Full steam ahead at Malahide Community School

​Malahide Community School, Co Dublin, has launched its Autumn 2020 list of night classes. And, as with everything else these days, amendments have been made to take account of Covid-19.
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“Classes that we are offering will be delivered in different ways,” said Robbie Harrold, Director of Adult Education. “Like most other enterprises, we have had to make many changes to the way we run things so that participation by adult learners can be done safely and risk to health is almost reduced completely.”

Blended and remote learning

One of the big changes is the inclusion of blended learning and remote learning alongside the traditional face-to-face format. “Some classes are available in school only, for instance, Computing, Guitar, and Digital Photography. Other courses, such as Irish Conversation and Italian, will be available in a blended format i.e. a small number of students in the classroom while others will view the class on webcam. And others, such as Yoga and Pilates, are only available remotely.”

There won't be the usual mix of art and craft courses this term, but there's still plenty of choice on offer at Malahide Community School.

A range of classes

Interesting night classes available this Autumn include Fashion Design, Happy Healthy & Retired, You Have the Right to Be Happy and Successful – Turn Obstacles into Opportunities, Personal development through Creative Practices, Event Management, Radio broadcasting, podcasting and voiceovers (Introduction). Language, literacy, computers, golf, singing, and dancing classes are also included in the mix this term.
Popular classes such as Art, Pottery, Furniture Restoration, Jewellery Making, and Bread Making are not available for this Autumn Term. However, the hope is that these will be back on offer in January 2021.

Covid-19 guidelines

Malahide CS Director, Robbie Howard.

Covid-19 has led to new guidelines for this term. These include class times of 90 minutes duration; no teas/coffees will be available in the school; classes will start and finish at staggered intervals; and nearly all classes will run for eight weeks.

In the meantime, people continue to be interested in night classes, says Robbie, with enrolments showing a continued interest in lifelong learning as offered by Malahide Community School.

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