St Ita's & St Joseph's School

01/09/2026

Fantastic news for the pupils of St. Ita’s and St. Joseph’s Special School! 🎉🥳

We are delighted that our school has been included in the latest expansion of the Government’s Education Therapy Service (ETS). This will provide our pupils with access to dedicated Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy supports within the school setting.

Having therapists working directly in our school will make a meaningful difference to our pupils, supporting their communication, independence, regulation and participation in everyday school life. It will also promote closer collaboration between therapists, families and school staff, while reducing the need for pupils to miss valuable class time or travel to appointments.

We sincerely thank Minister Norma Foley for providing this important opportunity for our pupils and for her continued support of children and young people with additional needs. This is a very positive development for our entire school community 🙏🏻

🟢Education Therapies to be Rolled-Out to All Special Schools in Kerry 🟡

I am delighted to confirm the roll-out of education therapies to all special schools in Kerry.

Students attending St Ita's and St Joseph's Special School, Tralee, Nano Nagle Special School, Listowel and St Francis Special School, Beaufort will have access to speech and language therapists and occupational therapists on the school premises.

I established the Education Therapy Service when I was Minister for Education to ensure that children and young people in special schools can access the right educational supports at the right time.

The service is being delivered by the National Council for Special Education. It recently completed a recruitment campaign for 90 Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists. The first cohort of therapists were recruited in May this year, with further therapists continuing to join over the coming months.

I am very pleased that this service is now being rolled out to special schools including St Ita's & St Joseph's School, Nano Nagle Special School Listowel and St Francis Special School Beaufort. I look forward to further expansion of the service to more schools in Kerry.

27/08/2026

Well done Enis. 👏👏

A dream came true for one very special 11-year-old Castleisland boy - who has suffered from strokes since he was just 10 years old - when he got to organise a spectacular fashion show thanks to Make-A-Wish Ireland.
In this week’s Kerry’s Eye - Fashion show dream comes true for Enis

27/08/2026

🌟 Welcome Back! 🌟

We are delighted to welcome all our pupils back to school tomorrow! We hope everyone has had a wonderful break and is feeling ready for the new school year. 😊

Tomorrow will be a shorter school day, finishing at 12.00 noon. This will give our pupils the opportunity to ease gently back into their school routine, reconnect with familiar staff and friends, and settle into their new classrooms and surroundings at a comfortable pace.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone and getting the new school year off to a happy and positive start! 💙

Welcome back, everyone! 🎉

19/08/2026

📢 Leaving Cert Results – Friday

We would like to wish all our Leaving Cert students the very best of luck as they receive their results this Friday. 🍀

The school will be open from 11.00am to 11.30am for students collecting their results.

Congratulations to all our students on reaching this important milestone, and we wish you every success in the future! 🎓✨

19/08/2026

🌟 Wishing Enis the very best of luck! 🌟

We are so proud of our student Enis O’Connor, who will be taking part in the wonderful Wish Upon a Runway event in aid of Make-A-Wish Ireland on Saturday, 22nd August, from 4 - 6pm at the Killarney Plaza Hotel. 💫

The event will feature a fantastic celebration of pre-loved fashion, all while supporting the incredible work of Make-A-Wish Ireland.

A huge well done to Enis for being involved in such a special event. We hope you have a brilliant day and enjoy every minute of it! 💙

If you’re in Killarney or available on the day, please come along and support Enis and this fantastic cause.

Best of luck, Enis — everyone at St. Ita’s & St. Joseph’s is cheering you on! 🌟👏💙

19/08/2026

Are you seeking a Special School or Autism Class place for your child for September 2027?
Join us for an online webinar tomorrow, Wednesday, 19 August at 7pm, where Sarah Ledwidge from the National Council for Special Education - NCSE will discuss:

• The role of the Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO)
• How to contact your child’s SENO
• Supports available within schools
• The Parents Notify Portal and application process

Parents Notify allows parents and guardians to inform the NCSE that they are seeking a Special School or Autism Class placement for their child for September 2027.
The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A. You can also submit a question in advance when registering.

Register here: https://eu01web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1717860998157/WN_vW1RjK7lTDuDjAf4B3UCvg

13/08/2026

03/08/2026

💙💛 We are incredibly grateful to Clodagh, Amelia and their families for choosing to support St Ita's & St Joseph's Special School through their now annual summer bake sale.

Their hard work, dedication and kindness, together with the incredible generosity of everyone who baked, donated, called in to support, or contributed in any way, is truly appreciated.

We are so lucky to have such wonderful young people and such a caring community supporting our school. Thank you for thinking of our pupils and for making such a positive difference.

Congratulations, girls – you should be so proud of yourselves. We certainly are! ❤️👏

Thank you from everyone at St Ita's & St Joseph's Special School. 💙💛

Tracy O'Connor

30/07/2026

A wonderful opportunity being made available at MTU Kerry Campus 👏🏻👏🏻

New at MTU Kerry Campus 🎓

The Certificate in Personal and Professional Development for Employability and Further Studies is a new programme for students (18+) with intellectual disabilities.

Over two years, students will experience life on campus, build skills in communication, IT, advocacy and self-development, and complete work experience on and off campus. The programme runs 3 days a week (9am to 3pm) from September 2026, with dedicated learning supports throughout.

✅ No fees (waived by MTU for this pilot)
✅ 10 places available
✅ Supported through HEA PATH 4 Phase 2

📅 Apply by 20 September 2026
👉 Learn more and apply online: https://www.mtu.ie/courses/tlsppdeu

For further information contact Gerard at [email protected] or 066 7191904

An easy-read version of all course information is available on the course page: https://www.mtu.ie/courses/tlsppdeu/

10/07/2026

As our Summer Programme comes to an end, we would like to take a moment to thank our wonderful staff for their dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment over the past two weeks. Their kindness, creativity, and hard work ensured that our students enjoyed a fun-filled and memorable programme.

We are incredibly lucky to have such a dedicated team who continue to give so generously of their time and energy to make the Summer Programme such a success.

Finally, we would like to wish all of our students, families, and staff a wonderful, safe, and relaxing summer. Thank you for another fantastic Summer Programme, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in the new school year.