New community special school opens in Mungret

DREAMS of a special school in the region became a reality recently with the first day of classes taking place at Limerick Community Special School.

The new school located in Mungret, established under the patronage of Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board opened its doors to an initial 30 students. These include children with a moderate general learning disability and complex needs, and children with autism and complex needs from four to 18 years of age.

The Department of Education made the announcement regarding the new school last December, following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NSCE) around the creation of four new special schools throughout Ireland including Limerick. These new schools have been created to address the increasing number of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Commenting on the new school’s first day, Acting Chief Executive, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Donncha Ó Treasaigh, said: “This new school provides a wonderful opportunity for children to be supported and to benefit from the various different types of interventions and therapies that will be able to help them with their growth and development. We are really thrilled for the parents and families and the children who will be coming to the school.”

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Speaking on the first day, Principal Deirdre Bourke said: “ We’re delighted that the old is meeting the new here at Mungret College between the lovely 100-year old building and these beautiful modern modulars, it’s a great space for children. We have a beautiful sensory room, a lovely hall and kitchenette for Home Economics, we have a music teacher on-site, and six very experienced special class teachers with huge varied experience. We also have a large SNA team and an assistant psychologist one day a week, which means we can give hands-on support to parents and families to meet their goals for their children to flourish into the future.”

One of the parents at the school, Sinéad Sheehan from the Old Singland Road in Limerick, spoke about her son’s first day: “It’s just a sense of relief, Cillian was facing no school, he finished up in Cappawhite National School where he was in an ASD unit, a fantastic facility and then the journey came to a halt. So, without this today he’d be sitting at home not getting an education and not interacting with his peers and not reaching his potential. It just means the world to us today. It’s amazing what they’ve done in such a short period of time, the facilities, the staff themselves, the classrooms, the outdoor spaces, it’s just a wonderland for the children and we’re so grateful.”

Another parent, Sinéad Kennedy from Corbally in Limerick, spoke about her son who is at the start of his education journey: “Michael just started Junior Infants and it took so much stress from us knowing that he’s going to be going to a school that is tailored to his needs and is going to help him thrive. So, it’s a great journey for us to be starting out on. Everything here is so carefully thought out according to our children’s needs. There’s a beautiful sensory room where they can go and chill out, the classrooms have little quiet areas and it’s just all the little details that will make this experience so much better for our children.”

To find out more about Limerick Community Special School, visit limerickcss.ie.