Nenagh gets green light for special school

Planned opening in 2025/’26 academic year.

Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB) is delighted to announce that it will become patron of the county’s latest special school, opening in Nenagh for the 2025/’26 academic year.

The announcement was made by the Department of Education after the move was backed by the Tipperary ETB Board at its latest meeting in Thurles last week.

Work is underway to identify the most suitable site and staffing requirements for the new school, which will support children from 4 to 18 years old from across the north Tipperary area. Student registration details for the new school will be announced at a later date.

Special schools support students with more severe and/or complex special educational needs in cases where full-time placement in mainstream classrooms would not benefit the student.

Tipperary ETB is Patron of Nenagh Community National School (CNS), the high-support primary school Coláiste Shliabh na mBan and 10 post-primary schools, including Nenagh College. Between schools and Further Education and Training course enrolments, Tipperary ETB supported over 19,000 students in 2023.

Chief Executive of Tipperary ETB, Bernadette Cullen, has described it as a vital announcement for education in the county. “Firstly, I’d like to thank the Department of Education for their work in identifying the need for a new special school in Tipperary. The benefits of this type of education provision to students is incalculable, and we will be working closely with colleagues at Scoil Chormaic and Scoil Aonghusa in Cashel, and St Anne’s School in Roscrea, as we establish our first special school in time for the next academic year.

“We are delighted to have received the unanimous backing of the Tipperary ETB Board to this proposal. We are grateful to those members for their ongoing support in increasing education provision across the county.

“Establishing a new special school in this timeframe will be a welcome challenge, and I’d like to pay tribute to our dedicated and skilled administrative staff in Nenagh and Clonmel as we embark on this journey.”

TD WELCOMES DEVELOPMENT

The Fianna Fáil TD for North Tipperary, Ryan O'Meara has welcomed very positive news for Nenagh and North Tipperary.

Deputy O'Meara said: “Prior to the dissolution of the last Dáil, the outgoing Government confirmed that five new special schools would be built nationally, with one of these to be located in County Tipperary. I was adamant that North Tipperary was the ideal location for this school, and I am delighted that Nenagh has won out as the preferred location. "During the course of the General Election campaign, it was clear that access to services and education for children with additional needs is a major issue in our society. I raised my concerns publicly at the time and remain committed to securing the services required to build an Ireland for All, and in my view that means an Ireland for all children, regardless of their ability or additional requirements.”