Four new special schools will open in time for the new school year in 2024. 

The new schools will be located in Limerick City, Enfield, County Meath, Gorey, County Wexford and in the South Kildare area.

The schools will teach young people with autism and complex learning needs up to 18 years of age. 

Minister of State for Special Education Josepha Madigan hopes this will be a huge relief for families in those areas. 

“It is so important for parents of these children in Limerick, in Kildare, in Meath and Wexford that they have certainty that there is special education provision for their children,” she said. 

Minister Madigan also said the Department of Education will ensure the school is ready to teach from the moment it opens its doors. 

“We absolutely want to make sure that when we open a new school, or indeed even a special class in a mainstream school, we want to make sure that they’re fully resourced,” she said. 

“There’s no point having a building where there are no children in it, in the first instance, or, second of all, children who don’t have either the devices or equipment that they need or indeed their Special Needs Assistant or Special Education Teacher. 

“So, we want to make sure that we provide all of that for them.”

Yesterday, Irish pupils were ranked the best in Europe for reading, second only to Singapore globally.

Main image: Children in school uniform on a visit. Image: PjrTravel / Alamy