Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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184. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special schools here; the number of pupils being catered for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20146/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, they will have access to an appropriate education. Children with special educational needs may be enrolled in a mainstream school and attend all mainstream classes and receive additional teaching support through the learning support and-or resource teacher. If they have assessed care needs they may be supported by a Special Needs Assistant (SNA).

In respect of children who cannot be accommodated in mainstream education, they may be enrolled in special classes or special schools where more intensive and supportive interventions are provided. Special schools offer specialist supports for pupils with special educational needs from 4 to 18 years of age. Students attending special schools are supported through lower pupil teacher ratios ranging from 6:1 to 11:1, on the basis of each school's pupil profile. Students attending special schools also have access to SNA support, specialist transport arrangements and assistive technology support, as necessary.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools details that there are 119 special schools nationwide, with approximately 7,094 students attending such special schools in the 2012/13 school year. The report provides a list of all of these special schools by county and disability category. This report is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.