Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.

In 2024, €2.7 billion is being spent on special education, an increase of €113 million which is dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs. This will allow for, amongst other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places. Only last week, my colleague Minister Foley announced plans for the roll-out of the next phase of investment in the school capital building programme. This additional funding of almost €800 million will support over 90 building projects in 2024 and 2025 including 138 additional rooms for children with special educational needs.

My department engages closely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places.

This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.

Any school which seeks to open a special class or indeed a further class is to be commended. The efforts of schools in doing so is appreciated, however, it may not be possible or appropriate to open classes in every school that expresses or has previously expressed an interest. Classes not sanctioned for this coming school year, will remain as options, should need arise in later years.

Generally, demographics are falling at primary level and this trend is due to continue. Therefore, my department in conjunction with the NCSE considers it prudent to maximise the use of existing accommodation in schools, within geographic areas, in the first instance. This consideration is prior to the establishment of any additional special class that may require additional accommodation e.g., modular accommodation.

This approach enables special classes to be established more quickly as there is no requirement for additional accommodation. This means that the educational needs of children who require a specialist placement can be met more easily. It also allows for earlier reconfiguration of existing accommodation in a more streamlined and efficient manner.

This overall approach is consistent with the department’s commitment to supporting the educational needs of children who require specialist placements while at the same time meeting the requirements of the government’s infrastructure guidelines.

Where additional accommodation is indicated as being required, an analysis of both student demand and available accommodation in an area is required. In this regard, the department is working very closely with the NCSE to ensure that this required analysis is thoroughly explored with a view to providing the most immediate and cost-effective accommodation solutions for the establishment of new special classes for the 2024/25 school year.

In some instances, this analysis is complete and the appropriate accommodation solutions are being advanced. In the remaining cases, the outcome of the analysis is nearing completion and schools will be advised shortly. Local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) continue to engage with schools regarding the position and timing of the establishment of previously sanctioned new classes.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for this school year and future years.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 113 together.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.

For 2024, €2.7 billion is being spent on special education an increase of €113 million and this is dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.

This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).

In 2024, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 744 teachers and 1,216 SNAs added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs. This will mean we will have over 41,500 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting these children.

The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs.

Over the last number of years, my department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.

These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,300 new special classes sanctioned and seven new special schools established over the last four years.

My department engage intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This forward planning work is well underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.

As a result of this forward planning, two new special schools have been established for this school year in Cork and Dublin, with further capacity being expanded in 11 other special schools.

In addition, four new special schools will be established for the 2024/25 school year in counties Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick. This will bring to 11 the number of new special schools established in recent years.

Along with the two new special schools opening this school year, 391 new special classes – 255 at primary and 136 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE.

Of these 7 are in County Roscommon (5 at primary and 2 at post-primary) and 6 are in County Westmeath (4 at primary and 2 at post-primary) brining the total no of special classes to 41 and 59 respectively in each county.

My department and the NCSE are continually working to planning for the provision of further new special classes and special school places. Planning for special classes and special school places is currently underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year and the locations of these new classes will be confirmed by the NCSE shortly.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. Local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available on the NCSE's website at: www.ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list

Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at: www.ncse.ie/special-classes

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.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the deputy for question raised.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this government. The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers.

The Special Education Teaching (SET) allocation model for 2024/25 is based on information from all 4,000 schools in the country. The model distributes the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need.

The model seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account as much evidence as possible in respect of individual schools and evidence in respect of the best possible use of resources. Schools must adhere to the guidance on the use of SET hours and support all children with additional teaching needs using the continuum of support framework.

The revised model is providing an annual allocation of SET teaching hours, using the best possible available data sources and is ensuring that the right resource is available at the right time to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. Schools have autonomy to deploy those resources to meet the needs of their students. In this regard it is important to note that 67% of all schools saw their allocation increase or remain the same, whereas 33% saw a reduction in hours. Of those schools who saw a reduction in hours 90% was a result of falling enrolment.

The Department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the Department, working with the NCSE has streamlined the review process for special education teaching hours and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.

Reviews are being conducted by the NCSE, between March and May, to better enable schools to plan for the following September. An internal NCSE review panel will consider the application ensuring that the school have clearly evidenced that the overall level of special education teaching allocation in this school does not have capacity to meet this additional identified need.

Additional resources will be provided to schools in cases where the NCSE have identified that this is required.

This review process has now commenced with reviews being considered on a weekly basis with first priority given to schools who are developing or rapidly developing. A total of 218 applications have been received from schools.

A weekly process for consideration of submitted reviews is in place between the department and the NCSE so that schools can be advised at the earliest opportunity.

The first tranche of 32 schools were contacted the week of the 8th April to advise of additional allocations following review. On the recommendation of the NCSE my department has allocated a total of 427.5 additional Special Education Teaching hours to this first tranche of schools. Depending on the profile of the school the additional allocation ranges from 2.5 hours to 27.5 hours per school. The average additional allocation for this first tranche of schools is 13.5 hours.

It is important to note that SET hours are only one component of support for children in mainstream but the most important support is the mainstream class teacher. The pupil teacher ratio at primary level is now 23:1 which means there are more mainstream teachers than ever before in our educational system. There will be 14,600 Special Education Teachers (SETs) supporting mainstream classes in the 2024/25 school year, which is an increase of 1,000 since the end of the 2021 school year. This is the highest number of SET teachers ever in our schools.