Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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466. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of mild general learning disability classrooms in County Kildare attached to a mainstream school or otherwise; the number of children waiting for a place in said classroom for September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25614/25]

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.

Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that 399 of these classes have been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these, fifteen are in County Kildare, twelve at primary and three at post-primary level. This will add to the 131 special classes currently in operation in the county, one of which is a mild general learning disability class. There are also six special schools in Kildare with approximately 359 students enrolled.

The NCSE is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I have forwarded this issue to them for their attention and direct reply.

Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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467. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide additional funding and resources to mainstream schools without mild general learning disability classrooms, to support children with mild general learning disabilities for 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25615/25]

Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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468. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special education teachers that will be provided for one-on-one learning support for children with a mild general learning disability in County Kildare for September 2025; the number of special needs assistants in County Kildare for September 2025; the level of resources allotted for movement breaks when required in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25616/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 467 and 468 together.

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.

This includes 15,000 special education teachers and over 12,500 SNAs allocated to support students enrolled in mainstream classes. The NCSE publish the allocation of special education teaching (SET) and SNA resources by county on their website, www.ncse.ie.

Schools are frontloaded with SET resources for the purpose of supporting students with an identified special education learning need in mainstream classes. The allocation allows schools to provide additional teaching support for students who require such support and without the need for a student to have a diagnosis. Schools distribute this resource based on the needs of the students enrolled as identified through the Continuum of Support framework.

In addition, SNAs, play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. As a school-based resource, there is flexibility as to how principals/board of managements deploy SNAs to meet the care support requirements of the students whom this support has been allocated.

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.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will respond to concerns raised by school principals who report that although their schools meet the criteria for additional SNA support they are being informed that no allocation can be made due to a cap on available posts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25662/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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471. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will clarify whether it is current practice that SNA allocations can only be granted to some schools if they are first removed from others in the same area, as reported by principals; if so, how this aligns with the principle of meeting individual pupil needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25663/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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472. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide more detail on how the NCSE's review process is carried out and how schools and families can appeal decisions if they believe a reduction in SNA support is inappropriate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25664/25]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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473. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills , further to Parliamentary Question 62 of 30 April, if she will clarify how many of the SNA posts have already been allocated; the number of the 1,600 SNAs not allocated to newly sanctioned classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25665/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 470 to 473, inclusive, together.

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 NCSE is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I have forwarded this issue to them for their attention and direct reply.

Deputies are also welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.

We have been steadily building on the number of SNAs in our education system. At the end of the 2024 school year there was over 22,000 SNAs in schools. Budget 2025 provides for an additional 1,600 SNA posts nationwide. This is the highest ever annual increase.

The NCSE will continue to prioritise the full allocation of the additional 1,600 SNA posts provided in Budget 2025 to support the 400 new special classes and 300 new special school places which will be available for this September from within the overall allocation budget.

The NCSE will ensure that all of the additional SNAs provided for by this Government will be allocated to ensure that those children with the highest level of need get the highest level of support.