Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Gabhaim buíochas léi as a dhea-ghuí chugam ar mo cheapacháin mar Aire Stáit le freagracht as an nGaeltacht. She raised an important question. I acknowledge how important it is.

What is said in the supplementary information, which is that people are told to hunt throughout the county, should not be said. Students with additional needs, need to receive an education appropriate to their needs. That is an ongoing priority for the Government and indeed for me and my colleagues, the Ministers, Deputies Norma Foley and Hildegarde Naughton. It is a priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and the necessary supports are provided for schools to cater for the needs of children with special education needs.

In 2024, €2.7 billion is being spent on special education. This is an increase of €113 million, which is dedicated to providing supports for children with special education needs. This will allow for, among other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide. Over the past number of years, the Department 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 1,300 new special classes sanctioned and seven new special schools established over the past four years.

The Department engages intensively with the NCSE regarding the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This forward planning work is well under way ahead of the 2024-25 school year. The work involves a detailed review of statistical data related to forecasting demand for special school places. As a result of forward planning, two special schools have been established this year in Cork and Dublin, with further capacity being expanded in 11 other schools. In December 2023, the Department announced the establishment of a further four new special schools for the 2024-25 school year in counties Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick. In County Meath, the school is on the County Kildare border. This will bring to 11 the number of new special schools established nationwide in recent years.

The new special school for Kildare will be under the patronage of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board, ETB. The initial start-up location for the new special school in Kildare will be at the Craddockstown Education Campus beside Naas Community National School. The longer-term location will be confirmed in due course. The admission process for the school is under way and the school will cater for 24 students initially. Initial staffing arrangements have been sanctioned for the school, with recruitment under way.

Along with the two new special schools opening this school year, 390 new special classes, including 254 at primary and 136 at post-primary level, have been sanctioned by the NCSE. Of these, 12 are in Kildare, seven at primary level and five at post-primary level. That means there are now 116 special classes in County Kildare.

The Deputy references the issue of additional special classes in north Kildare specifically. I assure her that both the Department and the NCSE continue to monitor and review the need for further new special classes in the coming months and years. In regard to the school referred to by the Deputy, a building project for the provision of five mainstream classrooms, two science labs and four special classes has been approved by the Department. The project is devolved to the school authority for delivery and is at stage 2a. Modular accommodation was also approved to support the opening of the first special class in 2022.

The Department has close engagement with the NCSE, which has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. When the NCSE sanctions a special class in a school, the school can apply to the Department for capital funding to reconfigure existing spaces. I assure the Deputy that the Department is working to ensure there is appropriate school accommodation in place to meet the school place needs of every child. In the first instance, this is focused on using existing school accommodation. When additional capacity is needed, this can be provided. The NCSE has advised the Department that there are currently four special classes opened in the Prosperous-Clane school planning area. The Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special placements are available for children for this school year and for future years.

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