School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa)
Cork · Roll number 18483W
- Special school
- Physical disability
- Catholic ethos
- Not DEIS
- Pupils in 2025/26
- 46
- +5 on 2024/25
- Over 10 years
- +53%
- Up 16 from 30 in 2015/16
- Over 20 years: +31% from 35 in 2005/06
- Girls and boys
- 23 / 23
- 50% girls
The Department of Education publishes only the number of pupils, girls and boys in each special school, not pupils by class, so this page has no class or class size figures. Pupils in special schools can be aged 4 to 18. All special schools
Pupils since 1993
Total enrolment each school year
Shaded: the last 10 years, 2015/16 to 2025/26. Until 2010/11 the Department listed special schools with mainstream schools; from 2011/12 they have their own list. Pupils on 30 September each year. Known data issues
Teachers
Teaching posts and special needs assistants (SNAs) at School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa), 2018/19 to 2025/26.
Where these figures come from
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates each special school its teaching posts and SNAs, and these are its figures as published each year. They're posts, not people: part of a post can be a teacher shared with another school. The NCSE published no figures for special schools for 2020/21 and 2021/22. From 2026/27 it lists a principal and deputy who don't teach a class separately; earlier files don't say how they're counted. Known data issues
In 2025/26
8teaching posts
The NCSE's allocation: about 5.8 pupils per teaching post.
- Teaching postsTeachers for the school's classes, allocated by the NCSE 8
20 special needs assistants (SNAs) also work with pupils.
The NCSE has allocated 8 teaching posts, a principal and a deputy principal who don't teach a class, and 22 SNAs for next year.
Teachers since 2018/19
Teaching posts each school year. Point at a bar for its SNAs.
Dashed boxes: the NCSE published no figures for special schools for those years. Known data issues
Source: NCSE special school allocations (CC BY 4.0).
Nearby
The special schools closest to School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa), and the mainstream schools within 10 km that have special classes, measured in a straight line.
Nearest special schools
| Number on map | School | Distance | Pupils | Since 2015/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa)This school | – | 46 |
+53.3%
|
|
| 1 | St Paul's School1.1 km · Cork · Moderate general learning disability | 1.1 km | 92 |
−3.2%
|
| 2 | Scoil Eanna1.2 km · Cork · Mild general learning disability | 1.2 km | 66 |
−1.5%
|
| 3 | St Bernadettes Spec SCH1.2 km · Montenotte, Co. Cork · Mild general learning disability | 1.2 km | 132 |
+8.2%
|
| 4 | Scoil Aislinn1.5 km · Cork · Autism | 1.5 km | 36 | – |
| 5 | St Killians Spec SCH2.0 km · Cork · Specific learning disability | 2.0 km | 106 |
+53.6%
|
Special classes within 10 km145 classes in 60 mainstream schools in 2025/26, from the NCSE
| Number on map | School | Distance | Classes | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | S N Barra Naofa Bhuach0.9 km · 2 autism classes | 0.9 km | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | S N Barra Naofa Cailini0.9 km · 2 autism classes | 0.9 km | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Scoil Naomh Micheal0.9 km · 2 autism classes | 0.9 km | 2 | 2 |
| 9 | Scoil Ursula1.3 km · 2 autism classes | 1.3 km | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | S N Naomh Antaine1.4 km · 2 autism classesA new class in 2026/27 | 1.4 km | 2 | 3 |
| 11 | Gaelscoil an Ghoirt Alainn1.5 km · An autism class | 1.5 km | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Our Lady of Lourdes1.6 km · An autism class | 1.6 km | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Scoil Naomh Brid C1.7 km · 2 autism classesA new class in 2026/27 | 1.7 km | 2 | 3 |
What parents would prefer
In the Department of Education and Youth's Primary School Survey (November–December 2025), parents said whether they would prefer this school to be co-educational or single-sex, to have a denominational or multi-denominational patron, and to teach through Irish or English. These are preferences, not applications or enrolments.
Children at this school
Their parents: 14 of 45 households answered (31%). The true figures are likely within 20.1 points either way.
Patron
Teaching language
Boys and girls
Children not yet at school
Fewer than 30 parents of children not yet at school chose this school, so the Department didn't publish their answers.
The bracket shows the margin of error the Department published for this school: 20.1 points either way.
| Parents of | Multi-denominational | Through Irish | Single-sex |
|---|---|---|---|
| This school · children at school | 29% | 0% | 14% |
| Ballintemple–CorkCity planning area · children at school | 59% | 19% | 17% |
| Ballintemple–CorkCity planning area · children not yet at school | 59% | 23% | 16% |
| Ireland · children at school | 44% | 20% | 5% |
| Ireland · children not yet at school | 47% | 26% | 6% |
Source: Department of Education and Youth, Primary School Survey results, published 23 June 2026. Planning-area and Ireland figures also count parents at schools where too few answered for the school to get its own results. About these figures
About this school
Inspection reports open on gov.ie, under the name the school had when it was inspected. Newer schools may not have one yet.
Contact
- Principal
- Fiona Thomas
- Phone
- 0214291804
- [email protected]
- Address
- Lavanagh Centre,, Ballintemple, Cork, T12 NT26
School
- Ethos
- Catholic
- NCSE designation
- Physical disability
- Patron
- Bishop of Cork & Ross
- School type
- Special school
- DEIS
- Not DEIS
Language and area
- Irish classification
- No subjects through Irish
- Gaeltacht
- Non-Gaeltacht
- Island
- Not on an island
- Local authority
- Cork City Council
- Planning area
- Ballintemple–CorkCity
Each detail is the latest one the Department of Education has recorded for this school. The designation is the need the NCSE lists the school as set up for; many special schools now take pupils with a wider range of needs. Known data issues
Data by year
33 school years from 1993/94 to 2025/26.
| Year | Total | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 46 | 23 | 23 |
| 2024/25 | 41 | 22 | 19 |
| 2023/24 | 46 | 25 | 21 |
| 2022/23 | 44 | 25 | 19 |
| 2021/22 | 38 | 18 | 20 |
| 2020/21 | 40 | 16 | 24 |
| 2019/20 | 36 | 12 | 24 |
| 2018/19 | 39 | 15 | 24 |
| 2017/18 | 36 | 13 | 23 |
| 2016/17 | 33 | 11 | 22 |
| 2015/16 | 30 | 10 | 20 |
| 2014/15 | 24 | 6 | 18 |
| 2013/14 | 22 | 9 | 13 |
| 2012/13 | 20 | 7 | 13 |
| 2011/12 | 19 | 7 | 12 |
| 2010/11 | 22 | 5 | 17 |
| 2009/10 | 19 | 7 | 12 |
| 2008/09 | 24 | 7 | 17 |
| 2007/08 | 25 | 8 | 17 |
| 2006/07 | 31 | 12 | 19 |
| 2005/06 | 35 | 15 | 20 |
| 2004/05 | 38 | 14 | 24 |
| 2003/04 | 43 | 17 | 26 |
| 2002/03 | 48 | 19 | 29 |
| 2001/02 | 48 | 19 | 29 |
| 2000/01 | 50 | 20 | 30 |
| 1999/00 | 49 | 19 | 30 |
| 1998/99 | 51 | 21 | 30 |
| 1997/98 | 50 | 22 | 28 |
| 1996/97 | 52 | 22 | 30 |
| 1995/96 | 53 | 25 | 28 |
| 1994/95 | 53 | 24 | 29 |
| 1993/94 | 54 | 26 | 28 |