Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures she plans to take to respond to the lack of ASD classrooms in Dublin 6; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36648/21]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if schools (details supplied) will be encouraged and or facilitated to set up ASD classrooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36649/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 80 together.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.

This year, just under 25% of the total Education budget or €2bn will be invested in supporting children with special educational needs.As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, SNAs and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.

For the coming school year there will be over 13,600 Special Education Teachers allocated to mainstream schools, who will support class teachers to address the special educational needs and learning needs of pupils who attend mainstream schools.

This year we are also providing for two new special schools and 269 new special classes. We will have a total of 2,118 special classes in 2021/22, which is the largest number of special classes that we have ever had, and compares to 548 classes available in 2011.

18,000 Special Needs Assistants will be available to support the care needs of pupils with special educational needs in our schools.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.

NCSE is planning a further expansion of special class and special school places nationally, to meet identified need. This process is ongoing. Through better planning at both national and local level, it is my objective that specialist education places should come on stream to meet emerging demand on a timely basis.

Planning for future needs takes into consideration the current availability of such places and focuses on those locations where additional provision is required. However, the active collaboration of school communities is essential in this regard.

It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.

In establishing new special classes, the NCSE is required to satisfy itself that the class is both sustainable and available to all of the students who may need special class placements in a particular area.

NCSE have specific plans in place to open 6 additional special classes in schools in Dublin 6 and 6W providing 36 additional special class placements for students with autism for September 2021. NCSE is grateful to those schools that have responded and continue to respond positively to meet the educational needs of children in their communities. NCSE is also in consultations with other schools in these and adjacent areas.

In relation to the specific schools referred to by the Deputy, NCSE has confirmed that due to space constraints in the physical environment, one of the schools is not in a position to open a special class. NCSE continue to work with the other schools as part of their consultations referenced above.

The local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) are available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: .

I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to prioritise investment in special education.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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81. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if two children with learning difficulties from the same family both in primary school are entitled to the same hours for the July provision, that is, ten hours each; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36715/21]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Under the home-based programme the allocation is 10 hours per week for 4 weeks where a student’s school is not participating in a school-based programme. The allocation is done on a per household basis with adjusted allocations for siblings.

Allocations of time for siblings broadly reflect how children may be grouped if they were in the same class at school. This is where one teacher is allocated to a class of six students with complex needs in schools.

However to meet the specific needs of different siblings with special needs in the home, an increased shared allocation is provided for siblings as set out in the table below:

Separate allocations of 10 hours per week will be provided to a child where that child is:

- Attending school at a different educational level to their sibling – (i.e. one child is primary and the other is post-primary)

- One child is in a specialised setting (i.e. one child in a special class or a special school and the other child in mainstream)

- Where two eligible children are each in a specialised setting (i.e. a special class or a special school)

- Or where one sibling is living in a separate home.

The Department is satisfied that the allocation of supports to families where siblings are undertaking a home based programme is fair, equitable and reflective of how the home based programme is generally provided when more than one child avails of the provision in a family home. The fact that there are circumstances where additional hours are provided, as outlined above, when children have differing levels of need, school setting or residence means the scheme is responsive to these situations.