School. Eoin is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and is a Chartered Director with the Institute of Directors Ireland. Eoin is a past-pupil and a past-parent of the school, He worked with Air France for 22 years and with Motherboard in the IT sector for 14 years before joining the school as Development Manager last year.

Email: Eoin.Scott@sps.ie

Telephone: 01 839 9403