Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline how the Department of Education and National Council for Special Education, NCSE, continue to provide special educational placements for children who need them.

A priority for this Government is to ensure all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for the needs of children with special educational needs. It is important to remember 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 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 more than 20,000 special needs assistants. Together, we will have almost 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs, which I know everybody will welcome. 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 the education provision for children nationwide. Over the past three years, the Department and 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 past three years.

Just recently, on 12 April, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, 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 Dublin 7 for the 2023-24 school year. Along with the two new special schools, 328 new special classes have been sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, for opening in the coming school year 2023-2024, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks, 217 of which will be at primary level and 111 at post-primary level. Capacity will also be expanded in 11 other special schools around the country.

I will turn now to County Kildare because I am conscious there are many Kildare Deputies in the House at the moment, as well as the Ceann Comhairle. There are 105 special classes in County Kildare. Of these, 79 special classes are at primary level and 26 are at post-primary level. Of the 328 new special classes announced for the 2023-24 school year, seven are in County Kildare, with five at primary level and two at post-primary level. The Deputy referenced the issue of additional special classes in north Kildare specifically. I want to assure him that both the Department and the NCSE will continue to monitor and review the need for further new special classes over the coming months and years.

Of the 105 special classes in County Kildare, 60 are in the north Kildare areas of Celbridge, Clane, Enfield, Leixlip, Maynooth, Naas, Prosperous and Sallins, 41 of which are at primary level and 19 of which are at post-primary level. Of the seven new special classes announced for Kildare, one new special class is in Maynooth in north Kildare while the other six are in south Kildare. The NCSE will continue to review the need for any additional special classes in north Kildare for the coming school year.

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