Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department continues to engage with the NCSE intensely with regard to the forward planning for new special classes for the next school year.

As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, the Department and the NCSE are engaging with post-primary stakeholders regarding the provision of special classes. In October of last year, the Department wrote to all post-primary schools to advise them of the need to begin planning to provide additional special classes. That is all post-primary schools. Nobody is going to say we are not going to have a special educational needs class. That ship has sailed at this stage. Every child is entitled to an education in his or her school.

Essentially, all post-primary schools can expect to open special classes over the next three to five years. This will ensure children can access a special class in their local post-primary school rather than having to travel a significant distance to another school. At local level, the NCSE is continuing to engage with schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes and there will be another announcement in the next few weeks. It is hoped that will be more favourable to the Deputy with regard to north Kildare. I will bring the Deputy's concerns back to the Minister.

See this speech in context