St Josephs Special School
WATERFORD
Key facts
- Special school
- Mixed
- Pupils enrolled
- 96 smaller than the median Irish primary school (123 pupils)
- Girls and boys
- 31 girls, 65 boys
- Ethos
- Catholic
- Teaching through Irish
- No subjects through Irish
- Roll number
- 19244J the Department of Education reference for this school
School details
About
St Joseph’s Special School is a dedicated educational centre for children and young people with additional learning needs. The school offers a structured curriculum delivered through distinct curriculum cycles, ensuring that each learner receives instruction that is appropriately paced and tailored to their individual abilities. Emphasis is placed on holistic development, with a strong focus on wellbeing activities that support emotional and social growth alongside academic progress. The school provides a supportive environment for families, featuring a regularly updated parents’ calendar and a range of policies designed to promote transparency and consistency in practice. Facilities are organised to accommodate specialised learning programmes, and the institution maintains a secure online presence that respects user privacy, employing only a session cookie for security purposes.
Applying to St Josephs 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
View St Josephs Special School's own calendar (2026/2027 school year)
Irish schools follow a standardised school year, so these nationwide primary school dates apply broadly to St Josephs Special School. The school publishes its own calendar, linked above, and that is the authoritative source for its reopening date and discretionary closure days.
- 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 Josephs Special School
How many pupils attend St Josephs Special School?
St Josephs Special School has 96 pupils enrolled, 31 girls and 65 boys. That makes it smaller than the median Irish primary school, which has 123 pupils.
Is St Josephs Special School a DEIS school?
No. St Josephs 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 Josephs Special School?
St Josephs Special School has a Catholic ethos. It is a mixed primary school.