Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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86. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of sanctioned classes nationally for children with additional needs, as announced earlier this year; the number hoped to be operational in autumn 2025 in the Dublin North-West constituency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40000/25]

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy McAuliffe has asked a pertinent question that is relevant to his constituency but in which I think we all have an interest. It is to ask the number of sanctioned special classes for children with additional needs, as announced earlier this year. The pertinent part is Deputy McAuliffe's request for the number of such classes it is hoped will be operational in autumn 2025.

I have raised with the Minister and the Taoiseach the challenge in filling teaching positions. A Department payroll review highlighted 1,200 vacancies in the primary sector during the last term of the school year. I see a great challenge in filling these positions. I ask for an update on that.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question and Deputy McAuliffe for his interest in this matter. I thank both Deputies for their continuing interest in education. It is hugely important that it is brought to the fore in the House. Education is a hugely important part of everyone's life, so it is hugely important that we strive to get it right.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. As I alluded to earlier this morning, there are over 407 new special classes sanctioned for the coming school year. The NCSE does not hold information on special education provision broken down by constituency, but I can say there are 103 new special classes sanctioned for the 2025-26 school year across Dublin, including 81 at primary and 22 at post-primary level. An updated list of these classes is available on the NCSE website, and I am also happy to share this information with the House and the Deputy. Combined with the 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 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 who required a special class placement at primary and post-primary level have 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 the parents and schools concerned to finalise the arrangements.

On the specific issue the Deputy raised, of the special classes that have been sanctioned, over 80% involve a reconfiguration of existing capacity within school buildings. We have sanctioned 407 in total, and it is hoped they will all open. However, I will get the information the Deputy requested to him as a matter of urgency.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I am always conscious when we are discussing this topic of the review that was undertaken of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act recently. The research that went into that highlighted clearly that the term "additional needs" is preferable to "special education". I am conscious of that and that my language should be more appropriate.

I very much welcome the recent announcement by the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, that training in teacher training colleges will now include a period where the teacher will undertake teaching practice in a classroom for children with additional needs. That will enhance the standard of the teachers being produced.

To return to the first point I made, I am concerned there will not be sufficient teachers in September to fill the additional 400 places that have been developed through the Minister's efforts for classes for children with additional needs. I say that in light of recent data from the Department showing there are already a large number of vacancies in the sector. That is reaffirmed by data provided by the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO. It is a great concern of mine, and schools are concerned by that as well.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The review of the EPSEN Act was very important research. I commend all those who helped with the review. Launched recently, it provides very good information, including on additional needs.

Teacher and SNA recruitment is kept under constant review by the Department. Many of the boards of management of schools and education and training boards are conducting interviews in these weeks to fill vacancies. Teachers also get additional training. It is important to note that many great teachers are coming through the colleges and going into the education system. We have to be very mindful of the possibility that there will be teacher shortages in future. We are working to keep that under review. Boards of management and the Department are working to ensure that staff are in place.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I concur with the Minister of State on the quality of the teaching personnel who are being produced by our teaching colleges. I just think we need more of them. We genuinely need to review that. There are gaps and vacancies that will not be filled in September. I am concerned about that and I think we need to expand the number of teacher training places.

I will bring two other points to the floor fir discussion with the Minister of State, one being the categories of classes for children with additional needs. The Minister of State and I had a meeting about this yesterday with parents from the Down Syndrome Ireland Galway branch who are concerned that there is not a sufficient number of the different categories of classes for children with additional needs being provided. In County Galway, for example, there are only two classes for children with mild general learning disabilities. County Galway is the second largest geographical county in the island. It is not fair that children have to travel extensive distances to attend the appropriate class.

I am sure the Minister of State will be aware of the review conducted by the inspectorate of the admissions policies of primary and post-primary schools for autistic children and young people. That review expressed some concerns. In its findings, the inspectorate used the term "concerning", and the main concern was that policies in some schools, if they were implemented as written, could prevent children with the greatest level of need from accessing a place in a class for children with additional needs.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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We have had many discussions in recent weeks. The Deputy mentioned the deputation from the Down Syndrome Ireland Galway branch who were here yesterday to discuss mild general learning classes. ASD classes are opening across the country based on the need being presented. We have to be mindful of children with other additional needs and ensuring they are accommodated within the school system. That point has been well made by groups throughout the country and it is one we are very conscious of and keeping under constant review.

On the issue of admissions and the inspectorate report, my understanding is that a circular was issued after that review. It is important that the admissions policy is kept constantly under review because it will enable children to get into schools. We need to put an awful lot of thought into it in future as well.