Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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566. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will consider building a second-level school tailored for children with disabilities and additional learning supports that teaches the mainstream curriculum; and her views on whether this is a viable option. [29637/25]

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 majority of children with special educational needs at post-primary level are supported to attend their local school by their subject teachers, special education teachers and Special Needs Assistants as required. My Department and the NCSE aim to ensure that as many children as possible with additional needs are supported to attend their local school. Where children have more complex needs a special class or special school can be provided.

A key element of senior cycle reform is providing a progression pathway for students with additional needs you have undertaken Junior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 programmes. The new Senior Cycle Level 1 and Level 2 programmes ensure that more children with additional needs now have a curriculum pathway at senior cycle. All special schools will have the opportunity to offer these new programmes and avail of training and supports from the start of the coming school year.

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of special classes being provided in our post-primary schools which is again allowing children and young people to attend their local school and access special class supports as required. My Department and the NCSE are working to provide further new special classes in post-primary schools for the 2026/2027 school year and beyond.

However, there continues to be an increasing need also to provide additional special school places to support children with complex needs. To meet this need, eleven new special schools have been established in recent years and capacity has been expanded in a number of others. Five more special schools will be established for the 2025/26 school year in counties, Cork, Dublin (2), Monaghan and Tipperary.

The new special schools established over recent years have focused on providing additional places in our largest urban areas – Dublin and Cork. The department and NCSE have already begun planning in relation to further expanding special school capacity for the 2026/27 school year. It is estimated that a further 300 new special school places may be required each year for the coming years.

When looking to provide additional capacity the department’s preferred option is to increase provision in existing special schools if possible. Where this is not possible in a region, the department and NCSE will consider the need to establish a new special school.

In planning for increased special school places, the department and NCSE are reviewing all of the available data on the growing need for special school places across the country. This involves a detailed analysis of enrolment trends and the potential for existing special schools in a region to expand.

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.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation nationwide as to where new special schools are required.