Minister for Education Norma Foley TD and Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan TD have confirmed the location of two new special schools in Limerick and Kildare. This follows their announcement on 6 December 2023 of the establishment of four new special schools for the 2024/2025 school year in Limerick, Kildare, Meath and Wexford to cater for young people with autism and complex learning needs up to 18 years of age.

The initial start-up location for the new special school in Kildare will be at the Craddockstown Education Campus beside Naas Community National School. The longer-term location for this new special school, which is under the patronage of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board will be confirmed in due course.

The location of the new special school in Limerick is in the school building currently occupied by Mungret Community College.

Mungret Community College will be moving to a new campus which is at an advanced stage of construction in September 2024.The Department of Education and Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board are progressing the preparations for the reconfiguration of the new special school. This new special school is under the patronage of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board.

It is expected that both new special schools will cater for 24 students initially. The admission policy for the new special school in Limerick has been published and it is expected that the admission policy for the new special school in Kildare will be published shortly.

The other new special schools in Enfield Co. Meath and Gorey Co. Wexford have already commenced their admission process and have made offers of enrolment to students.

Working groups to progress the establishment of all four new special schools have been meeting on a regular basis since December 2023, with a particular focus on developing admission policies for the new special schools and commencing the recruitment campaign for staff. These working groups are made up of members of the relevant Education and Training Board, the Department and the National Council for Special Education.

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