Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

763. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a rule-circular exists setting a limit of one sensory room per primary school, irrespective of class-school size. [12691/25]

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

764. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if any rule-circular exists that precludes primary schools receiving more than one sensory room grant in a six-year period; and the time limit of that rule. [12692/25]

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

765. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) had its application for a sensory room rejected when it is currently adding two autism classes to the school. [12693/25]

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

766. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) is being penalised and precluded from having a sensory room to accompany the two autism classes currently being built, all because the school hosts a pre-school class with a sensory room for pre-schoolers only in the same building. [12694/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 763 to 766, inclusive, together.

The Furniture and Equipment (F&E) team within my Department deals with the administration of the sensory room start-up grant. In order to be eligible for this grant, the school must demonstrate it has an NCSE-approved ASD class and that there is a suitable room to house the sensory room (i.e. drawings of the school layout with the sensory room and ASD class clearly marked). The sensory room must be a separate room from that of the ASD class and must have its own separate entry/exit. Only one sensory room grant is funded by my Department per school.

In addition to the sensory room start-up grant My Department has also recently announced new streamlined arrangements which have been put in place in order to support the re-purposing of existing accommodation to facilitate the opening of new special classes for the 2025/26 school year. This includes a new start-up grant of €30,000 which will be paid to each school that is approved by the NCSE to open a new special class for the 2025/26 school year. I understand that the school to which the deputy refers has been approved by the NCSE to open a new special class for the 2025/26 school year and will receive a payment of €30,000 under the new process outlined above.