Ms Rebecca Meehan:

I thank the Chairperson and members of the committee for the invitation to contribute to this crucial discussion on education for children with special educational needs. I am a mother to a wonderful son with additional needs and a member of the Equality in Education Ireland committee. We advocate alongside many families across Ireland who tirelessly navigate the school system to access our children's constitutional rights in education. Our experience shows that Ireland's education system is constantly firefighting at present, from early intervention right the way through to secondary school, with little forward planning or choice for parents. Families are often encouraged to accept whatever place they are offered, regardless of suitability.

This year, we have seen increased efforts from the Department to address the growing need in special education - we are very thankful for this - including the sanctioning of 399 new special classes. As of February 2025, 3,275 children were notified to the NCSE as needing a school place for September 2025. The Minister for Education has stated that 92% of these children have received offers, but approximately 8% remain without a place today.

The expansion of classes often requires building works or modular accommodations. However, with some classes sanctioned as late as April or May, there are serious concerns that these will not be ready for September. Examples of such schools are Libermann school, Dublin; Rochestown special school; Corpus Christi National School, Dublin; St. Mary's Boys' National School, in Lucan; Carrignavar special school, in Fermoy; and East Cork Community Special School.

Parents are often offered home tuition as an alternative to schooling, but this is not a viable option for many families. Many homes are not suitable environments for education, especially where there are multiple children or limited space. Additionally, qualified tutors are extremely difficult to find. I have personally interviewed five tutors over the past two years for my son's July provision alone and none of them could meet his needs.

Another critical issue is the shortage of educational psychologists within the National Educational Psychological Service. Principals report receiving only about three assessments per year on average, covering both mainstream and special classes. In some cases, psychologists have only been able to update reports for special classes without seeing the children directly. One parent on our committee has reported that NEPS hours were used to advise teachers on behavioural and sensory issues without direct child assessments, with parental permission given for discussions. If a child's needs are to be discussed, they must receive direct psychological support. We welcome the recent changes reducing the NEPS report requirements where children move between equal settings, hoping this will increase the support for children currently waiting.

We urgently call on the Department and the NCSE to provide transparent, realistic timelines for building works and class readiness for September 2025; develop and implement a plan B for our children whose school buildings will not be ready, ensuring that interim arrangements meet individual needs and involve parental agreement; and address the shortage of educational psychologists to meet assessment and support demands. I thank the committee for its time and consideration.