Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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298. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans to provide additional autism classes in an area of County Cork (details supplied); if the National Council for Special Education has engaged with local schools in respect of need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4374/25]

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.

563 of these classes are in County Cork, 66 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 43 at primary level and 23 at post-primary level. In the Crosshaven school planning area, there are 3 special classes in primary schools. Each of these 3 special classes are autism special classes.

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

The NCSE have recently recruited additional SENOs, advisors and team managers. 120 SENOs now operate nationwide, with eighteen operating solely in County Cork, 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.

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 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.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.