Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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310. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department is seeking to close early intervention classes; if so, the details of the research and policy for these closures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10699/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.

This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.

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

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.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.

It is important also to point out that the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides up to two years of pre-school within the eligible age range, without charge. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), introduced in 2016, enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities/additional needs in the ECCE Programme. The goal of AIM is to create a more inclusive environment in pre-schools, so all children, regardless of ability, can benefit from quality early learning and care. A diagnosis of autism (or other disabilities/additional needs) is not required to access AIM supports. However, pre-school children with a diagnosis are generally supported in mainstream pre-schools with additional supports provided through AIM where required.

NCSE sanctions the establishment of special classes, including ASD Early Intervention (EI) classes where there is an identified need. I understand that, on occasion, EI classes are re-designated as school-age special classes to reflect the changing age-profile of students, the changing needs in an area and in order to ensure a continuation of support for students in the EI class who require a special class placement.

As referenced above, ASD EI classes are generally re-designated, not closed. The number of active ASD EI classes in each of the school years from 2015/2016 to date is detailed in the table below.

Both my Department and the NCSE are always grateful to schools who express a willingness to open a special class to meet the educational needs of students in their local communities.

The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs.

Information on the location of EI classes is available on the NCSE website.