Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his Topical Issue. I stress that enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is an absolute priority for me and the entire Government. It is the Government's priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that all necessary supports are provided to our schools to allow children with special educational needs to flourish and prosper. Of the 400 special class places provided for in budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that more than 390 have already been sanctioned for the 2025-26 school year. Eleven are in Wicklow and 12 in Wexford. They will be added to the 3,330 classes already in operation across the country. There continues to be an increased need to provide additional special school places to support children with complex needs. To meet this need, 11 new special schools have been established in recent years and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. As the Deputy referred to, Gorey Hill School is one of those established in recent years. We welcome that development. Five more special schools will be established in the 2025-26 school year: one in Cork, two in Dublin, one in Monaghan and one in Tipperary. The new special schools established over recent years have focused on providing additional places in our larger urban areas, in Cork and Dublin in particular. The Department and the NCSE have begun planning in relation to further expanding special school capacity for the 2026-27 school year. It is estimated that a further 300 new special school places may be required each year for the coming years.

When it is looking to provide additional capacity, the Department's preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the Department and the NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school. Where existing capital owned by the Department can be repurposed, it makes sense from a time, economic and environmental sense to do so. However, each building is evaluated on its individual merits for its suitability. Of particular relevance is the development of an inclusive environment that promotes the integration of children with special education needs with their mainstream peers to the greatest extent possible. In that context, campus solutions for new special schools are prioritised. In planning for increased special school places, the Department and the NCSE are reviewing all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand. Part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansions are required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE holds at local level on the number of children seeking a special school place in the region. The Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special school placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation in County Wexford and nationwide as to where new special schools are required.

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