Written answers

Wednesday, 22 January 2025

Department of Education and Skills

School Facilities

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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562. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an application by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46893/24]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for universal access works. Works. This application is currently being reviewed by the technical team within the EWS and, once a technical recommendation has been received, the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware of the urgent nature of the works required and will keep the school informed throughout the process.

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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563. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an application by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46894/24]

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. 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.

98 of these classes are in County Kerry, 7 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 5 at primary level and 2 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 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.

The NCSE have recently recruited additional SENOs, advisors and team managers. 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, four of these are operating solely in County Kerry.

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. Over 1,000 school planning visits have occurred in recent months. These planning visits have been key to the NCSE in determining what new provision can be provided and it is expected that the NCSE will sanction a number of new special classes in the coming weeks.

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

I wish to commend the school referred to by the Deputy for expressing an interest in opening a special class. While it may not be possible for the NCSE to sanction new special classes in every school that expresses an interest, the NCSE will continue to monitor the level of need in the area.

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