Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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822. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 456 of 18 May 2021, when the NCSE policy advice on education provision in special classes and special schools will be completed and published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31950/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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823. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide each school in the country with a dedicated reading unit; the analysis carried out by her Department into the costs of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31951/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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824. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide each school planning area in the country with at least one reading unit or reading school; the analysis carried out by her Department into the costs of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31952/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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825. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the analysis her Department has carried out into the adequacy of supports at primary school level for children with severe dyslexia particularly in schools that do not have a reading unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31953/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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826. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the primary schools in each county that have a dedicated reading unit in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31954/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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827. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the details of each reading school in the country by county and by school planning area; the student number capacity of each of these schools in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31955/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 822, 823, 824, 825, 826 and 827 together.

A new model for allocating special education teachers (SETs) to mainstream schools was introduced from September 2017, based on the profiled needs of schools. Over 13,600 SETs are currently provided to mainstream schools to support the learning needs of pupils who have additional needs in literacy, including those arising from specific learning difficulties (SLD). No new reading classes or schools have been established since the introduction of the new allocation model.

It is the policy of my Department, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that pupils with such additional learning needs are supported in mainstream classes with additional provision made by a special education teacher.

In September 2018, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was requested to develop Policy Advice on Education Provision in Special Classes and Special Schools to examine whether placement in specialist settings brings about improved educational outcomes and experiences, relative to their ability, for students with special educational needs.

This Policy Advice is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

My Department is also arranging for a review of the policy on reading classes and schools. This review will inform future policy for supporting children with special educational needs and the place of this specialist provision in those supports.

There are currently four SLD special schools/reading schools and 13 SLD special classes in primary schools.

Information on the list of schools with special classes, the type and location of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at www.ncse.ie