Cork Education and Training Board (ETB) schools and education partners gathered for the national RISE (Realising Inclusive Special Education) showcase, which highlighted how inclusive practice is already improving learning, belonging and engagement for young people across the system.
Led by Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) in partnership with Mary Immaculate College (MIC), the RISE strategy supports schools to plan inclusively, collaborate within and across schools, and use resources more effectively for the benefit of all students. Schools at the showcase demonstrated clearer whole-school planning, smoother student transitions and stronger teamwork, reflecting a shift from isolated supports to shared responsibility.
Now embedded in over 220 post-primary schools nationwide, RISE is increasingly recognised as a practical model for system integration. Originally developed within the ETB sector, it now includes ETB, JMB and ACCS schools, and brings together schools, higher education institutions and national education agencies to align policy, practice and research.
Throughout the day, schools shared their work through posters, photo displays and video presentations, reflecting a shared commitment to belonging for all learners. These exhibits reinforced Helen Walsh’s (National Council for Special Education – NCSE) keynote message which emphasised belonging for all as the goal “all children are different, and all children belong.”
Parent perspectives were also central to the event. Sarah-Jane Gunn, parent and guidance counsellor, spoke about the importance of communication between schools and families, noting that inclusion is about how a child’s experience is shared, not just where they are placed.
In his closing keynote, Dr Brian MacGiolla Phádraig, Assistant Chief Inspector at the Department of Education and Youth, highlighted RISE as an example of effective collaboration across schools and agencies to drive sustainable change.
NATIONAL MOMENTUM
Dr Johanna Fitzgerald, ETBI National Inclusion, Special Education and Research Coordinator and RISE Lead, described RISE as a celebration of belonging, progress and partnership across school communities.
“RISE provides an architecture for self-improving schools. It shows what is possible when policy ambition is matched with sustained support for implementation,” she said.
The showcase also reflected the national momentum following Minister Naughton’s and Minister Moynihan’s announcement on enhanced resources to schools to continue providing inclusive special class provision.
Dr Fitzgerald noted that many schools are already working in this way.
“Special classes are most effective when they operate as a whole school resource, not a separate space,” she said. “The Minister’s announcement strengthens work already happening across our schools, where students stay connected to their peers while accessing flexible supports.”
