Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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378. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number and the percentage of the national total of fee-paying schools that currently provide special classes in post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31411/22]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that are being taken to encourage fee paying schools to provide special autism spectrum disorder classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31417/22]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 378 and 380 together.

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 a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.

This includes additional teaching and care supports.

As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.

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

Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.

I am satisfied that this more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen an additional 300 special classes, providing 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.

I also acknowledge that notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.

The NCSE has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.

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.

The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.

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

In March last, I announced for the first time that special education provision would open with the fee charging patron, the Spiritan Education Trust. I welcome the memorandum of understanding with the Spiritan Order, which marks for the first time that schools such as these will be part of the provision of special education in Ireland without barriers to entry for those who need a place. Under this arrangement, a new special school will be established in the 2022-23 school year in the existing accommodation at the Templeogue College campus in Dublin.

My Department, working with NCSE, will also support special classes in other fee-charging schools as needed. This is a much-needed development which will help to meet the demand for special class places.

The NCSE publishes a list of special classes in tabular form on its website each year, the list is available at the following link: ncse.ie/special-classes.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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379. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that school transport for a specialised class cannot be put in place to facilitate a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31412/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

A parent/guardian should contact the school principal of the school that their child is attending who will assist in making an application for school transport to the SENO that is affiliated with their school.

Following the application process where there is a transport service available for eligible children, Bus Éireann will liaise with eligible families regarding the school transport arrangements. Where there is no service available for eligible children, School Transport Section of my Department will liaise with families with regard to sanction of a special transport grant toward the cost of private transport arrangements.

To date, an application for school transport for children with special educational needs for the child referred to by the Deputy has not been received by the School Transport Section of my Department, furthermore, no applications for school transport for children with special educational needs have been received for the 2022/23 school year to the special class referred to by the Deputy.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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381. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students in post-primary schools who currently have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31423/22]

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 a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.

This includes additional teaching and care supports.

As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.

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

Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.

I am satisfied that this more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen over 300 special classes, providing over 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.

I also acknowledge that notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.

The NCSE maintains records of students enrolled in special classes, students enrolled in special schools and students seeking places in special classes and special schools.

I can confirm that the NCSE is aware of an identified need for additional special classes for students with autism and work has been underway with stakeholders for a number of years to meet the demand for places.

NCSE has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.

NCSE is continuing to engage with schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes for 2022/23 and beyond. There are specific plans in place to open additional special classes and every support will be made available to progress their opening in the shortest possible timeframe with a particular focus on September next.

It is, of course, open to any school to engage with the NCSE to establish a special class.

My Department is committed, in conjunction with the NCSE, to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.

I want to reassure the Deputy also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.

The list of special schools is available on the NCSE website at the following link:

ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/NCSE-Special-School-Allocations-21-22-website-03-12-2021.pdf.

and for special classes at: ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Final-2021_2022-Sp-Class-list-25_03_22.pdf.