Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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224. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what concrete co-ordination mechanisms are in place between the CDNTs, the NCSE and schools to ensure that parents who have children under assessment for learning disabilities can expect to have an appropriate school place for their child in the upcoming school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24965/25]

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 majority of children with special education needs in this country are supported by their classroom teachers, special education teachers and special needs assistants (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. It is important to note that there is no requirement for a diagnosis to access these supports.

Where children have more complex needs a special class or special school is provided. 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 National Council for Special Education (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. There also remains close engagement between the NCSE and CNDTs regarding children in need of assessment.

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.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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225. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether she is considering expanding the eligibility criteria for SNA allocation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24966/25]

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.

By the end of the year there will be over 20,800 special educational teachers and 23,400 special needs assistants (SNAs) in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. This will mean we will have over 44,000 teachers and SNAs working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. They help ensure that these students can access an education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

SNAs are allocated to schools as a school-based resource. Principals/boards of management deploy SNAs within schools to meet the care support requirements of the children enrolled whom SNA support has been allocated. This provides schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.

The Department of Education, through the Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Unit (SNAWDU), is currently developing the first Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan (the Plan). This comprehensive plan is structured around five key pillars, with pillar one specifically focused on examining and defining the role of the SNA.

As part of this process, a dedicated sub-group is actively engaged in reviewing and updating circular 0030/2014, which outlines the duties and scope of the SNA role. The objective of this work is to bring greater clarity, consistency, and transparency to the role, ensuring that SNAs are supported in effectively meeting the evolving needs of students with additional care needs in our schools.

Once the subgroups work is complete, its proposals will be presented to the wider working group, which includes a broad range of stakeholders from across the education sector. The overarching aim of the Plan is to enhance understanding of the SNA role, promote best practice and consistency in how SNAs are deployed and supported.

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.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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226. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions she is taking to help schools plan for children with diagnosed autism and other neurodivergent conditions before they enter school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24967/25]

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.

It is important to remember that the vast majority of children with special educational needs, including autism, are supported to mainstream with their peers. They are supported by their classroom teacher and the special education teaching and SNA allocations to the school.

The department recognises the importance of providing well-timed and appropriate support to students with identified learning needs.

In October 2024, to support forward planning work, my department issued circular letter (0080/2024) to all schools setting out a number of new measures to support the work of the NCSE to enable it to better plan for the co-ordination and management of the admission of children and young people to special classes and special schools.

This circular also outlined new arrangements to support the repurposing of existing accommodation to facilitate the opening of special classes.

The department and the NCSE continues to make a range of supports available for schools opening special classes which include the provision of teacher and special needs assistant (SNA) resources, enhanced capitation grants, assistive technology grants, the school transport scheme, dedicated training and guidance and resource documents. The earlier a school agrees to establish a new special class the more time that is available to access training, complete any refurbishment works, recruit new staff and complete admissions processes.

By the end of the year there will be over 20,800 special educational teachers and 23,400 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. This will mean we will have over 44,000 teachers and SNAs working in our education system committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs, enabling them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

Schools are free to seek a review of special education teacher and/or SNA allocations via the NCSE at any stage.

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.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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227. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions she is taking to address the inequity in supports that children with neurodivergent conditions receive in mainstream schools compared with those attending special schools, as raised by a local advocacy group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24968/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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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 special needs assistants (SNAs). Where children have more complex needs a special class or special school is provided.

SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. Schools with special classes receive an automatic allocation of SNA resources, and the NCSE also allocate additional SNAs to schools based on the school’s student profile within mainstream classrooms.

Special education teaching posts also support children exclusively in mainstream classes. These resources are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) using a variety of statistical data. The allocations are determined by student need rather than student diagnosis. As a result there is no requirement for children to receive a diagnosis in order to receive supports in mainstream classes.

The provision of clinical therapy supports is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE). However, as Minister for Education I am committed to ensuring that children have access to additional educational supports required to maximise their potential.

Within my own remit, I am conscious of this government’s ambition, as outlined in the Programme for Government, to extend therapy supports within the education system over time and initially in special schools, but expanding to all schools in time. Work in this regard has been initiated by department officials with a plan to provide therapeutic provision through education to special schools during the school year 2025/2026. The provision of therapeutic services to special schools will be provided on a phased basis. This will not replace HSE services but rather complement existing supports recognising that special schools in particular support children with complex needs.

In addition, the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) was established in June 2024 within the NCSE and will comprise of 39 therapists, initially. ETSS therapists will work in schools to build the capacity of teachers and other school staff. The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impacts of this element of the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot programme.

Currently ETSS provides 2 strands of support. Strand I involves Regional Therapy Support and includes Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) seminars with in-school support. It is planned that these supports will be available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year. The second strand, Strand II provides Sustained In-School Therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the School Inclusion Model (SIM).

The NCSE intends to deliver Strand II of the ETSS initially, in its Eastern and Western regions. Dublin is the base for the Eastern region and 22 schools in this region are currently availing of this service. Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region. It is planned that the Stand II will be available in the Western Region for the 2025/2026 school year.

Regional Therapy Support and Sustained In-School Therapy will be available to all schools in these regions, including special schools, following an application process through the NCSE.

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.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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228. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether she is considering mandating neurodiversity training for all teachers, both for those who have already qualified and those currently in training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24969/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.

Providing inclusive education to children with special educational needs is a fundamental principle of my Department’s education and training system. This principle is put into practice through the policies of my Department and the Teaching Council and the supports provided to schools, for example through the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and Oide.

Central to Initial Teacher Education policy in Ireland is that all teachers teaching children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) should be qualified Primary or Post-primary teachers in the first instance. Once qualified as a teacher, persons may apply for professional development in the area of SEN.

Inclusive education (including Special Education) was a mandatory element of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes which were extended and reconceptualised under Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (Teaching Council, 2011). Within further updated standards which the Teaching Council adopted in 2020, known as Céim Standards for Initial Teacher Education, inclusive education was further strengthened as one of seven core elements which must underpin all aspects of programmes of ITE.

Inclusive education, as defined in Céim, refers to any aspect of teachers’ learning which aims to

• Improve their capacity to address and respond to the diversity of learners’ needs – which specifically includes the needs of children with autism;
• Remove barriers to education through the accommodation and provision of appropriate structures and arrangements
• Enable each learner to achieve the maximum benefit from his/her attendance at school.

• Post-Graduate Diploma Programme of Teacher Professional Learning for Special Education Teachers.
• Graduate Certificate in Autism Education for teachers working with Autistic Pupils in Special Schools, Special Classes or as Special Education Teachers in mainstream Primary and Post-Primary Schools.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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229. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether she is working to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to autism classes, as raised by a local advocacy group (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24970/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Enabling children with special educational needs to receive a befitting education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs. This ensures children and young people with the highest level of need are supported in achieving their educational goals.

At the heart of this are the teachers and special needs assistants dedicated to ensuring each child is valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. The NCSE offer full school support to all staff and provide support for teachers with training needs in special education, through the NCSE support service which manages, co-ordinates and develops a range of supports in response to identified teacher training need. The NCSE has also secured the services of Middletown Centre for Autism to deliver support to school staff in special classes for children with autism.

Supporting this is the variety of differentiated teaching approaches encouraged by my department to accommodate the varying levels of ability in classrooms. This facilitates the inclusion of all learners to access the school curriculum in a meaningful way.

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.

Schools should work to ensure that children attending special classes are supported to access the mainstream class and teaching as much as is possible. My Department recently issued renewed guidelines for schools in relation to the ongoing review of special class placements. Placements should be reviewed on a regular basis and at least once a year.

In 2024, the NCSE published new policy advice on the progressive development of a more inclusive education system where the majority of children with special education needs are supported to attend their local school with their siblings and peers. My Department is working to progress a range of measures to make this a reality over the coming years.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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230. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the provision of the summer programme can be announced in September each year instead of April-May to enable families to prepare for the summer months in advance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24979/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Each year, all schools are given an opportunity to run an educational programme over the summer months for those children who need it the most. The aim is to ensure that these children can continue to be supported, nurtured and encouraged to engage in a fun and inclusive educational setting. Our main priority is ensuring that those children with the most complex special educational needs, especially in special schools, should have access to a school-based summer programme.

Details of the School-based Summer Programme are typically published early in the first quarter of the calendar year for the following reasons:

1. To align with the annual budget allocation that funds the Summer Programme.
2. To allow for my department’s Inspectorate to complete reports on inspections and follow-up visits to schools that participated in the previous year’s programme. These inspections and follow-up visits assess progress and offer recommendations to enhance the programme for the next summer programme.
3. To facilitate engagement with stakeholders, gather feedback and to develop new initiatives that will increase school participation and reach more children.