In the special class our primary focus is on education for life. Teaching life skills which can be transferred into the wider environment. A prime example of this is the area of food, nutrition and cookery. We name foods, classify e.g. fruit and vegetables, taste foods, talk about tastes, e.g. sweet and sour, we talk about colour, shape and texture. We talk about table manners and teach them through demonstration and role play. We learn how to set a table. We talk about foods that help our bodies to grow and treat foods and here we lay a foundation for later work on nutrition.

The children take part in cookery demonstrations observing basic cooking skills, learning about kitchen safety, learning to present food attractively and how to express likes and dislikes politely and all the language that is required for these topics.


Then all of this work comes together and the children prepare, cook, present and eat a meal every week. The children watch the teacher demonstrate how to prepare the meal and then help to prepare the meal themselves.

Every area of the curriculum is reinforced during these lessons. Measurement, reading instructions, costing the meal, using the kitchen equipment, setting the table and all the social language that is used during the day are all in themselves valuable mini lessons. The Special Education Room is also a particularly popular room with both the staff and pupils on cooking day.

All this work is displayed in the form of a Christmas dinner which the children prepare, serve and enjoy complete with guests. The children also make Christmas cakes from scratch which is very much envied. Also at the end of the year, the children are brought out for a meal where they get to assess someone else’s handiwork.

Then all of this work comes together and the children prepare, cook, present and eat a meal every week. The children watch the teacher demonstrate how to prepare the meal and then help to prepare the meal themselves.

Every area of the curriculum is reinforced during these lessons. Measurement, reading instructions, costing the meal, using the kitchen equipment, setting the table and all the social language that is used during the day are all in themselves valuable mini lessons. The Special Education Room is also a particularly popular room with both the staff and pupils on cooking day.

All this work is displayed in the form of a Christmas dinner which the children prepare, serve and enjoy complete with guests. The children also make Christmas cakes from scratch which is very much envied. Also at the end of the year, the children are brought out for a meal where they get to assess someone else’s handiwork.

The Special Needs class took on an extra project this year (December 2006). In memory of those who have gone before us, we decided to raise some money towards the Cancer Day Unit in Wexford Hospital. We had three fundraising days:-

(a) Homemade soup and rolls for staff lunch
(b) Coffee and cake morning break
(c) Christmas cake raffle.

Money raised was €1,000. Thanks to all who contributed and especially to Mrs. Rosemary Roche who baked cakes for the coffee morning.