St Joseph’s Special School on Thomas Hynes Road, Newcastle. will next week celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding.

Catering for children with a moderate general learning disability, it is one of the largest special schools in the country but maintains the same small family feeling it’s held since it was established in 1964.

The school community will celebrate the special day on Friday next, June 14, along with Minister for Special Education, Hildegarde Naughton TD.

Past pupils, their families and past staff are warmly welcome to attend the school’s special day from 11.30am to 1pm, on the school playground.

St Joseph’s has a very dedicated staff of about 100 including teachers, SNAs, bus escorts and ancillary staff who take great care to have a warm welcoming child-centred school environment promoting teaching and learning.

The school follows the same curriculum as a mainstream school, tailored to be accessible to the pupils attending.

Under the patronage of the voluntary organisation Ability West, it provides educational programmes for pupils aged 4 to 18 with moderate general learning disabilities and for pupils with autism within this range.

The mission of the school is to provide for the unique academic, physical, social and emotional needs of its pupils.

It is committed to creating and maintaining an orderly, trusting, and caring environment where teaching and learning experiences are exciting and pupils are assisted as they develop independence.

All aspects of the school, both organisational and curricular are child centred and designed to accommodate individual learning so that all pupils may experience success.

The aim is to enable pupils to achieve their potential, allowing them to participate as independently as possible in their personal lives, within their local communities and in society in general.

St Joseph’s School was officially recognised by the Department of Education in January 1964. It was established by a then recently formed voluntary organisation, The Galway County Association for Mentally Handicapped Children (now Ability West) in response to a need to provide for children and adolescents who were not being catered for in the state system.

Pictured: Sarah McGinley, Principal, with staff and pupils at the newly painted entrance to St Joseph’s Special School, on Thomas Hynes Road, Newcastle. The school community will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its opening on June 14, when past pupils, their families and past staff are invited to attend. Photo: Iain McDonald.