Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Special Educational Needs
Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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520. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of school places in the new special school announced for Lucan (details supplied); the class years that will be available; when applications will open for students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46542/24]
Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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521. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers to be hired for the new special school announced for Lucan (details supplied); when these positions will be advertised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46543/24]
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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576. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide information regarding the new special school due to open in the Lucan area of Dublin mid-west for the 2025-2026 school year; the location of the school; if any works are required on the building to bring it up to standard; and the number of places that will be available for students at the school. [1056/25]
Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My department works closely with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. Building on successive budgets, Budget 2025 secured funding for up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools, and an additional 300 special school places for the 2025/26 school year. This will deliver 2,700 new places for children.
Part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children seeking a special school place in a region.
Almost 1,700 new special classes have been opened over the last 5 years and 11 new special schools have been established in recent years. For this school year alone, over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned with classes provided in every county. Four new special schools also opened in counties Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick.
As you are aware five new special schools will be established for the next school year, two in County Dublin and one each in counties Cork, Monaghan and Tipperary. This will bring to 129 the number of NCSE supported special schools in the county.
The new special school in Lucan will operate under the patronage of Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). Dedicated working groups have been established by my department to work through the details in relation to the establishment of the new special schools, including the new special school in Lucan.
It is envisaged that existing buildings will be repurposed, in the first instance, to facilitate the opening of the new special schools for the 2025/26 school year. This will allow the schools to open as quickly as possible.
The exact initial capacity of each special school, including the new school in Lucan will be considered further and confirmed shortly. Special schools generally operate on the basis of 1 teacher and at least 2 SNAs per class grouping of 6 children. Further supports can be provided if required to meet the needs of the children enrolling in the school.
Parents and families looking to apply for admission to the new special school will be supported and guided by the NCSE at a local level and kept updated on developments.
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