'I'm losing sleep over the situation,' mom of autistic boy in Tipperary fights for school place

A mother of a child with autism living in Tipperary, who has no confirmation of a school place this September is extremely worried that her son will not find a place in a school by then.

Samantha Bray from Ardfinnan has applied for a place for her son Oisín Cahill, in two special education schools in Cashel, but she will not know the outcome until March 14.

She told Tipperary Live that she is extremely worried as the applications for a place in these two schools are far more than the limited spaces available.

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“It was suggested that I also send applications into an ASD unit for Oisín, but it would not be suitable for him. He’s not toilet trained and I’d have to go to the school to change him. Not to mention he is non-verbal and would be more suited to a special school rather than an ASD unit. So this limits his chances more. The right school would bring him on, he’s excelled in the playschool he attends in Tipperary Town. They’re brilliant there, it would be a shame to see him regress if he does not begin school this September.

"I’m losing sleep over the situation, I’ve been so stressed. We sent in the application form in October and I’ve been worrying about it ever since then.” said Oisín’s mom Samantha.

With only two schools catering for students with moderate or severe learning disabilities in the South Tipperary area, there is a need for these schools to be expanded or another to be built to accommodate parents who are not lucky enough to make the enrolment list this September.

“The schools in Cashel, their secretaries and principals have been amazing. They’re doing an amazing job but sadly they’re being put under a lot of pressure due to the situation, their hands are tied and it’s not fair on them either. The system is broken.”

One of these schools, Scoil Aonghusa in Cashel, has advised that they only have nine places available for the 2025/26 upcoming school year. They also have only two places available in an ASD unit within the school. Oisín’s grandmother Julie Bray, said she worried about the young boy missing out if he does not enrol in school this year.

“It would be a pity seeing him miss out on going to school but it’s a real possibility given the numbers applying. The school's admissions take into account if a child lives in the town of the school and if they have a relative in the school also. That leaves children living outside of Cashel in the dark as they have no other option but to apply to these two special schools which are closest to them. If Oisín had to travel further to Nenagh it would be too much for him, he’d spend almost two hours a day travelling or even longer. That’s not fair.

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"The whole situation has been hard on the whole family, we’ve all been very stressed he won’t find a place in a school come September.”

Samantha and her family now have to wait until March 14 when they will finally find out if Oisín will begin school in September or whether he will be one of the many children around Ireland without a place.