Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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911. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the new special school in Nenagh will open and there the location of the school will be. [19624/25]

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.

Dedicated working groups have been established by my department to work through the details in relation to the establishment of the five new special schools, for the 2025/26 school year, including the new special school in County Tipperary which is under the patronage of Tipperary Education and Training Board (ETB). Nenagh’s new special school is to be located on the Church Road by re-purposing an existing Tipperary ETB building.

A principal for the new special school is currently being recruited. The school will provide for students with a diagnosis of autism and complex learning needs or students with complex learning needs with a professional recommendation for a special school. The admission notice and admission policy for the new special school have recently been published. The application window for admissions is open until 9th May.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has also sanctioned 17 new special classes in Tipperary for the 2025/26 school year, each class has the capacity for six students. These will be added to the 138 special classes already in operation in the county.

My department and the local ETB will continue to review and assess the accommodation options available to allow the new special school to grow and expand over the next few years.