Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools who agreed to open special classes in modular units for the school year starting September 2024; the number of these schools who had their request rejected by the Department; in tabular form by school name and county. [25651/24]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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79. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department rejected the opening of a special class in a modular unit at a school (details supplied), citing that the area did not have the numbers for additional classes; how this decision was arrived at given the level of need which exists in the Swords area, and given that Fingal is the fastest growing area in Ireland. [25653/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 79 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 department does not refuse accommodation for special classes at primary level, but rather works with schools to put the most appropriate accommodation solution in place to meet the requirement for special classes in an area, taking account of the timing and duration of the need. This may require modular accommodation, or in many instances, in support of inclusion and integration, the department will work with schools to reconfigure existing accommodation for special classes, and provide modular accommodation for the displaced rooms as necessary.

In some cases schools require just an interim solution pending the completion of a school building project and the department will work with schools to identify appropriate provision to meet such a short-term need. Where the NCSE has indicated to the department that a class is not required at a particular school for the 2024/25 school year, the department will, instead, work to ensure that an appropriate solution put in place to provide the special class accommodation for the year in which is needed.

School building projects currently in train, including modular accommodation projects, will provide over 6,000 additional and replacement places in special classes and the department will continue to work with the NCSE to ensure that accommodation requirements for special classes at primary schools across the country continue to be met.

In relation to the school referred to by the Deputy, the NCSE have advised my department that the school currently have one special class which was opened in November 2023. The NCSE has sanctioned a second special class and the school submitted an application for modular accommodation to my department's Planning and Building unit on 17 April 2024. This is currently being assessed.

My department and the NCSE work closely in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places, work which is close to finalisation for the 2024/25 school year.

Over 360 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the 2024/25 school year. Of these, 48 are in Dublin, 32 are at primary level and 16 at post-primary, this brings the total number of special classes in the county to 582. The NCSE expect to confirm some additional classes over the coming weeks to ensure that a sufficient level of provision is available. The NCSE is confident that through the provision of these new classes and some vacancies in existing classes there is sufficient places to meet the needs of all children known to them for September 2024.

I have asked the NCSE to ensure classes are established as a matter of urgency and to keep all families seeking class places updated on an ongoing basis to ensure their children can access the provision to which they are entitled.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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78. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of secondary schools who agreed to open special classes in modular units for the school year starting September 2024; the number of these schools who had their request rejected by the Department; in tabular form by school name and county. [25652/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Education engages closely with the National Council for Special Education 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.

As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, my department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders in relation to the provision of special classes.

My department wrote to all post-primary schools requesting that each school begin planning to provide for up to four special classes to meet the needs of children progressing from primary school. The department and the NCSE continue to have engagement with post-primary school management bodies in relation to the provision of special classes.

Schools’ support for the establishment of special classes is most welcome. 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.

The main focus of the Department’s capital funding over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of critical additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics and children with special education needs. The Department is required to manage the overall school building programme so that we target and prioritise areas that are under greatest pressure for additional school places. This reflects our fundamental objective of ensuring the availability of a school place for every child.

In relation to places for the coming 2024/2025 school year, the NCSE have sanctioned just over 360 new special classes. Of these, 112 are at post primary level.

The Department works with schools to put the most appropriate accommodation solution in place to meet the requirement for special classes in an area, taking account of the timing and duration of the need.

This may require modular accommodation, or in many instances, in support of inclusion and integration, the Department will work with schools to reconfigure existing accommodation for special classes, and provide modular accommodation for the displaced rooms as necessary. In some cases schools require just an interim solution pending the completion of a school building project and the Department will work with schools to identify appropriate provision to meet such a short-term need. Where the NCSE has indicated to the Department that a class is not required at a particular school for the 2024/25 school year, the Department will, instead, work to ensure that an appropriate solution put in place to provide the special class accommodation for the year in which is needed.

School building projects currently in train, including modular accommodation projects, will provide over 6,000 additional and replacement places in special classes and the Department will continue to work with the NCSE to ensure that accommodation requirements for special classes at post primary schools across the country continue to be met.

The Department does not refuse accommodation for special classes at post primary level. In that context, it is not possible to provide a list of schools who had a request for modular accommodation refused.