Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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687.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that a student (details supplied) is assessed and a suitable school placement is found urgently.[35752/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring that children with special educational needs has an appropriate education is a key priority for the Goverment.

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. Parents should make contact with the class teacher and or the school principal to discuss the needs of their child and the supports that the school can provide.

Enrolments to special classes or special schools are managed by individual schools and are governed by policies determined by my department. The criteria for enrolment into a special class/school is closely linked to its designation. In order to be considered eligible for a placement a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals must be provided. This requirement is critically in ensuring that the class/school is (and remains) available to support those students in which its purpose was intended.

Over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the 2024/25 school year, bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to 3,333. These classes can accommodate for over 20,000 students. There is also 124 special schools nationwide providing places for over 8,800 students.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally for planning purposes. Local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) are available to assist and advise parents and can provide details on schools with available special educational places. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available on the NCSE website.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements are available for children for this school year and future years.

In relation to a diagnosis of needs, the Assessment of Need (AON) process is a Health Service Executive (HSE) process which is designed to identify children and young people who may have a disability, or who have a disability and may require further clinical supports from the HSE. All children/young people born on or after June 2002 are eligible to apply to the HSE for an Assessment of Need. An Assessment of Need as outlined in the Disability Act 2005- www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2005/act/14/enacted/en/html- will identify a child's health needs and what services are required to meet that child's needs. A person must be born after 1st June 2002 to be assessed. An application for an Assessment of Need can be made to the HSE by a parent, legal guardian or personal advocate.

If an HSE assessment officer forms the opinion there may be a need for an education service to be provided, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory obligation to nominate ‘appropriate persons’ to assist the HSE in the AON process.