Seanad debates
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Special Educational Needs
2:00 am
Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish.
Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here. Dyslexia affects an estimated 10% of the population with about 4% experiencing severe dyslexia. In every classroom in Ireland there are children with specific reading difficulties. For some, mainstream supports are sufficient but for others they are not. Reading classes in schools provide specialised, short-term interventions for children with these difficulties. These classes operate with small pupil-teacher ratios, specialist methodologies and structured literacy programmes.
Recently I met the principal of St. Rose's National School in Tallaght, which is one of the few dedicated reading schools in the country. The demand for places speaks for itself. This year St. Rose’s received 120 applications for just 30 places, which means that for every child who was admitted, three were turned away. The criteria for admissions are strict in that children must be aged between eight and 12 and dyslexia must be their primary difficulty. Children must have average or above-average intelligence and have an educational psychological assessment. Enrolment is limited to between third class and sixth class and children attend for a maximum of two years. St. Rose’s provides a targeted, intensive intervention. The school operates a 9:1 pupil-teacher ratio. Every child participates in the Wilson programme, which is a systematic, structured literacy programme designed to improve reading and spelling for those with dyslexia. I spoke with the students when I visited and they told me why their school works for them. They said there were fewer people in their classes and that they used programmes to break down words. They were really complimentary about the Wilson programme. They said it gets you ready for secondary school. One child told me that if there were more schools like St. Rose’s, people would not have to travel as far. That child travels an hour each way to attend. Having to commute long distances is the reality for many families but for others it is much worse as they cannot access a place at all.
Research consistently shows that early, structured intervention is critical for children with dyslexia. Without it the consequences can be long-lasting, including school avoidance, reduced academic attainment and impacts on confidence and employment prospects. International evidence demonstrates that structured literacy approaches, delivered intensively in small groups, significantly improve reading accuracy and fluency for children with specific learning difficulties. Articles over recent years have highlighted the emotional toll on children who fall behind in reading. Children as young as eight internalise failure. They begin to believe they are not intelligent. Reading skills disrupt that narrative. They do not just provide literacy intervention but restoration of confidence.
The provision for reading classes in schools is patchy and uneven. Across the country there are 14 reading classes and just four reading schools, three of which are in Dublin. Children and families face what can only be described as a postcode lottery. If St. Rose’s is receiving 120 applications for 30 places, that indicates unmet need on a significant scale. I am asking if there are plans to establish additional reading classes, and more importantly reading schools, in under-served regions. Reading schools change trajectories and we owe it to those children to ensure it is not a rare exception to get a place but part of our national education structure. We must expand provision and ensure every child with a specific reading difficulty has an opportunity to succeed, regardless of their address.
Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton. It is Department policy, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that students with additional learning needs are supported in mainstream classes along with their peers, with additional supports provided as necessary. Schools are advised to provide the highest levels of additional teaching support for those students who have the highest levels of need, including students with literacy difficulties.
The Department has invested considerably in ensuring that all recognised mainstream schools have been allocated additional special education teaching resources to support children with special educational needs, including students with a specific learning disability, SLD. Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers have been published on the Department’s website. There are 15,000 special education teachers allocated to primary and post-primary schools to enable them to support children with special educational needs. Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers and software, or both, to assist children with special educational needs, including children with a specific learning disability, where relevant professionals recommend the equipment as being essential for the provision of education. Schools apply to the NCSE through their local SENO for such support.A continuum of education provisions is in place covering the full range of need spanning placement in mainstream classes, with support to more specialist placements, either in a special class or a special school, depending on the complexity of need. It is important to note, though, that the majority of students with literacy difficulties currently receive additional teaching support from a special education teacher in a mainstream class. This is provided on the basis of the individual student’s learning needs, identified in schools, as opposed to being based on a requirement for a child to have a diagnosis or an assessment of a particular disability.
There are four schools dedicated to supporting students with an SLD. There are also 14 SLD classes in 11 mainstream primary schools located across the country, though mainly in urban settings, in counties Dublin, Clare, Louth, Galway, Kerry and Wexford. These schools and classes have a teacher-student ratio of 1:9 and are attended by students normally aged between eight and 12 years for a maximum of two years. Students will have a diagnosis of dyslexia and a score at the second percentile, or lower, on standardised literacy tests. They will also have an average or above average level of intelligence.
It is important to note that these classes were established at a time when significantly fewer resources were available to mainstream schools. The inspectorate has evaluated provision in special classes for children and young people with an SLD. The purpose of the evaluation was to examine the quality of provision for children and young people with an SLD, with particular reference to understanding the placement of children and young people in these classes and to identifying the strengths and areas for improvement in learning and teaching in these classes. The inspectorate’s report will inform the development of policy in the Department’s special education section in relation to the overall effectiveness of SLD classes in the context of emerging international trends for inclusion.
One of the key recommendations contained in the inspectorate's report is the need to build the capacity of mainstream schools to meet the needs of students with reading and literacy difficulties. In that regard, I am pleased to say the Department and NCSE officials are working on a measure to support the development of students’ literacy skills. This will see a number of graduates of an MEd dyslexia programme being facilitated to provide advice and support to a number of schools in their local areas. This programme, which will be provided on a trial basis, will be operational from September next. The special education section will continue to consider the findings and recommendations of the inspectorate's report and may in time request the inspectorate to review provision for children with SLDs in special schools.
Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I have spoken to the children, who have a lived experience and are saying they need more reading schools. I am not happy with the answer, if I am being honest. This is about two years of children's lives and getting them on the right road so that things can be turned around. I am dealing with one child who is under the second percentile, cannot get a place in a reading school and is getting slagged in the mainstream school. It is not good enough.
Everybody's situation is different and requires a different approach. If we are coming from a base where, as the Minister of State said, the special schools were set up at a time when there were no other supports, then we need to get more schools now. We are at a place where there is no additional support if, for example, 120 people are applying for a school in Tallaght and only 30 are getting in. These are children who, for two years of their school lives, could be focused on and set up for secondary school without being slagged for being stupid. They are being called stupid by their peers. Kids do not understand.
I will pursue this further. I thank the Minister of State for coming in today, but I would like it to be relayed to the Minister that I am not happy with the response and I feel that we are really letting down children with dyslexia.
Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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As I said, I am only representing the Minister for Education and Youth. I listened to the Senator and I have heard the issues she raised. If she would be willing to drop a note into my office, I will personally ensure the Minister will reply directly to her on the issues she has raised. They are very important issues. The most important thing everybody would like to do is ensure students get the right and proper services when they go into school, and support, which I think is crucial. The Senator made a strong and valid case for the school in her area, so if she drops a note to me, I will ensure the Minister will reply directly to her on the issues raised.