Written answers
Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Department of Education and Skills
Special Educational Needs
Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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297. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether there are plans for an ASD unit to be put in place at a school (details supplied) given its size and the present demand for such services. [18983/24]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question.
The purpose of my Department’s ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
The consideration of the accommodation requirements for the school in question forms part of the Planning and Building Unit’s overall assessment of its work programme and priorities in the context of available capital funding.
I can assure the Deputy that the provision of required school places, including for children with special educational needs, is a priority for my Department and my officials are working to ensure that there is sufficient provision to meet the school place needs in the school in question and the wider School Planning Area for future years.
Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.5 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 800 school building projects with construction currently underway at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 31 new school buildings. The 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2bn. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.
The application for the school question has been assessed and on foot of this assessment technical input was sought from the Department's Professional and Technical Division. Their advice is now being considered by the Department, to determine the scope of any project that can be approved here.
I can confirm that Departmental officials have had on-going engagement with this school during this process and once a decision is reached the school authorities will be contacted directly.
Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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298. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans in place to increase the number of special school places for children who NEPS assessments specifically recommend for such a place, given the insufficient capacity at present; the number of places to be brought on stream in the next two years; and the location of these places. [18984/24]
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.
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 will allow for, amongst other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places.
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 engages 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.
There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support children with complex needs. To meet this need, seven new special schools have been established in recent years and capacity has been expanded in a number of other special schools.
The new special schools established over recent years have focused on providing additional places in our largest urban areas – Dublin and Cork. A further four special schools will be established for the 2024/25 school year. These schools will be established in Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick under the patronage of their local Education and Training Boards. This will bring the number of NCSE supported special schools nationwide to 124.
When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the Department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.
In planning for increased special school places, the Department and NCSE review all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand.
An important consideration when deciding to establish or expand provision in an existing special school is the distances that some students are travelling in order to access a special school placement.
My Department and the NCSE are continually reviewing where additional capacity is required in existing special schools or in what regions a new special school may need to be established over the coming years.
My Department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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299. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the options available to a child (details supplied) who has been recommended for a special school place by a NEPS assessment but has been unable to secure a place in the Dublin area. [18985/24]
Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
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 will allow for, amongst other things, the opening of up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools and 300 additional special school places.
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 engages 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 current 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, 390 new special classes – 254 at primary and 136 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE.
Of these, 71 are in Dublin, 48 at primary level and 23 at post-primary level. This brings to 534 the number of special classes in Dublin, 408 at primary level and 126 at post-primary level.
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
Planning for special classes and special school places is currently underway ahead of the 2024/25 school year. The locations of the new classes will be confirmed by the NCSE shortly.
As your query refers to an individual placement, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
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) are available to assist and advise the parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at:
www.ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list
My Department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
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