Scoil O Curain B
School Details
Location
About
Courtenay National School is an Urban DEIS Band 1 primary school situated in the centre of Newcastle West, Limerick, directly beside the county library and at the gateway to the Limerick Greenway. The school provides a full primary curriculum for Junior Infants through to Sixth Class, fostering a safe, happy and inclusive atmosphere where diversity and equality are actively celebrated. A distinctive feature of Courtenay is its specialist provision for children with additional needs. The school operates five special classes, including three dedicated Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) classrooms, a class for children with specific speech and language disorders, and a class for pupils with mild learning difficulties. These classes are supported by on‑site speech and language therapists and occupational therapists, and the 2023 extension added a sensory room, two further ASD classrooms, two learning‑support rooms and a modern kitchen, enhancing both therapeutic and mainstream learning environments. The campus also benefits from extensive recreational and sporting facilities, developed with the support of parents and the local parish community, providing ample opportunities for physical activity and extracurricular engagement.
History
The school traces its origins to 1706 when Sir William Courtenay, Earl of Devon, founded the original Courtenay Boys School. The first building, erected around 1720 in a laneway between Maiden Street and the River Arra, was later replaced in 1826 by a three‑roomed dressed‑limestone structure on the present site. In 1850 the school entered the national system; a brief period under the Christian Brothers (1858‑1880) followed, after which a teachers’ residence and handball alley were added. The deteriorating 19th‑century building was replaced in the mid‑1950s by a five‑roomed block, and a 1977 extension introduced six new classrooms and a purpose room. Specialist provision began in 1977 with a class for mild learning disability, expanded in 2000 with a speech‑and‑language disorder class, and further grew with ASD classes opened in 2017, 2019 and 2022. In April 2023 a new extension added a mainstream classroom, two ASD classrooms, a sensory room, two learning‑support rooms and a kitchen, reflecting the school’s ongoing development.