Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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146. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the case of an ASD unit closure can be examined (details supplied); if her Department will acknowledge the difficulties being experienced here; if her Department will assist and prevent the closure of this ASD unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25977/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to clarify to the Deputy that this question refers to the Lighthouse Centre which is not a school, but a private company that provide home tuition in a group setting. The question relates to services provided under the Home Tuition Grant Scheme rather than an ASD Unit.

The Purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement for whom such a placement is not available. Provision is also made for early educational intervention for children aged from 2.5 years to 3 years with autism.

Ensuring that every child with special educational needs gets a suitable education is a priority for the Department of Education.

Parents of children, who are eligible for Home Tuition and for whom home tuition has been approved, can source a tutor to provide home tuition on a one-to-one basis. Parents can also avail of alternative arrangements such as the provision of home tuition in a group setting. These arrangements enable parents to forego the home-based provision in favour of provision in a classroom setting which in itself is supported by a direct payment provision. The pre-school which the Deputy has referred to is one such private group provider.

Each group provider is selected by the parents. My Department has no contract with these providers. The contract is essentially between the parents and the relevant provider. My department also does not provide capital funding to private group providers. As part of the approval process, parents wishing to enter into such an arrangement must notify my Department in advance of the tuition commencing.

With regard to the pre-school concerned, I can confirm that my Department issued the 2023/2024 Home Tuition Circular in early June 2023. The early release of this circular and its application forms were to provide parents with sufficient time to engage with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) so that home tuition, if approved, could commence as early as possible in the new school year.

It is also a condition of the scheme that preschool classes cannot commence unless there is a minimum of 3 children. Again, in the case referred to, the Home Tuition application for the 3rd child was not received by my Department until November 2023. As soon as all the relevant information was received, approval was granted for the group to commence home tuition on the following Monday.

Regarding late payment, all payments were issued within the agreed time period with the exception of one. The delay in this payment was as a result of the pre-school provider failing to provide the Department with their correct bank details.

Funding is provided to these pre-school providers on the basis that they abide by the rules established by the Special Education Section of the Department of Education, as set out in Circular 0024/2023. This also includes incidences where there is a change in tutor.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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147. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on an application made by a school (details supplied) for an additional autism class; the reason for the delay in the approval; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25978/24]

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).

Over 360 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the 2024/25 school year. Of these, 19 are in County Galway, 12 at primary level and 7 at post primary. This brings the overall number of special classes in the county to 168.

The NCSE are confident that through the provision of these new classes and vacancies in existing classes there is sufficient places to meet the needs of children known to them for September 2024. I have asked the NCSE to ensure these 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.

I can confirm that the school has expressed an interest in opening a second autism class for the 2024/25 school year, however, have stated that they require modular accommodation in order to do so. The school already has one existing special class and has submitted an application for capital funding, under my department's Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme for modular accommodation to provide for one special education classroom and one special education tuition room. My department's Planning and Building unit is considering this application and will contact the school with a decision in due course.

When establishing a special class it is 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. Enrolments are projected to decrease for the next number of years at primary level.

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.

The NCSE are currently assessing the needs in the local area and available accommodation options and the school will be notified as soon as possible if a special class can be established.