Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to be very clear that there is a distinction between the two. The sensory room is a room open to the entire school. The quiet space is contained within a given classroom at a given time. It is supervised by the existing teacher and-or an SNA.

With regard to the specific case raised by the Deputy, I emphasise that the Department has not refused a grant to equip a sensory room. The school applied for funding in relation to a calming space - not a sensory room - within a classroom, which does not qualify for the sensory room start-up grant funding. It applied for funding for a calming space, not for a sensory room. A special educational needs classroom has also been approved for the school under the Department’s modular programme, which is currently in train. The Department provides start-up funding of €6,500 for each SEN classroom. This funding can be used by the school in question to purchase furniture and equipment for a calming space if it so wishes. In addition to this funding, the option remains open to the school to apply for a sensory room start-up grant if the school has not previously received such a grant and has a suitable space available. The application will need to include the drawings or whatever else is required. It is open to the school to make such an application.

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