Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this debate on behalf on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as it gives the Government an opportunity to outline the process of monitoring demand for school placements for children with special needs, including those with autism, and providing placements accordingly.

The Deputy is aware that this Government is committed to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through primary and post-primary school networks. 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.

Young people with autism transitioning from primary school placements have a number of alternative options, including mainstream placement in post-primary school with support, placement in a special class in a mainstream school or placement in a special class in a special school. The Deputy will also be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is responsible, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with special educational needs, including autism. It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in various geographical areas as required.

SENOs engage with schools annually in order to plan for and to open new special classes each year in order to ensure there are sufficient special class placements available at primary and post-primary school level to meet demand in a given area. Special classes within mainstream schools are intended for children who, by virtue of their level of special educational needs, cannot reasonably be educated in a mainstream class setting but who can still attend their local school in a special class with a lower pupil-teacher ratio and special needs assistant support. The total number of special classes for children with autism in mainstream schools throughout the country at the end of 2014 was 626, of which 152 were in post-primary schools.

The NCSE has advised the Department of Education and Skills that it is currently planning, through its local network of SENOs, for a number of new special classes for the coming school year. SENOs 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 2015 and 2016. This work is ongoing in some counties and SENOs continue to liaise and work with schools in order to meet the demand for such placements at local level.

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