Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question, which is important, in particular for me as Minister of State with responsibility for special education. The NCSE works very closely with the Department, parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.

The Deputy will be aware that in the past two to three years, the Department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan and provide for sufficient places in special classes and special schools. I refer in particular to the Department's geographic information system, GIS, which supports a strategic and co-ordinated approach to planning and the delivery of special educational needs, SEN, provision. That includes real-time data on capacity across the school system, and it uses data from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, and elsewhere.

There is also updated technical guidance for building projects that involve special education provision, including guidance on reconfiguration, which is something schools ask about regarding existing accommodation. Where there is capacity to extend onto existing accommodation, that is something that is looked at prior to building a new building.

When I was appointed to this role, I wanted to make sure there was a commitment from the Department on future-proofing, which means that all post-primary schools with 1,000 students, for example, will have four special classes in the school and other large-scale projects and facilities will be provided in other schools on a pro rata basis. That means that in the future there will be capacity, in particular in post-primary schools, and we do not have the issue to which the Deputy referred in his contribution whereby we are scrambling to get places at the last minute. We are trying to prevent and mitigate against that.

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