'A long time coming' two Laois schools get building goahead by Department of Education

Two vital and popular Laois schools have been approved to get new school buildings and an extension, within the next two years.

Coláiste Iosagain secondary school in Portarlington and St Francis School in Portlaoise, for Laois children with learning disabilities, have made it to the Department of Education's school building list for 2026 and 2027. 

However Dunamase College's long awaited first school building in Portlaoise is not on the list, as had been expected. 

Coláiste Iosagáin is the biggest school in Laois and Offaly, with nearly 1,200 pupils. It has been left waiting for a new building for over a decade, relying greatly on prefab classrooms.

Principal Justin Brown gave the Leinster Express / Laois Live his reaction.

"This is a long time coming. A design team was appointed in 2014 to build an extension. It was then decided we would get a new school. That meant more of a delay but at least we are moving now.

"We were granted planning in 2024 so are ready to go. We currently have 1184 pupils and are the largest secondary school in Laois and Offaly and in terms of size we are nineteenth nationally," he said.

Coláiste Iosagáin principal Justin Brown with students Sarah Slevin, Dean Horan, Daire Moore and Maeve Garry.

He describes how much they rely on prefab classrooms.

"Our students, staff and the local community have been waiting patiently for this news and so deserve a new school.

"We are very fortunate that the Department have looked after us in recent years with prefabs - we have eight blocks of prefabs with as much rooms out in the prefabs now as we do in the school building. They house state of the art Computer Rooms, Home Economics Rooms, Construction Rooms and Science Labs. At least with our new school we will all be under the one roof and the students and staff won't get wet going and coming from classes," Mr Brown said.

The current building for Coláiste Iosagáin secondary school in Portarlington.

St Francis School in Portlaoise was only built in 2022 - see photos from official opening here - but was immediately not big enough. It currently has some 40 children with learning disabilities on a waiting list to get in.

John Moran, Principal stresses that there must be no delay in work starting.

"We welcome the approval of our extension by the Department of Education. St. Francis School is in urgent need of additional accommodation due to the exponential growth in our pupil population.

"We continue to advocate for building work to commence this summer. That remains our bottom line, and there should be no deviation from this timeline. The project must be given priority status in circumstances where Laois is currently facing a crisis in special education provision in the county and the surrounds," Mr Moran told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

Last week Laois County Council confirmed it is allowing the school to permanently use its field next door for recreation, as they have to extend on top of their playground.  St Francis School parents had fought a long battle to even get a new school, replacing a prefab that was much too small and poorly insulated.

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Dunamase College / Coláiste Dhún Masc was founded in 2017 as the first bilingual Irish English secondary school in Laois.

Its students rely on multiple older school buildings in the town centre. A site is bought and ready and a planning application was due to be submitted in mid 2025 for the new 1,000 place school south of Portlaoise off the Timahoe Road and southern ring road.  See images of the new Dunamase College.