Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Tully for raising this important matter.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. The Department of Education and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient mainstream special classes and special school places. We know demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, and the Department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders regarding the provision of special classes.

In October 2022, the Department wrote to all post-primary schools, requesting that each school begin planning to provide for up to four special classes to meet the needs of children progressing from primary learning. Last October, the Department issued a circular to all schools, setting out new measures to support the forward-planning of special education provision. As a result of this forward planning, five new special schools will open for the 2025-26 school year, including one in County Monaghan. This is the first special school in County Monaghan, which up to now was serviced by the special school in Cootehill, County Cavan. This should ease the pressure in terms of application to the special school in County Cavan.

Capacity has also been expanded in a number of other special schools around the country. The NCSE has to date sanctioned 209 new special classes - 138 at primary and 71 at post-primary level - for opening in the coming school year 2025-26. Four of these new classes are in County Cavan - one at primary level and three at post-primary. These will be added to the existing 59 classes currently in operation, which comprise 46 at primary level and 13 at post-primary level. The NCSE is engaging intensively with more schools and school patron bodies to confirm further new special classes in the coming period. It has recruited additional special education needs organisers, SENOs, advisers and team managers. A total of 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, almost double the number we had previously.

Cavan now has two SENOs dedicated solely to supporting schools and parents in the county. SENOs play an important role in ensuring there is adequate special educational provision within local areas and support families to secure placements for children. I assure the Senator that both the Department and the NCSE will continue to monitor and review the need for further new special classes and schools or the expansion of existing special schools over the coming months and years.