Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department works closely with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. In the budget, we secured funding for up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and an additional 300 special school places for the 2024-25 school year. This will deliver 2,700 new places for children.

Nationwide over 386 new special classes, providing 2,300 special education places in mainstream schools, have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the coming 2024-25 school year.

I am determined to ensure that all children who require a placement can access this as quickly as possible. I meet with the NCSE every week to discuss progress and to ensure that every child has a school place for the coming term.

There are now over 3,000 special classes in our education system providing places for over 20,000 students. We have opened four new special schools for the 2024-25 school year and increased capacity in a number of existing special schools to ensure that more children than ever can access an education appropriate to their needs.

My Department and the NCSE are actively engaging with school patrons and a small number of schools to finalise the arrangements necessary for the remainder of special classes to open for the coming school year in the areas where they are needed. I expect these remaining new special classes will be finalised shortly and that this additional provision, coupled with vacancies in existing special classes, will provide the capacity needed for the coming school year.

The NCSE continues to be notified where schools are completing the enrolment process to special classes as children move from primary to post-primary or leave our school system. These places continue to be filled on an ongoing basis.

The NCSE is working with schools which may be available to open classes for September 2024 but may not be required at this time. They will remain options for additional provision if required. I am satisfied that we have created the additional capacity required to meet the needs of children known to the NCSE for September 2024.

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