Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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604. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children projected to transition into special classes in post primary over the next ten years, broken down by county and type of special class, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29877/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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622. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary special class places opening up each year for the next five years as a result of children transitioning to post-primary by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29907/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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623. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of post-primary special class places opening up each year for the next five years as a result of children graduating secondary school, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29908/25]

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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687. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the work her Department is undertaking to map the number of children who will be enrolling in post-primary school in the next five years with special education needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30579/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 604, 622, 623 and 687 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.

My department and the NCSE engage on a weekly basis in relation to the forward planning of special class and special school provision to meet the present, and future need, of children with special educational needs.?

It is expected that a similar number of special class and special school places may need to be provided over each of the next few years, that was provided in recent years. As more and more special classes open in primary schools and as the overall level of enrolments at primary level reduce, it is expected that over time the normal annual progression of students from primary special classes to post-primary will provide a significant number of places each year for younger children seeking a special class placement. At post-primary level, my department has already written to all schools asking them to prepare to provide on average four special classes each.

In order to support the NCSE and forward planning my department recently published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of new measures introduced to support forward planning going forward and reiterates the need for parents to inform the NCSE that they are seeking a special educational placement for their child. An earlier date of 1 October has been set in which parents must do so. This notification will provide the NCSE with valuable insights as to which children will continue to require a special class as they progress to post primary level and details on students who require a place for the first time. The earlier date will also allow for earlier sanctioning of classes for the 2026/27 school year and it is aim of the NCSE to sanction the majority of new special by 31 December 2025.

Demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years, due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, my department and the NCSE have engaged with post-primary stakeholders in relation to the provision of special classes.

In October 2022, my department wrote to all post-primary schools requesting that each school begin planning to provide for up to four special classes to meet the needs of children progressing from primary school. Last year my department issued a circular to all schools setting out new measures to support the forward planning of special education provision. Included in this circular was a reminder of the need for post-primary schools to continue planning for this level of provision.

The NCSE is currently examining where new provision is best located for the 2026/27 school year.

My Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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605. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with diagnoses of Down's syndrome who travel a distance of more than 20 km to go to school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29881/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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610. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with diagnoses of Down's syndrome who are currently placed in mild general learning disability classes; in moderate general learning disability classes; and in severe or profound learning disability classes. [29888/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 605 and 610 together.

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 in its statutory capacity is responsible for the processing of details relating to individual students. The NCSE is aware of emerging need from year to year and where special provision is required it is planned and established to meet that need. As part of forward planning, parents are now requested to notify the NCSE directly where a child or young person requires a special class or special school place. The NCSE can advise and support families to access suitable local placements and can use this information to plan and sanction new special classes as required.

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 class and special school places are provided. This includes special classes and special schools designated for children with mild, moderate, and severe or profound learning disabilities.

In order to access these classes the student must have a professional report or recommendation stating a need for this level of support. A diagnosis for a condition such as Down Syndrome is not required.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that no matter where a child is enrolled they have access to the required supports to enable them to achieve their educational goals.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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606. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with additional travel who more than 30, 40 and 50 kilometres to get to school, including the share of that demographic having complex needs, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29882/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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607. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the maximum acceptable distance for a child with complex needs to travel to school. [29883/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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608. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average distance travelled by children with SEN to get to school, broken down according to severity of disability and region in tabular form. [29884/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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609. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with SEN travelling across county lines to go to school; the distribution of care needs of the same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29885/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 606, 607, 608 and 609 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.

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

The location of special classes and special schools is determined by local demand. 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 education place in a region.

Under a new parents notify process, parents are requested to notify the NCSE where a child or young person may require a special class or special school place. This new measure has ensured that the NCSE have a clearer picture of local need across all counties and can consider where new provision is required.

It is important that new provision continues to be established in as many schools as possible. This provides parents more options when deciding which schools to apply to, ensures that provision continues to grow in a diverse number of schools across regions and should help in reducing the distances that some children are travelling to access a special class place.

As more special classes are provided, particularly at post-primary level, it provides more options for children with complex special educational needs to attend their local schools. However, it is also essential that we work to ensure more children requiring a special school place can access their nearest special school.

Many special schools originally established under a particular designation of student need have and continue to diversify to provide an education to a greater number of students with different levels need. This is in keeping with my departments policy on an inclusive education and facilitates students with more complex needs to be educated in their local special school. My department will continue to support special schools in this endeavour.

In order to support children that are required to travel my department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is available. This service generally operates on a door-to-door basis. In certain circumstances, there may be a requirement for specialised vehicles, or for individual services. In many cases, the support of a school transport escort is required to assist children while travelling on school transport services.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and are committed to ensuring that no matter where a child is enrolled they have access to the required supports to enable them to achieve their educational goals.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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611. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of cases, either present or past, in which children with additional needs are placed in classes misaligned with their learning needs as determined by their assessment of need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29889/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.

As you are aware, that the vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.

Schools are encouraged to continually review the progress and development of the children enrolled in their school to ensure that the setting in which these children are educated remains the most suitable, inclusive and appropriate to the child's evolving needs. This means that some children enrolled in a special class may spend part of their day in a mainstream class. It may also mean that a child may move from a special class setting into a mainstream setting on a fulltime basis. This flexibility ensures that the child is afforded the right supports at the right time while being afforded space to grow and develop as their needs change. Importantly, any recommended changes to the child's setting is discussed with the parents of the child in such instances.

It is also important to remember that special classes and special schools are established?under a particular designation of student need, e.g., Mild/Moderate/Severe to Profound Learning Disability or for particular conditions e.g. Autism or Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Enrolment into these classes is closely linked to its designation. This ensures that these classes continue to meet the needs of the students for which they were intended and for this reason, a diagnosis and/or professional report is required in order for students to be enrolled.??

Consequently as a result of modern inclusive practices many special schools originally established under a particular designation of student need have, and continue to, diversify and now respond to a broader range of students’ needs this is in keeping with my departments policy on an inclusive education and facilitates students with more complex needs to be educated in their local special school. My department will continue to support special schools in this endeavour and is committed to ensuring that no matter where a child is enrolled they have access to the required supports to enable them to succeed and achieve their educational goals.

As part of forward planning, parents are now requested to notify the NCSE directly where a child or young person requires a special class or special school place. The NCSE can assess the professional reports provided and provide guidance around the special class and special school options available as required.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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612. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she can provide detail in relation to plans to sanction more special schools over the coming years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29890/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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613. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she can provide detail in relation to plans to sanction more special classes over the coming years; the types of special classes that will be prioritised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29891/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 612 and 613 together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.

My Department and the NCSE engage on a weekly basis in relation to the forward planning of special class and special school provision to meet the present, and future need, of children with special educational needs.

Through the accelerated provision of additional special class and special school places over recent years, there are now just over 28,000 students enrolled in special classes and special schools. 2,700 new places are being created in 2025 and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places which will become available due to children and young people vacating places, will mean that there is close to 4,000 places available for the coming school year. It is expected that this level of new provision will continue to be required over the next few years.

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

Part of the forward planning process as to where new classes, schools or expansion is required also 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 recently issued a new circular letter to all schools setting out the arrangements and new measures to support the forward planning for special education provision for the 2026/2027 school year and beyond.

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 provision is required.

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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615. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of school places appropriate for children with a mild general learning disability that exist at present in each county. [29893/25]

Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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616. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of school places appropriate for children with a moderate general learning disability that exist at present in each county. [29894/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 615 and 616 together.

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

This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which promotes that children will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.

Of the 3,335 special classes nationwide, 50 are designated by the NCSE for students with a Mild General Learning Disability, 36 at primary level and 14 are at post primary level. These classes can accommodate up to 11 students each.

The below table provides a breakdown of these classes by county.

In addition to these special classes there are 30 special schools that were originally designated as schools for children with a Mild General Learning Disability. Many of these schools have diversified over time to allow children with more complex needs in their communities who require a special school setting enrol in their local special school. There are approximately 3,400 children enrolled in these special schools.

My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that no matter where a child is enrolled they have access to the required supports to enable them to achieve their educational goals. The establishment of these special schools and special classes for children with mild general learning disability often predate the significant expansion of special education teachers provided to schools over recent years. The significant growth in the allocation of special education teachers to mainstream schools along with Special Needs Assistants is supporting more children with special educational needs to attend mainstream classes in their local school with their peers.