Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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357. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider undertaking a feasibility study into the establishment of a new secondary school in Cork for students with complex needs, who do not have an intellectual disability and would be academically capable of completing the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31619/25]

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.?

It is important to remember that the majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream schools with their peers. For children with more complex educational needs special classes can be provided and for children with the most complex educational needs a special school place can be provided.

Building on the establishment of eleven new special schools over recent years and the establishment of five further new special schools in the coming school year, my department and the NCSE continue to forward plan to provide further new special schools and expand existing special schools where there is a need for additional capacity. All of the new special schools opened in recent years are supporting children with autism and complex educational needs and/or a moderate or severe and profound general learning disability.

There are a number of special schools for children and young people with mild general learning disabilities and these special schools were established prior to the significant increase in supports for children with special educational needs at mainstream and the growth in both primary and post-primary special classes. Many of these special schools have broadened their designation to support children with more complex educational needs.

I note your particularly focus on post-primary provision for children with special educational needs. The number of post-primary special classes continues to increase year on year and my department has asked all post-primary schools to plan and prepare to provide on average four special classes each over the coming years. This requirement was first communicated to all post-primary schools in 2022 and has been repeated in communications and circular letters since. In line with our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and our desire to support children access the most inclusive school environment possible, it is important that we work to support more and more children with special educational needs to attend their local post-primary schools with their peers. Recent NCSE policy advice also recommends that we work to build a more inclusive education system based on children attending their local school. Increased numbers of special education teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) have been allocated to post-primary schools over recent years.

The new senior cycle level 1 and level 2 programmes now offer a new curriculum pathway for students with special educational needs in our post-primary schools also. We will continue to support our post-primary schools to support children and young people with special educational needs. The provision of increased training and supports for school leaders and school staff will be a key piece of this work also. My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.