Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Education and Skills

Special Educational Needs

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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472. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to consider a special class or unit for ASD for a school (details supplied). [46282/24]

Photo of Hildegarde NaughtonHildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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As you are aware enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for government. Thanks to considerable investment in special education in recent years 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.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. They have recently recruited additional special educational needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers.

A total of 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, two of these are operating solely in County Westmeath. SENOs play an important role in ensuring there is adequate special educational provision within local areas and are currently visiting schools nationwide to conduct planning meetings. These visits are key in terms of forward planning for the 2025/26 school year. At primary level, the NCSE are focusing on medium to larger schools with no special class, or just one special class, to make further provision for the coming school year.

The NCSE continue to assess what additional provision is required in local areas and what schools have capacity to accommodate required provision. They will advise on the location of new special classes for the 2025/26 school year in the coming months.

Almost 1,700 classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE in the last 5 years, 11 new special schools have 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 3,336.

69 of these classes are in County Westmeath, 10 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 7 at primary level and 3 at post-primary level. Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places nationwide.

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.

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