Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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619.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are any plans to increase autism classes in City West; if there are plans for an additional special school in City West; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34999/24]

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).

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 progressing for the 2025/26 school year.

For the 2024/25 school year over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE. Of these 69 are in County Dublin, 48 at primary and 21 at post-primary level. This brings to 600 the number of special classes in the county, the vast majority of these are autism classes.

The NCSE is working intensely with some schools to ensure that admission processes are completed and that any remaining places created are offered to students without delay. The NCSE continue to update families on this work on a regular basis.

In addition there are 124 NCSE supported special schools throughout the country. These schools support over 8,800 students nationwide. 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. It is estimated that a further 300 new special school places may be required nationwide each year for the coming years.

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 those recently 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 potential capacity in 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.

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.