St Gabriel's Special School in Cork has officially opened following the completion of a substantial decarbonisation project delivered under the Schools Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme.

The project included remodelling, refurbishment, and energy retrofitting, which were all successfully executed within the active school environment through phased works. The Energy Retrofit Pathfinder Programme aims to enhance energy efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by 51 per cent, experimenting with deep retrofit techniques and low-carbon heating solutions.

The Pathfinder Programme is jointly funded by the Department of Education and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). This school project was administered by the SEAI and the Department of Education, with delivery support from Limerick Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB).

Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said: "I would like to congratulate the staff, pupils, parents and Board of Management in St Gabriel’s Special School in Cork on this milestone date. This project is an example of how this programme continues to assist the Department to explore options and test various solutions for decarbonised energy solutions in our broad range of school building types.

"The delivery of this transformational project while maintaining school operations is a credit to the great collaboration and understanding between the teams involved from the school, my Department, the SEAI and the design and contracting teams."

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Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for the Circular Economy and Communications, Ossian Smyth TD said: "It's great that the pupils and staff of St Gabriel’s will now enjoy a more comfortable and cosy school. The school will save money on its energy bills every year from now on. SEAI and the Department of Education will use the experience of upgrading St Gabriel’s when they upgrade other schools around the country."

Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan TD said: "The pupils, teachers and communities around our special schools show time and again how they can drive great innovation when it comes to school settings. The Schools Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme is for all types of schools and school buildings and is designed to support improved energy efficiency, which can help reduce school running costs. The reconfiguration works undertaken by St Gabriel's have helped to optimise their existing building to provide a refreshed and modern school environment which supports pupils’ physical, educational and sensory needs. I would like to wish them all the very best for the future as they settle into their upgraded environment."

CEO of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, William Walsh said: "SEAI is delighted to have supported the St Gabriel’s deep retrofit project and we intend to continue this invaluable partnership with the Department of Education and school communities across Ireland. The SEAI Pathfinder Programme has been growing significantly since its introduction in 2018, with a pipeline of over €200 Million in public sector pathfinder projects supported in the last two years. SEAI is working with the largest public sector energy users to test solutions through flagship projects like St Gabriel’s which clearly demonstrates the massive benefits of climate action in action. The Department of Education is a leader in this area and is committed along with SEAI and the other Pathfinder partners to continued climate action to benefit children, parents and teachers of today and securing the future for the next generations."

School Principal David Thomas said: "This is a very exciting time for our pupils and staff. We were extremely fortunate to partake in the 2022 Low Energy Retrofit programme. This has been a long time coming for our pupils and staff who have been based here in Bishopstown since 1998. A new, purpose built school has been highest on the agenda of each St. Gabriel's board, so this building is a culmination of the efforts of my two predecessors Margaret Lordan and Siobhan Allen.

"We are already reaping the benefits of a purpose built environment, catering to the complex sensory needs for our children and adolescents with severe intellectual disabilities, and will continue to do so for years to come."

So far, the Pathfinder Programme has upgraded 54 schools throughout Ireland, with an additional 24 schools currently undergoing different stages of the program.