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).

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, after extensive engagement with stakeholders, recently published a new circular letter 0080/2024 setting out new measures to support the forward planning of special education provision.

The measures outlined in the new circular letter include:

• highlighting that the NCSE will be targeting medium to large mainstream primary schools who don’t have a special class to open special classes for the 2025/2026 school year;
• reminding all post-primary schools to continue to plan to provide 4 special classes, and
• outlining new streamlined arrangements to support the re-purposing of existing accommodation to facilitate opening new special classes.

The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide and planning for special educational placements is in train for the 2025/26 school year and beyond. The NCSE have recruited additional special education needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. The number of SENOs has increased from 65 to 120. SENOs are currently visiting schools across the country to conduct planning meetings. The NCSE plan to conduct up to 800 of these visits by the end of this month.

Demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates. My department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders in relation to the provision of special classes.

In October 2022, my department wrote to all post-primary schools requesting that each school begin planning to provide for up to four special classes to meet the needs of children progressing from primary school. The department and the NCSE continue to have engagement with post-primary school management bodies in relation to the provision of special classes.

Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places for the 2025/202 school year, and if the current increased level of need for such placements continues it is estimated that a similar level of provision will be needed each year for the next 3 years.

My department and the NCSE acknowledge the hugely important role played by special schools. Eleven new special schools have been established in recent years and many more have been expanded. Just last week, along with my colleague Minister Foley, I was happy to announce that a further five new special schools will be established for the 2025/26 school year.

While it is important to open new special schools where they are needed, we also need to consider the role of existing special schools to meet the growing need for more places. A number of special schools have broadened the profile of students they support and I would encourage other schools to consider this. This is key to supporting more students and shortening journey times for others. We must do more to ensure that students are not passing a number of other special schools on the daily journey to their particular special school each day. This is an issue that parents and advocacy groups have raised with me over recent months.

Training and supports are available for schools who want to broaden the profile of student they support to better meet the needs of local children who require the support of a special school. Schools can contact the NCSE for information on available training and support to enable them to broaden the profile of students they support over time.