James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) has a special needs unit; if so, the number of clients it currently has; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19648/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with Special Educational Needs require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.

The Deputy will also be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with Special Educational Needs, including Autism.

It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in communities where the need for such classes has been identified.

Special classes within mainstream schools are intended for children who, by virtue of their level of Special Educational Needs, cannot reasonably be educated in a mainstream class setting, but who can still attend their local school in a special class with a lower pupil–teacher ratio of 6:1.5 at post primary level, and also have Special Needs Assistant support normally amounting to 2 SNAs for a class of 6 children.

Progress in developing this network has been significant and in addition to the special school placements there are currently over 1,000 special classes throughout the country at primary and post primary level of which 762 are for children with Autism. 194 of these classes for children with autism are at post primary level.

With regard to the requirement for post primary school places for children with autism, the NCSE, through its network of local SENOs, have been 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 recently published a list of special classes for the 2016/17 school year. In total there will be 1,153 special classes available next year, which is an increase of over 100% in the number of special classes which were available in 2011, which was 548. 237 of these classes will be for pupils with autism at post primary level, which represents an increase of 22% on 2015/16.

The school referred to by the Deputy does not have a special class.

Details of all of the special classes for children with special educational needs which are attached to mainstream schools are published each year on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

The NCSE have advised that for the coming school year there are 2 classes for children with Autism in the local Community School with places currently available in both classes. Any parent who has concerns about a place for their child for September should contact their local SENO as soon as possible for information on available places.