Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Chomhairle. I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague in the Department of Education, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who is not available. I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this matter as it provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Dáil the current position in respect of the accommodation needs of Ratoath Junior National School, in Ratoath, County Meath and the Government's, my firm commitment, and the Department of Education's firm commitment to enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to those needs. As outlined by Deputy O'Rourke, the funding for a special educational needs reconfiguration project for Ratoath Junior National School was provided and announced last summer.

A capital allocation has been provided for that associated with the planning and building unit's additional school accommodation scheme.

The project brief is to provide a two-classroom special educational needs base through the reconfiguration of three existing mainstream classrooms. The school submitted formal acceptance of the offer for reconfiguration works on 22 August 2022 and an official approval letter, advising the school of the funding allocated to reconfigure the three classrooms to meet the needs, and to provide a two-classroom special education needs base, was issued by the Department on 2 September 2022.

The delivery of this project has been devolved to the school authority, which is the board of management, which acts as the contracting authority for the project. I have contacted the board of management regarding this project in recent times and recent months as well. What has happened, as the Department knows, and as the school told me and perhaps other local Deputies, is that a design team has been appointed by the school authority for the project. The appointed design team is working on drawing up plans for the reconfiguration and preparing a submission for Department officials to review in that regard. I assure Deputy O'Rourke and our constituents in Meath East that once this submission is provided by the design team to the Department, we will work very hard and quickly to get approval for it from the Department. It is not the biggest job in the history of special education needs provision. It is the reconfiguration of three existing classrooms into two classrooms, so I do not see why it would take an inordinate amount of time.

Over the last two years the Department and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined-up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special education placements ahead of the new school year. The Department continues to work with the NCSE regarding the short-term requirements for special class and special school places and also the more strategic and longer-term requirements. The number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased from 548 in 2011 to 2,148 in the last school year. Of these, almost 1,900 special classes cater for children with autism. This year, the Department will invest more than €2 billion, or more than one quarter of its budget, in the area of special education needs support. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, special needs assistants, special classes and special school places are at unprecedented levels.

The parents, the school and Department officials have my absolute commitment that I will work as hard as I can with colleagues to ensure this project is delivered. As I said, it is not the most difficult project that has ever been imagined in the history of education. Having spoken to the school, I know it is committed to the project and the Department is very much committed to it as well.

See this speech in context