St Brids Special School
Castlebar, Mayo
Key facts
- Special school
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 40 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 9 girls, 31 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 19375B the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
St. Brid’s Special National School, situated on Pavilion Road in Castlebar, County Mayo, provides education for children aged 4½ to 18 years with moderate, severe and profound learning disabilities, including pupils on the autism spectrum. The school delivers a broad, child‑centred curriculum that prioritises each learner’s unique strengths and abilities. Individual Education Programmes are devised for every pupil, offering a wide range of learning experiences both within the classroom and in the wider community to promote social, emotional and intellectual development, as well as confidence, independence and self‑esteem. The school environment is designed to be safe, inclusive and inspiring, with high‑speed broadband connectivity supporting modern teaching resources. A dedicated team of staff engages in ongoing professional development to ensure innovative and current approaches to special education. Free, Department‑of‑Education‑provided transport is available, operated in partnership with St. Anthony’s Special School, with a bus escort accompanying pupils to and from their homes.
Applying to St Brids Special School
For a September 2027 place, a school's formal admissions process cannot begin before 1 October 2026. The school sets its own opening and closing dates in its annual admission notice.
National term dates 2026/27
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide primary school dates apply broadly to St Brids Special School. Individual schools set their own discretionary closure days, confirm exact dates with the school.
- October Mid-Term Break: Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct 2026
- Christmas Holidays: Wed 23 Dec 2026 – Tue 5 Jan 2027
- February Mid-Term Break: Thu 18 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027 (post-primary schools: Mon 15 Feb – Fri 19 Feb 2027)
- Easter Holidays: Mon 22 Mar – Sun 4 Apr 2027
Primary schools close for the last two days of the February mid-term week and may use discretionary days to take the full week, so their break can be shorter than post-primary schools'.
Frequently asked questions about St Brids Special School
How many pupils attend St Brids Special School?
St Brids Special School has 40 pupils enrolled, 9 girls and 31 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is St Brids Special School a DEIS school?
No. St Brids Special School is not part of DEIS, the Department of Education programme of additional supports for schools serving communities at risk of educational disadvantage. Not holding DEIS status says nothing about how good a school is, only about the profile of the community it serves.
What is the ethos of St Brids Special School?
St Brids Special School has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.