Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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400. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene in the case of a child (details supplied) to arrange for him to be granted a school place. [9671/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. They advise that the local special educational needs organiser (SENO) is working closely with the student’s family regarding options for school placements and other special education supports for the coming academic year.

Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now just over 28,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. Budget 2025 provides for an additional 2,700 specialist places, made up of 400 new special classes and 300 additional special school places. On top of this, there will be over 1,000 places available through the normal annual movement of students progressing from primary to post-primary and students graduating from post-primary or special schools. There are also existing special class vacancies in some areas of the country.

Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that 209 of these classes have already been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these 22 are in County Cork, 12 at primary and 10 at post primary level. This will add to the 563 special classes currently in operation in the county. There are also 16 special schools in Cork with approximately 1,000 students enrolled and there is also a hospital school attached to Cork University Hospital. Of the five new special schools announced for the 2025/26 school year, one will be located in Cork, in the North City area. Dedicated working groups have been established by my department to work through the details in relation to the establishment of the new special schools

In County Cork and indeed nationwide, the NCSE continue to engage intensely with schools and school patron bodies to confirm further new special classes. As the NCSE progress the sanctioning of the remaining special classes they will inform parents.

Where new special classes have been sanctioned, I would urge schools to progress the admission of students as soon as possible to ensure that the NCSE can continue to evaluate demand in local areas, sanction classes as required and assist parents in securing a school place.

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