Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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271. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to urgently review the decision to deny the provision of a second SEN classroom at a school (details supplied) considering the immediate need and the impact on the five children on the waiting list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4122/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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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 over 3,330.

Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places nationwide.

My department works closely with the NCSE on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. After assessing the needs in the local area and all available accommodation options therein, the NCSE confirmed local demand in the area and sanctioned an additional special class at the school.

I can confirm to the Deputy, that my department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and accommodation for students with special educational needs is available to accommodate for students enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.

My department has a significant modular accommodation programme in place to assist schools in the provision of additional capacity, including in respect of facilitating the establishment of special classes.

This programme involves the use of project management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects.

The use of my department’s Modular Accommodation Framework also assists in ensuring lead in periods for procurement of modular accommodation are minimised to the greatest extent possible. To date, this has worked very well in the education sector and has seen delivery of large scale, high quality modular accommodation to meet the needs of children, particularly those with special educational needs.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of the school in question have accepted an offer of modular accommodation to provide one additional special education classroom and one mainstream class accommodation which will be delivered to the school through the modular accommodation framework.

My department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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272. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what steps her Department will take to ensure that a school (details supplied) receives the necessary classroom space to accommodate the new teacher arriving in September 2025, given that there is currently no additional space available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4123/25]

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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273. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide clarity on the criteria for approving prefab replacements and additional accommodation for visiting teachers; what support can be offered to a school (details supplied) in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4124/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 272 and 273 together.

I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school in question.

The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and accommodation for students with special educational needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or at other schools in the area.

The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. As a result, the current priority under the Additional Accommodation scheme is the provision of essential classroom accommodation to meet demographic demand or where an additional post is being appointed.

At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.

The Department has a significant modular accommodation programme in place to assist schools in the provision of additional capacity, including in respect of facilitating the establishment of special classes.

This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects.

The use of the Department’s Modular Accommodation Framework also assists in ensuring lead in periods for procurement of modular accommodation are minimised to the greatest extent possible. To date, this has worked very well in the education sector and has seen delivery of large scale, high quality modular accommodation to meet the needs of children, particularly those with special educational needs.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of the school in question have accepted an offer of modular accommodation to provide 1x Special education classroom and 1x Mainstream accommodation which will be delivered to the school through the modular accommodation framework.