Scoil Sinead Ltd was founded in April 2016 as the brain child of Sherene Powell-Okafor a mother of a young girl with autism. Sherene has lived in Ireland for close to twenty years and married Dr. Ike Okafor a medical doctor and Consultant at Temple Street. Together they established the HOPE Autism Care Centre which caters to pre-schoolers who are offered an early start in the Montessori approach and ABA for pupils with and without Autism. The Clinical Director of HOPE Autism Jennifer Sheridan (BCBA) joined in the establishment of Scoil Sinead along with Michelle Sheridan (accountant) and Jean-Marie Thompson a Vice Principal and Special Education Needs teacher for close to twenty years in Ireland.

The vision was shared with six other persons from different walks of life who share a similar concern for full Inclusion of all pupils believing that through our philosophy these young lives will be changed to make a significant contribution to their community, country and wider world as they benefit from total inclusion. Please Click HERE for more information on our board members

The vision merged into the concept of a primary and post-primary school for pupils with and without special needs where there would be inclusion at the heart of the ethos. The concept is unique where pupils with autism would be able to progress with their peers throughout their time in school without being in a Unit set apart from the mainstream. Scoil Sinead believes such a model does not offer a true sense of Inclusion.

Through the Scoil Sinead model education will be unique as it seeks to offer a model of teaching and learning so that every child’s true potential can be realized regardless of their individual challenges. The concept that students would be encouraged to learn through their own individual learning style and with the support of Individual Education Plans where necessary will enhance the teaching and learning.

Scoil Sinead believes it is important to offer an engaging, motivating and rewarding education to the pupils. We believe learning must be relevant and transferable and therefore support a range of learning approaches and contexts. The promotion of active learning is important along with celebrating diversity amongst students.

Scoil Sinead Ltd hopes to be patronage for both primary and post primary schools all over Ireland. This will be achieved through the patron body applying for schools from the Department of Education when they are put out to tender by going into the areas the schools are to be located and petitioning for parental preferences or by following whatever rules the Department of Education put out with the tender.

The activities the group has done so far and is continuing to do is as follows:

1. We are currently trustee partners with Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board for the new school in Lucan called Griffeen Community College. We have interviewed and appointed a principal Rachel McGrath and the school is currently enrolling for September 2017 and 2018.
2. In December 2016, the Department of Education announced a new school in the Pelletstown area of Dublin, we applied for Patronage and were awarded full patronage in May 2017. We are currently recruiting a Principal and establishing the school.
3. Directors training in charity legislation and marketing. Designing training packages for schools, and policies and procedures.
4. Fundraising both for the Patron Body and for the individual schools.