John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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380. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an application for a furniture equipment grant for a sensory room in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6300/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The school in question has made an application for grant funding for a sensory room. To be considered eligible for this grant the school must have an existing special educational needs (SEN) classroom that has been sanctioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) or be in the process of opening one.

The designated sensory room must be separate from the SEN classroom or any other room with its own entry/exit door and accessible from the main corridor. It shouldn’t require any major refurbishment, part of classrooms, sensory spaces, and sensory pods do not qualify for the grant.

The furniture & equipment (F&E) team has assessed this application and has responded to the school to requesting a floor plan with the existing SEN classroom and the proposed sensory room marked on it. Once the requested information has been received the F&E team will finalise its assessment of the application and revert to the school in respect of this decision.