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11 Oct 2025

Lack of time and space for new Laois special education classrooms

Nine schools were instructed to open the classes by September

Lack of time and space for new Laois special education classrooms

Clockwise: Portlaoise College, The Rock NS, Gaelscoil Phort Laoise, Castlecuffe NS, Scoil Chríost Rí and Presentation Primary Portarlington,

The clock is counting down to September and the delivery of new special education classrooms in nine Laois primary and secondary schools.

However many are unlikely to be able to deliver by the start of the year, due to insufficient time and space.

Last March, the Department of Education told nine Laois schools that it would fund new special classes and they were to be installed by September.

They are: Presentation Primary School Portarlington, Gaelscoil Phort Laoise, Portlaoise College, Scoil Chríost Rí, The Rock NS, Killeshin NS, Castlecuffe NS, Ratheniska NS and Ballyfin NS.  Each new class has been allocated six places, two special needs assistants and one teacher.

St Francis Special School in Portlaoise is also told to deliver more classes.

Independent Republican TD for Laois Brian Stanley has this week told the Minister for Special Education, Michael Moynihan of the pressure the sanctioning has created, speaking in the Dáil.

“School places continue to be a major challenge in county Laois. New classes have been granted and I welcome that. New posts have been granted, but accommodation continues to be a problem and there is no timeline for delivery, despite classes being announced.

"Schools are asking where they can put the classes. Offices, little school libraries, which are generally small rooms, and storage areas, including cupboards, are being used as classrooms.

"Killeshin National School will get two special classes. There are very positive staff there and a positive principal in Ms McGuill, but they are struggling now to try to get those classrooms on site and to get work done for September when the two new classes of children will land in on top of them.

"I welcome that St Francis School in Portlaoise has been granted two modular classrooms. It has been approved. The work is due to start in a few weeks. I urge the departmental officials who are here to do everything they can to advance that and give it a sense of urgency.

"More children are coming in this year than going out. John Moran, the principal, and the staff are doing excellent work, but they only have 12 classrooms for the 19 classes. The modular classrooms need to be completed to get them ready this year.

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"Four permanent classrooms have been granted planning permission and sanctioned by the Department. Again, that is welcome, but there will be a huge enrolment in September 2026 and St Francis School needs the extra space to meet that. Four classrooms have been sanctioned. The work is ready to go and will soon need final sign-off. Planning permission has been granted. That project needs a sense of urgency now to ensure St Francis School is able to take all those additional pupils in September 2026. The two modular classrooms are needed this September," Dep Stanley said.

"Anything the officials can do to advance these projects would be welcome and appreciated by the boards of management, staff and parents,” he said.

Read also: Penneys gets green light for major Laois expansion - again

After the announcement in March, the Leinster Express / Laois Live spoke to principals in six of the schools, with many saying while they welcomed the additions, finding the space and time to install them was going to be a challenge.

The Castlecuffe Principal is Bridie Dunne.

"The room we will use for a special class, we had used for small assemblies and drama classes, and for visitors when they came to the school. We no longer have that now, we don't have a general purpose area anymore where we can all meet together, unless we go outside," she said in March.

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