Laois special school in Portlaoise gets planning nod for urgently needed classrooms

Plans for the only exclusive special school in Laois, which outgrew its size soon after it opened, have been given the green light by planners at Laois County Council.

St Francis National School on the Borris Road, Portlaoise provides education for students with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities with co-occurring needs aged from 5 to 18 years.

After years of parent-driven campaigning, a new 12-classroom purpose-built building opened to pupils in June 2021. However, within months, it emerged that the building was too small for the demand. The school was given the green light to proceed with an expansion plan in April 2022.

The school applied for planning permission in the autumn of 2024 to build a new two-storey extension comprising four classrooms, specialist rooms, toilets, stores and associated ancillary accommodation. The development also includes the provision of a new soft play external area.

Laois County Council has now removed the planning obstacle to addressing the school's need to expand with the grant of conditional permission for the development on April 25.

The demand from parents and shortage of space facing the principal and the board of management is revealed in figures from the school's annual admissions notice for 2025/26.

It states that 65 applicants were received, but just 18 places were available with the result that there were 45 children on the waiting list.

The pressure for space on the Borris Road school was one of the first issues raised by new Laois TD Willie Aird after his election to the Dáil.

He asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on the provision of two temporary classrooms at the school which has operating beyond its capacity despite moving into a new home in 2021. The school applied for temporary classrooms to allow it manage while waiting for delivery.

However, it emerged in late 2024 that management was instructed to reduce the number of classes from 19. The school was told last November that the request for two temporary classrooms had been refused by the Department and that class numbers should be reduced to 16. The school insisted however that it needs the extra space to meet the demand as it already had 45 children waiting for admission last year.

Former Minster for Education Normal Foley's reply to Dep Aird indicates that her Department had a change of mind on the outright refusal for extra temporary classrooms but has not yet given the green light.  MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department has received an application from the school in question for the provision of two temporary classrooms. The school currently has a project for four aa special education classrooms approved by the Department which is currently at design stage of the process," she said.

The reply said over €5.7 billion has been invested in schools since 2020 with more on the way in 2025.

It said the NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.

"Over the last two years, the department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special education placements ahead of each new school year.

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"The Department continues to work with the NCSE in relation to the short-term requirements for special class and special school places and the more strategic and longer-term requirements. The Department is aware that the NCSE is currently engaging with the patron of the school in question in this regard.

"I want to assure you that the department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education appropriate to their needs," said the written reply.

In an update to the Leinster Express/Laois Live in March 2025, the Department said it was progressing the provision of additional accommodation for St Francis.

The school is under the patronage of the Bishop of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin which also owns the site which was the location of the former St Pauls' Boys National School.

A Departmental whole school evaluation carried out in 2023 found teaching was of a high quality, with 'exemplary' teaching was observed in a small number of lessons.

Overall, it found a very high-quality relationship between staff and children and young people underpinned positive learning experiences.