Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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231. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she expects to be in a position to meet the special needs education requirements throughout north Kildare, with its growing population, and extra needs arising therefrom in terms of accommodation and special classes or special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30858/24]

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 me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

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.

386 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the 2024/25 school year, 270 at primary and 116 at post primary level. Of these, 14 are in Kildare, 10 at primary level and 4 at post primary level. This brings the overall number of special classes in County Kildare to 130.

The NCSE is confident that through the provision of these additional classes, as well as vacancies in existing classes, there is sufficient places to meet the needs of all children known to them for September 2024.

The new special school planned for Kildare, along with three others in counties Limerick, Meath and Wexford, was announced on 6 December 2023. Working groups to support the establishment of each special school were set up at that stage and these groups continue to meet on an ongoing basis.

The location of all four special schools has been confirmed. For Kildare the initial start up location will be at Craddockstown Education Campus beside Naas Community National School. My department continues to examine potential sites for the school's long-term location and this will be confirmed in due course.

It is also expected that the new special school to be established in Enfield, Co. Meath will help meet the needs of some students from the North Kildare region and other local areas.

Both schools will enrol children and young people with autism and complex learning needs up to 18 years of age.

These schools have been sanctioned as early as possible as part of advanced planning to meet the needs of students with special educational needs due to start school next September.

This resulted from analysis by the NSCE and the department which found that the level of need in these particular areas could not be catered for by expanding places in existing special schools. This analysis also considered the distances being travelled by students to access a special school place.

The new schools are also the first in recent years to be established in the regions, following the establishment of 7 special schools in Dublin and Cork over the past four years.

These additions to the country’s existing network of 130 special schools is part of the expanded package in Budget 2024 for special needs education, which includes:

• Up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs, which includes up to 400 new special classes and 300 additional special school places.
• The recruitment of 744 extra special needs teachers, and 1,216 extra special needs assistants to cater for the increased number of students.
• 100 new teaching posts in existing and new special schools, plus an Administrative Deputy Principal, from September 2024, to benefit almost 9,000 children in these schools.