Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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123. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe for when a decision will be made regarding provision for a school (details supplied) in light of section 37a of the Education Act 1998. [45540/24]

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's Planning and Building Unit are engaging directly with the school patron regarding the short and long-term accommodation needs of the school referred to. My department is working to ensure that special classes can be accommodated at the school as a priority. The NCSE has advised my department that the local special educational needs organiser (SENO) has been in contact with a number of parents in the Skerries area and its surrounds and remains available to assist and provide advice to both the school and parents as required.

Almost 1,700 classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE in recent years, 11 new special schools have also been established and many more expanded. For this school year alone over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to 3,337.

603 of these classes are in County Dublin, 70 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 48 at primary level and 22 at post-primary level. The vast majority of these are autism classes and have a teacher/student ratio of 1:6.

Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places nationwide and it is estimated that a similar level of provision will be needed each year for the next 3 years.

The NCSE has recruited additional SENOs, advisors and team managers. SENOs play an important role in ensuring there is adequate special educational provision within local areas. The total number of SENOs has increased to 120 nationwide. There are now 28 SENOs operating in County Dublin. These SENOs are currently visiting schools to conduct planning meetings. These visits will be key in terms of forward planning for the 2025/26 school year.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally for planning purposes. Local 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.