John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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473. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether she would consider the idea, as exists in social housing, of a mutual transfer facility for students with neurological challenges who find that the educational setting for them is either above or below their needs and whose schooling is inadequate as a consequence if they were able to mutually transfer with a child from another school whose school setting is considered inappropriate also, that a direct swap could be facilitated. [2910/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive a befitting 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.

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 over 3,300.

602 of these classes are in County Dublin, 69 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 48 at primary level and 21 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.

The NCSE have recently recruited additional SENOs, advisors and team managers. 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, 28 of these are operating solely in County Dublin, 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. It is expected that the NCSE will sanction a number of new special classes for the 2025/26 school year in the coming weeks.

Placements in special education settings should be reviewed by schools, in consultation with parents, on an ongoing basis. My Department is completing work on revised guidelines for schools on the review of special education placements. Where a child wishes to move from one special education setting to another, the NCSE at local level are available to support this. If the Deputy wishes to share details of any child looking to do so, I would be happy to share those details with the NCSE and ask them to engage directly with the family and schools involved.

Regard would need to be given to the relevant admission policies, admission process and waiting lists for the schools involved as well.