(Ireland) Cork: New special school for 70 set to open in Sept
- The end of childhood
- Apr 11
- 3 min read
Mar 27, 2025,Irish Independent: New Cork special school set to open in September, but on a temporary site – in Fermoy
The Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education says a new school for children with additional needs will ‘most definitely’ be open in September, however on a temporary site in Fermoy.
The news comes following meetings between activist groups and both the Minister for Education, Helen McEntee, and the Minister of State at the Department of Education with special responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion, Cork North West TD Michael Moynihan.
“The ETB have looked for a Principal over the last few days,” Moynihan said following the meeting which took place earlier this week. “We’re working on that and we’d hope that the teams will be in place. Most definitely it will be opening in September.”
However, the permanent location, on the former site of ‘Scoil An Athar Tadhg’ in Carrignavar, just north of the city, still needs to be renovated and staffed, with Cork TD Moynihan saying that they expect it to be ready during the next school year, 2025/26.
It means now that 24 children with additional needs will spend their first year in Fermoy, 18 miles further north, pending a return to the permanent site once completed. . . .
“It is hoped that we will be able to have children facilitated in the school during the school year 2025/26, but it will be in consultation with the teachers, families, and others involved as to when, depending on whether that would be too traumatic for children.
“The full capacity will be 70, and we will endeavour to accommodate that as soon as possible.”
Nicole Hosford, who organised a recent protest outside City Hall to highlight a lack of school places for children with additional needs, says that while the meeting with Minister McEntee proved useful, she was disappointed by the lack of affirmative answers from the Minister of State Moynihan. . . .
The meeting with Minister Moynihan was curtailed to just 30 minutes, as he was also scheduled to run private members’ business in the Seanad, and Nicole feels that the group needs more time, saying that she has been promised another meeting with the Cork Fianna Fáil TD.
“Anything we put to them, we had evidence behind it. So we handed them all a document, and when they tried to fight back, we were able to say ‘no, it’s there on page 14’, and it was all there on page 14 or whatever, and they were absolutely shocked.
“To be honest, we didn’t get to cover much in the 30 minutes, we talked about Carrignavar. He’s after sanctioning 24 places, which is four classes. That means that there’s six children per class. ‘So you have 24 places’ I said, ‘that’s still 70 children without school places’.
“I asked him are they going to have a place next September and he said yes, so I asked where he’s putting them. Later Helen McEntee confirmed that they are going to force schools to sanction extra classes, but where are they going to find the staff for that?”
“We showed her pictures of some of the sensory rooms – they’re like padded cells, and she was absolutely shocked. So I definitely think she took plenty from the meeting. I really hope that the five of us that came through the door will make the change, because it had to come from parents.”
“I found the meeting extraordinarily beneficial,” said the Minister of State Moynihan, who doubled down on his promise to meet with members again in the coming weeks.
“They’re very passionate, they’re fantastic people, they really understand it, they’re not inclined to listen to any crap, and they want to push the system to make sure that their children, and other children with special needs have access to the services they need.
“Sometimes, as a parent, I might feel alone, and I understand the challenge parents face everyday of the week. That’s why, while I have this job, I’ll give it my one-thousand per cent, every hour of every day.”
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