Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, who sends her apologies. I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to outline how the Department of Education and the NCSE continue to provide special education placements for children who need them.

At the outset, I stress that enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is an ongoing priority for this Government, as I acknowledge it is for the Deputy too. Another priority for this Government is to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for children with special educational needs. It is important to remember that the vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. To support children with more complex needs, special classes in mainstream schools and special schools are provided.

This year, the Department of Education will spend in excess of €2.6 billion, or over 27% of the Department’s budget, on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs. For 2023, the Department has further increased the number of teaching and special needs assistant, SNA posts in our schools. There will be an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 special needs assistants in our schools by the end of this calendar year. For the first time ever, we will have more than 19,000 teachers working in the area of special education and over 20,000 special needs assistants.

Together we have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs. The children will undoubtedly benefit, as is right and proper, from the additional focus these resources will bring to their education.

The National Council for Special Education has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children nationwide. Over the past three years, the Department of Education and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient mainstream, special class and special school places. These initiatives are bearing fruit with more than 600 new special classes sanctioned at primary level, almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level and five new special schools established over the last three years. Just recently, on 12 April, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced the establishment of two new special schools as part of a comprehensive update on enhanced education provision for students with special educational needs. These two new special schools will be established in Carrigtwohill, in east Cork and in Dublin 7 for the 2023-24 school year. The Deputy spoke about the Mitchelstown and Fermoy area and the challenges of going to Rochestown and going through the tunnel, so hopefully having a special school in Carrigtwohill will make a significant difference to families.

Along with the two new special schools, 328 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for opening in the coming school year, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks. There will be 217 special classes at primary level and 111 at post-primary level. Also, capacity will be expanded in 11 other special schools around the country. There are currently 421 special classes in County Cork. Of these, 300 special classes are at primary level and 121 are at post-primary level. Of the 328 new special classes announced for the new school year, 71 are in County Cork, with 53 at primary level and 18 at post-primary level. It is estimated that 15 of these new classes sanctioned for the coming school year will be in the north Cork region, with 11 at primary level and four at post-primary level. Hopefully that will go a long way to supporting families with children with special and additional needs.

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