Laois special school in Portlaoise gets planning nod for urgently needed classrooms
29 April 2025
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.
Published in The Leinster Express, 29th April 2025