Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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The Acting Chairperson is a woman of many talents, unsurprisingly. I thank the Minister of State for stepping in for the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan.

I will begin by commenting on the progress announced this week regarding special classes at primary and post-primary level, particularly in south Dublin, where fee-paying schools will now open special classes funded by the Department of Education on condition that these are not fee-paying and their lands will be made available for special schools on their campuses. That is very positive. There will be an additional four-classroom special needs base in Templeogue College as well as additional places in Cabra and in Danu Community Special School in Dublin 15. I am aware the latter is moving to its new temporary premises and there will be an increase of six places.

Progress is definitely happening, but I have to raise the issue of Dublin 15. The Minister of State is aware of the pressures there. I will talk about the pressures on special classes at post-primary level. I believe 11 children require special class placements for September 2022. The Minister of State will know where we are as regards helping our constituents with mainstream placements for September 2022. This is based on data that has been collected from the autism school Dublin 15 committee who previously mobilised parents, principals and professionals. They came together to prove to the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, that the numbers that needed a special school were there. Danu opened off the back of their mobilisation and proactivity, where the NCSE had not done this work. Those parents now find themselves in a similar position.

I will talk about one parent who has a daughter in a special class in primary school. She is doing very well. That parent is aware that five secondary schools in Dublin 15 with special classes do not have the space for her daughter. That was communicated to the NCSE some months ago. The parent has been engaging with the NCSE since January 2021 about this issue. The most recent communications from the NCSE indicated that no further schools are guaranteed for special classes at present for the September 2022-23 academic year and it is still working with schools in the area on the possibility of expanding. That is where that parent is. The Minister of State knows, as we all do, the importance of transition from primary to post-primary school for any child. These include the logistics of whether there will be new accommodation, the staff, the school, the pressures on the school and the preparation for next year. The student's neurotypical peers already have school book lists and have decided on their subjects, while teachers have been preparing their learning profiles.

Parents had to mobilise to get the NCSE to act. In fact, it was the Department that acted to get the data for them. What is happening now? They need information at this stage. Dublin 15 has already gone down the road of a section 37. That was very difficult for schools, principals and parents. Nobody wants that, but is that where we are going? If so, where are they in the process? This is a child that has had a disability recognised since she was three years old. She has been in a special class in a primary school for her primary school education. What needs to happen in order for the NCSE to plan ahead?

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I am here on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who cannot be present. I will answer questions on her behalf. In fact, this is a subject that is dear to both our hearts because we have the same issue in south Dublin as the Senator has in Dublin 15. I have to pay tribute to and acknowledge the analysis and work done by the parents of children with autism in establishing that there was a statistical lack and a shortage of special education places in particular areas of the country, including Dublin 15 and south Dublin.

At the outset, I stress that enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is an ongoing priority for this Government. This year, the Department of Education will invest in excess of €2 billion, or over a quarter of the Department's budget, in the area of special educational needs support. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels. Since 2011, the number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased from 548 to a current total of 2,148 for the 2021-22 school year.

Recognising some of the difficulties experienced by parents in securing appropriate school placements over the past two years, the Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined-up planning process. This has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school year. The Department is satisfied that this approach is delivering. This intensive intervention has seen an additional 300 special classes, which provide 1,800 new places. They have already opened nationwide for the 2021-22 school year. The NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide. It has well-established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents. The NCSE seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.

The Department recognises that where parents have difficulties in securing an appropriate school placement for their child, particularly a child with additional needs, it can be a stressful experience. The Department is working hard to ensure that there are sufficient school places, appropriate to the needs of all children, available on a timely basis nationwide. In line with the demographics and as part of forward planning, it is envisaged that special classes will be required at most, if not all, post-primary schools in Dublin.

A range of measures to meet additional special educational needs, SEN, capacity demands have already been put in place, including the utilisation of spare capacity in existing schools and delivery of additional SEN capacity within the scope of existing building projects. Additionally, it is general practice to include a SEN base in the accommodation brief for new school buildings, unless exceptional local circumstances indicate that it will not be required. The extent of provision made at these schools is informed by the level of demand in the area as well as the size of the school. There is currently a network of 41 special classes in Dublin 15. There are 32 special classes at primary level and nine at post-primary level.

The Department and the NCSE are always grateful to schools who express a willingness to open a special class to meet the educational needs of students in their local communities. Special educational needs organisers are located throughout the country and they have a specific remit in helping and supporting parents in accessing the education necessary for their children, including in identifying suitable school placements. The NCSE is currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022-23 school year and beyond. The NCSE is looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special education places, particularly to cater for students with autism who have associated complex needs.

The NCSE has carried out a review of the requirement for special class places for the 2022-23 school year in the Dublin 15 region. This included a review of the available accommodation in the Dublin 15 area and a review of the students known to the NCSE, with recommendations for special class places.The NCSE is currently engaged with four post primary schools in the Dublin 15 area with a view to opening additional special classes as soon as possible.

Finally, budget 2022 has provided for the creation of 287 additional special classes for the 2022-23 school year. These additional classes will provide in excess of 1,700 new places this year. This additional provision will bring the total number of special classes to 2,435 in the 2022-23 school year.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. The most important part of that response for the parents involved is that "the NCSE is currently engaged with four post primary schools in the Dublin 15 area" with a view to opening special classes as soon as possible. I urge the NCSE to move as quickly as possible on that for the reasons I have outlined vis-à-visthe transition. These parents have been through enough already. One particular parent has been working on this issue for a couple of years now.

I acknowledge the progress that is being made, as do many parents, but when one is in this position, one must be proactive. I am trying to make sure that the NCSE is not asleep at the wheel here. That said, when the Department of Education was provided with relevant information, Danu Community Special School was opened. While we are still working on supports for Danu and its teachers, that is a positive move and I sincerely hope that I will be able to tell these parents very soon that their special class will be open to cater for these 11 children.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I thank the Senator and I share her wish that she will be able to give that information to those parents soon. Two of the most important things that are present here are the political will and the budget to do this. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, has used every tool in her negotiations armoury and made every effort to make progress on this. Part of the aim here is to reduce the need for transport because it imposes a burden on people to have to travel a long way to school. Children need not just a driver, but also an escort and so on, which incurs huge costs. We are trying to move towards a situation where children can attend their local school and are given the supports they need locally.

The Senator has acknowledged that huge progress is being made and the numbers are there to prove it. While the number of classes and places has increased, that is no comfort to the parents whose children are not getting the support they need. The statistics are of little comfort to the parents she is representing who are worried about whether their child will have a place next year but I assure her that we are doing everything we can.

Róisín Garvey (Green Party)
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It is good that there will be a new Oireachtas committee on autism. I will be a member of that committee and hopefully it will bring these issues to the fore. Since I came into this House, from day one, I have been approached by so many people on autism-related issues. The fact that private schools do not have any special classes is a serious issue when one considers the fact that they are getting State funding.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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The local, accessible element of this is absolutely key. It is essential that these children get to go to their local school and are not spending their time trying to plan for travel. I hope this will be the last time that parents will have to go to these lengths.

Róisín Garvey (Green Party)
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In rural areas some children are on buses for an hour to get to the closest place for them. It is horrendous. I look forward to working on the Oireachtas committee on this issue. I thank the Senator for raising the issue again this morning and I thank the Minister of State for his time.