St Gabriels Special School
Murphy's Farm,, Curraheen Rd.,, Bishopstown,, Cork. · T12 EK57 · Roll number 20074R
St Gabriels Special School is one of 3 special schools in or within 3 km of Bishopstown. Every school in and around Bishopstown →
What stands out about St Gabriels Special School
- 54 pupils, near the middle for special schools in Ireland (the median is 58).
- Teaches through English, with Irish as a subject.
- Growing: 54 pupils, 26% more than the 43 of 2019/20.
- The largest of the 3 special schools around Bishopstown.
- 16 girls and 38 boys: more of one than the other.
- Its patron is Brothers of Charity (Southern Services) Brother John O'Shea; its ethos is Catholic.
Pupils over time
2015/16 to 2025/26St Gabriels Special School had 54 pupils in 2025/26, against 38 in 2015/16 (+42%). Girls are 30% of them. Its roll rose in 5 of the 10 years.
Department of Education enrolments at 30 September each year; girls and boys where the lists give them.
No letter for St Gabriels Special School
Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing schools by them, so this school has no letter and nothing here ranks it. Its facts are the Department of Education’s; its inspection reports are linked below.
What the Department of Education does publish for St Gabriels Special School is on this page: its pupils each September since 2015/16, girls and boys, its patron and ethos, whether it teaches through Irish, whether it is in DEIS, and its inspection reports.
Newspapers print lists of how many of a school’s leavers go on to college. Those count destinations, not exam results, and depend on who a school takes in; we don’t use them.
Inspection reports on St Gabriels Special School
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate visits schools and publishes its reports. The reports describe what inspectors saw; they give no overall grade, and we don’t make one. Reports for this school on gov.ie ↗
Inspectors visit every kind of school. Whole-school evaluations look at teaching and learning, leadership and management; subject inspections look at one subject; follow-through inspections check whether earlier advice was taken. Each report is published on gov.ie with the school’s response.
Getting a place at St Gabriels Special School
Every school admits under its own published admission policy; no admissions numbers are published.
Places at St Gabriels Special School follow a professional report on the child’s needs; the National Council for Special Education’s local special educational needs organiser helps families apply.
A school with more applicants than places admits on the criteria in its admission policy, often brothers and sisters, the area it serves and, for post-primary schools, its feeder primaries. A family refused a place can appeal.
Places in special classes and special schools are allocated with the National Council for Special Education.
No figures on applications are published, but the roll shows demand: St Gabriels Special School has grown by 26% since 2019/20. All the schools around Bishopstown together changed by +0%.
Pupils since 2019/20
Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018; Department of Education enrolments 2019/20 and 2025/26 (preliminary).
Side by side with the nearest special schools
2025/26The nearest schools of the same kind, as the crow flies: their pupils, ethos and language. No results: none are published.
Of the 6 nearest special schools, 3 have more pupils than St Gabriels Special School. Since 2019/20 its roll has changed by +26%; 0 of the 4 grew faster.
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Gabriels Special School | 54 | +26% | Catholic | English | ||
| Cork University Hos School | 17 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 1.9 km | |
| Our Lady of Good Counsel N.S. | 68 | +0% | Catholic | English | 5 km | |
| St Kevins School | 10 | – | Catholic | English | 5.1 km | |
| Scoil Aislinn | 36 | +0% | Other | English | 5.9 km | |
| Scoil Eanna | 66 | −14% | Catholic | English | 7.2 km | |
| St Paul's School | 92 | −5% | Catholic | English | 7.3 km |
The other 12 special schools in Co. Cork
| School | Pupils | Since 2019/20 | Ethos | Language | DEIS | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School of the Divine Child (Scoil an Linbh Íosa) | 46 | +28% | Catholic | English | 7.4 km | |
| St Bernadettes Spec Sch | 132 | +1% | Catholic | English | 7.5 km | |
| St Killians Spec Sch | 106 | +31% | Catholic | English | 8.3 km | |
| Cara Junior School | 72 | +11% | Catholic | English | 8.7 km | |
| Rochestown Community Special School | 66 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 9.6 km | |
| Scoil Triest | 72 | +1% | Catholic | English | 10 km | |
| St Marys Spec Sch | 85 | +29% | Catholic | English | 11 km | |
| Sonas Special Primary Junior School | 48 | +14% | Other | English | 11 km | |
| Carrigaline Community Special School | 47 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 12 km | |
| East Cork Community Special School | 21 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 19 km | |
| North Cork Community Special School | 19 | – | Multi-denominational | English | 33 km | |
| Holy Family S S | 87 | −1% | Catholic | English | 54 km |
Living in Bishopstown
The town’s figures, not this street’s.
Homes in the T12 Eircode area
Housing in Bishopstown →The median sale price rose from €355,000 in 2023 to €412,200 in 2025 (+16%).
New against second-hand, 2023 to 2025
Property Price Register sales in the T12 Eircode routing area, 2023 to 2025.
Renting in Bishopstown
Cost of living in Bishopstown →New tenancies in Bishopstown averaged €2,147 a month in 2025, against €1,996 in 2024 (+8%).
Residential Tenancies Board rent index, new tenancies, 2024 and 2025.
Location
Directions ↗Bishopstown, T12 EK57
Special schools near St Gabriels Special School
Nearest first, as the crow flies, up to 25 km. Each school’s own admission policy decides who gets a place.
Questions about St Gabriels Special School
Is St Gabriels Special School a good school?
We don’t grade it: Ireland publishes no exam results school by school, and section 53 of the Education Act 1998 restricts comparing them. Its inspection reports on gov.ie, a visit and a talk with the principal will tell you more than any table could.
How many pupils does St Gabriels Special School have?
54 pupils in 2025/26. That is +26% since 2019/20.
Does St Gabriels Special School teach through Irish?
No: St Gabriels Special School teaches in English, with Irish as a subject.
Who runs St Gabriels Special School?
St Gabriels Special School has a Catholic ethos. Its patron is Brothers of Charity (Southern Services) Brother John O'Shea.
How do pupils get a place at St Gabriels Special School?
Apply to the school directly. It publishes an admission policy and a yearly admission notice with its dates; if more children apply than it has places, it admits on the criteria in its policy.
Which schools of the same kind are near St Gabriels Special School?
The nearest are Cork University Hos School (1.9 km), Our Lady of Good Counsel N.S. (5 km) and St Kevins School (5.1 km).
Sources: Department of Education, school lists 2025/26 (preliminary) and enrolments since 2015/16, CC BY 4.0 · inspection reports on gov.ie, linked by roll number. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Facts from the Department of Education’s school lists. Listed with Bishopstown; nothing here rates the school.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).