Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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370. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a special school in Monaghan will be established. [29923/24]

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.

My department and the NCSE continue to monitor and review the need for further new special schools and the expansion of existing special schools in all areas of the country including County Monaghan.

The Department of Education and National Council for Special Education is working to increase special school capacity for the 2025/2026 school year and beyond. Where additional special school places are needed, the preference is generally to expand capacity in existing schools. However, consideration is being given to whether further new special schools, in addition to the 11 recently established or those currently being established, are required in certain locations. As part of this work, the NCSE is examining known demand in areas, the distances children are travelling to special schools and capacity in an area to expand special schools which already exist. This work is ongoing and is expected to be substantially completed in late autumn. A number of regions are under consideration for special school provision, including Monaghan

My department and the NCSE are progressing this review work ahead of determining where additional capacity is required in existing special schools or in what regions a new special school may need to be established for the 2025/26 school year.

It is estimated that a further 300 new special school places may be required nationwide each year for the coming years. When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible.

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.