Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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783. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the pupil capacity for the 2015-16 school year of two special needs schools (details supplied) in County Cork; if she will provide additional resources to expand the capacity of the schools for the 2016-17 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46906/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that Cara Junior School currently has capacity for 60 students and Scoil Aislinn has capacity for 36 students for the current school year, 2015/16.

The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs should be included where possible, and appropriate, in mainstream school placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) will be engaging with schools for 2016/17 school year in order to plan for, and to open, new special classes, in order to ensure there are sufficient placements available to meet demand in an area.

The NCSE will also allocate staffing resources to special schools to provide for the number of pupils enrolling to the school for 2016/17 and taking into account the disability categorisation of those pupils, and in accordance with the criteria set out in my Departments Circular 0042/2011.