Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am responding to this Topical Issue on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl for raising this issue and thereby giving me an opportunity to clarify the position in respect of this matter. As he will be aware, this Government is committed to ensuring all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can access an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post-primary school network. Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes, which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions delivered by fully qualified professional teachers with the support of special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible through its network of local special educational needs organisers for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with special educational needs, including autism. It is the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in communities where the need for such classes has been identified. It is also required to consider and manage applications from schools to establish special classes for students with autism, including the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required. Special classes in mainstream schools are intended for children who, by virtue of their level of special educational need, cannot reasonably be educated in a mainstream class setting but can still attend their local school in a special class with a lower pupil teacher ratio and special needs assistant support.

At the end of 2013, the total number of special classes for children with special educational needs, including autism, in mainstream schools was 516, of which 171 were in post-primary schools. The NCSE has advised the Department that it is planning, through its local network of special educational needs organisers, to establish a number of new special classes for the coming school year. Special educational needs organisers have been working with local schools on a national basis over the past number of months to plan and establish special classes for children with special educational needs who require such placements for 2014-15. This work is ongoing in some counties. Special educational needs organisers continue to liaise and work with schools to meet the demand for such placements at local level.

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