Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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290. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for a breakdown of new special school provision for the 2025-2026 school term, and for the expected locations nationally of this provision. [33400/25]

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.?

There continues to be an increasing need 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.

In addition to the establishment of new special schools, existing special schools are also being expanded. This is particularly so for the special schools who have opened in recent years and continue to expand. For example, Rochestown Community Special School and East Cork Community Special School are expanding by 18 and 24 places respectively.

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.

The attached table outline all NCSE supported special schools in each county that will be in operation for the 2025/26 school year.