A well-known soap actor dropped into a Connemara school last week to show his support for their unique campaign to increase pupil numbers – and hold onto their second teacher.

Rob James-Collier – a familiar face to Coronation Street fans as Liam Connor, to Downton Abbey viewers as Thomas Barrow, and to those who follow Ackley Bridge as Martin Evershed – was on a visit to the west when he visited Scoil Naomh Padraig in An Chloch Bhreac on Saturday.

And even though it wasn’t a school day, there was a big turn-out to greet him as he offered his support for their efforts to address the drop in student numbers.

The school had already announced details of its novel approach to attract families of school-going children into the area – they are offering a €2,000 bursary to families outside the area who want to relocate and enrol their children to the Connemara school.

There is also a three-bedroom house available in the area for a family to rent if relocating from another town or city.

Rob was in the area with his pal, local resident and film extra Laurence Kerrigan who lives in the area and whose young son in the photo will be going to Scoil Naomh Padraig.

He loved the story of how the school authorities were going about their project to ensure the job of their second teacher – and he volunteered to come down to the school to back the cause.

And it is working – because since the appeal was launched, six pupils have enrolled, leaving the two-teacher school just two pupils away from their goal of a total of twelve students to ensure they maintain their second teacher.

“We just need another two to keep the teacher for this year and then next year hopefully get another four or five in the class,” said Scoil Naomh Pádraig committee member Ruaidhrí Kineavy.

“So if we get four or five in the class every year, we could see the numbers start going in the right direction again and the next thing there’s a group of 20.

“If we get the numbers for this year, I think that going forward we’re in a better position. In the long term we hope to get away from that, we don’t want to be worrying about losing a teacher.

“I think it’s a very good school with an excellent pupil/teacher ratio, it has a lot to offer, and it would be a pity to see it lose a teacher. I think it’s going to bounce back in the next year or two,” he added.

Mr Kineavy explained the drop is due to a variety of different factors, including local families moving to bigger towns or cities – and the housing crisis.

However, over the last few years some families have moved back to the area with around 14 preschool children now in the area.

And the committee is hoping that they will now bridge the gap to hold onto their two teachers until those pupils enter the primary school system – which was why they enlisted the help of a soap star!

Pictured: Actor Rob Collier (back – centre) with pupils and parents from Scoil Naomh Padraig, An Chloch Bhreac (back – from left) Cillian Kerrigan, Aoibhínn Devery Kineavy, Paddy Curran, Ruaidhrí Kineavy, Joe Kerrigan (holding baby Proinsias Kerrigan), Laurence Kerrigan and Padraic O’Neill, with (front) Saoirse Kerrigan, Jack Curran, Liam Kineavy and Donnacha Kerrigan.