Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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118. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of children who were forced into mainstream schools because they could not secure a suitable placement for their child; how she and her Department plan to address this for the upcoming school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17222/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Article 24 of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, to which Ireland is a signatory, requires us to provide education to children which is as inclusive as possible. The majority of children with special education needs in this country are supported by their classroom teachers, special education teachers and SNAs to attend mainstream classes with their peers. This is considered the most inclusive environment for children with special education needs and ensures that children can attend their local school. My department has significantly increased the resources available to support children with special educational needs in mainstream provision with 15,000 special education teachers and over 12,500 SNAs.

Where children have more complex needs a special class or special school is provided. Through the 2,700 new places being created and the over 1,200 places in existing special classes and schools, there are close to 4,000 places available for the coming school year. This significant level of provision means that the department and NCSE have created sufficient capacity for the children whose parents and schools have identified to them as requiring a place.

What is important here is that children have access to a placement that is appropriate to their needs and that is why in October 2024, my department issued a circular letter to all schools setting out a range of new measures to support the forward planning of special education. Among the new measures introduced was a request for parents of children seeking a special education placement, including children already attending mainstream classes, to notify the NCSE. This was to ensure that the NCSE had a clear picture of the children in mainstream who may have needed a special placement. The number of special education needs organisers (SENO) also increased from 65 to 120 at the start of this school year and this has helped to ensure that the NCSE have greater clarity on the level of need for special education places for children, including children in mainstream classes.

Up to an additional 2,700 specialist places will be provided for the coming school year. The NCSE has already sanctioned 375 new special classes, and they are engaging intensely with schools and school patron bodies to confirm additional special classes as soon as possible. Of these 264 are at primary and 111 at post primary level.

This will add to the 3,335 special classes currently in operation in the country. There are also 129 special schools in the county with approximately 9,000 students enrolled. Five of these are new special schools for 2025/26 school year and will open for enrolment shortly.

The scale of increased provision in special schools and special classes as well as the strong supports for mainstream means that children with special educational needs are accessing education appropriate to their needs regardless of their educational setting.