Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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424. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update on a school building project (details supplied); if it will be ready to accept students in September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37664/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that my department received an application in 2018 under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) scheme for funding for the provision of eighteen special education classrooms.

In this regard my department approved the provision of modular accommodation of four classrooms for the school in question to cater for their immediate needs. This project is complete.

I can assure the Deputy that enabling children with special educational needs to receive a befitting education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).

My department works closely with the National Council of Special Education (NCSE) on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. The NCSE has sanctioned 399 new special classes for the 2025/26 school year. Of these 17 are in Tipperary, 9 at primary and 8 at post primary level. These classes will be added to the 138 special classes currently in operation in the county. There are also 3 special schools in Tipperary with approximately 409 students enrolled. One of the five new special schools for the 2025/26 school year will open in Nenagh. This school will initially enroll 12 students, this is in line with the level of need established by the NCSE at a local level. Offers of places were made to families at the end of May.

The NCSE continues to review the SEN provision requirements in South Tipperary and the wider area in relation to the delivery of special school places.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that an accommodation brief was agreed with the school to provide 14 special education classrooms and ancillary accommodation. Furthermore an official from my department met with representatives of the school and discussed the current building, the site and the programme for a new build as well as the department's intention to run a mini-competition utilising the Sustainable Timber Modular Framework. I am pleased to advise also that in recent weeks a tender process commenced for this mini-competition. Given the scale of the project proposed for this school it is not possible to provide a time-frame for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured. However, I can confirm that a September 2025 delivery date is not achievable.