School Staff
Staff Roles and Qualifications
The Board of Management of Jonah Special School complies with all recruitment procedures for staff as outlined by the Department of Education and Skills. All personnel employed by the school or engaged by the school in placements are fully Garda Vetted. References for all personnel are checked in advance of any position being offered by the school. Comprehensive in-house training is offered to all staff of Jonah Special School.
Principal
Caitríona Barry is our Principal Teacher and she is responsible for the day-to-day management of the school, including guidance and direction of the teachers and other staff in the school. Caitríona has worked in the school since 2011 and in special education since 2006. Given her level of experience she is able to provide strong leadership to the teachers, staff and the students in the school. One of her key responsibilities is to foster and promote a school environment which is supportive of learning among the students, and which promotes the professional development of the teachers. Another key role is to encourage the involvement of parents of students in the school in the education of those students.
Deputy Principal
Carol Deane is our Deputy Principal. She started working in Jonah Special School in 2017 as a class teacher and has been an integral part of our staff team since that time. In 2024 she took up the position of Deputy Principal and has embraced the role. Her role is varied and she is heavily involved in the leadership of the school team and policy development. Her work also involves child protection duties and ensuring the health and safety aspects of the school are up to scratch. Carol takes a lead role in the promotion of a Total Communication Approach across the school and is involved in liasing with parents and external agenices as well.
Clinical Director
Niamh McEvoy is our Clinical Director and Behaviour Analyst and is engaged on a consultative basis to oversee the implementation of clinical supports for our students. She employs and promotes neurodiversity affirming apporaches to support the students in the school. She works collaboratively with the principal and class teachers to provide training and support in evidence based practice. The Clinical Director also provides in-house support and training to all staff in the implementation of School Wide Neurodiversity affirming approaches to behaviour support. This includes utlising unconditional positive regard and Universal Design for Learning as a framework across the school.
Teaching Staff
Claire Smith joined the school staff in 2023 and works with senior classes following the Junior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 programmes. She is currently beginning to introduce elements of the Senior Cycle within her classroom, ensuring that teaching and learning are delivered in a structured, supportive, and student-centred manner appropriate to an autism-specific setting. Claire’s classroom practice places a strong emphasis on holistic development, communication, independence, and wellbeing. Alongside academic learning, students engage in a wide range of meaningful and sensory-informed activities throughout the school year, including community walks, basketball, yoga, meditation, art, baking, LAMH, science, and other enriching experiences. These activities support social development, life skills, and positive engagement with the wider community.
Liezel Von Rooyen is a dedicated and passionate teacher who consistently promotes and implements neurodiversity-affirming approaches to support all students within the school. She joined the school community in September 2025 and works with students across a range of programmes, including Aistear, the Primary Curriculum, and the Junior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 programmes. Liezel’s classroom practice places a strong emphasis on student voice and recognises each learner as an individual with their own strengths, interests, and needs. Alongside academic learning, students participate in a rich variety of meaningful, sensory-informed experiences throughout the school year. These include daily community walks, physical education, art, weekly baking, Lámh, science, and many other engaging activities. Through these experiences, Liezel supports the development of social skills, independence, and life skills, while also fostering positive connections with the wider community.
Special Needs Assistants
All SNAs at Jonah Special School receive extensive in-house training as part of their training and induction. Their role is to ensure the students personal care needs are being met while also providing additional support to enable the child to participate to their fullest potential in educational activities.
Caretaker
The school has a part-time caretaker.
Additional Services/Clinical Supports
The School has worked closely with The School leavers Ability Project for a number of years now. This service has been a great addition to our transition planning process for our students as they come to the end of their years in Jonah.
The school has no direct connection with any individual clinical support service for additional services such as Occupational Therapy, Psychology or Speech and Language Therapy, we do however work closely with any clinical provider each child is assigned to and facilitate visits and multidisciplinary meetings with the class teacher where possible.