Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm to the Deputy, that the school in question has submitted an application for capital funding, under my department's Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for mainstream and special education classroom space.

The purpose of the Additional Schools' Accommodation scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.

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 National Council for Special Education (NCSE), and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes. The capacity at other schools in the area is also considered as part of the assessment of any accommodation needs.

As part of its overall programme planning for 2024 school accommodation needs, the department is now examining enrolment data from the current school year and data on accommodation capacity at schools. This is in order to reassess and identify critical accommodation requirements for the next school year, with a view to advancing these to formal approval stage. It is very important that capacity in existing schools and across a town or area is maximised to the greatest extent possible . This includes ensuring that all school accommodation is being utilised as efficiently as possible, and that priority is given to the use of accommodation for classroom purposes, either to meet mainstream or special educational needs. This analysis is forming part of the department’s current assessment process.

The 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.

390 new special classes – 254 at primary and 136 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE for opening this current school year.

Of these 14 are in Tipperary, 5 at primary level and 9 at post-primary level. This brings to 120 the number of special classes in County Tipperary, 76 at primary level and 44 at post-primary level.

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. It is not, therefore, possible to give an indication at this point in time of the timeframe for the provision of additional accommodation at the school. I can only seek to assure you that we will advance this matter as quickly as possible and that we are very conscious that where additional school places and accommodation are required, a significant lead-in time is necessary for a variety of reasons.

The application is being considered in this context and we are working to get a decision communicated to the school as soon as possible.