Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Education and Skills
Special Educational Needs
Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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651. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps taken to address the lack of school places in Carlow for children with special educational needs, specifically referring to a five-year-old boy (details supplied) whose parents have applied to 11 different schools in Carlow, Laois and Athy and have been refused by each one due to a lack of spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11568/25]
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.
The NCSE 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.
Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that 309 of these classes have already been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these 7 are in County Carlow, 9 are in County Laois and 14 in County Kildare, 24 of these are at primary level and 6 at post primary level.
This will add to the 59 special classes currently in operation in County Carlow. There are also 2 special schools in Carlow with approximately 172 students enrolled.
In County Carlow and indeed nationwide, the NCSE continue to engage intensely with schools and school patron bodies to confirm further 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.
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.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.
Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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652. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she plans to approve a special learning difficulties reading class in north Dublin; the timeline for this expansion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11591/25]
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.
At present, there are fourteen reading classes and four special schools to support students with severe dyslexia and I want to acknowledge the excellent work they do. It is important to note they were established at a time when there were much fewer additional supports in schools.
In working to develop a more inclusive education system, we want to support students to attend their local mainstream schools. This means that children can be educated with their peers and are not required to travel long distances to attend special schools or classes.
15,000 special education teachers have been provided to enable schools to achieve this. In practical terms this means schools get a substantial additional teaching allocation to support children with special education needs who are in mainstream classes.
The additional resources are intended to support students with the greatest level of need, including those with dyslexia or severe dyslexia.
Of course, I recognise the importance of building the capacity of teachers in mainstream schools to meet the needs of all students. To support this, 338 places are funded each year to teachers to attend post-graduate special education needs programmes. The NCSE offers dedicated professional learning opportunities for teachers supporting students with additional needs. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) also provides professional learning opportunities that are available to all primary and post primary school teachers on supporting children and young people with literacy difficulties, including dyslexia.
Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment to assist children. Schools can apply to the NCSE, through their local special educational needs organiser (SENO) for such support.
The need for any additional provision or resources for schools to support students with dyslexia is kept under constant review by the NCSE.
Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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653. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an additional SNA would be provided to a school (details supplied). [11616/25]
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.
By the end of the year there will be over 20,800 special educational teachers and 23,400 special needs assistants (SNAs) in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. This will mean we will have over 44,200 teachers and SNAs working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs into schools. They help ensure that these students can access an education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
SNAs are allocated to schools as a school-based resource. Principals/boards of management deploy SNAs within schools to meet the care support requirements of the children enrolled whom SNA support has been allocated. This provides schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has published the SNA allocations for the 2024/25 school year. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down by school type and are available on the NCSE's website.
If a school feels like it has insufficient SNA support to meet the needs of its students an application can be submitted to the NCSE requesting a review of its allocation. Detailed information on the NCSE's SNA review process is published on the NCSE's website. Each case is individually assessed and is based on the student profile of each school.
My Department does not have a role in the allocation of (SNAs) to individual schools.
The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and SNA reviews.
As your question relates to the SNA allocation in an individual school, I have forwarded the question to the NCSE for their direct response to you on the matter raised.
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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654. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being considered to support children with special educational needs who are unable to attend mainstream or special schools due to severe anxiety, ASD, or other related conditions; if there are plans to expand long-term online learning options beyond temporary home tuition schemes; if consideration will be given to developing structured, accredited online education pathways for these students to ensure they have access to qualifications and future opportunities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11622/25]
Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for his question.
My Department’s preference in relation to students with anxiety who are not attending school is that, other than in exceptional circumstances, they should be supported to attend their school in person. This is on the basis that the need to socialise and engage with their peers is best facilitated in person in school. This is irrespective of whether the student has or has not special educational needs who cannot attend school arising from acute levels of anxiety or other conditions.
While my Department has no plans at present to develop a structured, accredited online education pathway, there are a number of supports available:
Home Tuition Grant Scheme
The Department’s Home Tuition Grant Schemes provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for several reasons, are unable to attend school. By its nature, it is intended to be a short-term intervention.
The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for:
- Pre-School Children with autism who meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria
- Children seeking a Special School or Special Class placement
- Students, enrolled in schools, with a significant medical condition, which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school
- Students, enrolled in schools, with school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school
In relation to applications in respect of students with diagnoses of school phobia and/or associated depression/anxiety, the principle that home tuition cannot be provided as an alternative to school still applies.
iScoil
For students aged from 13 to 16 and who have been out of school for 6 months or more, iScoil is another support available. iScoil is an autonomous online learning community which has developed a model of learning that, in its own terms, is flexible, adaptive, innovative and inclusive, where young people who are out of school can re-engage in learning with the help of digital technologies and a personalized approach to learning online. Their work focusses on achieving progression to enable these students to go back to school. iScoil is registered under Section 14 of the Educational (Welfare) Act 2000 as a provider of education to certain children receiving education in places other than a recognised school.
Over the last number of years, the Department has increased its funding to iScoil to expand the number of places available, increasing from 80 to 180. Specifically the cohort of children whose medical assessment indicates school phobia may be regarded as suited to this type of intervention.
Places are available only to those referred to iScoil by Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) Educational Welfare Officers (EWO’s) and not the Department of Education.
National Educational Psychological Service
The Department of Education also has an important role to play in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of our young people. The Department’s Wellbeing Policy and Framework for practice has given recognition to the importance of promoting wellbeing in education. It outlines a comprehensive, whole-school approach to the promotion of wellbeing and positive mental health. It focuses on the whole school community, as well as groups and individual young people with identified needs.
My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides a comprehensive psychological service to all primary and post primary schools. NEPS is a school-based service which means that all its psychologists work in schools with children, young people, teachers and parents, and are involved with school-related work, every day. The NEPS psychologist provides a range of services that may include supporting the wellbeing and inclusion of an individual pupil, through assessment and intervention. NEPS supports approximately 8000 individual children annually through this type of work. NEPS work also supports teachers in their work through providing professional learning opportunities, such as about trauma informed approaches, supporting autistic children, or delivering the Friends for Life programmes to help reduce anxiety. NEPS supports an estimated 25,000 teachers annually in this way.
The Department, through NEPS, Student Support Teams, Guidance Counsellors and other services, will also continue to signpost schools and students to the HSE/HSE-funded e-mental health services. The Department of Education has built strong links with the Department of Health and both Departments are exploring ways to improve supports for young people, including around increased awareness, promoting help-seeking behaviour and signposting to the wide range of available services. We will continue to collectively explore ways of improving supports for children and young people.
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