Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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289. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has considered in detail proposals made by the 'Bridging the Gap' campaign group of families in Youghal to her Department for the coming school term, who are aiming to develop a new secondary level special school in the town, including interim proposals involving modular buildings. [33399/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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As you are aware special classes 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.

It is important to remember that this specialist provision is provided for children with the most complex of needs. The majority of children and young people with special educational needs are educated in mainstream classes with their peers. In working to develop a more inclusive education system, we want to support as many students as possible to attend their local mainstream schools. This means that children are not required to travel long distances to attend special schools or classes and can attend school in their local communities.

15,000 special education teachers have been provided to enable schools to achieve this. In practical terms this means schools get a substantial additional teaching allocation to support children with special education needs who are in mainstream classes.

Allocations of special education teaching (SET) posts for the next school year and allocations of special needs assistants (SNAs) have recently been provided to schools. The NCSE also publish SET and SNA allocations on their .

Of the 400 new special classes places provided for in Budget 2025, the NCSE has advised that 399 of these classes have already been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these 53 are in County Cork, 35 at primary and 18 at post primary level. This will add to the 563 special classes currently in operation in the county. There are also 16 special schools in Cork with approximately 1,060 students enrolled. One of the five new special schools for the 2025/26 school year will open in North Cork also. This school is currently accepting applications for admission.

My department wrote to all post-primary schools in 2022 asking them to begin to prepare to provide at least four special classes each on average. It is important that children progressing from primary special classes can access a post-primary special class place if required in their local area.

My Department and the NCSE will continue to review where additional special school capacity is required. This can be provided through the expansion of existing special schools or the establishment of new special schools.

My department and the NCSE continue to engage with schools and school management bodies in relation to the provision of future special classes and are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for this school year and future years.