John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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325. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to increase the number of early intervention classes in primary schools in Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23039/25]

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 Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) under the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, enables the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities/additional needs in the Early Childhood Care & Education Scheme (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to create a more inclusive environment in pre-schools, so all children availing of preschool, regardless of ability, can benefit from quality early learning and care. There has been a significant increase in resources and supports provided to children with additional needs accessing the AIM programme over recent years.

It is important to note that a diagnosis is not required in order to access AIM supports and that while some children require additional supports at preschool level, many will transition into mainstream classes thereafter. This trend has also been noted as students progress from primary level to post-primary.

Where the NCSE identifies need for an early intervention class, the class is sanctioned and supports are provided by my department to ensure the school can accommodate the class. My department works closely with the NCSE on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. My department and the NCSE identify the need for special educational provision with consideration to demographical and statistical data and in regard to an areas existing school provision and future capability.

In addition, 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.

Looking forward my department and the NCSE have begun preparatory work in relation to planning for the provision of further new special class and special school places for the 2026/27 school year and beyond.

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 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 Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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326. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken tot increase the number of specific speech and language classes in primary schools in Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23040/25]

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.

Students with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or Speech Sound Disorder (SSD) have access to speech therapy services either through the speech and language therapy services provided in special class settings by the Health Service Executive (HSE), or through the HSE’s primary care service. There are currently 63 special classes nationwide for children with a DLD or SSD.

As the HSE provide speech and language therapy to students in these classes the opening and retention of such classes is contingent on the availability of HSE resources. For this reason close engagement and coordination occurs among stakeholders at a local level.

Importantly, students with specific speech and language difficulties that are not enrolled in a special class may qualify for additional teaching support under the school's special education teaching support provision. 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.

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 also offer dedicated professional learning opportunities for teachers supporting students with additional needs.

It is important to me and this Government that we build on the initiatives recently introduced to ensure that no matter where a child is enrolled they have access to the required supports to enable them to achieve their educational goals. An example of this is the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) which sees 39 occupational and speech and language therapy posts embedded within the NCSE. The service is designed to build the capacity of teachers (and other school personnel as relevant) to provide as effectively as possible for the needs of all students.

While the provision of clinical therapy supports to children is the responsibility of the HSE, my department is working with the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic supports across both health and education.

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.