Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Whenever any changes are made to how resources are allocated in schools it can cause a lot of worry for students and parents, as Deputy Nolan has just outlined. We want to ensure that every child with special educational needs has access to the most appropriate school place. Schools were notified of their special educational teacher allocation for 2024-2025 on 6 February. Special education teachers provide valuable additional teaching assistance for students with special educational needs in mainstream classes. There were 14,600 SETS in the 2024-2025 school year, which is an increase of 1,000 on the 2021 school year. There are more resources and supports going in, but we clearly need to communicate with principals and parents in a way that reassures them.

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