Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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774. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the current use of a building (details supplied) in County Tipperary, given the immediate shortage of special school places in south Tipperary if the school could be used for the establishment of a new special school in south Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12955/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for his enquiry concerning the use of a building located in County Tipperary for special education needs. As the Deputy has highlighted the building is currently in use for education purposes. All buildings at the location referenced by the Deputy have future planned uses ascribed to them.

The information below outlines my Department's policy and actions in addressing special educational needs across the country and in County Tipperary and will be of benefit to the Deputy with respect to his enquiry.

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.

There continues to be an increasing need to provide additional special school places to support children with complex needs. To meet this need, eleven new special schools have been established in recent years and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. Five more special schools will be established for the 2025/26 school year in counties, Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary.

The new special school in Tipperary will be located in Nenagh and will operate under the patronage of Tipperary Education and Training Board (TETB). This school will add to the three existing special schools in Tipperary who educate over 400 students. In addition, there is also 138 special classes in mainstream schools across the county educating over 800 students. A dedicated working group has been established by my Department to work through the details in relation to the establishment of the new special school.

My Department and NCSE have begun planning in relation to further expanding special school capacity for the 2026/27 school year. It is estimated that a further 300 new special school places may be required each year for the coming years.

When looking to provide additional capacity my Department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, my Department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.

In planning for increased special school places, my Department and NCSE are reviewing all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand.

Part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process. Consideration is also given to the information the NCSE hold at local level on the number of children seeking a special school place in a region.

My Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation in County Tipperary and indeed nationwide as to where new special schools are required.