City of Dublin ETB is delighted to announce that it is to become the patron of a new special school in Dublin 7. This follows an announcement today by the Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD. The D7 Community Special School will open during the 2023-24 school year.  The school will operate under the Community National School (CNS) model. 

Speaking today, Dr. Christy Duffy, Chief Executive at City of Dublin ETB, said:

“We are delighted to announce the opening of the D7 Community Special School.  City of Dublin ETB is keen to ensure that we are constantly responding to the real needs of students with autism and complex learning needs.  As the state provider of education and training we know that this new school will be welcomed by the young people and their parents in Dublin city.” 

The D7 Community Special School will join our large family of Community Hospital Schools, post primary schools and Further Education and Training (FET) colleges in City of Dublin ETB.  This follows on from the announcement last month that City of Dublin ETB is to become the patron of a primary school St Enda’s NS, which will be renamed as South City Community National School (CNS) for the next school year.

Director of Schools, Mark McDonald added:

“City of Dublin ETB looks forward to working with the students and parents who will attend the D7 Community Special School.  We will ensure the highest standards of education and care are available within the school.  Our new school will be a state-run, co-educational, multi-denominational school, underpinned by the core values of excellence in education, respect, care, equality and community. This is another historic moment for City of Dublin ETB, as we open our first special school in the city.”

Announcing the decision, Chairperson of City of Dublin ETB, Councillor Keith Connolly, said, “City of Dublin ETB has a rich history of working with those who have additional support needs. We are very pleased to continue growing our educational provision at primary and post primary level and welcome the move towards the Community National School model both in Dublin and nationally. “