Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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90. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an updated list of all primary and post-primary schools that have been sanctioned for an ASD class for the 2025-26 school year. [39382/25]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I want to ask in particular about the schools in which these works are ongoing but yet to be completed and by which a letter of suppression has been received.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The NCSE is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. The NCSE has sanctioned 407 new special classes for the coming school year, of which 398 are autism special classes while three are autism early intervention classes. This brings to 3,742 the number of special classes in our schools. The NCSE has advised my Department that an updated list of these classes is available on the NCSE website and I am also happy to share this list with the Deputy.

Combined with 300 new special school places, this brings to 2,700 the number of new school places for children with special educational needs. This additional capacity, together with the movement of children across existing classes, means that the Department and the NCSE have created more capacity than there were children known to the NCSE by the deadline of February 2025.

The NCSE has advised me that, outside of Dublin, all children known to it by the February deadline and who required a special class placement at primary or post-primary level had received a place. For a small number of children in the Dublin area who are seeking a special class or special school placement, the NCSE is working intensively with those parents and the schools concerned to finalise the arrangements for the 2025-26 school year. In addition, the NCSE is working closely with parents who came forward post the February deadline to support them into available placements.

This year, in order to ensure new special classes could open as quickly as possible for the 2025-26 school year, the NCSE prioritised work with medium and larger primary schools that have available accommodation but do not have an existing special class. This approach maximises the use of existing space that can be reconfigured efficiently while also ensuring that new provision continues to be established.

The increased number of schools with special classes provides parents with greater choice and will also reduce the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place. This will remain a priority for the 2026-27 school year.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I cannot accept what the Minister of State has said to me. I know what he has said to be untrue. I am happy to share information with him after this session. I have stood in a school in Athlone - Scoil na gCeithre Máistrí - that was approached by the NCSE to open a second ASD class. I stood in the classroom. The plaster was drying on the wall when the letter of suppression came in from the NCSE. That class had three enrolments already. I am not saying the Minister of State is the reason behind this but what he has said does not have any credibility. I have physically stood in the classroom. I have a copy of the letter of suppression here in front of me. It was sent to the school on 3 July. It is dated 4 June. In the interim, on 8 June, that school was told to continue to go ahead with the works that were being undertaken for the ASD class. I am happy to share this with the Minister of State. I have sent in parliamentary questions and the answer I got back was less than satisfactory. It referred to "some amount." I have approached the NCSE but it has not come back to me with any details.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I assure the Deputy that the figures in relation to the number of classes being opened around the country are correct. On the individual school the Deputy mentioned, I am very happy to take the details from her after the session and I will work with her to try to get a satisfactory conclusion to it. I have no difficulty in doing that. I have to say that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have done significant work on this over the last number of months. We have had weekly meetings with the NCSE and the Department to make sure we have special classes and places across the country to accommodate the need that was identified and is continuing to be identified. In some of the schools, we have been working to try to find resolutions to it. I would appreciate if the Deputy could give me the sequence of letters she has referred to and I will take the matter up.

There is an awful lot of work being done.

I thank all the school communities across the country who have been so accommodating. A lot of them have bent over backwards to make sure they are opening special classes. I will discuss the specific issue with the Deputy after the session and try to get clarity.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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There are good working relationships 99% of the time between schools and the NCSE when it comes to opening ASD classes. The same can be said for this specific school in Athlone, which already has an ASD class in its Gaelscoil. However, the Minister of State is familiar with the 2022 document entitled "Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools", which clearly states that autistic students who attend Irish-medium schools should be taught through Irish, as this is the language in their school environment. I also have a copy of correspondence that clearly outlines that the NCSE strongly indicated to this school that its ASD class should be run through English. That is not acceptable. This is a Gaelscoil; all classes are taught through Irish. The NCSE has no right or authority to call into question the ethos of any school. I would put this in the same category as anybody walking into a school operating through another religion or a non-denominational school and asking it to change its ethos. It is simply not on.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I have some personal experience of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí that opened special classes, and they would be taught through the medium of Irish. What the Deputy has said has been brought to our attention before by people, but it is clear that it is whatever the medium is in the school, in this case the medium of Irish. Some of the schools operating special classes are hugely successful and the school ethos is important. I take that point. If a special class is opening in a school taught through the medium of Irish, that class should be taught through the medium of Irish. That is clearly understood, certainly by me, and it should be understood by everybody. I will follow that up internally, but the point is well made.